NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile vs NVIDIA Quadro GV100 Comparison

The Verdict — who should pick which, strictly from the data

The data is unambiguous: the NVIDIA Quadro GV100 is the decisive winner in every shared benchmark, and it should be the pick for anyone whose workload prioritizes raw compute throughput and memory bandwidth. The GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile is not competitive on raw performance; instead, its appeal lies entirely in its mobile form factor, modern feature set, and efficiency profile. If you need maximum compute density in a workstation-class card, the Quadro GV100 is the only choice. If you need a low-power, integrated GPU for a laptop, the RTX 3050 Mobile is the only practical option.

The benchmark scores tell the story clearly. In Geekbench OpenCL, the Quadro GV100 scores 150,004 against the RTX 3050 Mobile's 50,038 — a 199.8% advantage. In Geekbench Vulkan, the gap is nearly as large: 139,526 versus 49,051, a 184.5% lead. There are no benchmark tests where the RTX 3050 Mobile wins. The wins tally is 2-0 in favor of the GV100. The RTX 3050 Mobile's only consolation is that it is a laptop part; the GV100 is a dual-slot desktop card.

Regarding the average benchmark scores, the GV100 averages 35,520 across all its recorded tests, placing it in the 80th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Mobile, scores 35,435, a delta of just 0.2% — essentially a statistical tie. The RTX 3050 Mobile averages 33,170, sitting in the 78th percentile, with its closest rival, the NVIDIA T550 Mobile, scoring 33,161 (0% delta). So while the GV100 is only 2 percentiles higher, that gap is backed by a 2,350-point average score difference.

The production status of both is end-of-life, so neither is a future-proof investment. But if you are choosing between these two specific parts today, the verdict is straightforward: the Quadro GV100 for performance, the RTX 3050 Mobile for portability.

Where Each One Wins

The Quadro GV100 wins every category that matters for compute-heavy tasks. Its 32 GB of HBM2 memory with a 4096-bit bus delivers 868.4 GB/s of bandwidth — more than four times the RTX 3050 Mobile's 192.0 GB/s. That bandwidth advantage is critical for large datasets, scientific simulations, and machine learning workloads. The GV100 also has 16.66 TFLOPS of FP32 performance versus 5.501 TFLOPS for the RTX 3050 Mobile, making it roughly three times faster in single-precision compute. Its FP16 output of 33.32 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio) doubles its FP32 rate, while the RTX 3050 Mobile's FP16 matches its FP32 at 5.501 TFLOPS (1:1).

The RTX 3050 Mobile wins on efficiency and portability. Its 45 W TDP is a fraction of the GV100's 250 W. It requires no power connectors and is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) form factor, meaning it is designed for laptops. The GV100 needs a 1x 8-pin power connector, a 600 W suggested PSU, and occupies a dual-slot footprint measuring 267 mm in length. The RTX 3050 Mobile has no dimensions listed because it is a mobile chip, not a discrete card.

For gaming and consumer graphics, the RTX 3050 Mobile has a feature advantage: it packs 16 RT cores and supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the GV100 has no RT cores and is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1). The GV100 does counter with 640 Tensor Cores versus 64 on the RTX 3050 Mobile, but those Tensor Cores are from the older Volta architecture.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural generations and foundries. The Quadro GV100 is built on the Volta architecture using a 12 nm process at TSMC. The RTX 3050 Mobile uses the Ampere architecture on an 8 nm process at Samsung. The process difference is stark: the GV100 packs 21,100 million transistors onto an 815 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 25.9 million per mm². The RTX 3050 Mobile integrates 8,700 million transistors on a 200 mm² die, achieving a higher density of 43.5 million per mm². That density advantage is a direct result of the more modern 8 nm node.

The core configurations differ massively. The GV100 has 5,120 shading units, 320 texture mapping units, and 128 ROPs. The RTX 3050 Mobile has 2,048 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The GV100's pixel rate is 208.3 GPixel/s versus 42.98 GPixel/s for the RTX 3050 Mobile; its texture rate is 520.6 GTexel/s versus 85.95 GTexel/s. These are not close numbers — the GV100 is in a different performance class.

Memory architecture is another fundamental split. The GV100 uses 32 GB of HBM2 on a 4096-bit bus, which is why it achieves 868.4 GB/s. The RTX 3050 Mobile uses 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, yielding 192.0 GB/s. The GV100's memory clock is 848 MHz (1696 Mbps effective), while the RTX 3050 Mobile runs at 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective). The RTX 3050 Mobile has higher per-pin clock speeds, but the GV100's massive bus width overwhelms it in total bandwidth.

The bus interface also differs: the GV100 uses PCIe 3.0 x16, while the RTX 3050 Mobile uses PCIe 4.0 x8. The newer PCIe standard on the mobile chip does not compensate for its narrower lane count in practical throughput, especially given the GV100's far higher memory bandwidth.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in compute workloads?

A: The Quadro GV100 is significantly faster. In Geekbench OpenCL it scores 150,004 versus 50,038 for the RTX 3050 Mobile, a 199.8% lead. In Vulkan, it scores 139,526 versus 49,051, a 184.5% lead.

