AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme GPU vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data presents a challenging comparison because the two products are measured with entirely different benchmark suites. The AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme GPU has a single 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 516, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile has a suite of Geekbench and Passmark results. The only available cross-reference point is the average benchmark score and percentile placement. The AMD part sits at the 1st percentile across all GPUs, with an average score of 516. The NVIDIA part reaches the 44th percentile, with an average score of 8746. That represents a massive gap in overall recorded performance, roughly 17 times higher average score for the NVIDIA mobile GPU.

Within its nearest rival group, the AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme GPU shows a narrow competitive window. The Intel HD Graphics P4000 averages 534, which is 3.4% higher. The AMD Radeon HD 6870 averages 536, 3.7% higher. The AMD Radeon HD 6750M averages 484, which the Z2 Extreme beats by 6.6%. The AMD Radeon HD 6770M averages 569, which is 9.3% higher than the Z2 Extreme. These deltas place the Z2 Extreme in a very low-performance tier, adjacent to integrated graphics from over a decade ago. The data indicates that the Z2 Extreme GPU is not competitive with even modestly performing discrete GPUs of the past.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile sits in a different performance class entirely. Its nearest rivals all cluster within a few percentage points. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 v2 averages 8743, essentially identical at 0% delta. The NVIDIA Quadro P2200 averages 8686, which is 0.7% lower. The AMD Radeon R9 M265X averages 8851, which is 1.2% higher. The AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100 averages 8863, which is 1.3% higher. The RTX 3050 A Mobile's average of 8746 places it in a competitive band with these established desktop and workstation parts, a completely different performance neighborhood from the Z2 Extreme.

The individual Passmark results for the RTX 3050 A Mobile provide further detail. The Passmark G3D score is 11664, while the Passmark G2D score is 526. The DirectX 9 test yields 152, DirectX 11 yields 94, DirectX 10 yields 61, and DirectX 12 yields 55. The GPU compute score is 4419. The Geekbench OpenCL score is 52998. These numbers show a pattern typical of a discrete mobile GPU: strong raw compute and 3D performance, with lower scores on legacy API tests. The Z2 Extreme has no comparable individual test results, so direct per-test comparison is impossible from the database.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 3050 A Mobile wins decisively in overall recorded performance. Its average benchmark score of 8746 against 516 for the Z2 Extreme is the dominant data point. The RTX 3050 A Mobile also wins on memory bandwidth, with 192.0 GB/s versus 128.0 GB/s for the Z2 Extreme. It uses GDDR6 memory, while the Z2 Extreme uses LPDDR5X. The RTX 3050 A Mobile has a 128-bit memory bus, matching the Z2 Extreme's 128-bit bus, but the higher effective memory clock of 12 Gbps versus 8 Gbps produces the bandwidth advantage.

The Z2 Extreme wins on several architectural specifications. It has a smaller process node at 4 nm versus 8 nm, which delivers a much higher transistor density: 145.9 million transistors per square millimeter versus 43.5 million for the NVIDIA part. The Z2 Extreme also integrates far more transistors overall, 34,000 million versus 12,000 million, despite a smaller die size of 233 mm² versus 276 mm². The power draw is lower as well, with a 28 W TDP versus 45 W. The Z2 Extreme also has more memory capacity at 16 GB versus 4 GB, and it has a higher boost clock at 2700 MHz versus 1343 MHz.

In terms of rendering throughput, the Z2 Extreme posts higher pixel rate and texture rate figures. The pixel rate is 129.6 GPixel/s versus 42.98 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 172.8 GTexel/s versus 75.21 GTexel/s. The FP32 compute is also slightly higher for the Z2 Extreme at 5.530 TFLOPS versus 4.813 TFLOPS. These numbers suggest the Z2 Extreme has higher theoretical fill rates despite its low benchmark scores, which indicates that the benchmark results are likely constrained by other factors such as driver support, thermal behavior, or memory subsystem latency.

The RTX 3050 A Mobile wins on shading unit count with 1792 versus 1024, and it includes 56 tensor cores, which the Z2 Extreme lacks entirely. The RTX 3050 A Mobile also has more RT cores at 14 versus 16 for the Z2 Extreme, though the Z2 Extreme actually has a higher count there. The RTX 3050 A Mobile supports PCIe 4.0 x8, while the Z2 Extreme has no listed bus interface. The production status differs as well: the Z2 Extreme is Active, while the RTX 3050 A Mobile is End-of-life.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme GPU uses the Strix Point chip with RDNA 3.5 architecture, built on a 4 nm process at TSMC. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile uses the GA106 chip with Ampere architecture, built on an 8 nm process at Samsung. These are fundamentally different designs from different eras and purposes. The Z2 Extreme is classified as a Console GPU in the AMD lineup, while the RTX 3050 A Mobile is part of the GeForce 30-series mobile lineup.

The transistor counts reflect the process advantage. The Z2 Extreme packs 34,000 million transistors into a 233 mm² die, yielding a density of 145.9 million per square millimeter. The RTX 3050 A Mobile has 12,000 million transistors on a 276 mm² die, for a density of 43.5 million per square millimeter. The Z2 Extreme achieves more than three times the transistor density, which is consistent with the two-generation process gap between 4 nm and 8 nm.

