NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile vs NVIDIA Quadro K1200 Comparison

# NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile vs NVIDIA Quadro K1200

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile and NVIDIA Quadro K1200 represent two very different eras of NVIDIA mobile graphics. The RTX 3050 A Mobile is an Ampere-generation part built on Samsung's 8 nm process, while the Quadro K1200 is a Maxwell-generation professional GPU fabricated by TSMC on 28 nm. In the single head-to-head benchmark available, the RTX 3050 A Mobile delivers a 500.1% higher Geekbench OpenCL score (52998 vs 8831), a massive generational leap. The RTX 3050 A Mobile also holds a 44th percentile ranking among all GPUs versus the Quadro K1200's 43rd percentile, and its average benchmark score of 8746 exceeds the K1200's 8265 by roughly 5.8%. However, the two cards occupy different niches: the RTX 3050 A Mobile is a consumer-oriented mobile part with modern feature support, while the K1200 is a single-slot professional workstation card with four mini-DisplayPort outputs.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 3050 A Mobile wins decisively in raw compute throughput. Its FP32 performance is rated at 4.813 TFLOPS compared to the Quadro K1200's 1,057.8 GFLOPS (approximately 1.06 TFLOPS), representing a 4.5x advantage in theoretical single-precision compute. This translates directly into the 500.1% Geekbench OpenCL delta, where the RTX 3050 A Mobile scores 52998 versus the K1200's 8831. For any workload that scales with shader count or memory bandwidth, the RTX 3050 A Mobile is the clear victor. It also has a significantly higher pixel rate (42.98 GPixel/s vs 16.53 GPixel/s) and texture rate (75.21 GTexel/s vs 33.06 GTexel/s).

The Quadro K1200's wins are more subtle and lie in its professional feature set rather than raw performance. It is a single-slot, 160 mm long card (6.3 inches) with four mini-DisplayPort 1.2 outputs, making it suitable for multi-display workstation setups. The K1200 draws power via the PCIe slot with no external connectors and has a suggested PSU of 200 W, matching the RTX 3050 A Mobile's 45 W TDP. The K1200 also supports PCIe 2.0 x16, whereas the RTX 3050 A Mobile uses PCIe 4.0 x8 — the newer interface provides more bandwidth per lane, but the K1200's x16 connection may be more compatible with older systems. The K1200's Maxwell architecture has no ray tracing or tensor cores, but its professional driver certification and display output flexibility are advantages in specific workstation environments.

In terms of benchmark breadth, the RTX 3050 A Mobile has data across eight tests (OpenCL, DirectX 9/10/11/12, G2D, G3D, and compute), while the K1200 only has two recorded benchmarks (OpenCL and Vulkan). The RTX 3050 A Mobile's Passmark G3D score of 11664 and GPU compute score of 4419 demonstrate strong DirectX and compute performance, though no direct K1200 comparison exists for those tests.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is generational. The RTX 3050 A Mobile uses the GA106 chip based on Ampere architecture, built on Samsung's 8 nm process. It packs 12,000 million transistors into a 276 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 43.5 million per mm². The Quadro K1200 uses the GM107 chip on Maxwell architecture, fabricated by TSMC on a 28 nm process, with 1,870 million transistors on a 148 mm² die — a density of 12.6 million per mm². This represents a 3.45x improvement in transistor density for the newer part.

Core configuration differs dramatically. The RTX 3050 A Mobile has 1792 shading units, 56 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The Quadro K1200 has just 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. The RTX 3050 A Mobile also includes 14 ray tracing cores and 56 tensor cores, features entirely absent from the K1200, which has none. This means the RTX 3050 A Mobile supports hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI-based tensor operations, while the K1200 does not.

Memory subsystems reflect their eras. Both have 4 GB of VRAM and a 128-bit bus, but the RTX 3050 A Mobile uses GDDR6 at 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective) for 192.0 GB/s bandwidth, versus the K1200's GDDR5 at 1253 MHz (5 Gbps effective) for 80.19 GB/s. That is a 2.4x bandwidth advantage for the newer card. Clock speeds are also higher on the RTX 3050 A Mobile, with a base clock of 1065 MHz and boost of 1343 MHz, compared to 954 MHz base and 1033 MHz boost on the K1200.

API support separates them further. The RTX 3050 A Mobile supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The K1200 supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The RTX 3050 A Mobile's DirectX 12 Ultimate feature set includes ray tracing and mesh shaders, while the K1200's DirectX 12 support is limited to the 11_0 feature level. The RTX 3050 A Mobile also offers FP16 at 4.813 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio with FP32), while the K1200 has no listed FP16 capability.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile is the superior performer in every measurable compute metric. Its 500.1% lead in Geekbench OpenCL, 4.5x FP32 throughput advantage, and 2.4x memory bandwidth edge make it the obvious choice for any compute-intensive or gaming workload. The RTX 3050 A Mobile's 44th percentile ranking versus the K1200's 43rd percentile, combined with its higher average benchmark score (8746 vs 8265), confirms its overall performance lead.

