NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile represent two distinct eras of GPU design, and the benchmark data reflects a clear generational shift. The RTX 3050 A Mobile is the decisive winner in the available compute test, but the GTX 960 holds its own in specific metrics. The data shows the RTX 3050 A Mobile delivering roughly 2.8x the raw OpenCL performance of the GTX 960, a gap that underscores the architectural leap from Maxwell to Ampere.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 has a higher average benchmark score of 9273, compared to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile’s 8746. This places the GTX 960 in the 45th percentile of all GPUs, while the RTX 3050 A Mobile sits at the 44th percentile.

Q: How do the two GPUs compare in the Geekbench OpenCL test?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile achieves a score of 52998, which is 64.3% higher than the GTX 960’s score of 18925. This is the only head-to-head benchmark available, and the RTX 3050 A Mobile wins it decisively.

Q: What are the closest rivals for each GPU based on average score?

A: For the GTX 960, the closest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 465, with an average score of 9294 and a delta of -0.2%. For the RTX 3050 A Mobile, the closest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 v2, with an average score of 8743 and a delta of 0%.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile has 1792 shading units, significantly more than the GTX 960’s 1024. This architectural advantage contributes to its higher floating-point performance.

Q: What is the memory configuration difference between the two?

A: The GTX 960 has 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus with 112.2 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 3050 A Mobile has 4 GB of GDDR6 memory on the same 128-bit bus but with 192.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Do both GPUs support DirectX 12?

A: Yes, but with different feature levels. The GTX 960 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), while the RTX 3050 A Mobile supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), which includes additional features like hardware ray tracing.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is profound. The GTX 960 is built on the Maxwell 2.0 architecture using TSMC’s 28 nm process node, packing 2,940 million transistors into a 228 mm² die. In contrast, the RTX 3050 A Mobile uses the Ampere architecture on Samsung’s 8 nm node, with 12,000 million transistors in a 276 mm² die. This process shrink allows for a transistor density of 43.5M per mm² on the RTX 3050 A Mobile, versus just 12.9M per mm² on the GTX 960.

The compute capabilities differ starkly. The GTX 960 has 1024 shading units, 64 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 32 raster output units (ROPs). The RTX 3050 A Mobile increases shading units to 1792 but reduces TMUs to 56, keeping ROPs at 32. Critically, the RTX 3050 A Mobile adds 14 ray tracing cores and 56 tensor cores, features entirely absent from the GTX 960. This enables the RTX 3050 A Mobile to support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the GTX 960 is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1). Both GPUs support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4.

Clock speeds tell a nuanced story. The GTX 960 runs at a base clock of 1127 MHz with a boost of 1178 MHz, while the RTX 3050 A Mobile has a lower base of 1065 MHz but a higher boost of 1343 MHz. The memory clock also differs: the GTX 960 uses 1753 MHz (7 Gbps effective), while the RTX 3050 A Mobile uses 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective). The RTX 3050 A Mobile’s higher boost clock and faster memory contribute to its superior throughput.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison in the data is the Geekbench OpenCL test, and it is a landslide. The RTX 3050 A Mobile scores 52998, while the GTX 960 manages 18925. This represents a 64.3% delta, meaning the RTX 3050 A Mobile delivers roughly 2.8x the performance. This result is consistent with the FP32 compute figures: the RTX 3050 A Mobile is rated at 4.813 TFLOPS, exactly double the GTX 960’s 2.413 TFLOPS. The OpenCL benchmark reflects this raw compute advantage.

Beyond the head-to-head, the broader benchmark suites show different strengths. The GTX 960 achieves a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 162, a Geekbench Metal score of 8773, and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 9231. The RTX 3050 A Mobile has a Passmark G3D score of 11664 and a Passmark GPU Compute score of 4419, but its Passmark DirectX scores are low: 61 for DX10, 94 for DX11, 55 for DX12, and 152 for DX9. These DirectX results are puzzling given the hardware, but the data is what it is. The RTX 3050 A Mobile’s Passmark G2D score of 526 is also noteworthy.

The deltaPct figures in the nearestRivals data provide context. The GTX 960 is within 0.6% of the AMD Radeon Vega 8 and within -0.4% of the AMD Radeon R7 M380. The RTX 3050 A Mobile is within 0.7% of the NVIDIA Quadro P2200 and within -1.3% of the AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100. These tight margins suggest both GPUs sit in a crowded mid-range performance band, despite the massive OpenCL gap between them.

