NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile vs NVIDIA RTX 3000 Mobile Ada Generation Comparison

FAQ

Q: What is the performance percentile ranking of each GPU in the database?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile sits at the 44th percentile of all GPUs, while the NVIDIA RTX 3000 Mobile Ada Generation ranks at the 50th percentile.

Q: How do the two GPUs compare in terms of memory capacity and bandwidth?

A: The RTX 3050 A Mobile offers 4 GB of GDDR6 memory with a 128-bit bus and 192.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 3000 Mobile Ada Generation doubles capacity to 8 GB of GDDR6, uses the same 128-bit bus, and delivers 256.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has a higher boost clock speed?

A: The RTX 3000 Mobile Ada Generation boosts to 1695 MHz, which is 352 MHz higher than the 1343 MHz boost clock of the RTX 3050 A Mobile.

Q: What is the transistor count and process node for each chip?

A: The RTX 3050 A Mobile uses the GA106 chip on Samsung's 8 nm process with 12,000 million transistors. The RTX 3000 Mobile Ada Generation uses the AD106 chip on TSMC's 5 nm process with 22,900 million transistors.

Q: Are these GPUs currently in production?

A: The RTX 3050 A Mobile is marked as end-of-life, while the RTX 3000 Mobile Ada Generation is listed as active.

Q: Do both GPUs support the same DirectX version?

A: Yes, both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), along with OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs represent different architectural generations from NVIDIA. The RTX 3050 A Mobile is built on the Ampere architecture with the GA106 chip, while the RTX 3000 Mobile Ada Generation uses the Ada Lovelace architecture with the AD106 chip.

The manufacturing process differs significantly. The Ampere chip uses Samsung's 8 nm node, while the Ada Lovelace chip uses TSMC's 5 nm node. This process shrink allows the Ada chip to pack 22,900 million transistors into a 188 mm² die, compared to 12,000 million transistors in a 276 mm² die for the Ampere part. The transistor density reflects this: 121.8M / mm² for Ada versus 43.5M / mm² for Ampere.

Core configuration differences are substantial. The RTX 3050 A Mobile has 1792 shading units, 56 texture mapping units, 32 ROPs, 14 RT cores, and 56 tensor cores. The RTX 3000 Mobile Ada Generation scales this up to 4608 shading units, 144 TMUs, 48 ROPs, 36 RT cores, and 144 tensor cores. That represents a 2.57x increase in shading units and tensor cores, and a 2.57x increase in RT cores.

Clock speeds also differ. The Ada part has a base clock of 1395 MHz and a boost of 1695 MHz, versus 1065 MHz base and 1343 MHz boost for the Ampere part. The Ada chip runs at higher frequencies despite having far more cores, enabled by the more advanced process node.

The memory subsystem scales as well. The Ada part has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory running at 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective) with 256.0 GB/s bandwidth. The Ampere part has 4 GB of GDDR6 at 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective) with 192.0 GB/s bandwidth. Both use a 128-bit memory bus.

Power envelopes differ notably. The RTX 3050 A Mobile is rated at 45 W TDP, while the RTX 3000 Mobile Ada Generation is rated at 115 W TDP. Both are listed as IGP slot width with no power connectors, and both use PCIe 4.0, but the Ada part uses x16 lanes while the Ampere part uses x8.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains no direct head-to-head benchmark results between these two GPUs. The RTX 3050 A Mobile has a full set of recorded measurements, while the RTX 3000 Mobile Ada Generation has no benchmark entries in the database.

For the RTX 3050 A Mobile, the recorded data shows an average benchmark score of 8746 across all tests. Its individual scores include 52998 in Geekbench OpenCL, 11664 in Passmark G3D, 4419 in Passmark GPU Compute, 526 in Passmark G2D, 152 in Passmark DirectX 9, 94 in Passmark DirectX 11, 61 in Passmark DirectX 10, and 55 in Passmark DirectX 12.

The RTX 3000 Mobile Ada Generation has an average benchmark score of 0 in the database, indicating no measured results are available. The nearest rivals listed for the RTX 3050 A Mobile provide context: the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 v2 scores 8743 (0% delta), the NVIDIA Quadro P2200 scores 8686 (0.7% higher), the AMD Radeon R9 M265X scores 8851 (1.2% lower), and the AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100 scores 8863 (1.3% lower).

