NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded head-to-head data is limited to two compute-focused API tests, but the margins are decisive. In Geekbench OpenCL, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile scores 57,915 against the GTX 780M's 12,769. That is a 353.6% advantage, meaning the newer mobile GPU delivers more than four times the raw compute throughput in this workload. The delta is so large that it is not a matter of optimization or driver maturity; it reflects a fundamental generational leap in processing capacity.

The Geekbench Vulkan result tells the same story. The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile posts 55,812, while the GTX 780M manages 12,696. The 339.6% gap is slightly smaller than the OpenCL margin but still represents a 4.4x difference in performance. Both tests are compute-oriented rather than purely rasterization-focused, yet they align with the architectural differences described below. The GTX 780M, a Kepler-era part from 2013, simply cannot keep pace with an Ampere-based design from 2021 in modern API workloads.

Looking beyond the direct comparison, the database places the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile at the 53rd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 12,940. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 580 at 12,928 (a 0.1% difference, effectively a tie), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER at 12,986 (the 3050 Ti Mobile trails by 0.4%), and the AMD Radeon 740M at 12,870 (the 3050 Ti Mobile leads by 0.5%). This is a strikingly tight cluster. The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile sits in the middle of a four-way statistical dead heat, which suggests that in aggregate performance, it trades blows with desktop-class GPUs from a similar era.

The GTX 780M, by contrast, holds the 50th percentile with an average score of 11,261. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon Pro WX 3200 at 11,228 (0.3% ahead), the AMD FirePro W4300 at 11,225 (0.3% ahead), and the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Max-Q at 11,088 (the 780M leads by 1.6%). The 780M is competitive with professional workstation cards of a later generation, but its average score is 13% below the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile's aggregate. The percentile gap, 53 vs. 50, understates the raw score difference because the distribution of all GPUs is dense in this mid-range region.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile is the superior product in every recorded metric. It wins both head-to-head tests, posts a higher average benchmark score (12,940 vs. 11,261), and sits at a higher percentile. The 353.6% OpenCL lead and 339.6% Vulkan lead are not marginal improvements; they are generation-defining advantages. Any user comparing these two mobile GPUs for compute workloads should choose the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile without hesitation.

That said, the GTX 780M is not without context. Its 160.0 GB/s memory bandwidth on a 256-bit bus is respectable for its era, and its 102.0 GTexel/s texture rate is actually higher than the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile's 82.80 GTexel/s. In texture-bound scenarios, the older card could theoretically hold its own. However, the benchmark data does not include a test that isolates texture throughput, and the compute tests are overwhelmingly favorable to the Ampere part. The 780M's 12 (11_0) DirectX support and Vulkan 1.2.175 also lag behind the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile's DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4.

For a user with an older laptop that accepts an MXM-B (3.0) module, the GTX 780M might still serve as a functional upgrade from even older silicon. But as a straight comparison, the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile wins on compute, API support, transistor density, and process node. The 780M's only advantages are its higher texture rate and lower transistor count, neither of which translates into a benchmark victory in the recorded data.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from entirely different design eras. The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile uses the GA106 chip built on an 8 nm Samsung process, packing 12,000 million transistors into a 276 mm² die. That yields a transistor density of 43.5 million per square millimeter. The GTX 780M uses the GK104 chip on a 28 nm TSMC process, with 3,540 million transistors on a 294 mm² die, for a density of 12.0 million per square millimeter. The newer process allows more than 3.4x the transistor density, which explains the massive compute advantage despite a similar die size.

Core configuration differs sharply. The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile has 2,560 shading units, 80 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs, plus 20 ray tracing cores and 80 tensor cores. The GTX 780M has 1,536 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, with no ray tracing or tensor cores. The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile has 67% more shading units, but the 780M has 60% more TMUs. This explains the texture rate discrepancy: 82.80 GTexel/s for the Ampere part vs. 102.0 GTexel/s for the Kepler part. Pixel rates are closer, with 33.12 GPixel/s vs. 25.50 GPixel/s, favoring the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile by 30%.

