NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile Comparison

The GTX 780 Ti was a flagship desktop GPU from 2013, while the RTX 4060 Mobile is a modern laptop part from 2023. The benchmark data shows a generational chasm: the RTX 4060 Mobile is roughly 3.3 times faster in raw compute workloads, despite drawing less than half the power. The GTX 780 Ti, however, still holds its own as a legacy part, with an average benchmark score of 24,236 that places it in the 70th percentile of all GPUs, just barely trailing the RTX 4060 Mobile's 22,729 average score and 67th percentile ranking. This paradox—where the newer part dominates in specific tests but scores lower on aggregate—is explained by the different benchmark suites applied to each card.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The direct comparison is stark. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RTX 4060 Mobile scores 89,420, leaving the GTX 780 Ti's 27,326 far behind. That is a 69.4% deficit for the older card. The story repeats in Geekbench Vulkan, where the RTX 4060 Mobile posts 89,569 against the GTX 780 Ti's 27,238, a 69.6% gap. Both wins go to the modern mobile part. In these two compute-heavy API tests, the RTX 4060 Mobile is not just faster; it is in a different performance class entirely.

The RTX 4060 Mobile's advantage comes from its Ada Lovelace architecture. It delivers 11.61 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, more than double the GTX 780 Ti's 5.345 TFLOPS. The mobile chip also features 24 RT cores and 96 tensor cores, hardware that simply did not exist in the Kepler generation. These specialized units accelerate ray tracing and AI workloads, which explains the massive Vulkan and OpenCL gains. The GTX 780 Ti has no such hardware, relying purely on its 2,880 shading units.

Yet the aggregate scores tell a more nuanced story. The GTX 780 Ti's average benchmark score of 24,236 is actually 1,507 points higher than the RTX 4060 Mobile's 22,729. This is because the GTX 780 Ti was tested with Geekbench Metal, OpenCL, and Vulkan, while the RTX 4060 Mobile has a broader suite including Passmark tests. The RTX 4060 Mobile's Passmark G3D score of 17,469 and GPU compute score of 6,816 drag down its average. The GTX 780 Ti's nearest rival is the GTX 1630, with a delta of just -0.2%, meaning the two are virtually identical in average performance. The RTX 4060 Mobile, meanwhile, sits 0.7% behind the RTX 2080 and 0.8% ahead of the RX 7700 XT in its own rival grouping.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The GTX 780 Ti has a higher average benchmark score of 24,236, compared to the RTX 4060 Mobile's 22,729. This places the GTX 780 Ti in the 70th percentile of all GPUs, while the RTX 4060 Mobile sits in the 67th percentile.

Q: How large is the performance gap in Geekbench Vulkan?

A: The RTX 4060 Mobile scores 89,569 in Geekbench Vulkan, which is 69.6% higher than the GTX 780 Ti's 27,238. This is the largest margin of victory for the RTX 4060 Mobile in any shared benchmark.

Q: Does the GTX 780 Ti win any head-to-head benchmarks?

A: No. The head-to-head comparison includes only two tests—Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan—and the RTX 4060 Mobile wins both. The GTX 780 Ti records zero wins in this comparison.

Q: What is the process node difference between the two cards?

A: The GTX 780 Ti uses a 28 nm process at TSMC, while the RTX 4060 Mobile uses a 5 nm process, also at TSMC. This allows the RTX 4060 Mobile to pack 18,900 million transistors into a 159 mm² die, versus 7,080 million transistors on the GTX 780 Ti's much larger 561 mm² die.

Q: How do the memory subsystems compare?

A: The GTX 780 Ti has 3 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, delivering 336.6 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX 4060 Mobile has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, providing 256.0 GB/s. Despite the narrower bus, the RTX 4060 Mobile uses faster 16 Gbps effective memory.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The GTX 780 Ti has a TDP of 250 W and requires a 600 W power supply, with dual power connectors (1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin). The RTX 4060 Mobile has a TDP of 115 W, uses no external power connectors, and requires no separate power supply recommendation.

Architecture Differences

The architecture gap is generational. The GTX 780 Ti uses the GK110B chip, built on the Kepler architecture, while the RTX 4060 Mobile uses the AD107 chip based on Ada Lovelace. Kepler was designed for the GeForce 700 series, lacking any dedicated ray tracing or tensor core hardware. Ada Lovelace, by contrast, includes 24 RT cores and 96 tensor cores, enabling hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI-based features like DLSS.