However, the Quadro K1200 retains relevance in specific professional contexts. Its single-slot form factor, 160 mm length, and four mini-DisplayPort 1.2 outputs make it a practical choice for compact workstation builds requiring multiple display outputs. The K1200's 45 W TDP and lack of external power connectors mean it can be powered entirely by the PCIe slot, and its PCIe 2.0 x16 interface ensures broad compatibility with older platforms. For users with legacy Maxwell-era software certifications or specific multi-display workstation requirements, the K1200 remains a functional option.

For anyone prioritizing performance, modern API support, or ray tracing capability, the RTX 3050 A Mobile is the only rational choice. Its DirectX 12 Ultimate support, tensor cores, and ray tracing cores provide future-proofing that the K1200 cannot match. The RTX 3050 A Mobile is end-of-life, as is the K1200, but the former is a much more recent product (release date of 2023-12-31 versus 2015-01-27) with correspondingly modern features.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher raw compute performance?

A: The RTX 3050 A Mobile. Its FP32 throughput is 4.813 TFLOPS versus the Quadro K1200's 1,057.8 GFLOPS, and it leads by 500.1% in Geekbench OpenCL (52998 vs 8831).

Q: Do both GPUs support ray tracing?

A: No. The RTX 3050 A Mobile has 14 ray tracing cores and supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, which includes ray tracing. The Quadro K1200 has no ray tracing cores and only supports DirectX 12 at the 11_0 feature level.

Q: What are the memory bandwidth differences?

A: The RTX 3050 A Mobile has 192.0 GB/s of bandwidth from 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus. The Quadro K1200 has 80.19 GB/s from 4 GB of GDDR5 on the same 128-bit bus width.

Q: Which GPU is more suitable for multi-display professional setups?

A: The Quadro K1200, which offers four mini-DisplayPort 1.2 outputs in a single-slot, 160 mm form factor. The RTX 3050 A Mobile's display outputs are listed as "Portable Device Dependent," meaning they vary by laptop design.

Q: How do their process nodes compare?

A: The RTX 3050 A Mobile is built on Samsung's 8 nm process with 12,000 million transistors on a 276 mm² die. The Quadro K1200 uses TSMC's 28 nm process with 1,870 million transistors on a 148 mm² die.

Q: What is the average benchmark score difference?

A: The RTX 3050 A Mobile has an average benchmark score of 8746, while the Quadro K1200 averages 8265. The RTX 3050 A Mobile also ranks at the 44th percentile versus the K1200's 43rd percentile among all GPUs.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison available is the Geekbench OpenCL test, and it is a landslide. The RTX 3050 A Mobile scores 52998, while the Quadro K1200 manages only 8831. That is a delta of 500.1%, meaning the RTX 3050 A Mobile delivers roughly six times the OpenCL performance of the K1200. This result aligns perfectly with the theoretical specifications: the RTX 3050 A Mobile's 1792 shading units and 192.0 GB/s bandwidth versus the K1200's 512 shading units and 80.19 GB/s bandwidth. OpenCL workloads that scale with shader count and memory bandwidth will see near-linear improvements on the newer architecture.

Beyond the shared benchmark, the RTX 3050 A Mobile's additional test results paint a fuller picture of its capabilities. Its Passmark G3D score of 11664 and DirectX 11 score of 94 indicate strong gaming and graphics performance. The DirectX 12 score of 55 and DirectX 9 score of 152 show compatibility across legacy and modern APIs. The G2D score of 526 and GPU compute score of 4419 round out its profile as a balanced mobile GPU. The Quadro K1200's Vulkan score of 7698 is its only other recorded result, which cannot be directly compared to the RTX 3050 A Mobile since no Vulkan score is listed for the latter.

The RTX 3050 A Mobile's wins in the head-to-head are total — it wins 1 benchmark, the K1200 wins 0. Every measurable metric favors the newer card: pixel rate (42.98 vs 16.53 GPixel/s), texture rate (75.21 vs 33.06 GTexel/s), and memory bandwidth (192.0 vs 80.19 GB/s). The only areas where the K1200 does not lose are form factor and display connectivity, where its single-slot design and four mini-DisplayPort outputs offer practical advantages for specific workstation configurations. But from a pure performance standpoint, the RTX 3050 A Mobile is categorically superior.