AMD Radeon HD 8870M vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile and the AMD Radeon HD 8870M represent two distinct eras of mobile graphics, separated by a decade of architectural evolution. The data available shows a single head-to-head benchmark result, yet that result is so decisive that it frames the entire comparison. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the RTX 3050 A Mobile scores 52,998 points, while the HD 8870M manages 8,462 points. This yields a delta of 526.3%, meaning the NVIDIA part delivers more than six times the compute performance of the AMD part in this specific workload. The RTX 3050 A Mobile wins the only recorded head-to-head benchmark, giving it a 1–0 record in direct comparisons.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The sole benchmark shared between these two GPUs is Geekbench OpenCL, a compute-oriented test that stresses raw throughput across the entire GPU. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile posts a score of 52,998, while the AMD Radeon HD 8870M finishes with 8,462. The performance gap is staggering: the RTX 3050 A Mobile is 526.3% faster, a figure that dwarfs the differences seen between most consecutive generations of hardware. This is not a marginal victory; it is a categorical one.

To contextualize this gap, consider the average benchmark scores for each card. The RTX 3050 A Mobile has an average benchmark score of 8,746, which places it at the 44th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 v2 (average score 8,743, 0% delta) and the AMD Radeon R9 M265X (average score 8,851, -1.2% delta). The HD 8870M, by contrast, has an average score of 8,462, sitting at the 43rd percentile. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce MX330 (8,458, 0.1% delta) and the Intel Arc A380 (8,558, -1.1% delta). While the two cards' average scores are within 3.4% of each other (8,746 vs 8,462), the OpenCL result tells a very different story—one where the RTX 3050 A Mobile's modern architecture and compute resources produce an order-of-magnitude advantage in a specific workload.

The delta of 526.3% is not an artifact of a weak rival; the HD 8870M was a mid-range part in its day. Rather, it reflects the fundamental shift in GPU design priorities. The RTX 3050 A Mobile’s score is so far beyond the HD 8870M’s that it suggests the latter is not merely slower, but architecturally obsolete for compute-heavy tasks. In every other benchmark category where data exists, the RTX 3050 A Mobile either has a score or the HD 8870M has none, reinforcing the idea that the modern GPU is simply in a different performance class.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two GPUs is vast. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile is built on the Ampere architecture, manufactured by Samsung on an 8 nm process node. It packs 12,000 million transistors into a die size of 276 mm², yielding a transistor density of 43.5 million per mm². The AMD Radeon HD 8870M, in contrast, uses the older GCN 1.0 architecture, fabricated by TSMC on a 28 nm node. It houses 1,500 million transistors on a 123 mm² die, giving a density of just 12.2 million per mm². The RTX 3050 A Mobile has eight times the transistor count and more than triple the density, a direct consequence of the decade-long gap between their release dates.

The compute resources differ accordingly. The RTX 3050 A Mobile features 1,792 shading units, 56 texture mapping units, and 32 render output units. It also includes 14 RT cores and 56 tensor cores, enabling hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI-based features—capabilities entirely absent from the HD 8870M, which lists no RT or tensor cores. The AMD part has 640 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. In raw math, the RTX 3050 A Mobile delivers 4.813 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, while the HD 8870M manages 992.0 GFLOPS—roughly a 4.85x difference in theoretical peak throughput. The pixel rate is 42.98 GPixel/s versus 12.40 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 75.21 GTexel/s versus 31.00 GTexel/s.

Memory configurations also highlight the generational leap. The RTX 3050 A Mobile ships with 4 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 192.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The HD 8870M has 2 GB of GDDR5 on the same 128-bit bus, but only 72.00 GB/s. The clock speeds tell a similar story: the RTX 3050 A Mobile runs at a base of 1065 MHz and boosts to 1343 MHz, with memory at 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective), while the HD 8870M idles at 725 MHz base and 775 MHz boost, with memory at 1125 MHz (4.5 Gbps effective). Even the bus interface differs—PCIe 4.0 x8 for the NVIDIA part versus PCIe 3.0 x16 for the AMD part—though both are mobile-appropriate.

