AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile Comparison

The Verdict

The data in the database positions the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile and the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL in entirely different performance strata. The RTX 3080 Mobile records an average benchmark score of 23628, placing it at the 69th percentile among all GPUs. The RX Vega M GL, by contrast, scores an average of 21153, which sits at the 66th percentile. The raw delta in average score is 2475 points, and the head-to-head benchmark results confirm a decisive NVIDIA victory.

For users selecting based strictly on the recorded measurements, the RTX 3080 Mobile is the clear choice for any workload that stresses compute or graphics performance. It wins both head-to-head tests by a wide margin. The RX Vega M GL is only competitive in contexts where its power envelope matters more than absolute performance, as its 65 W TDP is well below the 115 W TDP of the RTX 3080 Mobile. The mix of scores also matters: the RTX 3080 Mobile has a much broader benchmark profile, with 10 recorded tests covering DirectX 9 through DirectX 12, OpenCL, Vulkan, and compute workloads, while the Vega M GL has only two recorded tests (OpenCL and Vulkan). This means the NVIDIA part has demonstrated consistency across many API generations, whereas the AMD part's standing rests on a narrower set of measurements.

The nearest rivals in the database provide useful context. The RTX 3080 Mobile's closest competitor is the AMD Radeon RX 9070, which scores 23877, a delta of -1% relative to the RTX 3080 Mobile. It is also 0.5% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Mobile (23518) and 1.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 (23315). The RTX 3080 Mobile trails the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z by just 0.5% (23736). The RX Vega M GL's nearest rival is the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile, which scores 21379, a 1.1% advantage over the Vega part. The AMD Radeon HD 8970M is 0.4% ahead (21237), while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 is 0.6% behind (21035) and the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT is 2.1% behind (20713). The Vega M GL's position among these rivals shows it is a mid-pack mobile part, not a performance leader.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different manufacturers, different foundries, and different architectural generations. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile uses the GA104 chip built on Ampere architecture, fabricated by Samsung on an 8 nm process. The AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL uses the Polaris 22 chip built on GCN 4.0 architecture, fabricated by GlobalFoundries on a 14 nm process. The process node difference (8 nm versus 14 nm) is a major factor in the transistor density gap: the RTX 3080 Mobile packs 17,400 million transistors into a 392 mm² die, yielding 44.4 million transistors per square millimeter. The Vega M GL packs 5,000 million transistors into a 208 mm² die, yielding 24.0 million transistors per square millimeter. The NVIDIA part has over three times the transistor count and nearly double the density.

The compute resources differ even more dramatically. The RTX 3080 Mobile has 6144 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, 96 ROPs, 48 ray tracing cores, and 192 tensor cores. The Vega M GL has 1280 shading units, 80 TMUs, 32 ROPs, and no ray tracing or tensor cores. The NVIDIA part's FP32 throughput is 18.98 TFLOPS, while the AMD part delivers 2.588 TFLOPS. Both parts advertise FP16 at a 1:1 ratio with FP32, but the absolute numbers are 18.98 TFLOPS versus 2.588 TFLOPS. Pixel and texture rates follow the same pattern: the RTX 3080 Mobile achieves 148.3 GPixel/s and 296.6 GTexel/s, while the Vega M GL achieves 32.35 GPixel/s and 80.88 GTexel/s.

Memory is another major differentiator. The RTX 3080 Mobile has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256 bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The Vega M GL has 4 GB of HBM2 on a 1024 bit bus, delivering 179.2 GB/s. Although the Vega part has a much wider bus, its lower memory clock (700 MHz, 1400 Mbps effective versus 1750 MHz, 14 Gbps effective for NVIDIA) limits its bandwidth to less than half of the NVIDIA part's. The RTX 3080 Mobile also supports PCIe 4.0 x16, while the Vega M GL is an IGP with no external bus interface. API support favors NVIDIA as well: the RTX 3080 Mobile supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the Vega M GL supports DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3. Both support OpenGL 4.6.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records exactly two head-to-head benchmark comparisons between these two GPUs: Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan. In both, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile wins decisively.

