NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The direct comparison between these two GPUs is stark. The database records only two head-to-head benchmark results, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile wins both decisively. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the mobile Ampere part scores 57,915 against the GTX 770's 15,707. That is a 72.9% advantage, meaning the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile delivers nearly four times the compute throughput in this particular API. The gap is slightly narrower in Geekbench Vulkan, where the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile scores 55,812 against 19,166 for the GTX 770, a 65.7% lead. Still, the older Kepler card trails by more than a factor of two in that test.

The average benchmark scores reinforce this hierarchy. The GTX 770 posts an average score of 14,747 across all recorded tests, while the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile averages 12,940. That is a curious inversion. Despite losing both head-to-head tests, the GTX 770 has a higher overall average. The explanation lies in the benchmark sets themselves. The GTX 770 only has three recorded results (Geekbench Metal, OpenCL, and Vulkan), while the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile has ten, including several PassMark tests where mobile GPUs often score lower. The PassMark DirectX 9 result for the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile is 120, DirectX 10 is 60, DirectX 11 is 76, and DirectX 12 is 49. These legacy API tests drag down its average. Meanwhile, the GTX 770's Geekbench Metal score of 9,369 and OpenCL score of 15,707 are relatively consistent, giving it a higher mean despite losing the direct comparisons.

Looking at percentiles, the GTX 770 sits at the 57th percentile of all GPUs in the database, while the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile ranks at the 53rd. This is another sign that the older card is not simply obsolete. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT (average score 14,692, delta 0.4%) and the NVIDIA Quadro M2000 (14,532, delta 1.5%). The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile's nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon RX 580 (12,928, delta 0.1%) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER (12,986, delta -0.4%). The mobile chip is effectively trading blows with desktop cards from a few years ago, while the GTX 770 is competitive with newer entry-level desktop parts. The data suggests that the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile is the faster card in modern compute workloads, but the GTX 770 holds its own in the limited set of tests where both appear.

The Verdict

The benchmark results indicate a clear winner for raw performance: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile. In OpenCL, it leads by 72.9%, and in Vulkan by 65.7%. If the decision rests solely on compute throughput, the mobile Ampere GPU is the obvious choice. The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile also brings architectural features that the GTX 770 lacks entirely, such as 20 ray tracing cores and 80 tensor cores. These are not abstract specifications; they enable hardware-accelerated ray tracing and DLSS, which are completely absent from the Kepler architecture.

However, the data does not tell a one-sided story. The GTX 770 has a higher average benchmark score (14,747 vs. 12,940) and a better percentile ranking (57th vs. 53rd). This suggests that in some workloads, particularly those that rely on older APIs or specific driver optimizations, the desktop card remains competitive. The GTX 770 also benefits from a much higher memory bandwidth (224.4 GB/s vs. 192.0 GB/s), which can matter in certain memory-bound scenarios. The GTX 770's 256-bit memory bus, compared to the 128-bit bus on the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile, gives it a 16.9% bandwidth advantage. That is not a trivial difference for texture-heavy workloads.

The target platform matters. The GTX 770 is a dual-slot desktop card with a 230 W TDP and requires both a 6-pin and an 8-pin power connector. The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile is an integrated GPU for laptops with a 75 W TDP and no power connectors. The database does not record a launch MSRP for the mobile part, but the GTX 770 had a launch MSRP of 399 USD. These are fundamentally different products for different use cases. The verdict from the data: if you need maximum compute performance and modern features, the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile wins. If you are building a desktop system with an existing power supply and want a GPU that still ranks in the 57th percentile, the GTX 770 remains a viable option, especially when the benchmark average is the deciding factor.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different eras of NVIDIA's design philosophy. The GTX 770 uses the GK104 chip, built on Kepler architecture at TSMC's 28 nm process. It packs 3,540 million transistors into a 294 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 12.0 million per square millimeter. The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile uses the GA106 chip, based on Ampere architecture at Samsung's 8 nm process. That die is slightly smaller at 276 mm² but contains 12,000 million transistors, giving it a density of 43.5 million per square millimeter. The density difference is a factor of 3.6, which explains how the newer chip fits so much more logic into a smaller area.

The compute resources diverge significantly. The GTX 770 has 1,536 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile has 2,560 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The mobile chip has 66.7% more shading units but 37.5% fewer TMUs. This translates into different strengths: the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile excels at pixel-heavy and compute-intensive workloads, while the GTX 770 maintains a higher texture fill rate (138.9 GTexel/s vs. 82.80 GTexel/s). The pixel rates are nearly identical (34.72 GPixel/s vs. 33.12 GPixel/s), so the ROP count being equal makes sense.

Clock speeds tell another story. The GTX 770 runs at a base clock of 1046 MHz and boosts to 1085 MHz. The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile starts at a much lower 735 MHz base but boosts to 1035 MHz. The desktop card has a higher sustained clock, but the mobile chip's superior instruction-level efficiency from the Ampere architecture compensates. The FP32 throughput is where the mobile part pulls ahead: 5.299 TFLOPS vs. 3.333 TFLOPS, a 59% advantage. The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile also supports FP16 at a 1:1 ratio (5.299 TFLOPS), while the GTX 770 has no recorded FP16 capability.

