AMD Radeon Pro Duo vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile Comparison

AMD Radeon Pro Duo and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile are two very different graphics cards from different eras, targeting entirely different segments of the market. The data shows a single head-to-head benchmark result, but the broader specification differences paint a clear picture of their respective strengths and weaknesses.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct benchmark comparison available is the Geekbench OpenCL test. In this test, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile scores 50,038, while the AMD Radeon Pro Duo scores 35,860. This represents a 28.3% advantage for the NVIDIA card, which is a significant margin. The RTX 3050 Mobile’s OpenCL score is not just a fluke; its average benchmark score across all tests is 33,170, which places it in the 78th percentile of all GPUs. The Radeon Pro Duo’s average benchmark score is 35,860, placing it in the 80th percentile.

Looking at the rival landscape, the Radeon Pro Duo sits close to the NVIDIA Quadro GV100, which scores 35,520 (a 1% difference), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Mobile at 35,435 (a 1.2% difference). It is slightly behind the NVIDIA T1000 (36,289) and the AMD Radeon RX 5300M (36,529). On the other side, the RTX 3050 Mobile’s average score of 33,170 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA T550 Mobile (33,161, a 0% delta), the AMD Radeon Pro 570 (33,207, a -0.1% delta), and the NVIDIA P104-100 (32,982, a 0.6% delta). It also edges out the NVIDIA T600 Mobile (32,849) by 1%.

The single benchmark win for the RTX 3050 Mobile suggests that in raw compute workloads, the newer NVIDIA architecture holds a clear advantage. However, the Radeon Pro Duo’s higher percentile ranking, driven by its other strengths, indicates that its performance profile is not fully captured by this single OpenCL test.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is substantial. The AMD Radeon Pro Duo is built on the GCN 3.0 architecture, using the "Capsaicin" chip, and is manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC. This is an older, dual-GPU card from 2016. In contrast, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile uses the Ampere architecture with the GA107 chip, built on an 8 nm process at Samsung. This is a modern, single-chip mobile solution from 2021.

The transistor counts are similar — 8,900 million for the AMD and 8,700 million for the NVIDIA — but the die sizes are vastly different. The AMD chip is 596 mm², while the NVIDIA chip is only 200 mm². This leads to a massive difference in transistor density: the AMD card has 14.9M transistors per mm², while the NVIDIA card packs 43.5M per mm². This density difference reflects the much more modern manufacturing process and design philosophy of the Ampere architecture.

Feature-wise, the NVIDIA card includes 16 ray tracing cores and 64 tensor cores, which are entirely absent from the AMD Radeon Pro Duo. The AMD card also lacks support for DirectX 12 Ultimate, supporting only DirectX 12 (12_0), while the RTX 3050 Mobile supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2). The NVIDIA card also supports a newer version of Vulkan (1.4 vs 1.2.170).

The memory subsystems are also radically different. The AMD card uses 4 GB of HBM on a 4096-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 512.0 GB/s. The NVIDIA card uses 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 192.0 GB/s. While the AMD card has over 2.6 times the memory bandwidth, the NVIDIA card’s memory operates at a much higher effective clock speed (12 Gbps vs 1000 Mbps).

Where Each One Wins

The data points to distinct use cases for each card. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile wins in the compute-heavy OpenCL benchmark, which is a strong indicator for general-purpose GPU compute tasks and modern gaming APIs. Its support for DirectX 12 Ultimate, ray tracing cores, and tensor cores makes it suitable for contemporary games that leverage these features. Its high transistor density and modern 8 nm process also suggest better power efficiency, given its 45 W TDP versus the AMD’s 350 W TDP.

The AMD Radeon Pro Duo, despite losing the OpenCL test, has its own strengths. Its massive 512.0 GB/s memory bandwidth, courtesy of the HBM interface and 4096-bit bus, is a clear advantage for workloads that are heavily memory-bandwidth bound. Its 8.192 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is also higher than the RTX 3050 Mobile’s 5.501 TFLOPS. This suggests the AMD card could be better suited for certain scientific or professional compute tasks that require massive data throughput, even if its general compute score is lower.