In Geekbench OpenCL, the RTX 3080 Mobile scores 104831 against 19549 for the RX Vega M GL. That is a 436.2% advantage for the NVIDIA part. This is the largest delta in the head-to-head set, reflecting the massive gap in shading units, tensor cores, and raw FP32 throughput. The Vega M GL's 1280 shading units and 2.588 TFLOPS FP32 cannot compete with 6144 shading units and 18.98 TFLOPS.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the RTX 3080 Mobile scores 104066 against 22757 for the RX Vega M GL, a 357.3% advantage. The Vulkan delta is slightly smaller than the OpenCL delta, but still a dominant margin. Vulkan's lower overhead may help the Vega M GL close the gap slightly, but the underlying hardware disparity remains overwhelming. The RTX 3080 Mobile's 48 ray tracing cores and 192 tensor cores do not directly accelerate standard Vulkan raster workloads, but the sheer shading throughput and memory bandwidth (448.0 GB/s versus 179.2 GB/s) carry the score.

The RTX 3080 Mobile's other recorded benchmarks are not matched by the Vega M GL in the head-to-head set, but they provide context for its overall profile. It scores 2644 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, 16321 in Passmark G3D, 7276 in Passmark GPU Compute, and smaller scores in Passmark DirectX 9 (170), DirectX 11 (146), DirectX 10 (120), DirectX 12 (72), and G2D (637). The Vega M GL has no recorded scores for these tests, so direct comparison is not possible, but its two available scores suggest it would trail significantly in all of them.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile has an average benchmark score of 23628, while the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL has an average of 21153.

Q: How much faster is the RTX 3080 Mobile in OpenCL?

A: The RTX 3080 Mobile scores 104831 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 436.2% higher than the RX Vega M GL's 19549.

Q: Does the RX Vega M GL have ray tracing cores?

A: No. The database lists null values for the Vega M GL's ray tracing cores and tensor cores. The RTX 3080 Mobile has 48 ray tracing cores and 192 tensor cores.

Q: What are the TDPs of the two GPUs?

A: The RTX 3080 Mobile has a TDP of 115 W, while the RX Vega M GL has a TDP of 65 W.

Q: Which GPU has more memory bandwidth?

A: The RTX 3080 Mobile has 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth from 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256 bit bus. The RX Vega M GL has 179.2 GB/s from 4 GB of HBM2 on a 1024 bit bus.

Q: How do the two GPUs compare to their nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 3080 Mobile is 0.5% ahead of the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile, 1.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700, and 1% behind the AMD Radeon RX 9070. The RX Vega M GL is 0.6% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050, 2.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT, and 1.1% behind the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile wins every recorded comparison in this database. It has a 436.2% lead in OpenCL and a 357.3% lead in Vulkan. Its average benchmark score is 2475 points higher, and it sits at the 69th percentile versus the 66th percentile for the Vega M GL. The RTX 3080 Mobile also has a far broader benchmark footprint, with recorded scores in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, multiple Passmark DirectX versions, Passmark G2D, Passmark G3D, and Passmark GPU Compute. This breadth indicates the driver and hardware stack handle a wide range of API workloads, from legacy DirectX 9 to modern DirectX 12 Ultimate.

The RX Vega M GL's only recorded advantages are structural, not performance-based. Its 65 W TDP is 50 W lower than the RTX 3080 Mobile's 115 W TDP, making it a more power-efficient part in absolute terms. Its HBM2 memory with a 1024 bit bus is a notable design choice, though the lower clock rate limits real bandwidth to 179.2 GB/s. Its IGP slot width and lack of external power connectors reflect a design intended for compact systems, and its PCIe interface is listed as IGP rather than an external bus. The Vega M GL is also older, with a release date of 2018-01-31 compared to the RTX 3080 Mobile's 2021-01-11, and it uses a larger 14 nm process node.

For use-case selection, the data supports a simple split. Any workload requiring high compute throughput, modern graphics APIs, or ray tracing support should use the RTX 3080 Mobile. Its 18.98 TFLOPS FP32, 48 ray tracing cores, 192 tensor cores, and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are all substantially ahead of the Vega M GL's 2.588 TFLOPS and 179.2 GB/s. The RTX 3080 Mobile also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4, making it future-proof for newer games and compute frameworks. The Vega M GL is limited to DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3, with no ray tracing or tensor core support.

The only context where the Vega M GL makes sense is a system with tight power or thermal constraints. Its 65 W TDP and IGP form factor allow integration without external power connectors, which the RTX 3080 Mobile also lacks (its power connectors are listed as "None"), but the Vega part draws far less power. For a user prioritizing low power draw over performance, the Vega M GL is the only choice in this comparison. For every other criterion, the RTX 3080 Mobile is the superior part according to the recorded data. The percentile gap (69 versus 66) understates the actual performance gap in the shared benchmarks, where the NVIDIA part leads by 357% to 436%.