NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile represent two distinct eras of GPU design, separated by over a decade of architectural evolution. The data shows a single direct comparison in Geekbench OpenCL, where the mobile Ampere part delivers a commanding victory, yet the older Fermi card remains a fascinating study in how raw specifications do not always translate to modern performance. This analysis will dissect their benchmark results, architectural differences, and the implications for potential use cases, drawing exclusively from the provided fact pack.

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data is unequivocal in its outcome: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile wins the only head-to-head test available. In the Geekbench OpenCL workload, the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile scores 57,915, while the GTX 480 manages 13,300. This represents a 77% delta, meaning the mobile GPU is roughly 4.35 times faster in this specific compute test. The GTX 480 secures zero wins across the available comparative benchmarks, while the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile claims one.

However, the story is not solely about the head-to-head result. The GTX 480's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro 555X (13,321, deltaPct -0.2%), AMD FirePro M6100 (13,354, -0.4%), AMD Radeon RX 5500M (13,356, -0.4%), and AMD Radeon HD 8950M (13,376, -0.6%). These are all within a fraction of a percent of the GTX 480's score, placing it in a performance tier that is competitive with mid-range mobile GPUs from a later era. Conversely, the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile's nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon RX 580 (12,928, +0.1%), NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER (12,986, -0.4%), AMD Radeon 740M (12,870, +0.5%), and AMD FirePro W5100 (12,847, +0.7%). This places the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile in the same performance bracket as desktop GPUs like the GTX 1660 SUPER, despite its mobile form factor.

The use-case split becomes clear: the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile is the choice for modern, compute-heavy workloads like OpenCL, where its massive shading unit count and newer architecture shine. The GTX 480, despite its age, holds its own in the same OpenCL test, but at a fraction of the performance ceiling. For legacy DirectX 10 or 11 applications, the GTX 480's architecture may be more familiar, but the data does not include a direct comparison in those APIs. The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile also shows its strength in Passmark tests, scoring 10,093 in G3D and 4,305 in GPU Compute, while the GTX 480 has no comparable scores in those tests.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is immense. The GTX 480 is built on the GF100 chip using the Fermi architecture, fabricated on a 40 nm process at TSMC. It packs 3,100 million transistors into a 529 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 5.9 million per square millimeter. In stark contrast, the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile uses the GA106 chip with the Ampere architecture, manufactured by Samsung on an 8 nm process. It contains 12,000 million transistors on a much smaller 276 mm² die, achieving a density of 43.5 million per square millimeter. This represents a 7.4x improvement in transistor density, explaining how the newer chip can offer far more compute units.

The compute resources differ dramatically. The GTX 480 has 480 shading units, 60 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 48 raster output units (ROPs). The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile, on the other hand, has 2,560 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. Critically, the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile includes 20 RT cores and 80 tensor cores, which are entirely absent from the GTX 480. This makes the Ampere part capable of hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI-driven features like DLSS, which the Fermi GPU cannot even begin to approach.

Memory architecture also tells a tale of evolution. The GTX 480 uses 1536 MB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, delivering 177.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile has 4 GB of GDDR6 on a narrower 128-bit bus, yet achieves 192.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The newer memory technology and higher effective clock speed (12 Gbps vs 3.7 Gbps) overcome the bus width disadvantage. Furthermore, the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile supports modern APIs including DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the GTX 480 tops out at DirectX 12 (11_0) with no Vulkan support listed.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The sole head-to-head benchmark is Geekbench OpenCL, and the results are lopsided. The GTX 480 scores 13,300, while the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile scores 57,915. The deltaPct of -77% indicates the GTX 480 is 77% slower than the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile in this test. To put this in perspective, the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile's score of 57,915 is more than four times the GTX 480's 13,300. This is a colossal generational gap, far exceeding what clock speed differences alone could explain.

The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile's raw compute advantage is evident in its FP32 performance of 5.299 TFLOPS, compared to the GTX 480's 1,345.0 GFLOPS (which is 1.345 TFLOPS). That is a 3.94x difference in theoretical peak floating-point throughput. The Ampere GPU also has a 1:1 FP16 ratio, offering 5.299 TFLOPS in half-precision as well, a feature the Fermi architecture does not support. Pixel and texture rates follow suit: the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile achieves 33.12 GPixel/s and 82.80 GTexel/s, while the GTX 480 manages 21.03 GPixel/s and 42.06 GTexel/s.

The GTX 480's only consolation is its ROP count, which is 48 versus 32 on the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile, but that does not translate into a win in any measured benchmark. The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile also shows robust performance in Passmark tests, scoring 120 in DirectX 9, 76 in DirectX 11, and 49 in DirectX 12, though the GTX 480 has no corresponding scores to compare.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher benchmark score in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile scores 57,915, which is 77% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480's 13,300.

