AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile and the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT represent two very different corners of the GPU market. The data shows a clear split: the AMD card dominates modern DirectX 12 and 3D Mark workloads, while the NVIDIA mobile chip holds unexpected leads in compute and older API tests. This analysis breaks down the recorded benchmark results, architectural differences, and what each GPU's strengths mean for real-world use.

Where Each One Wins

The head-to-head benchmark results show a decisive 8-to-2 win tally in favor of the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT. The AMD card wins every PassMark DirectX test, including DirectX 9, 10, 11, and 12, with margins ranging from 47.3% to 69.5%. It also wins the PassMark G2D, G3D, and GPU compute tests, plus the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark. The only two wins for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile come in Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan, with the OpenCL victory being particularly large at 216.6%.

The use-case split is straightforward. The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT is the clear choice for gaming, especially for titles that leverage DirectX 11 or DirectX 12. Its PassMark G3D score of 24,176 versus the NVIDIA's 10,093 shows a 58.3% advantage in general 3D rendering. The AMD card also excels in compute-heavy tasks, as its PassMark GPU compute score of 13,473 is 68% higher than the NVIDIA's 4,305. The NVIDIA RTX 3050 Ti Mobile, however, shows a unique strength in OpenCL workloads, scoring 57,915 compared to the AMD's 18,290, a difference of 216.6%. This suggests the NVIDIA chip may be better suited for specific OpenCL-accelerated applications, though the AMD card remains superior in most other measured categories.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from fundamentally different design philosophies. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile uses the GA106 chip built on Ampere architecture, fabricated on an 8 nm process by Samsung. It contains 12,000 million transistors on a 276 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 43.5 million per square millimeter. The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT uses the Navi 32 chip based on RDNA 3.0 architecture, manufactured on a 5 nm process by TSMC. This chip packs 28,100 million transistors onto a 346 mm² die, resulting in a much higher transistor density of 81.2 million per square millimeter.

The memory configuration differs dramatically. The NVIDIA card has 4 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 192.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The AMD card has 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth. This fourfold increase in memory capacity and more than triple the bandwidth gives the AMD card a significant advantage in texture-heavy and high-resolution workloads.

Compute resources also diverge sharply. The NVIDIA RTX 3050 Ti Mobile has 2,560 shading units, 80 texture mapping units, and 32 raster operation processors. It includes 20 RT cores and 80 tensor cores. The AMD RX 7800 XT has 3,840 shading units, 240 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, with 60 RT cores and no tensor cores. The AMD card's FP32 performance is 37.32 TFLOPS compared to the NVIDIA's 5.299 TFLOPS, a 7x difference. Pixel rate and texture rate follow the same pattern: the AMD card achieves 233.3 GPixel/s and 583.2 GTexel/s, while the NVIDIA manages 33.12 GPixel/s and 82.80 GTexel/s.

Power and physical design also differ. The NVIDIA GPU has a TDP of 75 W, requires no power connectors, and is an integrated form factor (IGP). The AMD GPU has a TDP of 263 W, needs two 8-pin power connectors, a 600 W suggested PSU, and is a dual-slot card measuring 267 mm in length. The AMD card is actively produced, while the NVIDIA chip is end-of-life.

The Verdict

The data points to the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT as the superior performer in nearly every benchmark category. Its wins in all PassMark DirectX tests, 3DMark Steel Nomad, and compute benchmarks make it the clear choice for gaming and general GPU acceleration. The 58.3% lead in PassMark G3D and the 68% lead in GPU compute are substantial margins that will translate into noticeable real-world performance differences. The AMD card also benefits from 16 GB of VRAM, which is four times the NVIDIA's 4 GB, making it far more suitable for modern games with large texture sets.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile, however, is not without merit. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 57,915 versus the AMD's 18,290 is a remarkable outlier. For users running OpenCL-specific applications, the NVIDIA chip could actually be the better option despite its much lower raw compute specifications. The NVIDIA card also wins the Geekbench Vulkan test by a slim 2.9% margin, suggesting competitive Vulkan performance in certain scenarios.

For most users, the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT is the obvious pick. It wins 8 out of 10 head-to-head benchmarks, offers significantly more memory, and has a much higher transistor density. The NVIDIA card's 53rd percentile versus the AMD's 51st percentile among all GPUs is misleading, as the average benchmark scores (12,940 for NVIDIA and 11,627 for AMD) are skewed by the NVIDIA's massive OpenCL result. The nearest rivals for the NVIDIA card include the RX 580 and GTX 1660 SUPER with deltas of 0.1% and -0.4%, respectively, placing it in the mid-range tier. The AMD card's nearest rivals are the GTX 1660 and RX 6500 XT with deltas of -0.5% and -1.8%, which seems inconsistent with its higher benchmark scores but reflects the averaging method.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT scores 4,157 compared to the NVIDIA's 469, a difference of 88.7%.

