NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950A vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile Comparison

The Verdict

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile is the clear performance winner. Database records show only one shared benchmark, Geekbench OpenCL, where the RTX 3050 A Mobile scores 52,998 against 10,273 for the GTX 950A, a difference of 80.6% in favor of the newer part. Any user choosing between these two for compute workloads should select the RTX 3050 A Mobile without hesitation.

The GTX 950A is an end-of-life Maxwell part from 2015, while the RTX 3050 A Mobile is an end-of-life Ampere part from 2023. The data shows the RTX 3050 A Mobile carries features the older card lacks entirely: ray tracing cores, tensor cores, and DirectX 12 Ultimate support. For modern workloads that use these capabilities, the GTX 950A cannot compete.

The RTX 3050 A Mobile also has a lower TDP at 45 W compared to the GTX 950A's 75 W, meaning it delivers far higher performance while drawing less power. This makes it the better choice for thin-and-light laptops where thermal and power budgets are constrained.

The GTX 950A's only advantage is availability in older MXM form factor systems. Its MXM-B (3.0) interface means it fits certain modular laptops, while the RTX 3050 A Mobile uses an IGP form factor soldered to the motherboard. If a user owns a legacy MXM system, the GTX 950A is a practical upgrade path; for any new purchase, the RTX 3050 A Mobile is the only sensible option.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different eras of NVIDIA design. The GTX 950A uses the GM107 chip built on Maxwell architecture, manufactured by TSMC on a 28 nm process. It contains 1,870 million transistors on a 148 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 12.6 million per square millimeter. The RTX 3050 A Mobile uses the GA106 chip on Ampere architecture, built by Samsung on an 8 nm process. This part packs 12,000 million transistors on a 276 mm² die, with a density of 43.5 million per square millimeter. The newer chip has over six times the transistor count and more than three times the density.

The RTX 3050 A Mobile has 1,792 shading units, 56 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The GTX 950A has 640 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. The Ampere part also features 14 ray tracing cores and 56 tensor cores, hardware that does not exist on the Maxwell chip. These enable hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI-based features, which the older GPU cannot perform.

Memory architecture differs substantially. The GTX 950A uses 2 GB of DDR3 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 32.03 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX 3050 A Mobile uses 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, achieving 192.0 GB/s. That is six times the bandwidth, which matters greatly for texture-heavy scenes and compute workloads. The RTX 3050 A Mobile also supports FP16 at 4.813 TFLOPS (1:1), while the GTX 950A has no listed FP16 capability. The FP32 throughput is 4.813 TFLOPS for the RTX 3050 A Mobile versus 1,438.7 GFLOPS for the GTX 950A.

API support separates the two as well. The RTX 3050 A Mobile supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the GTX 950A is limited to DirectX 12 (11_0). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4. The bus interface also differs: the GTX 950A uses MXM-B (3.0), while the RTX 3050 A Mobile uses PCIe 4.0 x8.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison in the database is Geekbench OpenCL. The RTX 3050 A Mobile scores 52,998, while the GTX 950A scores 10,273. The delta is 80.6% in favor of the RTX 3050 A Mobile. This is a massive gap that reflects the architectural generational leap.

To contextualize the GTX 950A's 10,273 score, its nearest rivals in the database are the AMD Radeon RX 6500M at 10,362 (0.9% higher), the NVIDIA Tesla C2075 at 10,400 (1.2% higher), the AMD Radeon R9 M375 at 10,070 (2% lower), and the AMD Radeon RX 550X at 10,481 (2% lower). The GTX 950A sits at the 48th percentile of all GPUs. It is a mid-pack performer, roughly comparable to entry-level parts from 2015 through 2017.

The RTX 3050 A Mobile's average benchmark score across all recorded tests is 8,746, which is lower than its OpenCL score because it includes several Passmark tests with lower numbers. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 v2 at 8,743 (0% difference), the NVIDIA Quadro P2200 at 8,686 (0.7% lower), the AMD Radeon R9 M265X at 8,851 (1.2% higher), and the AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100 at 8,863 (1.3% higher). Its percentile is 44, which is slightly below the GTX 950A's 48th percentile, despite the OpenCL blowout. This suggests the Passmark tests weigh differently across the two GPUs.

