AMD Radeon Vega 8 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile Comparison

The AMD Radeon Vega 8 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile occupy different performance tiers, but the data reveals a decisive overall winner while clarifying specific use cases where the older IGP still holds relevance. Based on the average benchmark scores, the AMD Radeon Vega 8 posts 9221 points against the RTX 3050 A Mobile’s 8746 points, a 5.4% advantage for the AMD part. However, this aggregate figure is skewed by the RTX 3050 A Mobile’s inclusion of low DirectX 9 and DirectX 10 scores; in the only shared head-to-head test, the NVIDIA part delivers a 52998 score in Geekbench OpenCL versus the Vega 8’s 8822, an 83.4% margin. The percentile ranking confirms closeness: the Vega 8 sits at the 45th percentile of all GPUs, while the RTX 3050 A Mobile ranks at the 44th percentile. The AMD chip’s nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon 890M (0.1% faster) and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 (0.6% faster), while the NVIDIA part’s nearest rivals are the GTX 460 v2 (0% difference) and Quadro P2200 (0.7% slower). This paints a picture of two parts that benchmark near their respective peer groups, but with radically different architectural foundations and feature sets.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon Vega 8 wins on raw average benchmark consistency and in the specific scenario of a balanced compute profile. Its average score of 9221 across three Geekbench tests (Metal, OpenCL, Vulkan) shows no catastrophic outliers; the lowest score is 8134 in Vulkan, and the highest is 10706 in Metal. This consistency makes it a predictable performer for general-purpose compute workloads that don’t rely on modern API extensions. The Vega 8 also holds a slight edge in percentile placement (45th versus 44th), indicating that in a mixed workload environment, it edges out the RTX 3050 A Mobile in relative standing against all GPUs. Furthermore, its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon 890M, is only 0.1% faster, meaning the Vega 8 sits at the very top of its immediate competitive cluster.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile wins decisively in raw compute throughput and modern feature support. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 52998 is nearly six times higher than the Vega 8’s 8822, a 500%+ advantage in that specific test. The NVIDIA part also demonstrates massive superiority in DirectX 11 (94 points) and DirectX 10 (61 points) passmark tests, though these numbers are difficult to compare directly to the AMD part’s Geekbench-only results. The RTX 3050 A Mobile’s Passmark G3D score of 11664 and GPU compute score of 4419 further indicate strong rasterization and compute capabilities. Its 14 ray tracing cores and 56 tensor cores provide hardware acceleration that the Vega 8 completely lacks, making it the only choice for workloads that leverage these features. The NVIDIA part’s 4 GB dedicated GDDR6 memory with 192.0 GB/s bandwidth also gives it a structural advantage in memory-heavy tasks, whereas the Vega 8 relies on system-shared memory with bandwidth that is system-dependent.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is generational. The AMD Radeon Vega 8 uses the GCN 5.0 architecture on a 14 nm process from GlobalFoundries, featuring 4,940 million transistors on a 210 mm² die. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile uses the Ampere architecture on Samsung’s 8 nm process, packing 12,000 million transistors into a 276 mm² die. This results in a transistor density of 23.5 million per mm² for AMD versus 43.5 million per mm² for NVIDIA, showing the latter’s process advantage. The Vega 8 has 512 shading units, 32 texture mapping units, and 8 ROPs, while the RTX 3050 A Mobile has 1792 shading units, 56 TMUs, and 32 ROPs — a 3.5x, 1.75x, and 4x increase respectively. Clock speeds differ substantially: the Vega 8 boosts to 1100 MHz from a 300 MHz base, while the RTX 3050 A Mobile boosts to 1343 MHz from a 1065 MHz base.

Memory architecture is a critical differentiator. The Vega 8 uses system-shared memory with no dedicated VRAM, making its bandwidth system-dependent. The RTX 3050 A Mobile has 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 192.0 GB/s of dedicated bandwidth. The NVIDIA part also features 14 ray tracing cores and 56 tensor cores, which are absent from the AMD chip. API support differences are notable: the Vega 8 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3, while the RTX 3050 A Mobile supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. This means the NVIDIA part can handle the latest DirectX 12 Ultimate features, including DXR ray tracing and mesh shaders, which the AMD part cannot. Power and interface also differ: the Vega 8 has a 25 W TDP and uses an IGP bus interface, while the RTX 3050 A Mobile has a 45 W TDP and uses PCIe 4.0 x8.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct head-to-head benchmark available is Geekbench OpenCL, and the results are lopsided. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile scores 52998, while the AMD Radeon Vega 8 scores 8822, yielding a delta of -83.4% for the AMD part. This means the NVIDIA GPU is approximately 6 times faster in this compute test, a margin that reflects the massive core count and memory bandwidth advantages. In terms of raw FP32 performance, the RTX 3050 A Mobile delivers 4.813 TFLOPS versus the Vega 8’s 1,126.4 GFLOPS (1.126 TFLOPS), a 4.27x difference. The pixel rate tells a similar story: 42.98 GPixel/s for NVIDIA versus 8.800 GPixel/s for AMD, a 4.88x gap. Texture rate is 75.21 GTexel/s versus 35.20 GTexel/s, a 2.14x difference.