Q: Does the NVIDIA RTX 3050 Ti Mobile win any benchmark?

A: Yes, it wins Geekbench OpenCL with 57,915 versus 18,290 (216.6% higher) and Geekbench Vulkan with 55,812 versus 54,228 (2.9% higher).

Q: How much more VRAM does the AMD card have?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT has 16 GB of GDDR6, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile has 4 GB, a fourfold difference.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The AMD card delivers 624.1 GB/s over a 256-bit bus, while the NVIDIA card provides 192.0 GB/s over a 128-bit bus.

Q: Which card has a higher transistor density?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT has 81.2 million transistors per mm² on a 5 nm process, versus 43.5 million per mm² for the NVIDIA on an 8 nm process.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The AMD card has a 263 W TDP with two 8-pin connectors and a 600 W suggested PSU, while the NVIDIA card has a 75 W TDP and no power connectors.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test shows the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT scoring 4,157 against the NVIDIA's 469, a delta of -88.7%. This is the largest single benchmark gap in the entire comparison and reflects the AMD card's superior DirectX 12 capabilities. The AMD card's 60 RT cores and 3,840 shading units clearly outperform the NVIDIA's 20 RT cores and 2,560 shading units in this modern workload.

Geekbench OpenCL reverses the trend dramatically. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile scores 57,915, while the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT manages only 18,290, giving the NVIDIA card a 216.6% advantage. This is surprising given the AMD card's higher FP32 throughput (37.32 TFLOPS versus 5.299 TFLOPS), but the data is clear. Geekbench Vulkan is much closer: NVIDIA wins with 55,812 against 54,228, a slim 2.9% margin.

The PassMark suite shows consistent AMD dominance. DirectX 9: AMD 304 versus NVIDIA 120, a 60.5% win. DirectX 10: AMD 121 versus NVIDIA 60, a 50.4% win. DirectX 11: AMD 249 versus NVIDIA 76, a 69.5% win. DirectX 12: AMD 93 versus NVIDIA 49, a 47.3% win. The PassMark G2D test also favors AMD at 1,177 versus 498, a 57.7% difference. The PassMark G3D test shows AMD at 24,176 versus NVIDIA's 10,093, a 58.3% margin. Finally, GPU compute favors AMD at 13,473 versus 4,305, a 68% difference.

These results paint a consistent picture. The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT is between 47.3% and 69.5% faster in all DirectX API tests, and it holds a 58.3% lead in general 3D rendering. The only areas where the NVIDIA card excels are OpenCL and to a lesser extent Vulkan, where its architecture appears to have a specific advantage despite lower raw specifications.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in nearly every specification category. The process nodes are 8 nm (Samsung) for NVIDIA versus 5 nm (TSMC) for AMD. Transistor counts are 12,000 million versus 28,100 million, and die sizes are 276 mm² versus 346 mm². Transistor density is 43.5M/mm² versus 81.2M/mm².

Clock speeds show the AMD card running much higher: base clocks are 735 MHz for NVIDIA and 1,295 MHz for AMD, while boost clocks are 1,035 MHz versus 2,430 MHz. The AMD card also has a game clock of 2,124 MHz. Memory clocks are 1,500 MHz (12 Gbps effective) for NVIDIA versus 2,438 MHz (19.5 Gbps effective) for AMD.

Memory capacity is 4 GB versus 16 GB, with bus widths of 128-bit versus 256-bit. Bandwidth is 192.0 GB/s versus 624.1 GB/s. The shading units count is 2,560 versus 3,840, TMUs are 80 versus 240, and ROPs are 32 versus 96. RT cores are 20 versus 60, and the NVIDIA card has 80 tensor cores while the AMD card has none.

Pixel rates are 33.12 GPixel/s versus 233.3 GPixel/s, and texture rates are 82.80 GTexel/s versus 583.2 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 5.299 TFLOPS versus 37.32 TFLOPS. TDP is 75 W versus 263 W, and slot widths are IGP versus dual-slot. The NVIDIA card has no power connectors, while the AMD card requires two 8-pin connectors. Display outputs are portable device dependent for NVIDIA versus 1x HDMI 2.1a and 3x DisplayPort 2.1 for AMD. The NVIDIA card is end-of-life, while the AMD card is active production.