NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile vs NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q Comparison

The data shows a clear generational and architectural divide: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile is the decisive winner over the NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q, holding a 57.1% advantage in the single shared benchmark, the Geekbench Vulkan test. The RTX 3050 Mobile also carries a higher aggregate benchmark score (33,170 vs 31,220) and a slightly better percentile ranking (78th vs 76th percentile). However, the GRID M60-1Q is not without its own advantages, particularly in raw pixel and texture throughput, which makes the comparison less one-dimensional than the headline scores suggest.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 3050 Mobile wins on compute and modern API performance. In the only head-to-head benchmark available, Geekbench Vulkan, the RTX 3050 Mobile scores 49,051 against the GRID M60-1Q's 31,220, a 57.1% improvement. This is a massive leap that reflects the RTX 3050 Mobile's newer architecture, higher clock speeds, and superior memory bandwidth. The RTX 3050 Mobile also posts a significantly higher OpenCL score of 50,038, whereas the GRID M60-1Q has no OpenCL benchmark result recorded, indicating the RTX 3050 Mobile is the more versatile compute platform.

The GRID M60-1Q wins on rasterization throughput. Despite its lower FP32 compute (4.825 TFLOPS vs 5.501 TFLOPS), the GRID M60-1Q has a higher pixel rate (75.39 GPixel/s vs 42.98 GPixel/s) and a higher texture rate (150.8 GTexel/s vs 85.95 GTexel/s). This is because the GRID M60-1Q has double the TMUs (128 vs 64) and double the ROPs (64 vs 32) compared to the RTX 3050 Mobile. For workloads that are heavily dependent on fill-rate—such as high-resolution rasterization without ray tracing—the GRID M60-1Q's architecture is theoretically better suited, even if its overall compute is lower.

The RTX 3050 Mobile also wins on efficiency and practicality. It has a TDP of 45 W versus the GRID M60-1Q's 225 W, making it far more suitable for mobile and low-power environments. The RTX 3050 Mobile is an integrated graphics package (IGP) with no power connectors, while the GRID M60-1Q is a dual-slot card requiring a 1x 8-pin power connector and a 550 W suggested PSU. The RTX 3050 Mobile also has display outputs (portable device dependent), whereas the GRID M60-1Q has no outputs, making it strictly a compute or virtualization card.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on fundamentally different architectures from different eras. The RTX 3050 Mobile uses the Ampere architecture (chip GA107), fabricated on Samsung's 8 nm process. It packs 8,700 million transistors into a 200 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 43.5M / mm². In contrast, the GRID M60-1Q uses the Maxwell 2.0 architecture (chip GM204), fabricated on TSMC's 28 nm process. It contains 5,200 million transistors on a much larger 398 mm² die, with a lower transistor density of 13.1M / mm². The newer process node gives the RTX 3050 Mobile a significant efficiency and density advantage.

Memory configurations differ substantially. The RTX 3050 Mobile has 4 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 192.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GRID M60-1Q has only 1 GB of GDDR5 memory on a wider 256-bit bus, delivering 160.4 GB/s. The RTX 3050 Mobile's memory runs at 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective), while the GRID M60-1Q's memory runs at 1253 MHz (5 Gbps effective). The RTX 3050 Mobile's higher effective speed and newer memory type give it a bandwidth advantage despite the narrower bus.

Feature support is where the RTX 3050 Mobile pulls far ahead. It includes 16 ray tracing cores and 64 tensor cores, which the GRID M60-1Q lacks entirely. The RTX 3050 Mobile supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the GRID M60-1Q only supports DirectX 12 (12_1). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4, but the RTX 3050 Mobile's hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI capabilities are absent from the older Maxwell chip. The RTX 3050 Mobile also uses a PCIe 4.0 x8 interface, while the GRID M60-1Q uses PCIe 3.0 x16.

Clock speeds also tell the story of architectural maturity. The RTX 3050 Mobile has a base clock of 1065 MHz and a boost clock of 1343 MHz. The GRID M60-1Q has a lower base clock of 557 MHz but a higher boost clock of 1178 MHz. The RTX 3050 Mobile's higher base clock suggests better sustained performance, while the GRID M60-1Q's boost behavior is more aggressive relative to its base.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile has an average benchmark score of 33,170, while the NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q has an average score of 31,220. This represents a 6.2% advantage for the RTX 3050 Mobile.

Q: Does the GRID M60-1Q have any advantage in memory bandwidth?

A: No. The RTX 3050 Mobile has 192.0 GB/s of bandwidth, while the GRID M60-1Q has 160.4 GB/s. Despite the GRID M60-1Q having a wider 256-bit bus, its slower GDDR5 memory (5 Gbps effective) cannot match the RTX 3050 Mobile's GDDR6 (12 Gbps effective).

Q: Can the GRID M60-1Q handle ray tracing?

A: No. The GRID M60-1Q has no ray tracing cores and no tensor cores. The RTX 3050 Mobile includes 16 RT cores and 64 tensor cores, and supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), which enables hardware ray tracing.

Q: What are the power requirements for each GPU?