Memory subsystems differ in generation and configuration. The GTX 770 uses 2 GB of GDDR5 at 7 Gbps effective, across a 256-bit bus, for 224.4 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile uses 4 GB of GDDR6 at 12 Gbps effective, across a 128-bit bus, for 192.0 GB/s. The newer card has more capacity but less bandwidth. The GTX 770 supports PCIe 3.0 x16, while the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile uses PCIe 4.0 x16. The API support also differs: the GTX 770 supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.2.175, while the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4. The mobile part also has 20 RT cores and 80 tensor cores, which are entirely absent from the GTX 770.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 has an average benchmark score of 14,747, compared to 12,940 for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile. The GTX 770 also ranks higher in percentile at 57 versus 53.

Q: How much faster is the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile in OpenCL?

A: The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile scores 57,915 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the GTX 770 scores 15,707. This represents a 72.9% lead for the mobile Ampere GPU.

Q: Does the GTX 770 have any advantage in memory bandwidth?

A: Yes. The GTX 770 has a memory bandwidth of 224.4 GB/s, while the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile has 192.0 GB/s. The GTX 770 achieves this with a 256-bit bus and GDDR5 memory, while the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile uses a 128-bit bus with GDDR6.

Q: What unique features does the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile offer?

A: The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile includes 20 ray tracing cores and 80 tensor cores, which the GTX 770 does not have. It also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, compared to DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.2.175 on the GTX 770.

Q: Which GPU is more power-efficient based on the recorded TDP?

A: The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile has a TDP of 75 W, while the GTX 770 has a TDP of 230 W. The mobile part delivers higher FP32 throughput (5.299 TFLOPS vs. 3.333 TFLOPS) at roughly one-third the power draw.

Q: How do the two GPUs compare in transistor count and process node?

A: The GTX 770 uses 3,540 million transistors on a 28 nm TSMC process, while the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile uses 12,000 million transistors on an 8 nm Samsung process. The transistor density improves from 12.0M per mm² to 43.5M per mm².

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile wins in raw compute performance. The OpenCL and Vulkan results are not close: 72.9% and 65.7% leads, respectively. This makes it the better choice for modern workloads that leverage compute shaders, machine learning inference (thanks to tensor cores), or ray tracing (thanks to RT cores). The FP32 throughput of 5.299 TFLOPS, compared to the GTX 770's 3.333 TFLOPS, means any FP32-heavy application will run faster on the mobile chip. The 4 GB GDDR6 memory also provides twice the capacity of the GTX 770's 2 GB, which matters for larger textures and datasets.

The GTX 770 wins in memory bandwidth and texture throughput. Its 224.4 GB/s bandwidth is 16.9% higher than the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile's 192.0 GB/s. Its texture rate of 138.9 GTexel/s is 67.8% higher than the 82.80 GTexel/s of the mobile part. Games and applications that are bandwidth-limited or texture-fill-limited will see relatively better performance on the GTX 770. The higher average benchmark score (14,747 vs. 12,940) suggests that across a broad set of tests, the GTX 770 is not as far behind as the head-to-head results imply. Its 57th percentile ranking also indicates it sits above the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile's 53rd percentile in the overall distribution.

The power envelope is a decisive separator. The GTX 770 requires a 550 W suggested PSU and dual-slot cooling, while the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile is an IGP with no power connectors and a 75 W TDP. For a laptop or a compact system, the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile is the only realistic option. For a desktop with a robust power supply, the GTX 770 can still be a functional choice, particularly if the workload favors its higher bandwidth and texture rate.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every major specification category. The GTX 770 uses the GK104 chip on Kepler architecture, while the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile uses GA106 on Ampere. The process node moves from 28 nm (TSMC) to 8 nm (Samsung). Transistor count increases from 3,540 million to 12,000 million, and density from 12.0M to 43.5M per mm². Die size shrinks slightly from 294 mm² to 276 mm².

Clock speeds differ significantly. The GTX 770 has a base clock of 1046 MHz and boost of 1085 MHz. The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile has a base of 735 MHz and boost of 1035 MHz. Memory clocks are 1753 MHz (7 Gbps effective) for the GTX 770 and 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective) for the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile.

Memory configuration changes completely. The GTX 770 has 2 GB GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 224.4 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile has 4 GB GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus with 192.0 GB/s bandwidth. Shading units increase from 1,536 to 2,560, while TMUs decrease from 128 to 80. ROPs stay at 32 for both. The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile adds 20 RT cores and 80 tensor cores, which the GTX 770 lacks.

Pixel rates are nearly identical (34.72 vs. 33.12 GPixel/s), but texture rates favor the GTX 770 (138.9 vs. 82.80 GTexel/s). FP32 throughput favors the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile (5.299 vs. 3.333 TFLOPS), and the mobile part adds FP16 at 5.299 TFLOPS, which the GTX 770 does not record. TDP drops from 230 W to 75 W. The GTX 770 is dual-slot with 1x 6-pin and 1x 8-pin power connectors, while the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile is an IGP with no connectors. Bus interface upgrades from PCIe 3.0 x16 to PCIe 4.0 x16. Display outputs change from 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, 1x DisplayPort 1.2 to "Portable Device Dependent." API support advances from DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.2.175 to DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4. The GTX 770 has a launch MSRP of 399 USD, while the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile has no recorded launch MSRP.