NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM vs NVIDIA Tesla M4 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded database contains one direct benchmark comparison between these two GPUs, and the result is decisive. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM scores 60,740 points, while the NVIDIA Tesla M4 scores 16,932 points. The delta percentage of -72.1 percent indicates that the Tesla M4 trails the RTX 3050 OEM by over 72 percent in this compute-oriented workload. This is a massive margin, reflecting the generational gap between the two architectures.

The RTX 3050 OEM also dominates in the broader benchmark suite recorded in the database. Its average benchmark score across all tests is 15,199, which places it in the 57th percentile of all GPUs. The Tesla M4, by contrast, has an average benchmark score of 16,932, which is actually higher than the RTX 3050 OEM's average, despite the Tesla M4 losing the head-to-head OpenCL test. This apparent contradiction deserves attention: the Tesla M4's average is based on a single OpenCL result, while the RTX 3050 OEM's average includes a wider range of tests, including several Passmark scores that pull its mean downward. The RTX 3050 OEM's individual scores tell a clearer story. It achieves 57,103 in Geekbench Vulkan, 11,857 in Passmark G3D, and 5,779 in Passmark GPU Compute. These figures consistently outperform the Tesla M4's lone OpenCL score when considering the nature of the workloads.

Looking at the nearest rivals for each card provides additional context. The Tesla M4 sits within a tight cluster of competitors: the AMD Radeon HD 7970M averages 17,019 (0.5 percent ahead), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 averages 17,037 (0.6 percent ahead), the NVIDIA T400 4 GB averages 16,792 (0.8 percent behind), and the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT averages 17,083 (0.9 percent ahead). The Tesla M4 is effectively at parity with these cards, with deltas all within roughly one percent. The RTX 3050 OEM, meanwhile, sits in a similar tight cluster: the AMD Radeon RX 7600 averages 15,171 (0.2 percent ahead), the AMD Radeon 680M averages 15,270 (0.5 percent ahead), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 averages 15,283 (0.5 percent ahead), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 averages 15,290 (0.6 percent ahead). The RTX 3050 OEM is also at near-parity with its rivals, but its absolute average is lower than the Tesla M4's cluster average.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two cards is substantial. The Tesla M4 uses the GM206 chip built on the Maxwell 2.0 architecture, fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC. The RTX 3050 OEM uses the GA106 chip built on the Ampere architecture, fabricated on an 8 nm process at Samsung. This process difference is stark: 28 nm versus 8 nm, which explains much of the performance and efficiency divergence. The Tesla M4 packs 2,940 million transistors on a 228 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 12.9 million per square millimeter. The RTX 3050 OEM packs 12,000 million transistors on a 276 mm² die, yielding a density of 43.5 million per square millimeter. The RTX 3050 OEM crams over four times the transistors into a die that is only about 21 percent larger.

The memory subsystems differ as well. The Tesla M4 has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 88.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX 3050 OEM has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on the same 128-bit bus, delivering 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth. That is roughly 2.5 times the bandwidth, which directly impacts compute and rendering performance. Memory clocks also differ: the Tesla M4 runs at 1375 MHz with 5.5 Gbps effective, while the RTX 3050 OEM runs at 1750 MHz with 14 Gbps effective.

The compute resources are dramatically different. The Tesla M4 has 1,024 shading units, 64 texture mapping units, and 32 raster output units. The RTX 3050 OEM has 2,304 shading units, 72 texture mapping units, and 32 raster output units. The RTX 3050 OEM also includes 18 ray tracing cores and 72 tensor cores, features entirely absent from the Tesla M4. The pixel rate for the Tesla M4 is 34.30 GPixel/s, while the RTX 3050 OEM reaches 56.16 GPixel/s. The texture rate jumps from 68.61 GTexel/s on the Tesla M4 to 126.4 GTexel/s on the RTX 3050 OEM. FP32 compute is 2.195 TFLOPS versus 8.087 TFLOPS, a nearly fourfold increase. The RTX 3050 OEM also supports FP16 at 8.087 TFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio, while the Tesla M4 has no listed FP16 capability.

The API support differs in one key respect: the Tesla M4 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), while the RTX 3050 OEM supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4. The bus interface also differs: the Tesla M4 uses PCIe 3.0 x16, while the RTX 3050 OEM uses PCIe 4.0 x8.

Where Each One Wins

Based strictly on the recorded data, the RTX 3050 OEM wins in nearly every measurable category. The only benchmark where the Tesla M4 has a recorded score is Geekbench OpenCL, and there it loses decisively. The RTX 3050 OEM also wins on raw compute throughput, memory bandwidth, shading unit count, texture rate, and pixel rate. For any workload that leverages these resources, such as rendering, compute, or machine learning inference, the RTX 3050 OEM is the clear choice.

