NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 occupy opposite ends of the current GPU spectrum. The 3050 A is an end-of-life, low-power mobile part from the Ampere generation, while the 5080 is an active, high-performance desktop flagship from the Blackwell 2.0 generation. The recorded benchmark data shows a complete sweep for the RTX 5080 across all eight head-to-head tests, with performance gaps ranging from 60.9% to 79.7% in favor of the newer card.

Where Each One Wins

The head-to-head data is unambiguous: the RTX 5080 wins every single recorded benchmark. The RTX 3050 A Mobile holds zero wins, while the RTX 5080 claims all eight. The largest margin comes in compute workloads, where the 5080 leads by 79.7% in Passmark GPU Compute (21789 vs 4419). This reflects the massive difference in raw processing resources, with the 5080 featuring 10752 shading units against the 3050 A's 1792.

The smallest gap, though still decisive, appears in Passmark DirectX 12, where the 5080 scores 151 against the 3050 A's 55, a 63.6% difference. Even in 2D tests, where memory bandwidth and pixel throughput matter more than raw compute, the 5080 leads by 62.8% in Passmark G2D (1415 vs 526). The RTX 5080 also dominates in synthetic 3D workloads: Passmark G3D shows 36565 versus 11664, a 68.1% advantage. OpenCL performance follows the same pattern, with the 5080 hitting 235901 compared to the 3050 A's 52998, a 77.5% gap.

In terms of overall positioning, the RTX 5080 sits at the 87th percentile of all GPUs in the database, while the RTX 3050 A Mobile is at the 44th percentile. The average benchmark score tells the same story: 56083 for the 5080 versus 8746 for the 3050 A. The 3050 A's nearest rivals, such as the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 v2 and the AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100, have average scores within 1.3% of its own, confirming it is a modest performer. The 5080's nearest rivals, including the AMD Radeon 8060S and the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE, are within 2.3% of its score, placing it in a competitive high-end bracket.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from entirely different design generations. The RTX 3050 A Mobile uses the GA106 chip built on Ampere architecture, manufactured by Samsung on an 8 nm process. The RTX 5080 uses the GB203 chip built on Blackwell 2.0 architecture, manufactured by TSMC on a 5 nm process. This node difference is significant: the 5080 packs 45,600 million transistors into a 378 mm² die, achieving a transistor density of 120.6M per mm². The 3050 A has 12,000 million transistors on a 276 mm² die, giving a density of 43.5M per mm². The newer process enables roughly 2.8 times the transistor density.

Clock speeds also separate the two parts substantially. The RTX 5080 runs at a base clock of 2295 MHz and boosts to 2617 MHz. The RTX 3050 A Mobile operates at a much lower 1065 MHz base and 1343 MHz boost. Memory configurations are equally divergent. The 5080 uses 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The 3050 A has 4 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, producing 192.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The effective memory clock for the 5080 is 30 Gbps, while the 3050 A runs at 12 Gbps effective.

The compute resource counts scale accordingly. The RTX 5080 has 10752 shading units, 336 texture mapping units, and 112 ROPs. The RTX 3050 A Mobile has 1792 shading units, 56 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. Ray tracing and tensor core counts follow the same pattern: the 5080 has 84 RT cores and 336 tensor cores, while the 3050 A has 14 RT cores and 56 tensor cores. Pixel and texture rates are dramatically higher on the 5080: 293.1 GPixel/s versus 42.98 GPixel/s, and 879.3 GTexel/s versus 75.21 GTexel/s. FP32 compute is 56.28 TFLOPS on the 5080 versus 4.813 TFLOPS on the 3050 A. Both GPUs support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Power and physical characteristics differ as much as the silicon. The RTX 5080 is a dual-slot card measuring 304 mm by 137 mm by 40 mm, with a 360 W TDP and a single 16-pin power connector. The suggested power supply is 750 W. The RTX 3050 A Mobile is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with no slot width specification, no power connectors, and a 45 W TDP. It uses a PCIe 4.0 x8 interface, while the 5080 uses PCIe 5.0 x16. Display outputs on the 5080 include 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1b, whereas the 3050 A's outputs are listed as portable device dependent.