Where Each One Wins

From the data, the RTX 3050 A Mobile wins every comparison where both have a recorded benchmark. In Geekbench OpenCL, it is 526.3% faster. In the broader benchmark suite, the RTX 3050 A Mobile has scores for Passmark DirectX 10 (61), DirectX 11 (94), DirectX 12 (55), DirectX 9 (152), G2D (526), G3D (11,664), and GPU Compute (4,419). The HD 8870M has no Passmark scores in the FACT PACK, meaning we cannot compare those specific workloads directly. However, the OpenCL result alone is sufficient to establish that the RTX 3050 A Mobile is the superior compute performer.

Where might the HD 8870M hold an edge? Its only advantage is power efficiency relative to its era, but the FACT PACK lists no TDP for the AMD part, while the RTX 3050 A Mobile is rated at 45 W. The HD 8870M’s 28 nm process and lower clock speeds suggest it could draw less power, but without a TDP figure, no quantitative claim can be made. In terms of software support, the RTX 3050 A Mobile supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, while the HD 8870M supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The NVIDIA part has a more modern feature set, including ray tracing and DLSS-capable tensor cores, which the AMD part cannot match. The HD 8870M’s only potential win is in legacy application compatibility—older drivers and software may still run on it—but this is not a benchmark-based victory.

For users, the RTX 3050 A Mobile is the clear choice for any compute, rendering, or modern gaming workload. The HD 8870M might still function for basic 2D tasks or very old titles, but its lack of modern API support (no DirectX 12_2, no RT cores) limits its relevance. The data shows no scenario where the HD 8870M outperforms the RTX 3050 A Mobile in a measurable metric.

The Verdict

Any user comparing these two GPUs should choose the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile without hesitation, based strictly on the benchmark data. The 526.3% lead in Geekbench OpenCL is a decisive, quantitative measure of compute superiority. The RTX 3050 A Mobile also sits at the 44th percentile of all GPUs, while the HD 8870M sits at the 43rd—a marginal difference in aggregate ranking, but the OpenCL result reveals that the modern part is far more capable in raw throughput. The RTX 3050 A Mobile’s 4 GB GDDR6 memory (vs 2 GB GDDR5) and 192.0 GB/s bandwidth (vs 72.00 GB/s) provide a 2.67x memory bandwidth advantage, which directly benefits texture-heavy and compute workloads.

The HD 8870M’s sole virtue is its historical context: it was a competent mobile GPU in its time, but the data shows it is outclassed by a factor of six in compute performance. For anyone with a modern workload—whether gaming, content creation, or general compute—the RTX 3050 A Mobile is the only rational choice. The AMD part’s 640 shading units and 992.0 GFLOPS of FP32 throughput are simply insufficient for contemporary demands. The verdict is unambiguous: the RTX 3050 A Mobile wins on every measurable axis, and the HD 8870M should be considered obsolete for any performance-sensitive application.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in the Geekbench OpenCL benchmark?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile scores 52,998, while the AMD Radeon HD 8870M scores 8,462. This gives the NVIDIA part a 526.3% performance advantage.

Q: What are the memory specifications of each GPU?

A: The RTX 3050 A Mobile has 4 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 192.0 GB/s bandwidth. The HD 8870M has 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus with 72.00 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon HD 8870M support ray tracing?

A: No. The FACT PACK lists no RT cores for the HD 8870M, while the RTX 3050 A Mobile includes 14 RT cores and 56 tensor cores.

Q: How do their average benchmark scores compare?

A: The RTX 3050 A Mobile has an average benchmark score of 8,746 (44th percentile), while the HD 8870M has an average score of 8,462 (43rd percentile). The difference is 3.4% in favor of the NVIDIA part.

Q: What is the transistor count difference?

A: The RTX 3050 A Mobile contains 12,000 million transistors, while the HD 8870M contains 1,500 million—an 8x difference in favor of the modern NVIDIA GPU.

Q: Which GPU has a higher FP32 compute performance?

A: The RTX 3050 A Mobile delivers 4.813 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, compared to 992.0 GFLOPS for the HD 8870M. This is a 4.85x advantage for the NVIDIA part.