Given the architectural specifications, the RTX 3000 Mobile Ada Generation should deliver substantially higher performance based on its 2.57x shading unit count, 3.25x FP32 throughput (15.62 TFLOPS versus 4.813 TFLOPS), and 3.25x texture fill rate (244.1 GTexel/s versus 75.21 GTexel/s). The pixel rate also favors the Ada part at 81.36 GPixel/s versus 42.98 GPixel/s.

Specification Differences

| Specification | RTX 3050 A Mobile | RTX 3000 Mobile Ada Generation |

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

| Chip | GA106 | AD106 |

| Architecture | Ampere | Ada Lovelace |

| Process Node | 8 nm | 5 nm |

| Foundry | Samsung | TSMC |

| Transistors | 12,000 million | 22,900 million |

| Die Size | 276 mm² | 188 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 43.5M / mm² | 121.8M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1065 MHz | 1395 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1343 MHz | 1695 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1500 MHz, 12 Gbps effective | 2000 MHz, 16 Gbps effective |

| Memory Size | 4 GB | 8 GB |

| Memory Bandwidth | 192.0 GB/s | 256.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 1792 | 4608 |

| TMUs | 56 | 144 |

| ROPs | 32 | 48 |

| RT Cores | 14 | 36 |

| Tensor Cores | 56 | 144 |

| Pixel Rate | 42.98 GPixel/s | 81.36 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 75.21 GTexel/s | 244.1 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 4.813 TFLOPS | 15.62 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 4.813 TFLOPS (1:1) | 15.62 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 45 W | 115 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x8 | PCIe 4.0 x16 |

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

| Release Date | 2023-12-31 | 2023-03-20 |

| Predecessor | GeForce 20 Mobile | Ampere-MW |

| Successor | None | Blackwell-MW |

Both GPUs share the same manufacturer, series (GeForce 30-series), memory type (GDDR6), memory bus width (128 bit), slot width (IGP), power connector requirement (None), display outputs (Portable Device Dependent), and API support (DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, Vulkan 1.4). Neither has a launch MSRP recorded in the database.

The Verdict

The data presents a clear generational gap. The RTX 3000 Mobile Ada Generation is the superior GPU by every measurable specification in the database. It has more than double the shading units, RT cores, and tensor cores of the RTX 3050 A Mobile. Its FP32 throughput of 15.62 TFLOPS is 3.25x higher than the 4.813 TFLOPS of the Ampere part. Its memory bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s is 33% higher than 192.0 GB/s, and it carries twice the VRAM capacity.

The RTX 3050 A Mobile is an end-of-life product built on older architecture with a smaller core configuration and lower power envelope. Its 45 W TDP suggests it targets thin-and-light portable devices, while the 115 W TDP of the Ada part indicates a higher-performance mobile segment.

The percentile ranking also favors the Ada part: 50th percentile versus 44th percentile for the Ampere part. However, the RTX 3050 A Mobile has actual benchmark scores recorded, while the RTX 3000 Mobile Ada Generation has none in the database. Users should treat the Ada part's specifications as indicative of its capability, but direct measured comparisons are not available.

The RTX 3050 A Mobile's nearest rivals in the database, the GTX 460 v2, Quadro P2200, R9 M265X, and Pro WX 5100, all fall within a 1.3% delta of its average score. This places it in a modest performance tier. The Ada part, by its specifications alone, sits in a different class entirely.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 3000 Mobile Ada Generation wins in every architectural comparison recorded in the database. It delivers higher clock speeds, more cores, more memory, faster memory bandwidth, higher pixel and texture rates, and greater compute throughput. Its 5 nm process from TSMC provides a density advantage that the 8 nm Samsung process cannot match. The active production status means it remains available for new systems.

The RTX 3050 A Mobile wins on power efficiency considerations, with a 45 W TDP versus 115 W for the Ada part. This makes it suitable for systems where thermal and power budgets are constrained. It also has the advantage of recorded benchmark scores, so its real-world performance is documented in the database, whereas the Ada part has no measured results.

For legacy software compatibility, both GPUs support identical API levels, so there is no differentiation there. The RTX 3050 A Mobile uses PCIe 4.0 x8, which halves the available lanes compared to the Ada part's PCIe 4.0 x16. In bandwidth-sensitive workloads that leverage PCIe transfers, the Ada part holds the advantage.

The RTX 3050 A Mobile's end-of-life status means it appears in existing systems and possibly lower-cost laptops, but the data does not support any performance advantage for it. The RTX 3000 Mobile Ada Generation is the clear choice for workloads that demand high FP32 throughput, ray tracing capability, texture processing, or larger frame buffers. The 8 GB memory capacity is particularly relevant for modern workloads that exceed 4 GB.