The RTX 3050 Mobile also wins on connectivity, supporting PCIe 4.0 x8, while the older AMD card is limited to PCIe 3.0 x16. This gives the NVIDIA card a newer, faster bus interface for data transfer to and from the CPU.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher raw FP32 compute performance?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro Duo has a higher FP32 compute rating at 8.192 TFLOPS, compared to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile’s 5.501 TFLOPS.

Q: Does the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile support ray tracing?

A: Yes, the RTX 3050 Mobile includes 16 dedicated ray tracing cores, a feature completely absent from the AMD Radeon Pro Duo.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference between the two cards?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro Duo has a 512.0 GB/s bandwidth from its HBM memory on a 4096-bit bus. The RTX 3050 Mobile has 192.0 GB/s from its GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus.

Q: Which card is larger in physical size?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro Duo is a dual-slot card measuring 277 mm in length and 111 mm in height. The RTX 3050 Mobile is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with no specified dimensions, designed for laptops.

Q: What are the DirectX feature level differences?

A: The NVIDIA card supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the AMD card only supports DirectX 12 (12_0). This means the NVIDIA card supports newer features like hardware ray tracing and mesh shaders.

Q: How do the cards compare in terms of power requirements?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro Duo has a TDP of 350 W and requires three 8-pin power connectors and a 750 W power supply. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile has a TDP of 45 W and does not require any external power connectors.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon Pro Duo | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile |

| :--- | :--- | :--- |

| Architecture | GCN 3.0 | Ampere |

| Process Node | 28 nm | 8 nm |

| Foundry | TSMC | Samsung |

| Die Size | 596 mm² | 200 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 14.9M / mm² | 43.5M / mm² |

| Base Clock | N/A | 1065 MHz |

| Boost Clock | N/A | 1343 MHz |

| Memory Type | HBM | GDDR6 |

| Memory Bus Width | 4096 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 512.0 GB/s | 192.0 GB/s |

| Memory Clock | 1000 Mbps effective | 12 Gbps effective |

| Shading Units | 4096 | 2048 |

| TMUs | 256 | 64 |

| ROPs | 64 | 32 |

| RT Cores | N/A | 16 |

| Tensor Cores | N/A | 64 |

| Pixel Rate | 64.00 GPixel/s | 42.98 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 256.0 GTexel/s | 85.95 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 8.192 TFLOPS | 5.501 TFLOPS |

| TDP | 350 W | 45 W |

| Power Connectors | 3x 8-pin | None |

| Suggested PSU | 750 W | N/A |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | IGP |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x8 |

| DirectX | 12 (12_0) | 12 Ultimate (12_2) |

| Vulkan | 1.2.170 | 1.4 |

| Dimensions | 277 mm (L), 111 mm (H) | N/A |

| Release Date | 2016-04-25 | 2021-05-10 |

| Launch MSRP | 1,499 USD | N/A |

The Verdict

The choice between these two GPUs is clear-cut based on the data. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile is the superior choice for modern workloads. Its 28.3% lead in the Geekbench OpenCL benchmark, combined with its support for DirectX 12 Ultimate, ray tracing cores, and tensor cores, makes it the obvious pick for anyone dealing with contemporary games or compute applications. Its significantly lower TDP of 45 W also makes it far more practical for mobile use.

The AMD Radeon Pro Duo is a different beast entirely. Its strengths lie in its massive memory bandwidth (512.0 GB/s) and raw FP32 compute (8.192 TFLOPS). These specifications suggest it could excel in specific, bandwidth-intensive professional tasks. However, its age, lack of modern features like ray tracing, and its end-of-life status make it a niche product. The data would suggest it is not a suitable recommendation for most users, as the NVIDIA card offers better overall performance in the measured benchmark and supports a much wider range of modern features. The RTX 3050 Mobile is the more versatile and future-proof option.