Memory architecture differs substantially. The Z2 Extreme uses 16 GB of LPDDR5X on a 128-bit bus, with memory clocked at 1000 MHz and 8 Gbps effective, producing 128.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX 3050 A Mobile uses 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, with memory clocked at 1500 MHz and 12 Gbps effective, producing 192.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The NVIDIA part has 50% more bandwidth but one quarter the capacity. The Z2 Extreme's larger memory pool likely serves a console-style unified memory architecture, while the RTX 3050 A Mobile's smaller, faster pool suits a traditional discrete GPU workload.

The compute configuration differs in scale and composition. The Z2 Extreme has 1024 shading units, 64 TMUs, 48 ROPs, and 16 RT cores. The RTX 3050 A Mobile has 1792 shading units, 56 TMUs, 32 ROPs, 14 RT cores, and 56 tensor cores. The higher shading unit count on the NVIDIA part does not translate to higher FP32 throughput because the Z2 Extreme's clock advantage (2700 MHz boost versus 1343 MHz boost) compensates. The Z2 Extreme delivers 5.530 TFLOPS FP32, while the RTX 3050 A Mobile delivers 4.813 TFLOPS, both at 1:1 FP16 ratios.

Power and physical design also differ. The Z2 Extreme has a 28 W TDP, no power connectors, a single USB Type-C display output, and no listed slot width. The RTX 3050 A Mobile has a 45 W TDP, no power connectors, an IGP slot width, and display outputs described as portable device dependent. The Z2 Extreme is an integrated-style solution within a console SoC, while the RTX 3050 A Mobile is a discrete mobile GPU that uses PCIe 4.0 x8. The release dates place the Z2 Extreme at July 2025 and the RTX 3050 A Mobile at December 2023, with the NVIDIA part marked as end-of-life production status.

API support is identical for both: DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The RTX 3050 A Mobile adds tensor core capability, which the Z2 Extreme does not list, giving the NVIDIA part a feature advantage for AI-accelerated workloads. The Z2 Extreme's predecessor and successor fields are empty, while the RTX 3050 A Mobile lists the GeForce 20 Mobile as its predecessor.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile has an average benchmark score of 8746, compared to 516 for the AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme GPU. The NVIDIA part also reaches the 44th percentile versus the 1st percentile for the AMD part.

Q: How does the AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme GPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Z2 Extreme is within 9.3% of its nearest rival group. It beats the AMD Radeon HD 6750M by 6.6%, but trails the Intel HD Graphics P4000 by 3.4%, the AMD Radeon HD 6870 by 3.7%, and the AMD Radeon HD 6770M by 9.3%.

Q: How does the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 3050 A Mobile is within 1.3% of all four listed rivals. It matches the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 v2 at 0% delta, beats the NVIDIA Quadro P2200 by 0.7%, and trails the AMD Radeon R9 M265X by 1.2% and the AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100 by 1.3%.

Q: Which GPU has more memory bandwidth?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile has 192.0 GB/s of bandwidth from 4 GB of GDDR6 at 12 Gbps effective. The AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme GPU has 128.0 GB/s from 16 GB of LPDDR5X at 8 Gbps effective. The NVIDIA part has 50% more bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has higher theoretical fill rates?

A: The AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme GPU has a pixel rate of 129.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 172.8 GTexel/s. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile has a pixel rate of 42.98 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 75.21 GTexel/s. The AMD part is higher in both categories.

Q: What are the power requirements of each GPU?

A: The AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme GPU has a 28 W TDP. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile has a 45 W TDP. Neither uses external power connectors.

The Verdict

The recorded data separates these two products into entirely different performance classes. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile delivers an average benchmark score of 8746, placing it at the 44th percentile, with nearest rivals within 1.3% of its score. The AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme GPU delivers 516, placing it at the 1st percentile, with nearest rivals that are mostly integrated or legacy mobile graphics. Any application that relies on measured 3D or compute performance will favor the NVIDIA part by a wide margin.

The RTX 3050 A Mobile also provides higher memory bandwidth at 192.0 GB/s versus 128.0 GB/s, a larger shading unit count at 1792 versus 1024, and the only tensor core support in this comparison with 56 tensor cores. Its PCIe 4.0 x8 interface and discrete IGP slot width indicate a conventional mobile GPU integration path. The production status is end-of-life, which matters for availability but not for the recorded performance data.

The AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme GPU has advantages that are architectural rather than performance-based. It uses a 4 nm process with 145.9 million transistors per square millimeter, compared to 43.5 million for the NVIDIA part. It integrates 16 GB of memory, four times the capacity of the RTX 3050 A Mobile. It has a lower 28 W TDP, higher boost clock at 2700 MHz, and higher pixel and texture rates. These specifications align with a console-style integrated GPU where memory capacity and efficiency matter more than raw benchmark scores.

The data indicates that the RTX 3050 A Mobile is the stronger choice for applications that depend on measured GPU performance, given its 44th percentile placement and competitive standing against the GTX 460 v2, Quadro P2200, Radeon R9 M265X, and Radeon Pro WX 5100. The Z2 Extreme, with its 1st percentile placement, is positioned for a different role, one where its 16 GB memory pool, 28 W power envelope, and high-density 4 nm design are the relevant attributes. The benchmark results confirm that the two parts serve different segments, and the performance gap in the database is substantial and unambiguous.