Specification Differences

The specification sheets reveal clear divergences. The GTX 960 uses the GM206 chip with a 28 nm process, while the RTX 3050 A Mobile uses the GA106 chip on an 8 nm process. Transistor counts differ by a factor of roughly four: 2,940 million versus 12,000 million. Die size grows from 228 mm² to 276 mm², but transistor density jumps from 12.9M to 43.5M per mm².

Memory is another differentiator. The GTX 960 has 2 GB of GDDR5, while the RTX 3050 A Mobile has 4 GB of GDDR6. Both use a 128-bit bus, but bandwidth rises from 112.2 GB/s to 192.0 GB/s. The RTX 3050 A Mobile has more shading units (1792 vs 1024) and adds 14 RT cores and 56 tensor cores, but has fewer TMUs (56 vs 64). Pixel rate is higher on the RTX 3050 A Mobile (42.98 GPixel/s vs 37.70 GPixel/s), while texture rates are nearly identical (75.21 GTexel/s vs 75.39 GTexel/s).

Power and physical characteristics differ dramatically. The GTX 960 has a TDP of 120 W, is dual-slot, requires a 1x 6-pin power connector, and suggests a 300 W PSU. The RTX 3050 A Mobile has a TDP of just 45 W, is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with no power connectors, and has no suggested PSU. The GTX 960 is a 241 mm (9.5 inches) card with 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, and 3x DisplayPort 1.2 outputs, while the RTX 3050 A Mobile’s display outputs are listed as "Portable Device Dependent" with no dimensions. The GTX 960 uses PCIe 3.0 x16, while the RTX 3050 A Mobile uses PCIe 4.0 x8.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 3050 A Mobile wins decisively in raw compute and memory capacity. Its OpenCL score of 52998 crushes the GTX 960’s 18925, and its 4 GB of GDDR6 memory doubles the GTX 960’s 2 GB of GDDR5. With 1792 shading units and 4.813 TFLOPS FP32, it is built for modern workloads that leverage parallelism. The inclusion of RT and tensor cores makes it the only choice for ray-traced or AI-accelerated tasks, though the benchmark data does not directly measure these features.

The GTX 960 wins on average benchmark score (9273 vs 8746) and has a slightly higher percentile ranking (45th vs 44th). Its texture rate is marginally higher (75.39 GTexel/s vs 75.21 GTexel/s), and it has more TMUs (64 vs 56), which could benefit certain texture-bound legacy workloads. The GTX 960 also has a higher base clock (1127 MHz vs 1065 MHz), though the RTX 3050 A Mobile’s boost clock is higher (1343 MHz vs 1178 MHz). In the nearestRivals comparison, the GTX 960’s closest rival (GTX 465) has a smaller delta (-0.2%) than the RTX 3050 A Mobile’s closest rival (GTX 460 v2, 0%), suggesting more competitive positioning at its performance level.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear split. For anyone prioritizing raw compute performance, memory bandwidth, or modern feature support, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile is the superior choice. Its 64.3% lead in OpenCL, doubled memory capacity, and higher FP32 throughput (4.813 TFLOPS vs 2.413 TFLOPS) make it the obvious pick for computationally intensive tasks. Its lower TDP of 45 W versus 120 W also makes it far more power-efficient, a critical factor for mobile deployments.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, however, retains a place in specific scenarios. Its higher average benchmark score and better percentile ranking suggest it outperforms the RTX 3050 A Mobile in aggregate across the diverse benchmark suite. Its higher TMU count and texture rate could give it an edge in older, texture-heavy applications. The GTX 960 also offers a full-height, dual-slot card form factor with multiple display outputs, which may be preferable for desktop systems requiring multi-monitor setups.

The verdict is conditional. The RTX 3050 A Mobile wins the head-to-head compute test and offers modern architecture, but the GTX 960 has a higher average score and better overall percentile placement. Users should weigh the 64.3% OpenCL advantage of the RTX 3050 A Mobile against the GTX 960’s superior average benchmark score. For raw compute, choose the RTX 3050 A Mobile. For balanced legacy performance, the GTX 960 remains competitive.