NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile vs NVIDIA Tesla M60 Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile and the NVIDIA Tesla M60 represent two very different generations of NVIDIA hardware, with the former being a modern Ampere-based mobile chip and the latter a Maxwell-era enterprise compute card. Benchmark data shows a decisive performance gap in favor of the newer RTX 3050 Mobile, but the Tesla M60 retains advantages in raw throughput and memory capacity that might matter for specific workloads.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two GPUs share two common benchmark results in the FACT PACK: Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan. In both tests, the RTX 3050 Mobile is the clear winner. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RTX 3050 Mobile scores 50,038 points against the Tesla M60’s 29,506 points. That is a 69.6% advantage for the mobile chip, a massive margin that reflects the architectural leap between Maxwell and Ampere. The Vulkan result is similarly one-sided: 49,051 points for the RTX 3050 Mobile versus 31,473 points for the Tesla M60, a 55.9% lead.

These deltas are not close. The RTX 3050 Mobile’s average benchmark score across all tests is 33,170, while the Tesla M60 sits at 30,490. The RTX 3050 Mobile also ranks higher in the overall GPU percentile at 78th percentile versus the Tesla M60’s 75th percentile. Looking at nearest rivals, the RTX 3050 Mobile is essentially neck-and-neck with the NVIDIA T550 Mobile (33,161 avg score, 0% delta) and AMD Radeon Pro 570 (33,207 avg score, -0.1% delta), while the Tesla M60 trades blows with the NVIDIA CMP 70HX (30,476 avg score, 0% delta) and AMD Radeon RX 6700 (30,433 avg score, 0.2% delta). The data indicates that the RTX 3050 Mobile sits in a performance tier roughly 8.8% above the Tesla M60 in average score, but the head-to-head tests show a much wider gap in compute-oriented tasks.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two is generational. The RTX 3050 Mobile uses the GA107 chip built on Ampere architecture, manufactured on an 8 nm process at Samsung. The Tesla M60 uses the GM204 chip on Maxwell 2.0 architecture, built on a 28 nm process at TSMC. That process difference is stark: 8 nm versus 28 nm means the RTX 3050 Mobile packs 8,700 million transistors onto a 200 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 43.5 million per mm². The Tesla M60 has 5,200 million transistors on a much larger 398 mm² die, giving a density of just 13.1 million per mm². The RTX 3050 Mobile is more than three times as dense.

Both GPUs have the same shading unit count at 2,048, but the rest of the core configuration diverges. The RTX 3050 Mobile has 64 texture mapping units and 32 render output units, while the Tesla M60 doubles both to 128 TMUs and 64 ROPs. This gives the Tesla M60 a higher pixel rate (75.39 GPixel/s versus 42.98 GPixel/s) and texture rate (150.8 GTexel/s versus 85.95 GTexel/s). However, the RTX 3050 Mobile has dedicated ray tracing cores (16 of them) and tensor cores (64 of them), features the Tesla M60 lacks entirely.

Clock speeds tell a similar story. The RTX 3050 Mobile has a base clock of 1065 MHz and a boost clock of 1343 MHz. The Tesla M60 starts at just 557 MHz but boosts to 1178 MHz. Despite the Tesla M60’s higher ROP and TMU counts, the RTX 3050 Mobile achieves higher FP32 performance at 5.501 TFLOPS versus the Tesla M60’s 4.825 TFLOPS. The RTX 3050 Mobile also supports FP16 at a 1:1 ratio (5.501 TFLOPS), while the Tesla M60 has no listed FP16 performance. Memory configurations differ as well: the RTX 3050 Mobile has 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus delivering 192.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the Tesla M60 has 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus but only 160.4 GB/s bandwidth. The newer memory type and faster effective speed (12 Gbps versus 5 Gbps) give the RTX 3050 Mobile the bandwidth advantage despite the narrower bus.

Power and physical characteristics also differ sharply. The RTX 3050 Mobile is an integrated GPU (IGP) with no power connectors and a 45 W TDP, designed for laptops. The Tesla M60 is a dual-slot card, 267 mm long, requiring a single 8-pin power connector and a 700 W suggested PSU, with a 300 W TDP. The Tesla M60 has no display outputs, while the RTX 3050 Mobile’s outputs are portable-device dependent. The bus interface also differs: PCIe 4.0 x8 for the RTX 3050 Mobile versus PCIe 3.0 x16 for the Tesla M60.

The Verdict

The data points to the RTX 3050 Mobile as the better overall GPU for most compute tasks. It wins both head-to-head benchmarks decisively, offers modern API support (DirectX 12 Ultimate 12_2 versus DirectX 12 12_1), and includes ray tracing and tensor core hardware. The Tesla M60’s higher ROP and TMU counts do not translate into a benchmark win in any shared test. If you are choosing strictly on performance, the RTX 3050 Mobile is ahead by 55.9% to 69.6% in the measured workloads.

However, the Tesla M60 is not without merit. It has double the memory capacity at 8 GB versus 4 GB, which could be relevant for larger datasets that fit within a single GPU. Its higher pixel and texture rates suggest it may handle certain rasterization-heavy tasks better, though the benchmark data does not include any such tests. The Tesla M60 also has a wider 256-bit memory bus, which can be advantageous for memory-bound workloads, even if the effective bandwidth is lower.

The RTX 3050 Mobile’s 45 W TDP versus the Tesla M60’s 300 W TDP is a massive efficiency gap, but note that the former is an integrated mobile part and the latter is a standalone server card. The RTX 3050 Mobile has a higher percentile ranking (78 vs 75) and a higher average benchmark score (33,170 vs 30,490). For most users, the RTX 3050 Mobile is the rational pick. The Tesla M60 only makes sense if you specifically need its 8 GB frame buffer or its dual-slot form factor in a server chassis, and can tolerate its power draw and lack of display outputs.

