NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Comparison

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile: the former is a desktop flagship from the Ampere generation, the latter a laptop-class chip from the same architecture. The database records three shared benchmark results, all favoring the RTX 3080 Ti, but the margins vary sharply by workload. This analysis walks through those numbers, interprets what they mean relative to each card’s nearest rivals, and then breaks down the architectural and specification differences that explain the gap.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most extreme difference appears in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. The RTX 3080 Ti scores 5077, while the RTX 3050 Mobile scores 421. That is a delta of 1105.9%, meaning the desktop card delivers roughly twelve times the performance in this test. This is a raw, modern DirectX 12 workload that stresses shader throughput, memory bandwidth, and rasterization, all areas where the RTX 3080 Ti has overwhelming hardware advantages.

In Geekbench OpenCL, the RTX 3080 Ti records 170037 points versus 50038 for the RTX 3050 Mobile. The delta is 239.8%, so the desktop part is about 3.4 times faster. OpenCL tends to scale with compute unit count and clock speed, and the RTX 3080 Ti has five times the shading units (10240 vs 2048) plus a much higher boost clock (1665 MHz vs 1343 MHz), so the result aligns with those specifications.

Geekbench Vulkan shows a similar pattern: 192697 for the RTX 3080 Ti versus 49051 for the RTX 3050 Mobile, a delta of 292.9%. The desktop card is nearly four times faster here. Vulkan’s low-level API exposes parallelism directly, and the RTX 3080 Ti’s larger array of RT cores (80 vs 16) and tensor cores (320 vs 64) contributes to the margin in compute-heavy scenes.

Across all three tests, the RTX 3080 Ti wins 3, the RTX 3050 Mobile wins 0. No benchmark in the database shows the mobile chip ahead. For context, the RTX 3080 Ti’s average benchmark score is 41187, placing it at the 83rd percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in the database are the NVIDIA Tesla M40 (avg 41897, delta -1.7%), the NVIDIA Tesla M40 24 GB (avg 41707, delta -1.2%), the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 (avg 40870, delta 0.8%), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 (avg 40377, delta 2%). So the RTX 3080 Ti sits within a tight band around 41000, slightly below the Tesla M40 variants but above the Radeon Pro 5300 and RTX 5070.

The RTX 3050 Mobile’s average benchmark score is 33170, at the 78th percentile. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA T550 Mobile (avg 33161, delta 0%), the AMD Radeon Pro 570 (avg 33207, delta -0.1%), the NVIDIA P104-100 (avg 32982, delta 0.6%), and the NVIDIA T600 Mobile (avg 32849, delta 1%). The mobile chip is effectively tied with the T550 Mobile and Radeon Pro 570, and slightly ahead of the P104-100 and T600 Mobile. In short, the RTX 3050 Mobile is a mid-pack mobile GPU, while the RTX 3080 Ti is a high-end desktop part, and the benchmark delta between them (roughly 24% in average score) reflects that positioning.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous. For anyone running DirectX 12, OpenCL, or Vulkan workloads, the RTX 3080 Ti delivers between 239.8% and 1105.9% higher scores than the RTX 3050 Mobile. The desktop card wins every recorded test, and its average benchmark score is 41187 versus 33170, a gap of about 24%. The RTX 3050 Mobile’s nearest rivals are other mobile or low-power desktop parts, while the RTX 3080 Ti’s nearest rivals are much larger, higher-power accelerators.

From the measurements alone, the RTX 3080 Ti is the correct choice for any task where performance is the priority and power consumption, physical size, and cooling are not constraints. The RTX 3050 Mobile is a viable option only in systems where the 45 W TDP and integrated form factor are mandatory, such as thin laptops. Its 4 GB memory and 128-bit bus limit it to lighter workloads, and the benchmark results confirm it is roughly one-third to one-twelfth as fast in the tested scenarios.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 3080 Ti wins every shared benchmark, but the magnitude of the win varies. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, the delta is 1105.9%, the largest margin. This is a synthetic rasterization test that heavily taxes memory bandwidth and pixel throughput. The RTX 3080 Ti has a 384-bit bus and 912.4 GB/s bandwidth, versus 128-bit and 192.0 GB/s for the RTX 3050 Mobile, so the massive delta here reflects that hardware advantage.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the delta is 292.9%. This test includes compute and ray-tracing workloads, and the RTX 3080 Ti’s 80 RT cores and 320 tensor cores dwarf the RTX 3050 Mobile’s 16 and 64, respectively. The desktop card’s higher FP32 throughput (34.10 TFLOPS vs 5.501 TFLOPS) also plays a role.