The Verdict

The data supports a straightforward conclusion: the RTX 5080 is categorically superior in every measured dimension. It delivers between 60.9% and 79.7% higher scores across all benchmark categories, with its largest advantage in compute-heavy workloads. The 5080's 87th percentile placement versus the 3050 A's 44th percentile confirms that these GPUs serve entirely different segments of the market.

For users who need maximum performance in 3D rendering, compute tasks, or high-resolution gaming, the RTX 5080 is the only choice based on the recorded data. Its 16 GB GDDR7 memory and 960.0 GB/s bandwidth provide a substantial foundation for memory-intensive workloads. The 3050 A Mobile, with its 4 GB GDDR6 memory and 192.0 GB/s bandwidth, is suited only to lighter tasks where the 45 W TDP and IGP form factor are priorities. The 3050 A's nearest rivals, including the GTX 460 v2 and Quadro P2200, have nearly identical average scores, indicating it performs at a legacy level. The 5080's rivals, such as the Radeon RX 9070 GRE and Radeon 8060S, are separated by less than 2.3%, placing it in a tightly contested high-end field.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the RTX 5080 than the RTX 3050 A Mobile in OpenCL?

A: The RTX 5080 scores 235901 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the RTX 3050 A Mobile scores 52998. This represents a 77.5% advantage for the RTX 5080.

Q: Which GPU has more memory bandwidth?

A: The RTX 5080 has 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth from its 16 GB GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus. The RTX 3050 A Mobile has 192.0 GB/s from 4 GB GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus.

Q: What is the difference in shading unit count?

A: The RTX 5080 has 10752 shading units, while the RTX 3050 A Mobile has 1792 shading units. This is a 6:1 ratio in favor of the RTX 5080.

Q: How do the power requirements compare?

A: The RTX 5080 has a 360 W TDP and requires a 750 W suggested power supply with a 16-pin connector. The RTX 3050 A Mobile has a 45 W TDP and uses no power connectors.

Q: What are the process nodes for each GPU?

A: The RTX 5080 uses a 5 nm process from TSMC, while the RTX 3050 A Mobile uses an 8 nm process from Samsung.

Q: Which GPU has better DirectX 12 performance?

A: The RTX 5080 scores 151 in Passmark DirectX 12, compared to the RTX 3050 A Mobile's 55, a 63.6% lead for the RTX 5080.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The eight recorded head-to-head benchmarks show a consistent pattern of dominance by the RTX 5080. The largest single gap appears in Passmark GPU Compute, where the 5080's 21789 score is 79.7% higher than the 3050 A's 4419. This test measures general-purpose compute throughput, and the delta reflects the 5080's 56.28 TFLOPS FP32 capability versus the 3050 A's 4.813 TFLOPS.

In Geekbench OpenCL, the 5080 scores 235901 against 52998, a 77.5% difference. This is the second-largest margin and reinforces the compute advantage. Passmark DirectX 10 shows a 70.7% gap (208 vs 61), while DirectX 11 shows a 71% gap (324 vs 94). These legacy API tests still favor the newer architecture heavily.

Passmark DirectX 9 shows the smallest relative gap at 60.9% (389 vs 152), though the absolute scores are low for both cards. Passmark DirectX 12 shows a 63.6% difference (151 vs 55), which is notable because it is a modern API where both GPUs claim support for 12 Ultimate. The 5080's 151 score is modest in absolute terms, but it still more than doubles the 3050 A's output.

Passmark G2D, a 2D graphics test, shows a 62.8% advantage for the 5080 (1415 vs 526). This test relies on pixel throughput and memory bandwidth, where the 5080's 293.1 GPixel/s and 960.0 GB/s far exceed the 3050 A's 42.98 GPixel/s and 192.0 GB/s. Passmark G3D, the main 3D gaming test, shows a 68.1% gap (36565 vs 11664). This is the most representative result for gaming workloads, and the 5080's dominance here is consistent with its higher shading unit count and memory bandwidth.

Across all eight tests, the RTX 5080 wins every category. The smallest lead is 60.9% in DirectX 9, and the largest is 79.7% in compute. No benchmark category shows the 3050 A Mobile within striking distance of the 5080. The average benchmark score of 56083 for the 5080 versus 8746 for the 3050 A, a 6.4x difference, encapsulates the overall performance separation. The percentile rankings confirm the positioning: 87th for the 5080, 44th for the 3050 A. The data leaves no ambiguity about which GPU delivers higher performance in every recorded metric.