AMD Radeon RX 5700 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a split decision across nine shared tests, with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile taking five wins and the AMD Radeon RX 5700 taking four. The most decisive NVIDIA victory comes in Geekbench Vulkan, where the RTX 4050 Mobile scores 75,235 against the RX 5700’s 64,166, a 14.7% advantage. DirectX 11 follows a similar pattern: the RTX 4050 Mobile posts 130 points versus 101, a 22.3% lead, which is the largest margin of any test in either direction. DirectX 12 also favors the laptop GPU, with 61 points against 54, an 11.5% gap, and Geekbench OpenCL shows the RTX 4050 Mobile ahead at 74,748 versus 69,603, a 6.9% difference.

The RX 5700’s wins are concentrated in legacy and compute workloads. Its largest margin is in Passmark G2D, where it scores 877 against 633, a 38.5% blowout. DirectX 9 favors the AMD card by 13.6% (209 versus 184), DirectX 10 by 10.1% (87 versus 79), and GPU compute by 9.6% (6,517 versus 5,947). The closest contest is Passmark G3D, where the RTX 4050 Mobile barely edges ahead, 14,423 versus 14,314, a 0.8% margin that is nearly a tie.

Aggregate scores tell a more complex story. The RX 5700’s average benchmark score is 22,170, placing it at the 67th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6700S, scores 22,154 (0.1% lower), while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile scores 22,435 (1.2% higher). The RTX 4050 Mobile averages 19,049, at the 63rd percentile, with the AMD Radeon RX 6600 as its closest competitor at 19,036 (0.1% lower). The delta between the two cards in average score is roughly 16.4% in favor of the RX 5700, but the head-to-head tests show the RTX 4050 Mobile winning more individual workloads, indicating that the gap is workload-dependent rather than universal.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 4050 Mobile dominates in modern API and cross-platform compute tests. Its wins in Vulkan, OpenCL, DirectX 11, and DirectX 12 suggest it is better suited for current game engines and general-purpose GPU compute that target these interfaces. The 14.7% Vulkan lead is particularly relevant for Vulkan-based titles and emulators, while the 22.3% DirectX 11 advantage covers a large catalog of older but still popular games. The DirectX 12 win, though smaller at 11.5%, points to better forward compatibility with newer DX12-heavy titles.

The RX 5700 excels in legacy DirectX workloads and 2D performance. Its 38.5% G2D lead indicates faster desktop compositing and 2D acceleration, which matters for productivity workflows, multiple monitors, and older applications. The 13.6% DirectX 9 win and 10.1% DirectX 10 win show strong backward compatibility for classic games that rely on those APIs. The 9.6% GPU compute lead is notable for compute-heavy tasks that are not tied to Vulkan or OpenCL, such as certain physics simulations or rendering pipelines that use proprietary compute paths.

The near-tie in G3D (0.8% difference) suggests that overall 3D rasterization performance is broadly comparable, with neither card holding a meaningful edge in synthetic 3D workloads. This means the decision between them hinges on API support and specific use cases rather than raw 3D throughput. For a builder targeting modern titles with Vulkan or DX12, the RTX 4050 Mobile is the stronger pick. For older game libraries, 2D-heavy office use, or compute tasks outside Vulkan/OpenCL, the RX 5700 holds the advantage.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural generations and process nodes. The RX 5700 uses the Navi 10 chip on RDNA 1.0, built on a 7 nm process at TSMC, with 10,300 million transistors on a 251 mm² die. The RTX 4050 Mobile uses the AD107 chip on Ada Lovelace, built on a 5 nm process at TSMC, with 18,900 million transistors on a 159 mm² die. The transistor density tells the story: the RTX 4050 Mobile packs 118.9 million transistors per mm², versus 41.0 million for the RX 5700, reflecting the newer node and denser design.

Core counts differ significantly. The RX 5700 has 2,304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs. The RTX 4050 Mobile has 2,560 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. Despite fewer TMUs and ROPs, the RTX 4050 Mobile achieves higher FP32 throughput at 8.986 TFLOPS versus 7.949 TFLOPS, thanks to its higher boost clock of 1,755 MHz versus 1,725 MHz. The RX 5700 has a higher base clock at 1,465 MHz versus 1,455 MHz, but the RTX 4050 Mobile’s boost advantage and wider shader array tip the raw compute scale.

The RTX 4050 Mobile includes dedicated hardware that the RX 5700 lacks entirely: 20 ray tracing cores and 80 tensor cores. These enable hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI features such as DLSS, which the RX 5700 cannot perform without software fallbacks. FP16 throughput also differs: the RX 5700 offers 15.90 TFLOPS at a 2:1 ratio, while the RTX 4050 Mobile delivers 8.986 TFLOPS at 1:1, meaning the AMD card has a substantial FP16 advantage for workloads that use it, but the NVIDIA card’s 1:1 ratio avoids the conversion overhead.

Memory subsystems are radically different. The RX 5700 uses 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, yielding 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX 4050 Mobile uses 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 96-bit bus, yielding 192.0 GB/s. That is a 256 GB/s bandwidth deficit for the laptop chip, which explains why the RX 5700 wins compute and legacy tests despite lower shader counts. The RX 5700’s memory clock is 1,750 MHz (14 Gbps effective), while the RTX 4050 Mobile runs at 2,000 MHz (16 Gbps effective), but the narrower bus negates that speed advantage.