Q: Does the GTX 480 support hardware ray tracing?

A: No. The GTX 480 has no RT cores, while the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile includes 20 RT cores for hardware-accelerated ray tracing.

Q: What is the transistor density difference between the two GPUs?

A: The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile has a transistor density of 43.5 million per mm² on an 8 nm process, while the GTX 480 has 5.9 million per mm² on a 40 nm process.

Q: How does memory bandwidth compare?

A: The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile has 192.0 GB/s bandwidth using GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, while the GTX 480 has 177.4 GB/s using GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile has 2,560 shading units, compared to 480 on the GTX 480.

Q: What is the TDP difference?

A: The GTX 480 has a TDP of 250 W, while the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile has a TDP of 75 W, making the mobile GPU significantly more power-efficient.

Specification Differences

The specification differences between the two GPUs are extensive and define their respective identities:

• Process Node: GTX 480 uses 40 nm (TSMC), RTX 3050 Ti Mobile uses 8 nm (Samsung).
• Transistors: GTX 480 has 3,100 million, RTX 3050 Ti Mobile has 12,000 million.
• Die Size: GTX 480 is 529 mm², RTX 3050 Ti Mobile is 276 mm².
• Transistor Density: GTX 480 at 5.9M / mm², RTX 3050 Ti Mobile at 43.5M / mm².
• Memory Size: GTX 480 at 1536 MB GDDR5, RTX 3050 Ti Mobile at 4 GB GDDR6.
• Memory Bus Width: GTX 480 at 384 bit, RTX 3050 Ti Mobile at 128 bit.
• Memory Bandwidth: GTX 480 at 177.4 GB/s, RTX 3050 Ti Mobile at 192.0 GB/s.
• Shading Units: GTX 480 has 480, RTX 3050 Ti Mobile has 2,560.
• TMUs: GTX 480 has 60, RTX 3050 Ti Mobile has 80.
• ROPs: GTX 480 has 48, RTX 3050 Ti Mobile has 32.
• RT Cores: GTX 480 has none, RTX 3050 Ti Mobile has 20.
• Tensor Cores: GTX 480 has none, RTX 3050 Ti Mobile has 80.
• FP32 Performance: GTX 480 at 1,345.0 GFLOPS, RTX 3050 Ti Mobile at 5.299 TFLOPS.
• FP16 Performance: GTX 480 has none listed, RTX 3050 Ti Mobile at 5.299 TFLOPS (1:1).
• TDP: GTX 480 at 250 W, RTX 3050 Ti Mobile at 75 W.
• Slot Width: GTX 480 is Dual-slot, RTX 3050 Ti Mobile is IGP.
• Power Connectors: GTX 480 requires 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin, RTX 3050 Ti Mobile requires None.
• Suggested PSU: GTX 480 at 600 W, RTX 3050 Ti Mobile has none listed.
• Bus Interface: GTX 480 at PCIe 2.0 x16, RTX 3050 Ti Mobile at PCIe 4.0 x16.
• Display Outputs: GTX 480 has 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a, RTX 3050 Ti Mobile is Portable Device Dependent.
• DirectX Support: GTX 480 at 12 (11_0), RTX 3050 Ti Mobile at 12 Ultimate (12_2).
• Vulkan Support: GTX 480 has none listed, RTX 3050 Ti Mobile at 1.4.
• Release Date: GTX 480 on 2010-03-25, RTX 3050 Ti Mobile on 2021-05-10.

The Verdict

The data is conclusive: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile is the superior GPU in every measurable way. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 57,915 dwarfs the GTX 480's 13,300, and it offers modern features like ray tracing and tensor cores that the Fermi architecture simply lacks. The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile achieves this with a 75 W TDP versus the GTX 480's 250 W, making it 3.3x more power-efficient. For any modern workload, the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile is the clear choice.

The GTX 480, however, holds a historical place. Its 48 ROPs and 384-bit memory bus were impressive for 2010, but the data shows it now sits in a performance tier alongside much older AMD mobile parts like the Radeon Pro 555X. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 5500M, scores 13,356, nearly identical to the GTX 480's 13,300. The GTX 480's 1,345.0 GFLOPS FP32 performance is less than a third of the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile's 5.299 TFLOPS. While the GTX 480 may still handle basic DirectX 11 tasks, its lack of Vulkan support and modern API features makes it unsuitable for contemporary gaming or compute. The verdict is straightforward: the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile wins on performance, efficiency, and features, while the GTX 480 remains a relic of its time, best left to retro enthusiasts or as a historical benchmark artifact.