Q: Does the RTX 3050 Mobile have ray tracing support?

A: Yes. The RTX 3050 Mobile has 16 RT cores and supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2). The Quadro GV100 has no RT cores and only supports DirectX 12 (12_1).

Q: How does memory capacity compare?

A: The Quadro GV100 has 32 GB of HBM2 memory with a 4096-bit bus and 868.4 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 3050 Mobile has 4 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 192.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The Quadro GV100 has a 250 W TDP and requires a 600 W suggested PSU and a 1x 8-pin power connector. The RTX 3050 Mobile has a 45 W TDP and uses no power connectors.

Q: Which has more Tensor Cores?

A: The Quadro GV100 has 640 Tensor Cores, while the RTX 3050 Mobile has 64. However, the GV100's Tensor Cores are from the older Volta architecture.

Q: Are both GPUs still in production?

A: No. Both are listed as end-of-life. The Quadro GV100 was released on March 26, 2018, and the RTX 3050 Mobile on May 10, 2021.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head benchmark data is limited to two tests, but both show overwhelming victory for the Quadro GV100.

In Geekbench OpenCL, the GV100 scores 150,004 against the RTX 3050 Mobile's 50,038. That is a delta of 199.8% — the GV100 delivers triple the raw compute performance. This test is a strong proxy for general-purpose GPU compute, which includes workloads like video encoding, scientific calculation, and AI inference. The RTX 3050 Mobile's 50,038 score is respectable for a 45 W mobile part, but it is simply outclassed.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the gap narrows slightly but remains decisive. The GV100 scores 139,526 versus 49,051 for the RTX 3050 Mobile, a 184.5% delta. Vulkan is a lower-level graphics API that can expose performance differences more directly; the fact that the GV100 still nearly triples the mobile chip's score indicates that its raw hardware advantages — 5,120 shading units, 128 ROPs, 868.4 GB/s bandwidth — are not being bottlenecked by the API overhead.

It is worth remembering the RTX 3050 Mobile has one additional benchmark result not shared with the GV100: a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 421. That test has no comparable GV100 score, so it cannot be used for direct comparison. Across the shared tests, the wins are 2-0 for the GV100.

The average benchmark score difference tells a similar story. The GV100 averages 35,520 across all its recorded benchmarks, placing it in the 80th percentile. The RTX 3050 Mobile averages 33,170, in the 78th percentile. While that percentile gap is small (2 points), the raw score difference of 2,350 is meaningful. The GV100's nearest rival is the RTX 5070 Ti Mobile at 35,435 (0.2% delta), while the RTX 3050 Mobile's nearest rival is the T550 Mobile at 33,161 (0% delta). Both cards sit near their closest competitors, but the GV100 sits in a higher absolute performance tier.

Specification Differences

The following table highlights only the fields where the two GPUs differ:

| Specification | NVIDIA Quadro GV100 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile |

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

| Architecture | Volta | Ampere |

| Generation | Quadro Volta (Vx000) | GeForce 30 Mobile |

| Process Node | 12 nm (TSMC) | 8 nm (Samsung) |

| Transistors | 21,100 million | 8,700 million |

| Die Size | 815 mm² | 200 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 25.9M / mm² | 43.5M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1132 MHz | 1065 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1627 MHz | 1343 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 848 MHz (1696 Mbps effective) | 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 32 GB | 4 GB |

| Memory Type | HBM2 | GDDR6 |

| Memory Bus Width | 4096 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 868.4 GB/s | 192.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 5120 | 2048 |

| TMUs | 320 | 64 |

| ROPs | 128 | 32 |

| RT Cores | None | 16 |

| Tensor Cores | 640 | 64 |

| Pixel Rate | 208.3 GPixel/s | 42.98 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 520.6 GTexel/s | 85.95 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 16.66 TFLOPS | 5.501 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 33.32 TFLOPS (2:1) | 5.501 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 250 W | 45 W |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | IGP |

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

| Suggested PSU | 600 W | Not specified |

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

| Display Outputs | 4x DisplayPort 1.4a | Portable Device Dependent |

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

| Dimensions | 267 mm (L), 111 mm (H) | Not specified |

| Release Date | March 26, 2018 | May 10, 2021 |

| Predecessor | Quadro Pascal | GeForce 20 Mobile |

| Successor | Quadro Turing | Not specified |

| Launch MSRP | 8,999 USD | Not specified |

| Geekbench OpenCL | 150,004 | 50,038 |

| Geekbench Vulkan | 139,526 | 49,051 |

| Percentile | 80th | 78th |

| Avg Benchmark Score | 35,520 | 33,170 |

The specification gap is comprehensive. The GV100 leads in every compute metric — shading units, texture rate, pixel rate, FP32, FP16, memory capacity, bandwidth, and Tensor Cores. The RTX 3050 Mobile leads only in process node efficiency, power consumption, and the presence of RT cores. Those advantages matter for laptops, but they do not translate into benchmark wins. The data is clear: the Quadro GV100 is the performance king, and the RTX 3050 Mobile is the efficiency-focused mobile part.