The RTX 3050 A Mobile has additional recorded scores in Passmark tests: DirectX 10 at 61, DirectX 11 at 94, DirectX 12 at 55, DirectX 9 at 152, G2D at 526, G3D at 11,664, and GPU Compute at 4,419. These show strong DirectX 9 and G3D performance, while the DirectX 12 score is comparatively low. The GTX 950A has no Passmark records in the database, so no comparison is possible on those tests.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher raw compute performance?

A: The RTX 3050 A Mobile. Its FP32 throughput is 4.813 TFLOPS versus 1,438.7 GFLOPS for the GTX 950A, and it wins the Geekbench OpenCL test by 80.6%.

Q: Does the GTX 950A support ray tracing?

A: No. The GTX 950A has no ray tracing cores. The RTX 3050 A Mobile has 14 ray tracing cores and 56 tensor cores.

Q: Which GPU uses less power?

A: The RTX 3050 A Mobile has a 45 W TDP, while the GTX 950A has a 75 W TDP. The newer GPU consumes 30 W less while delivering significantly higher performance.

Q: Can the GTX 950A be used in modern laptops?

A: It uses an MXM-B (3.0) interface and MXM Module slot width. This fits certain modular laptops, but it is end-of-life and supports only DirectX 12 (11_0). The RTX 3050 A Mobile uses an IGP form factor with PCIe 4.0 x8.

Q: Which GPU has more memory bandwidth?

A: The RTX 3050 A Mobile has 192.0 GB/s from 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus. The GTX 950A has 32.03 GB/s from 2 GB of DDR3 on a 128-bit bus. The RTX 3050 A Mobile has six times the bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU is better for DirectX 12 Ultimate games?

A: The RTX 3050 A Mobile is the only one that supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2). The GTX 950A is limited to DirectX 12 (11_0), so it cannot use Ultimate features such as ray tracing and mesh shaders.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 3050 A Mobile wins every measurable compute category. Its Geekbench OpenCL score is 52,998 versus 10,273, a 80.6% advantage. Its FP32 performance of 4.813 TFLOPS dwarfs the GTX 950A's 1,438.7 GFLOPS. Its memory bandwidth of 192.0 GB/s is six times the GTX 950A's 32.03 GB/s. Its pixel rate of 42.98 GPixel/s and texture rate of 75.21 GTexel/s exceed the GTX 950A's 17.98 GPixel/s and 44.96 GTexel/s. It has more shading units (1,792 versus 640), more TMUs (56 versus 40), and double the ROPs (32 versus 16). It supports FP16 compute at 1:1 ratio, which the GTX 950A does not list. It has hardware ray tracing and tensor cores. It supports DirectX 12 Ultimate. It consumes less power at 45 W versus 75 W.

The GTX 950A has no benchmark wins in the database. Its only structural advantages are its MXM-B (3.0) form factor, which makes it compatible with certain modular laptops, and its smaller die size of 148 mm² versus 276 mm². Neither of these translates into performance. Users who need a drop-in MXM replacement for an older system may find the GTX 950A useful, but for any task measured by the database, the RTX 3050 A Mobile is superior.

Specification Differences

| Specification | GTX 950A | RTX 3050 A Mobile |

|---|---|---|

| Architecture | Maxwell | Ampere |

| Process Node | 28 nm (TSMC) | 8 nm (Samsung) |

| Transistors | 1,870 million | 12,000 million |

| Die Size | 148 mm² | 276 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 12.6M / mm² | 43.5M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 993 MHz | 1065 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1124 MHz | 1343 MHz |

| Memory Size | 2 GB | 4 GB |

| Memory Type | DDR3 | GDDR6 |

| Memory Bus | 128 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 32.03 GB/s | 192.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 640 | 1792 |

| TMUs | 40 | 56 |

| ROPs | 16 | 32 |

| RT Cores | None | 14 |

| Tensor Cores | None | 56 |

| Pixel Rate | 17.98 GPixel/s | 42.98 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 44.96 GTexel/s | 75.21 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 1,438.7 GFLOPS | 4.813 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | None listed | 4.813 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 75 W | 45 W |

| Slot Width | MXM Module | IGP |

| Bus Interface | MXM-B (3.0) | PCIe 4.0 x8 |

| DirectX | 12 (11_0) | 12 Ultimate (12_2) |

| Release Date | 2015-03-12 | 2023-12-31 |

| Production Status | End-of-life | End-of-life |