Power and physical design differ completely. The RX 5700 is a dual-slot desktop card with a 180 W TDP, requiring a 450 W power supply and one 6-pin plus one 8-pin connector. The RTX 4050 Mobile is an integrated GPU with a 50 W TDP, no power connectors, and no defined dimensions, as it is portable-device dependent. The RX 5700 uses PCIe 4.0 x16, while the RTX 4050 Mobile uses PCIe 4.0 x8, which can affect bandwidth in bandwidth-sensitive workloads.

API support also diverges. The RX 5700 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), while the RTX 4050 Mobile supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), which includes features like mesh shaders and variable rate shading. Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4. Display outputs differ: the RX 5700 offers 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the RTX 4050 Mobile’s outputs are listed as portable device dependent.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher average benchmark scores?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 5700 averages 22,170, which is 67th percentile, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile averages 19,049, at the 63rd percentile.

Q: Does the RTX 4050 Mobile support hardware ray tracing?

A: Yes, it has 20 dedicated ray tracing cores. The RX 5700 has no ray tracing cores.

Q: Which card has more memory bandwidth?

A: The RX 5700 has 448.0 GB/s from 8 GB on a 256-bit bus. The RTX 4050 Mobile has 192.0 GB/s from 6 GB on a 96-bit bus.

Q: How much power does each GPU consume?

A: The RX 5700 has a 180 W TDP and requires a 450 W suggested PSU. The RTX 4050 Mobile has a 50 W TDP and no external power connectors.

Q: Which wins in DirectX 12?

A: The RTX 4050 Mobile scores 61 versus the RX 5700’s 54, an 11.5% advantage. It also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, while the RX 5700 supports DirectX 12 (12_1).

Q: Is the RX 5700 still in production?

A: No, it is end-of-life, released on 2019-07-06. The RTX 4050 Mobile is active, released on 2023-01-02.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon RX 5700 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile |

|---|---|---|

| Process node | 7 nm | 5 nm |

| Transistors | 10,300 million | 18,900 million |

| Die size | 251 mm² | 159 mm² |

| Transistor density | 41.0M / mm² | 118.9M / mm² |

| Base clock | 1465 MHz | 1455 MHz |

| Boost clock | 1725 MHz | 1755 MHz |

| Memory clock | 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) | 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective) |

| Memory size | 8 GB | 6 GB |

| Memory bus width | 256 bit | 96 bit |

| Memory bandwidth | 448.0 GB/s | 192.0 GB/s |

| Shading units | 2304 | 2560 |

| TMUs | 144 | 80 |

| ROPs | 64 | 48 |

| RT cores | None | 20 |

| Tensor cores | None | 80 |

| Pixel rate | 110.4 GPixel/s | 84.24 GPixel/s |

| Texture rate | 248.4 GTexel/s | 140.4 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 7.949 TFLOPS | 8.986 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 15.90 TFLOPS (2:1) | 8.986 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 180 W | 50 W |

| Slot width | Dual-slot | IGP |

| Power connectors | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin | None |

| Suggested PSU | 450 W | None |

| Bus interface | PCIe 4.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x8 |

| Display outputs | 1x HDMI 2.0b, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a | Portable Device Dependent |

| DirectX support | 12 (12_1) | 12 Ultimate (12_2) |

| Production status | End-of-life | Active |

| Release date | 2019-07-06 | 2023-01-02 |

| Launch MSRP | 349 USD | None |

The Verdict

The data points to a clear use-case split. The RTX 4050 Mobile is the better choice for modern gaming and compute that relies on Vulkan, OpenCL, DirectX 11, or DirectX 12. Its 14.7% Vulkan lead, 22.3% DirectX 11 lead, and 11.5% DirectX 12 lead make it the stronger option for current game engines and cross-platform workloads. The 20 RT cores and 80 tensor cores add hardware features that the RX 5700 simply cannot match, enabling ray tracing and AI acceleration. The 50 W TDP also makes it suitable for portable devices where the RX 5700’s 180 W TDP and dual-slot cooler are impractical.

The RX 5700 remains the pick for legacy DirectX 9 and DirectX 10 titles, where it wins by 13.6% and 10.1% respectively. Its 38.5% G2D lead makes it better for 2D-heavy desktop use, and its 9.6% GPU compute win covers workloads outside Vulkan/OpenCL. The 8 GB memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth give it a substantial advantage in memory-intensive tasks, and its 15.90 TFLOPS FP16 throughput is nearly double the RTX 4050 Mobile’s 8.986 TFLOPS. The higher average benchmark score of 22,170 versus 19,049, and the 67th versus 63rd percentile placement, reflect its overall edge in aggregate performance.

The near-tie in G3D (0.8%) and the RX 5700’s higher average score suggest that the desktop card is the stronger all-round performer, but the RTX 4050 Mobile wins the tests that matter for modern gaming. A builder with a desktop chassis and a focus on current AAA titles should favor the RTX 4050 Mobile despite its lower aggregate score, because its API wins align with what modern games use. A builder with a large legacy game library, heavy 2D workloads, or compute tasks that benefit from FP16 or high bandwidth should choose the RX 5700. The RTX 4050 Mobile is also the only option for laptops, while the RX 5700 is desktop-only. There is no universal winner; the correct choice depends entirely on the workload mix.