Clock speeds are surprisingly close given the architectural gap. The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile runs at 735 MHz base and 1035 MHz boost, while the GTX 780M runs at 771 MHz base and 797 MHz boost. The Kepler card has a higher base clock, but the Ampere card's boost clock is 30% higher. Memory speeds differ more substantially: the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile uses 1500 MHz GDDR6 with 12 Gbps effective speed on a 128-bit bus, yielding 192.0 GB/s bandwidth. The GTX 780M uses 1250 MHz GDDR5 with 5 Gbps effective speed on a 256-bit bus, yielding 160.0 GB/s. The newer card wins on bandwidth despite a narrower bus, thanks to faster memory technology.

Power and form factor also diverge. The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile is rated at 75 W TDP and uses an IGP slot width with no power connectors, making it suitable for thin-and-light laptops. The GTX 780M is rated at 122 W and uses an MXM Module form factor with an MXM-B (3.0) interface, indicating a larger, more power-hungry design for bulkier gaming laptops. The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile supports PCIe 4.0 x16, while the GTX 780M uses the older MXM-B (3.0) bus. API support also favors the newer card: DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) vs. DirectX 12 (11_0), and Vulkan 1.4 vs. Vulkan 1.2.175. OpenGL support is identical at 4.6.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher raw compute performance?

A: The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile delivers 5.299 TFLOPS FP32, while the GTX 780M delivers 2.448 TFLOPS. In head-to-head Geekbench OpenCL testing, the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile scores 57,915 vs. 12,769, a 353.6% lead.

Q: Does the GTX 780M have any advantage in memory bandwidth?

A: No. The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile achieves 192.0 GB/s over a 128-bit GDDR6 bus, while the GTX 780M achieves 160.0 GB/s over a 256-bit GDDR5 bus. The newer memory technology overcomes the narrower bus.

Q: What is the difference in texture processing capability?

A: The GTX 780M has a higher texture rate at 102.0 GTexel/s compared to the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile's 82.80 GTexel/s. This is due to the 780M's 128 TMUs vs. 80 TMUs, despite the 780M having fewer shading units.

Q: Which GPU supports more modern graphics APIs?

A: The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4. The GTX 780M supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.2.175. Both support OpenGL 4.6.

Q: How do these GPUs compare in aggregate benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile has an average benchmark score of 12,940, placing it at the 53rd percentile. The GTX 780M has an average score of 11,261, placing it at the 50th percentile. The newer card is approximately 15% ahead.

Q: What are the power requirements for each GPU?

A: The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile has a 75 W TDP with no power connectors, suitable for IGP integration. The GTX 780M has a 122 W TDP and uses an MXM Module form factor with no power connectors.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile wins decisively in compute-bound workloads. Its 353.6% OpenCL lead and 339.6% Vulkan lead make it the clear choice for GPU-accelerated tasks such as machine learning inference, video encoding, and scientific computing. The 5.299 TFLOPS FP32 throughput is more than double the GTX 780M's 2.448 TFLOPS, and the presence of 20 ray tracing cores and 80 tensor cores opens up features that the Kepler card cannot access at all. For modern games that leverage DirectX 12 Ultimate features like ray tracing and variable rate shading, the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile is the only viable option of the two.

The GTX 780M has a narrow niche. Its 102.0 GTexel/s texture rate exceeds the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile's 82.80 GTexel/s, which could matter in older games or workloads that are heavily texture-cache bound rather than shader-bound. Its 256-bit memory bus, while slower in aggregate bandwidth, may offer better latency characteristics in certain access patterns. For a user with a legacy MXM-B (3.0) laptop that cannot accept a PCIe 4.0 x16 IGP card, the 780M is the only drop-in upgrade path. But that is a hardware compatibility argument, not a performance one.

The average benchmark scores reinforce the split. The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile's 12,940 average places it in a statistical tie with the AMD Radeon RX 580 and within 0.4% of the GTX 1660 SUPER, both desktop cards. The GTX 780M's 11,261 average puts it in line with professional workstation GPUs like the Radeon Pro WX 3200, but 13% behind the newer mobile part. In practical terms, the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile is the better choice for any user who values compute performance, modern API support, and energy efficiency. The GTX 780M is a historical artifact that retains a single metric advantage, texture fill rate, but loses every recorded benchmark comparison.