A: The RTX 3050 Mobile has a TDP of 45 W and uses no power connectors. The GRID M60-1Q has a TDP of 225 W and requires a 1x 8-pin power connector, with a suggested PSU of 550 W.

Q: In the head-to-head benchmark, how much faster is the RTX 3050 Mobile?

A: In the Geekbench Vulkan test, the RTX 3050 Mobile scores 49,051 versus the GRID M60-1Q's 31,220, making the RTX 3050 Mobile 57.1% faster.

Q: Which GPU has a higher pixel fill rate?

A: The GRID M60-1Q has a higher pixel rate of 75.39 GPixel/s, while the RTX 3050 Mobile has 42.98 GPixel/s. This is due to the GRID M60-1Q having double the ROPs (64 vs 32).

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile | NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q |

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

| Architecture | Ampere | Maxwell 2.0 |

| Process Node | 8 nm (Samsung) | 28 nm (TSMC) |

| Transistors | 8,700 million | 5,200 million |

| Die Size | 200 mm² | 398 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 43.5M / mm² | 13.1M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1065 MHz | 557 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1343 MHz | 1178 MHz |

| Memory Size | 4 GB | 1024 MB |

| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR5 |

| Memory Bus | 128 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 192.0 GB/s | 160.4 GB/s |

| TMUs | 64 | 128 |

| ROPs | 32 | 64 |

| RT Cores | 16 | None |

| Tensor Cores | 64 | None |

| Pixel Rate | 42.98 GPixel/s | 75.39 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 85.95 GTexel/s | 150.8 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 5.501 TFLOPS | 4.825 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 5.501 TFLOPS (1:1) | None |

| TDP | 45 W | 225 W |

| Slot Width | IGP | Dual-slot |

| Power Connectors | None | 1x 8-pin |

| Suggested PSU | None | 550 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x8 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | Portable Device Dependent | No outputs |

| DirectX | 12 Ultimate (12_2) | 12 (12_1) |

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The single available head-to-head benchmark is Geekbench Vulkan, and the result is a decisive victory for the RTX 3050 Mobile. The RTX 3050 Mobile scores 49,051, while the GRID M60-1Q scores 31,220. That is a delta of 57.1% in favor of the RTX 3050 Mobile. This is not a marginal difference; it is a generational gap. The RTX 3050 Mobile's Vulkan score is 57% higher because it leverages a modern architecture with hardware-accelerated features, faster memory, and a higher boost clock.

In terms of the overall average benchmark score, the RTX 3050 Mobile also leads, with 33,170 versus 31,220 for the GRID M60-1Q. The RTX 3050 Mobile's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA T550 Mobile (avg score 33,161, delta 0%), the AMD Radeon Pro 570 (avg score 33,207, delta -0.1%), and the NVIDIA P104-100 (avg score 32,982, delta 0.6%). The GRID M60-1Q's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro M5000 (avg score 31,206, delta 0%), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER (avg score 31,087, delta 0.4%), and the NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell (avg score 31,532, delta -1%). Interestingly, the GRID M60-1Q's average score is within 1% of a modern RTX 4070 Ti SUPER, but the RTX 3050 Mobile is 6.2% above the GRID M60-1Q's average, placing it in a different performance class.

The biggest win for the GRID M60-1Q is in theoretical throughput metrics. Its texture rate of 150.8 GTexel/s is 75% higher than the RTX 3050 Mobile's 85.95 GTexel/s. Its pixel rate of 75.39 GPixel/s is 75% higher than the RTX 3050 Mobile's 42.98 GPixel/s. These are significant margins, but they do not translate into a benchmark win in the available data, likely because modern workloads are not purely fill-rate bound.

The Verdict

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile is the clear winner for any modern workload. Benchmark results show it is 57.1% faster in Vulkan, has a 6.2% higher average score, and supports features the GRID M60-1Q cannot—ray tracing, tensor cores, and DirectX 12 Ultimate. Its 45 W TDP makes it a practical choice for laptops and compact systems, while the GRID M60-1Q's 225 W TDP and external power requirement limit it to desktop or server environments.

The GRID M60-1Q is only preferable in a narrow scenario: if a workload is exclusively bound by pixel or texture fill rate. Its 75.39 GPixel/s pixel rate and 150.8 GTexel/s texture rate are both roughly 75% higher than the RTX 3050 Mobile's. In such a niche case, the older Maxwell card would theoretically outperform, but the RTX 3050 Mobile's superior memory bandwidth (192.0 GB/s vs 160.4 GB/s) and higher FP32 compute (5.501 TFLOPS vs 4.825 TFLOPS) would likely mitigate this advantage in real-world applications.

For any user choosing between these two, the RTX 3050 Mobile is the rational pick. It is faster, more efficient, more feature-rich, and has a higher percentile ranking (78th vs 76th). The GRID M60-1Q, with its lack of display outputs and 1 GB memory cap, is a legacy virtualization or compute card that cannot compete on modern grounds. The data is unambiguous: the RTX 3050 Mobile wins on every measured benchmark and offers the architectural headroom that the GRID M60-1Q lacks.