NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile vs NVIDIA RTX A5000 Comparison

The NVIDIA RTX A5000 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile are both Ampere-generation parts from NVIDIA, but they occupy opposite ends of the physical and performance spectrum. The RTX A5000 is a dual-slot desktop workstation card built on the GA102 chip, while the RTX 3050 Mobile is an integrated laptop GPU (IGP) based on the GA107 chip. In the three shared benchmark tests, the RTX A5000 wins all of them by enormous margins — 798.6% in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, 210.3% in Geekbench OpenCL, and 179.7% in Geekbench Vulkan. However, the aggregate average benchmark scores tell a different story: the RTX A5000 averages 33294, while the RTX 3050 Mobile averages 33170, a delta of just 0.4%. This discrepancy exists because the average includes many additional PassMark tests for the A5000 that are not present for the mobile part. Both cards sit at the 77th percentile of all GPUs, and each lists the other as a nearest rival with deltas of 0.4% or less in average score. The data makes clear that for any workload covered by the shared tests, the RTX A5000 is in a completely different league, but the mobile part’s low power envelope and IGP form factor make it the only option for thin-and-light laptops.

The Verdict

The RTX A5000 is the clear performance winner in every head-to-head test. It scores 3783 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 versus 421 for the RTX 3050 Mobile, a delta of 798.6%. In Geekbench OpenCL, the A5000 posts 155247 against 50038, a 210.3% advantage. In Geekbench Vulkan, the A5000 hits 137199 versus 49051, a 179.7% lead. With 3 wins and 0 losses, the verdict for anyone needing raw compute in a desktop workstation is unambiguous: pick the RTX A5000. It also offers 24 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus with 768.0 GB/s bandwidth, versus 4 GB on a 128-bit bus with 192.0 GB/s for the mobile part. The A5000 has 8192 shading units, 256 TMUs, 96 ROPs, 64 RT cores, and 256 tensor cores, compared to 2048 shading units, 64 TMUs, 32 ROPs, 16 RT cores, and 64 tensor cores for the RTX 3050 Mobile. Its FP32 throughput is 27.77 TFLOPS versus 5.501 TFLOPS. For a desktop workstation, the A5000 is the only choice.

For the RTX 3050 Mobile, the verdict is not about performance but about form factor. This is an IGP with a 45 W TDP, no power connectors, and no suggested PSU, designed for portable devices. Its display outputs are listed as "Portable Device Dependent." The RTX A5000, by contrast, requires a 230 W TDP, a 1x 8-pin power connector, a 550 W suggested PSU, and occupies a dual-slot with 267 mm length and 112 mm height. If the workload must run on a laptop, the RTX 3050 Mobile is the only viable option, despite its far lower scores. However, the data shows that its average benchmark score (33170) is within 0.4% of the A5000’s (33294), because the average is skewed by the A5000’s additional PassMark results. In the shared tests, the mobile part is not competitive. So the practical verdict: choose the A5000 for any desktop compute task, and the RTX 3050 Mobile only when portability is non-negotiable.

Architecture Differences

Both GPUs share the same fundamental architecture — Ampere — and are fabricated on Samsung’s 8 nm process node. However, the underlying chips are entirely different. The RTX A5000 uses the GA102 chip, a massive die measuring 628 mm² with 28,300 million transistors and a transistor density of 45.1M per mm². The RTX 3050 Mobile uses the GA107 chip, which is just 200 mm² with 8,700 million transistors and a density of 43.5M per mm². The A5000’s die is over three times larger and packs over three times the transistors, which explains its far higher compute throughput.

The core configuration differences are stark. The A5000 has 8192 shading units, 256 TMUs, 96 ROPs, 64 RT cores, and 256 tensor cores. The RTX 3050 Mobile has 2048 shading units, 64 TMUs, 32 ROPs, 16 RT cores, and 64 tensor cores — exactly one quarter of the A5000’s shading units, TMUs, and RT cores, and one third of its ROPs. This translates to a pixel rate of 162.7 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 433.9 GTexel/s for the A5000, versus 42.98 GPixel/s and 85.95 GTexel/s for the mobile part. FP32 and FP16 performance are both 27.77 TFLOPS for the A5000 (1:1 ratio) and 5.501 TFLOPS for the RTX 3050 Mobile (also 1:1). The A5000’s memory subsystem is equally dominant: 24 GB of GDDR6 on a 384-bit bus delivering 768.0 GB/s, compared to 4 GB on a 128-bit bus delivering 192.0 GB/s. Memory clocks are 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective) for the A5000 versus 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective) for the mobile part. Base and boost clocks are also higher on the A5000: 1170 MHz and 1695 MHz versus 1065 MHz and 1343 MHz.