Geekbench OpenCL shows the smallest but still substantial delta at 239.8%. OpenCL is often memory-latency sensitive, and while the RTX 3080 Ti has far more compute units, the mobile chip’s lower clocks (1343 MHz boost) and smaller memory subsystem limit its score. The RTX 3050 Mobile’s only advantage in the data is its 45 W TDP versus 350 W, which is a power efficiency metric, not a performance one. No benchmark in the database favors the mobile chip.

FAQ

Q: Which card has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 3080 Ti, with an average score of 41187, compared to the RTX 3050 Mobile’s 33170.

Q: How much faster is the RTX 3080 Ti in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12?

A: It scores 5077 versus 421, a delta of 1105.9%, meaning roughly twelve times the performance.

Q: What is the closest benchmark margin between the two?

A: In Geekbench OpenCL, the RTX 3080 Ti scores 170037 versus 50038, a delta of 239.8%, which is the smallest recorded gap.

Q: Are these cards from the same architecture?

A: Yes, both use the Ampere architecture and are part of the GeForce 30-series, but the RTX 3080 Ti uses the GA102 chip while the RTX 3050 Mobile uses GA107.

Q: What is the memory configuration difference?

A: The RTX 3080 Ti has 12 GB of GDDR6X on a 384-bit bus with 912.4 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 3050 Mobile has 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus with 192.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which card has more shading units?

A: The RTX 3080 Ti has 10240 shading units, while the RTX 3050 Mobile has 2048, a fivefold difference.

Architecture Differences

Both GPUs are built on the Ampere architecture and use Samsung’s 8 nm process, but they are entirely different chips. The RTX 3080 Ti uses the GA102 die, which measures 628 mm² and contains 28,300 million transistors, giving a transistor density of 45.1M per mm². The RTX 3050 Mobile uses the GA107 die, which is 200 mm² with 8,700 million transistors, a density of 43.5M per mm². The GA102 is a large, high-power design intended for desktop cards with substantial cooling, while GA107 is a smaller, lower-power chip designed for mobile integration.

The RT core and tensor core counts diverge dramatically. The RTX 3080 Ti has 80 RT cores and 320 tensor cores, while the RTX 3050 Mobile has 16 RT cores and 64 tensor cores. This explains the large Vulkan delta, as ray-tracing and AI-accelerated workloads scale directly with those units. The shading unit count (10240 vs 2048), texture mapping units (320 vs 64), and render output units (112 vs 32) all follow the same pattern.

Memory architecture is another fundamental split. The RTX 3080 Ti uses GDDR6X with a 384-bit bus, achieving 912.4 GB/s, while the RTX 3050 Mobile uses GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, achieving 192.0 GB/s. The desktop card’s memory clock is listed as 1188 MHz with 19 Gbps effective, versus 1500 MHz with 12 Gbps effective for the mobile chip. Pixel rate (186.5 GPixel/s vs 42.98 GPixel/s) and texture rate (532.8 GTexel/s vs 85.95 GTexel/s) also show a four-to-sixfold advantage for the RTX 3080 Ti.

Specification Differences

The table below lists only the fields where the two GPUs differ, based on the recorded data.

| Field | RTX 3080 Ti | RTX 3050 Mobile |

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

| Chip | GA102 | GA107 |

| Process Node | 8 nm (Samsung) | 8 nm (Samsung) |

| Transistors | 28,300 million | 8,700 million |

| Die Size | 628 mm² | 200 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 45.1M / mm² | 43.5M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1365 MHz | 1065 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1665 MHz | 1343 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1188 MHz (19 Gbps effective) | 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 12 GB | 4 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR6X | GDDR6 |

| Memory Bus Width | 384 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 912.4 GB/s | 192.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 10240 | 2048 |

| TMUs | 320 | 64 |

| ROPs | 112 | 32 |

| RT Cores | 80 | 16 |

| Tensor Cores | 320 | 64 |

| Pixel Rate | 186.5 GPixel/s | 42.98 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 532.8 GTexel/s | 85.95 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 34.10 TFLOPS | 5.501 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 34.10 TFLOPS (1:1) | 5.501 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 350 W | 45 W |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | IGP |

| Power Connectors | 1x 12-pin | None |

| Suggested PSU | 750 W | Not specified |

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

| Display Outputs | 1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a | Portable Device Dependent |

| Dimensions | 285 mm (11.2 in) length, 112 mm (4.4 in) height, 40 mm (1.6 in) width | Not specified |

| Release Date | 2021-05-30 | 2021-05-10 |

| Predecessor | GeForce 20 | GeForce 20 Mobile |

| Successor | GeForce 40 | Not specified |

| Launch MSRP | 1,199 USD | Not specified |

Both cards share the same DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4 API support, and both are end-of-life production status. The RTX 3080 Ti is a dual-slot desktop card requiring external power, while the RTX 3050 Mobile is an integrated mobile part with no power connector and no fixed dimensions. The RTX 3080 Ti also has a successor (GeForce 40), while the RTX 3050 Mobile does not list one in the database.