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, compared to the NVIDIA Tesla M60’s 30,490. That is a difference of about 8.8% in favor of the RTX 3050 Mobile.

Q: How much faster is the RTX 3050 Mobile in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The RTX 3050 Mobile scores 50,038 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the Tesla M60 scores 29,506. This gives the RTX 3050 Mobile a 69.6% lead in that test.

Q: Does the Tesla M60 have any advantage in memory capacity?

A: Yes, the Tesla M60 has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory, while the RTX 3050 Mobile has 4 GB of GDDR6. The Tesla M60’s memory is on a 256-bit bus, but the RTX 3050 Mobile’s GDDR6 runs at 12 Gbps effective, giving it higher bandwidth at 192.0 GB/s versus 160.4 GB/s.

Q: What is the TDP difference between these two GPUs?

A: The RTX 3050 Mobile has a 45 W TDP, while the Tesla M60 has a 300 W TDP. The Tesla M60 also requires a 700 W suggested PSU and a single 8-pin power connector, whereas the RTX 3050 Mobile has no power connectors as an IGP.

Q: Which GPU supports ray tracing?

A: Only the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile supports ray tracing, with 16 dedicated RT cores. The Tesla M60, based on Maxwell architecture, has no RT cores or tensor cores listed.

Q: How do their architecture generations compare?

A: The RTX 3050 Mobile uses Ampere architecture (GA107 chip) on an 8 nm Samsung process, while the Tesla M60 uses Maxwell 2.0 (GM204 chip) on a 28 nm TSMC process. The RTX 3050 Mobile also supports newer APIs, including DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) versus DirectX 12 (12_1) on the Tesla M60.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 3050 Mobile wins in every measured benchmark and in most modern feature categories. It is the clear choice for anyone who needs DirectX 12 Ultimate support, ray tracing, tensor cores, or FP16 compute performance. Its 5.501 TFLOPS FP32 output is higher than the Tesla M60’s 4.825 TFLOPS, and its 192.0 GB/s memory bandwidth exceeds the Tesla M60’s 160.4 GB/s. The RTX 3050 Mobile is also far more power-efficient at 45 W versus 300 W, making it suitable for laptops or low-power systems. Its PCIe 4.0 x8 interface is newer than the Tesla M60’s PCIe 3.0 x16, which may improve data transfer in compatible systems.

The Tesla M60 wins on raw rasterization throughput, with 128 TMUs and 64 ROPs versus the RTX 3050 Mobile’s 64 TMUs and 32 ROPs. This yields a pixel rate of 75.39 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 150.8 GTexel/s, both significantly higher than the RTX 3050 Mobile’s 42.98 GPixel/s and 85.95 GTexel/s. The Tesla M60’s 8 GB memory capacity is double the RTX 3050 Mobile’s 4 GB, which could matter for workloads that need to hold larger working sets without spilling to system memory. Its 256-bit memory bus is also wider, though the effective bandwidth is lower. The Tesla M60 is a dual-slot, 267 mm card designed for server installation, with no display outputs, which makes it unsuitable for desktop use but appropriate for compute racks.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across almost every specification. The RTX 3050 Mobile uses a GA107 chip on Ampere architecture, manufactured on an 8 nm Samsung process with 8,700 million transistors on a 200 mm² die. The Tesla M60 uses a GM204 chip on Maxwell 2.0, manufactured on a 28 nm TSMC process with 5,200 million transistors on a 398 mm² die. Transistor density is 43.5M per mm² for the RTX 3050 Mobile versus 13.1M per mm² for the Tesla M60.

Clock speeds: the RTX 3050 Mobile has a base clock of 1065 MHz and boost of 1343 MHz; the Tesla M60 has a base of 557 MHz and boost of 1178 MHz. Memory: the RTX 3050 Mobile has 4 GB GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus at 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective) for 192.0 GB/s bandwidth; the Tesla M60 has 8 GB GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus at 1253 MHz (5 Gbps effective) for 160.4 GB/s bandwidth. Core counts: both have 2,048 shading units, but the RTX 3050 Mobile has 64 TMUs and 32 ROPs, while the Tesla M60 has 128 TMUs and 64 ROPs. The RTX 3050 Mobile adds 16 RT cores and 64 tensor cores; the Tesla M60 has none.

Performance rates: the RTX 3050 Mobile achieves 42.98 GPixel/s pixel rate and 85.95 GTexel/s texture rate, with 5.501 TFLOPS FP32 and 5.501 TFLOPS FP16 (1:1). The Tesla M60 achieves 75.39 GPixel/s pixel rate and 150.8 GTexel/s texture rate, with 4.825 TFLOPS FP32 and no listed FP16. Power: the RTX 3050 Mobile is 45 W TDP with no power connectors; the Tesla M60 is 300 W TDP with a single 8-pin connector and 700 W suggested PSU. Physical: the RTX 3050 Mobile is an IGP with portable-device-dependent outputs; the Tesla M60 is a dual-slot card at 267 mm length with no outputs. Bus interface: PCIe 4.0 x8 for the RTX 3050 Mobile versus PCIe 3.0 x16 for the Tesla M60. API support: the RTX 3050 Mobile supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4; the Tesla M60 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. Release dates: the RTX 3050 Mobile was released 2021-05-10, while the Tesla M60 was released 2015-08-29. The Tesla M60’s predecessor is Tesla Kepler and its successor is Tesla Pascal; the RTX 3050 Mobile’s predecessor is GeForce 20 Mobile with no successor listed.