The process technology tells a similar story. The GTX 780 Ti is fabricated on a 28 nm node at TSMC, with a transistor density of 12.6 million transistors per square millimeter. The RTX 4060 Mobile uses a 5 nm node at the same foundry, achieving a density of 118.9 million transistors per square millimeter—nearly ten times higher. This density advantage allows the RTX 4060 Mobile to fit 18,900 million transistors into a 159 mm² die, while the GTX 780 Ti needs 561 mm² to house just 7,080 million.

The memory architecture also differs fundamentally. The GTX 780 Ti uses a 384-bit interface with GDDR5 memory, while the RTX 4060 Mobile uses a 128-bit bus with GDDR6. The older card's wider bus gives it higher bandwidth (336.6 GB/s vs. 256.0 GB/s), but the RTX 4060 Mobile compensates with faster memory speeds (16 Gbps effective vs. 7 Gbps effective) and a larger capacity of 8 GB versus 3 GB.

Compute capabilities diverge sharply. The GTX 780 Ti has 2,880 shading units, 240 TMUs, and 48 ROPs, producing a texture rate of 222.7 GTexel/s and a pixel rate of 55.68 GPixel/s. The RTX 4060 Mobile has 3,072 shading units, 96 TMUs, and 48 ROPs, with a lower texture rate of 181.4 GTexel/s but a much higher pixel rate of 90.72 GPixel/s. The RTX 4060 Mobile's FP32 output of 11.61 TFLOPS doubles the GTX 780 Ti's 5.345 TFLOPS, and it also supports FP16 at an identical 11.61 TFLOPS, a capability the GTX 780 Ti lacks entirely.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every measurable specification. The GTX 780 Ti runs at base and boost clocks of 875 MHz and 928 MHz, respectively, while the RTX 4060 Mobile operates at 1545 MHz base and 1890 MHz boost. Memory speed jumps from 1753 MHz (7 Gbps effective) on the GTX 780 Ti to 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective) on the RTX 4060 Mobile.

Memory capacity and type differ: 3 GB GDDR5 versus 8 GB GDDR6. Bus width drops from 384-bit to 128-bit, and bandwidth falls from 336.6 GB/s to 256.0 GB/s. The shading unit count rises slightly from 2,880 to 3,072, but TMUs drop dramatically from 240 to 96. ROPs remain identical at 48.

Power and physical characteristics are also distinct. The GTX 780 Ti has a 250 W TDP, is dual-slot, uses 1x 6-pin and 1x 8-pin power connectors, and needs a 600 W power supply. The RTX 4060 Mobile has a 115 W TDP, is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) form factor, uses no power connectors, and has no suggested PSU. The GTX 780 Ti connects via PCIe 3.0 x16 and offers 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 1x DisplayPort 1.2 outputs. The RTX 4060 Mobile uses PCIe 4.0 x8 and has display outputs that are portable-device dependent.

API support also differs. The GTX 780 Ti supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175. The RTX 4060 Mobile supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. Production status separates them too: the GTX 780 Ti is end-of-life, while the RTX 4060 Mobile is active.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 4060 Mobile wins decisively in raw compute and modern API workloads. Its 69.4% lead in Geekbench OpenCL and 69.6% lead in Geekbench Vulkan demonstrate a massive advantage in general-purpose GPU compute and cross-platform graphics APIs. The mobile card's 11.61 TFLOPS FP32 performance, combined with RT and tensor cores, makes it the clear choice for ray-traced gaming, AI acceleration, and modern DirectX 12 Ultimate titles. Its 8 GB memory capacity also provides more headroom for high-resolution textures and complex scenes.

The GTX 780 Ti, despite losing both head-to-head benchmarks, wins in aggregate performance comparisons. Its average benchmark score of 24,236 places it above the RTX 4060 Mobile's 22,729, and its 70th percentile ranking beats the mobile part's 67th percentile. The GTX 780 Ti also excels in memory bandwidth—336.6 GB/s versus 256.0 GB/s—which can benefit certain bandwidth-sensitive workloads. Its 384-bit bus and higher texture rate of 222.7 GTexel/s give it an edge in specific legacy scenarios, though these are not reflected in the head-to-head tests.

For use cases, the RTX 4060 Mobile is the superior choice for anyone needing current-generation features like ray tracing, DLSS, or Vulkan 1.4 support. It is also far more power-efficient, consuming 115 W versus 250 W, making it suitable for laptops where thermals and battery life matter. The GTX 780 Ti, as an end-of-life desktop part, still holds value in legacy systems or for users relying on older APIs like DirectX 11_1, where its high bandwidth and ROP count can still deliver competitive results. Its 3 GB memory is a limitation for modern games, but for older titles or compute tasks that favor raw bandwidth, it remains a functional, if dated, option.