NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN BLACK vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile Comparison

# Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data presents a clear generational shift. Across eight head-to-head tests, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile claims seven wins, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN BLACK takes only one. The most lopsided result appears in Geekbench OpenCL, where the mobile Ampere part scores 52,998 against the Kepler flagship's 27,218 — a 48.6% deficit for the older card. This is not a marginal gap; it is a decisive margin that underscores how far compute throughput has advanced in roughly a decade.

The RTX 3050 A Mobile also dominates in DirectX 12, scoring 55 versus 34, a 38.2% advantage. DirectX 11 shows a similar story: 94 versus 73, a 22.3% lead. Even in legacy DirectX 9 and DirectX 10 workloads, the newer card wins — 152 versus 133 (12.5%) and 61 versus 47 (23%), respectively. The PassMark G3D score, which represents overall 3D graphics performance, favors the RTX 3050 A Mobile at 11,664 versus 9,184, a 21.3% edge. Compute workloads follow suit: PassMark GPU Compute scores 4,419 for the Ampere part versus 3,726 for the Kepler part, a 15.7% win.

The single victory for the GTX TITAN BLACK comes in PassMark G2D, where it scores 595 versus 526 — a 13.1% advantage. This 2D performance win is notable but narrow in scope. It does little to offset the breadth of losses across 3D, compute, and API-specific tests. The data shows that while the older card retains a strength in 2D rasterization, every other measurable dimension favors the mobile RTX part.

# Where Each One Wins

The RTX 3050 A Mobile is the clear winner for modern gaming and compute-heavy tasks. Its DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4 API compatibility position it for contemporary titles and workloads that leverage newer rendering paths. The PassMark DirectX 12 score of 55 versus 34 reflects this advantage — a 38.2% gap that would translate to smoother frame rates and better feature support in DX12 games. Similarly, its OpenCL score of 52,998 makes it the better choice for general-purpose GPU compute, including tasks like video encoding, physics simulations, and machine learning inference (though the TITAN BLACK lacks dedicated tensor cores, the RTX 3050 A Mobile's Tensor Cores would accelerate such workloads).

The GTX TITAN BLACK, meanwhile, wins in PassMark G2D at 595 versus 526. This suggests it may be preferable for 2D desktop workloads, legacy application compatibility, or scenarios where raw 2D blitting performance matters. Its DirectX 9 score of 133 is also respectable, though the RTX 3050 A Mobile still beats it at 152. For older games running on DX9, both cards are functional, but the newer one still leads.

For users with PCIe 3.0 motherboards, the GTX TITAN BLACK's PCIe 3.0 x16 interface is a match, whereas the RTX 3050 A Mobile uses PCIe 4.0 x8 — which is backward compatible but may see reduced bandwidth on older platforms. However, the benchmark scores do not isolate bus interface impact, so this remains a qualitative consideration rather than a measured one.

# Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from fundamentally different eras. The GTX TITAN BLACK uses the GK110B chip on TSMC's 28 nm process node, packing 7,080 million transistors into a 561 mm² die. The RTX 3050 A Mobile uses the GA106 chip on Samsung's 8 nm node, with 12,000 million transistors in a 276 mm² die. The transistor density tells the story: 12.6M / mm² for Kepler versus 43.5M / mm² for Ampere — a 3.45x density improvement that enables far more complex logic in a smaller footprint.

Core configurations differ substantially. The TITAN BLACK has 2,880 shading units, 240 texture mapping units, and 48 ROPs. The RTX 3050 A Mobile has fewer shading units at 1,792, only 56 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. Yet the newer card still outperforms in most tests due to architectural efficiency. The Ampere card also includes 14 ray tracing cores and 56 tensor cores — features entirely absent from the Kepler design. This explains its DirectX 12 Ultimate support and its capability in ray-traced workloads, even if no specific ray tracing benchmark appears in the data.

Memory configurations also diverge. The TITAN BLACK offers 6 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, delivering 336.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 3050 A Mobile has 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, at 192.0 GB/s. Despite having half the bus width and two-thirds the memory size, the newer card still wins in compute and 3D tests — a signal of the efficiency of GDDR6 and the Ampere memory controller. Clock speeds differ too: the TITAN BLACK runs at 889 MHz base and 980 MHz boost, while the RTX 3050 A Mobile runs at 1,065 MHz base and 1,343 MHz boost. The mobile part's higher clocks contribute to its performance advantage despite fewer cores.

Power and physical design could not be more different. The TITAN BLACK is a dual-slot card rated at 250 W TDP, requiring a 600 W PSU and 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin power connectors. It measures 267 mm in length, 111 mm in height, and 38 mm in width. The RTX 3050 A Mobile is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) rated at 45 W TDP, with no power connectors and no defined dimensions — it is designed for laptops. This is a desktop flagship versus a mobile part, and the fact that the mobile part wins most benchmarks is remarkable.

# The Verdict

The data points to a straightforward conclusion: the RTX 3050 A Mobile is the superior GPU for nearly all measurable workloads. Its 48.6% lead in OpenCL, 38.2% lead in DirectX 12, and 21.3% lead in PassMark G3D make it the better choice for modern gaming, compute, and API-forward applications. The GTX TITAN BLACK's only win — 13.1% in PassMark G2D — is a narrow victory in a niche area that most users would not prioritize.

For laptop users or those seeking a low-power (45 W) solution with ray tracing and tensor core support, the RTX 3050 A Mobile is clearly the pick. For desktop users with legacy PCIe 3.0 systems who prioritize 2D performance, the TITAN BLACK retains a specific, limited appeal. However, the TITAN BLACK's end-of-life status, 250 W TDP, and lack of modern API support (DirectX 12 (11_1) versus 12 Ultimate) make it a poor choice for future-proofing.

The percentile rankings corroborate this: the TITAN BLACK sits at the 46th percentile of all GPUs, while the RTX 3050 A Mobile sits at the 44th percentile. Despite similar overall standings, the head-to-head results show the newer card winning decisively where it matters. The average benchmark scores — 9,474 for the TITAN BLACK versus 8,746 for the RTX 3050 A Mobile — are close, but this aggregate obscures the distribution: the mobile part wins the important tests, while the desktop card's G2D score inflates its average.

# FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher PassMark G3D score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile scores 11,664 in PassMark G3D, compared to 9,184 for the GTX TITAN BLACK — a 21.3% advantage.

Q: Does the GTX TITAN BLACK support ray tracing?

A: No. The GTX TITAN BLACK has no ray tracing cores, while the RTX 3050 A Mobile includes 14 dedicated ray tracing cores.

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

A: The GTX TITAN BLACK has a 384-bit bus with 336.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the RTX 3050 A Mobile has a 128-bit bus with 192.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: How do the two compare in DirectX 12 performance?

A: The RTX 3050 A Mobile scores 55 in PassMark DirectX 12, beating the GTX TITAN BLACK's 34 — a 38.2% lead. The newer card also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the older card is limited to DirectX 12 (11_1).

Q: Which card has a higher transistor density?

A: The RTX 3050 A Mobile has a transistor density of 43.5M / mm², compared to 12.6M / mm² for the GTX TITAN BLACK.

Q: What is the TDP of each GPU?

A: The GTX TITAN BLACK is rated at 250 W, while the RTX 3050 A Mobile is rated at 45 W. The mobile part is an IGP with no power connectors, whereas the desktop card requires a 600 W PSU and 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin connectors.