The nearest rival data provides additional context. The Vega 8’s average score of 9221 is within 0.1% of the AMD Radeon 890M (9210) and 0.6% below the GTX 960 (9273). The RTX 3050 A Mobile’s average score of 8746 matches the GTX 460 v2 exactly (0% delta) and is 0.7% above the Quadro P2200. This suggests that while the NVIDIA part dominates the AMD part in the OpenCL head-to-head, its average score is dragged down by the passmark DirectX 9 and DirectX 10 tests (152 and 61 points respectively), which are likely legacy API benchmarks where the newer architecture underperforms. The Vega 8 has no passmark scores in the fact pack, so direct comparisons in those tests are impossible. However, the NVIDIA part’s Passmark G3D score of 11664 and GPU compute score of 4419 are substantial, indicating strong real-world performance in modern games and compute applications.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon Vega 8 has a higher average benchmark score of 9221, compared to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile’s 8746, a 5.4% difference.

Q: How much faster is the NVIDIA GPU in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile scores 52998 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 83.4% higher than the AMD Radeon Vega 8’s score of 8822.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon Vega 8 support ray tracing?

A: No, the AMD Radeon Vega 8 has no ray tracing cores. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile includes 14 ray tracing cores.

Q: What is the difference in memory bandwidth?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile has 192.0 GB/s of dedicated GDDR6 bandwidth on a 128-bit bus. The AMD Radeon Vega 8 uses system-shared memory, and its bandwidth is system-dependent.

Q: Which GPU has a higher transistor density?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile has a transistor density of 43.5 million per mm², while the AMD Radeon Vega 8 has 23.5 million per mm².

Q: What are the DirectX version differences?

A: The AMD Radeon Vega 8 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2).

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous for raw compute performance: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile is the dominant part. Its 52998 Geekbench OpenCL score versus the Vega 8’s 8822 represents a 6x advantage, and its 4.813 TFLOPS FP32 output dwarfs the Vega 8’s 1,126.4 GFLOPS. For any workload that leverages OpenCL, DirectX 12 Ultimate, or ray tracing, the RTX 3050 A Mobile is the only viable option. Its 14 ray tracing cores and 56 tensor cores are features the AMD part simply does not have.

However, the AMD Radeon Vega 8 wins on average score and percentile ranking. Its 9221 average and 45th percentile placement versus the NVIDIA part’s 8746 and 44th percentile suggest that in a broad mix of legacy and modern tests, the Vega 8 is more consistent. The NVIDIA part’s very low passmark DirectX 9 (152) and DirectX 10 (61) scores drag its average down, indicating poor legacy API performance. If the workload is confined to older DirectX 9/10 titles or requires consistent performance across Metal, OpenCL, and Vulkan without modern features, the Vega 8 is the safer choice.

For most users, the RTX 3050 A Mobile is the clear pick. The 4 GB of dedicated GDDR6 memory, 192.0 GB/s bandwidth, and modern Ampere architecture provide a future-proof foundation. The Vega 8’s system-shared memory and lack of dedicated VRAM make it unsuitable for high-resolution textures or memory-intensive compute. The RTX 3050 A Mobile’s 45 W TDP versus the Vega 8’s 25 W TDP indicates higher power draw, but the performance gains justify this. Choose the AMD Radeon Vega 8 only if the workload is legacy-focused, power-constrained, or requires consistent cross-API performance at the 45th percentile level. Choose the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile for any modern gaming, ray-traced, or compute-heavy application.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon Vega 8 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile |

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

| Architecture | GCN 5.0 | Ampere |

| Process Node | 14 nm | 8 nm |

| Transistors | 4,940 million | 12,000 million |

| Die Size | 210 mm² | 276 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 23.5M / mm² | 43.5M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 300 MHz | 1065 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1100 MHz | 1343 MHz |

| Memory Size | System Shared | 4 GB |

| Memory Type | System Shared | GDDR6 |

| Memory Bus | System Shared | 128 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | System Dependent | 192.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 512 | 1792 |

| TMUs | 32 | 56 |

| ROPs | 8 | 32 |

| RT Cores | None | 14 |

| Tensor Cores | None | 56 |

| Pixel Rate | 8.800 GPixel/s | 42.98 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 35.20 GTexel/s | 75.21 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 1,126.4 GFLOPS | 4.813 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 2.253 TFLOPS (2:1) | 4.813 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 25 W | 45 W |

| Bus Interface | IGP | PCIe 4.0 x8 |

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

| Vulkan Support | 1.3 | 1.4 |

| Release Date | 2018-02-11 | 2023-12-31 |