AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a decisive victory for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile across the two compute-focused head-to-head tests. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RTX 4050 Mobile scores 74,748, while the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL manages 19,549. This represents a 73.8% deficit for the AMD part, meaning the NVIDIA solution delivers over three times the raw compute throughput in this workload. The margin is substantial and consistent with the architectural generational gap between the two products.

The Geekbench Vulkan result tells a similar story, though the relative gap narrows slightly. The RTX 4050 Mobile posts 75,235 points, against 22,757 for the RX Vega M GL. That is a 69.8% difference, still a dominant performance advantage for the NVIDIA part. Vulkan tends to be more efficient on modern architectures, and the Ada Lovelace design clearly benefits from its newer feature set and higher execution resources.

Looking at the aggregate benchmark averages, the picture becomes more nuanced. The AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL records an average benchmark score of 21,153, which places it in the 66th percentile of all GPUs. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile, despite winning both head-to-head tests, has a lower average score of 19,049, placing it in the 63rd percentile. This discrepancy arises because the RTX 4050 Mobile's average includes a broader set of tests, some of which are less favorable to its architecture. The Passmark DirectX 9 score of 184 and DirectX 12 score of 61 are notably low, pulling the average down. The RX Vega M GL only has two Geekbench entries in the database, both of which are relatively strong for its class.

The nearest rivals for each card further contextualize their standings. The RX Vega M GL sits within a tight cluster: the AMD Radeon HD 8970M is 0.4% ahead, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 is 0.6% behind, and the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile is 1.1% ahead. The AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT trails by 2.1%. This indicates that the RX Vega M GL's performance is closely matched with older desktop and mobile parts from several generations. The RTX 4050 Mobile, by contrast, has its nearest rivals at nearly identical scores: the AMD Radeon RX 6600 is 0.1% ahead, the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 is 0.1% ahead, the NVIDIA Tesla K20m is 0.2% behind, and the NVIDIA RTX 2000 Ada Generation is 0.5% behind. The RTX 4050 Mobile's average is therefore not representative of its peak compute capability; it is dragged down by legacy DirectX tests that do not stress modern features.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins the head-to-head compute benchmarks?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile wins both recorded head-to-head tests. It scores 74,748 in Geekbench OpenCL versus 19,549 for the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL, and 75,235 in Geekbench Vulkan versus 22,757. The RTX 4050 Mobile holds a 73.8% lead in OpenCL and a 69.8% lead in Vulkan.

Q: Why does the AMD card have a higher average benchmark score than the NVIDIA card?

A: The AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL has an average benchmark score of 21,153, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile averages 19,049. The database includes only two Geekbench results for the AMD part, both of which are strong. The NVIDIA part has nine recorded tests, including several Passmark DirectX scores (79, 130, 61, 184) that are very low and reduce its overall average.

Q: How does each card compare to its closest rivals?

A: The RX Vega M GL is 0.4% behind the AMD Radeon HD 8970M, 0.6% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050, 1.1% behind the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile, and 2.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT. The RTX 4050 Mobile is 0.1% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6600, 0.1% behind the NVIDIA Quadro K6000, 0.2% ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla K20m, and 0.5% ahead of the NVIDIA RTX 2000 Ada Generation.

Q: What is the percentile ranking for each GPU?

A: The AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL ranks in the 66th percentile of all GPUs, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile ranks in the 63rd percentile. These rankings reflect the full set of recorded benchmarks for each card, not just the head-to-head tests.

Q: Which card has a higher boost clock?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile has a boost clock of 1755 MHz, compared to 1011 MHz for the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL. The base clocks are 1455 MHz and 931 MHz, respectively.

Q: Does the RTX 4050 Mobile support newer graphics APIs?

A: Yes. The RTX 4050 Mobile supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The RX Vega M GL supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The DirectX 12 Ultimate designation includes additional features not present in the AMD part.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL is built on the Polaris 22 chip, using the GCN 4.0 architecture, and fabricated on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile uses the AD107 chip with the Ada Lovelace architecture, built on a 5 nm process at TSMC. This process node difference is significant: the AMD part uses a larger 208 mm² die with 5,000 million transistors, while the NVIDIA die is smaller at 159 mm² but packs 18,900 million transistors. The transistor density reflects this: 24.0 million per mm² for AMD versus 118.9 million per mm² for NVIDIA.

The execution resource allocation differs markedly. The RX Vega M GL has 1280 shading units, 80 texture mapping units, and 32 render output units. The RTX 4050 Mobile has 2560 shading units, also 80 texture mapping units, but 48 render output units. The NVIDIA architecture also includes dedicated hardware that the AMD part lacks entirely: 20 ray tracing cores and 80 tensor cores. These are absent from the RX Vega M GL, which has no RT or tensor core entries in the database.