Power and physical characteristics diverge completely. The A5000 has a TDP of 230 W, is dual-slot, requires a 1x 8-pin power connector, and needs a 550 W suggested PSU. It uses a PCIe 4.0 x16 interface and offers 4x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs. The RTX 3050 Mobile has a 45 W TDP, is an IGP, has no power connectors, no suggested PSU, and uses a PCIe 4.0 x8 interface. Its display outputs are "Portable Device Dependent." The A5000 measures 267 mm in length and 112 mm in height, while the mobile part has no listed dimensions. Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, and both are marked end-of-life. The A5000 was released on 2021-04-11, with a predecessor of Quadro Turing and successor of Workstation Ada. The RTX 3050 Mobile was released on 2021-05-10, with a predecessor of GeForce 20 Mobile and no successor listed.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The three shared tests show an overwhelming sweep for the RTX A5000. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, the A5000 scores 3783 against the RTX 3050 Mobile’s 421. That is a delta of 798.6% — the A5000 is nearly nine times faster. This test is a modern DX12 workload, and the gap reflects the A5000’s 27.77 TFLOPS FP32 throughput and 768.0 GB/s memory bandwidth versus 5.501 TFLOPS and 192.0 GB/s.

In Geekbench OpenCL, the A5000 scores 155247 versus 50038, a delta of 210.3%. OpenCL is a general compute API, and the A5000’s 8192 shading units and 256 tensor cores give it a massive advantage in parallel workloads. The RTX 3050 Mobile’s 2048 shading units and 64 tensor cores simply cannot match that throughput. In Geekbench Vulkan, the A5000 scores 137199 versus 49051, a delta of 179.7%. Vulkan is also a compute-heavy API, and the A5000’s higher clock speeds (1695 MHz boost versus 1343 MHz) and larger memory bus contribute to the lead.

The win count is 3 for the A5000 and 0 for the RTX 3050 Mobile. No benchmark in the shared set favors the mobile part. It is also worth remembering the A5000 has additional benchmark scores that the mobile part does not — including PassMark DirectX 10 (153), DirectX 11 (187), DirectX 12 (87), DirectX 9 (251), G2D (1032), G3D (22541), and GPU Compute (12455) — which inflate its average score relative to the mobile part’s three tests. However, the head-to-head data is unambiguous: the A5000 wins every test it shares with the RTX 3050 Mobile.

Specification Differences

The following fields differ between the two cards, based solely on the FACT PACK:

• Chip: GA102 vs GA107
• Generation: Workstation Ampere (Ax000) vs GeForce 30 Mobile
• Transistors: 28,300 million vs 8,700 million
• Die Size: 628 mm² vs 200 mm²
• Transistor Density: 45.1M / mm² vs 43.5M / mm²
• Base Clock: 1170 MHz vs 1065 MHz
• Boost Clock: 1695 MHz vs 1343 MHz
• Memory Clock: 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective) vs 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective)
• Memory Size: 24 GB vs 4 GB
• Memory Bus Width: 384 bit vs 128 bit
• Memory Bandwidth: 768.0 GB/s vs 192.0 GB/s
• Shading Units: 8192 vs 2048
• TMUs: 256 vs 64
• ROPs: 96 vs 32
• RT Cores: 64 vs 16
• Tensor Cores: 256 vs 64
• Pixel Rate: 162.7 GPixel/s vs 42.98 GPixel/s
• Texture Rate: 433.9 GTexel/s vs 85.95 GTexel/s
• FP32: 27.77 TFLOPS vs 5.501 TFLOPS
• FP16: 27.77 TFLOPS (1:1) vs 5.501 TFLOPS (1:1)
• TDP: 230 W vs 45 W
• Slot Width: Dual-slot vs IGP
• Power Connectors: 1x 8-pin vs None
• Suggested PSU: 550 W vs null
• Bus Interface: PCIe 4.0 x16 vs PCIe 4.0 x8
• Display Outputs: 4x DisplayPort 1.4a vs Portable Device Dependent
• Dimensions: 267 mm length, 112 mm height vs null
• Release Date: 2021-04-11 vs 2021-05-10
• Predecessor: Quadro Turing vs GeForce 20 Mobile
• Successor: Workstation Ada vs null

Fields that are identical include architecture (Ampere), process node (8 nm), foundry (Samsung), API support (DirectX 12 Ultimate 12_2, OpenGL 4.6, Vulkan 1.4), production status (end-of-life), and percentile (77th for both). The average benchmark scores are 33294 for the A5000 and 33170 for the RTX 3050 Mobile, a 0.4% delta.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher FP32 performance?

A: The RTX A5000 delivers 27.77 TFLOPS FP32, while the RTX 3050 Mobile delivers 5.501 TFLOPS — a