Memory architecture is another fundamental divergence. The RX Vega M GL uses 4 GB of HBM2 with a 1024-bit memory bus and 179.2 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 4050 Mobile uses 6 GB of GDDR6 with a 96-bit bus and 192.0 GB/s bandwidth. The AMD part's wide bus is a legacy HBM design, while NVIDIA opts for a narrower but faster GDDR6 implementation. The memory clocks also differ: 1400 Mbps effective for AMD versus 16 Gbps effective for NVIDIA.

The compute rates show the NVIDIA part's substantial advantage. The RTX 4050 Mobile delivers 8.986 TFLOPS FP32 and 8.986 TFLOPS FP16, while the RX Vega M GL delivers 2.588 TFLOPS in both FP32 and FP16. Pixel and texture rates follow: 84.24 GPixel/s and 140.4 GTexel/s for NVIDIA, versus 32.35 GPixel/s and 80.88 GTexel/s for AMD. The bus interface also differs, with the AMD part using an IGP connection and the NVIDIA part using PCIe 4.0 x8.

Specification Differences

The recorded data shows several specification gaps between the two GPUs. The process node differs: 14 nm for AMD versus 5 nm for NVIDIA. The foundry is GlobalFoundries for AMD and TSMC for NVIDIA. Transistor count is 5,000 million for the RX Vega M GL versus 18,900 million for the RTX 4050 Mobile. Die size is 208 mm² versus 159 mm².

Base and boost clocks are higher on the NVIDIA part: 1455 MHz base and 1755 MHz boost, compared to 931 MHz base and 1011 MHz boost for AMD. Memory capacity is 4 GB versus 6 GB, with memory types HBM2 and GDDR6 respectively. Bus width is 1024-bit for AMD and 96-bit for NVIDIA. Bandwidth is 179.2 GB/s versus 192.0 GB/s.

Shading units number 1280 for AMD and 2560 for NVIDIA. Render output units are 32 versus 48. The RTX 4050 Mobile has 20 ray tracing cores and 80 tensor cores, while the RX Vega M GL has none. FP32 and FP16 performance are 2.588 TFLOPS versus 8.986 TFLOPS. Pixel rate is 32.35 GPixel/s versus 84.24 GPixel/s. Texture rate is 80.88 GTexel/s versus 140.4 GTexel/s.

Thermal design power is 65 W for the AMD part and 50 W for the NVIDIA part. The power connector is listed as "None" for NVIDIA, and no connector is listed for AMD. Both are IGP slot width. The DirectX version support differs: 12 (12_0) for AMD and 12 Ultimate (12_2) for NVIDIA. Vulkan support is 1.3 for AMD and 1.4 for NVIDIA. The production status is End-of-life for AMD and Active for NVIDIA. Release dates are January 31, 2018 for AMD and January 2, 2023 for NVIDIA.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile wins every head-to-head benchmark in the database. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 74,748 and Vulkan score of 75,235 are far beyond anything the RX Vega M GL can produce. The compute capability, driven by the higher shading unit count, tensor cores, and ray tracing hardware, makes it the clear choice for modern compute-heavy workloads. The 73.8% and 69.8% leads are decisive, and the newer architecture supports feature sets like DirectX 12 Ultimate that the AMD part cannot offer.

The AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL, despite losing both direct comparisons, has a higher average benchmark score (21,153 versus 19,049) and a higher percentile ranking (66th versus 63rd). This suggests that in the broader database context, the RX Vega M GL is more consistent across the tests where it is recorded. Its HBM2 memory with a 1024-bit bus provides high bandwidth for its generation, and its lower transistor density but larger die indicates a design focused on memory throughput. It also has a higher TDP at 65 W, which may allow sustained performance in some integrated contexts.

For use cases, the RTX 4050 Mobile is the superior option for any workload that leverages modern graphics features: ray tracing, tensor-based operations, or DirectX 12 Ultimate titles. The data shows a massive compute lead that would translate to frame rate advantages in most games and acceleration in AI or rendering tasks. The RX Vega M GL, being end-of-life and built on older GCN 4.0, is better suited to legacy applications or systems where the integrated form factor and HBM2 memory are priorities. Its average score being higher than the RTX 4050 Mobile's average is a statistical artifact of the limited test set, not a performance advantage in real-world modern workloads. The database clearly indicates that for current-generation tasks, the RTX 4050 Mobile is the stronger part, while the RX Vega M GL remains competitive only in its narrow recorded benchmarks.