The Tesla M4 does have one advantage: power consumption. Its TDP is 50 W, compared to 130 W for the RTX 3050 OEM. The suggested PSU is also lower at 250 W versus 300 W. The Tesla M4 is a single-slot card with no power connectors, while the RTX 3050 OEM is a dual-slot card requiring one 8-pin connector. This makes the Tesla M4 suitable for environments where power and space are constrained, such as dense server deployments or systems with limited cooling. The Tesla M4 also has no display outputs, which is appropriate for a compute-focused accelerator.

The RTX 3050 OEM, by contrast, has 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs, making it suitable for display workloads. It also has a larger memory pool at 8 GB versus 4 GB, which matters for larger datasets. The RTX 3050 OEM's release date is 2022-01-03, while the Tesla M4's release date is 2015-11-09, reflecting a difference of over six years in product lifecycle.

FAQ

Q: Which card is faster in OpenCL compute?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM scores 60,740 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the NVIDIA Tesla M4 scores 16,932. The RTX 3050 OEM leads by 72.1 percent.

Q: Does the Tesla M4 have ray tracing or tensor cores?

A: No. The Tesla M4 has no ray tracing cores and no tensor cores. The RTX 3050 OEM has 18 ray tracing cores and 72 tensor cores.

Q: What is the memory capacity difference?

A: The Tesla M4 has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus. The RTX 3050 OEM has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on the same 128-bit bus, with bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s versus 88.00 GB/s.

Q: Which card requires more power?

A: The RTX 3050 OEM has a TDP of 130 W and requires a 300 W suggested PSU, along with one 8-pin power connector. The Tesla M4 has a TDP of 50 W and a 250 W suggested PSU, with no power connectors.

Q: Do both cards support the same DirectX version?

A: No. The Tesla M4 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), while the RTX 3050 OEM supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4.

Q: Which card has display outputs?

A: The Tesla M4 has no display outputs. The RTX 3050 OEM has 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA Tesla M4 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM |

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

| Architecture | Maxwell 2.0 | Ampere |

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

| Transistors | 2,940 million | 12,000 million |

| Die size | 228 mm² | 276 mm² |

| Transistor density | 12.9M / mm² | 43.5M / mm² |

| Base clock | 872 MHz | 1515 MHz |

| Boost clock | 1072 MHz | 1755 MHz |

| Memory clock | 1375 MHz, 5.5 Gbps effective | 1750 MHz, 14 Gbps effective |

| Memory size | 4 GB | 8 GB |

| Memory type | GDDR5 | GDDR6 |

| Memory bandwidth | 88.00 GB/s | 224.0 GB/s |

| Shading units | 1024 | 2304 |

| TMUs | 64 | 72 |

| ROPs | 32 | 32 |

| Ray tracing cores | None | 18 |

| Tensor cores | None | 72 |

| Pixel rate | 34.30 GPixel/s | 56.16 GPixel/s |

| Texture rate | 68.61 GTexel/s | 126.4 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 2.195 TFLOPS | 8.087 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | Not listed | 8.087 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 50 W | 130 W |

| Slot width | Single-slot | Dual-slot |

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

| Suggested PSU | 250 W | 300 W |

| Bus interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x8 |

| Display outputs | No outputs | 1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a |

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

| Release date | 2015-11-09 | 2022-01-03 |

| Dimensions | Not listed | 242 mm (9.5 inches) length, 112 mm (4.4 inches) height |

The Verdict

The data points to a clear conclusion for most users: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM is the superior performer in nearly every measurable way. Its OpenCL score is 72.1 percent higher than the Tesla M4, its FP32 throughput is 8.087 TFLOPS versus 2.195 TFLOPS, its memory bandwidth is 224.0 GB/s versus 88.00 GB/s, and it offers 8 GB of memory versus 4 GB. It also adds ray tracing cores and tensor cores, features the Tesla M4 entirely lacks. For any workload involving rendering, compute, or modern API features, the RTX 3050 OEM is the obvious pick.

The Tesla M4 retains a niche role. Its 50 W TDP and single-slot design make it suitable for power-constrained or space-constrained environments where the 130 W, dual-slot RTX 3050 OEM would not fit. The Tesla M4 also has no power connectors, simplifying installation. Its lack of display outputs is consistent with a pure compute accelerator. However, its compute performance is comparable to cards like the NVIDIA T400 4 GB, AMD Radeon HD 7970M, and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690, all within one percent of its average score. That places it in a performance tier several generations behind the RTX 3050 OEM.

For a user choosing between these two, the decision hinges on priorities. If performance, memory capacity, and modern features are the priority, the RTX 3050 OEM wins without qualification. If power draw, physical footprint, and simplicity of power delivery are the priority, the Tesla M4 is the only option among the two. The benchmark data does not support any scenario where the Tesla M4 outperforms the RTX 3050 OEM in compute workloads. The RTX 3050 OEM also carries a higher percentile rank among all GPUs at 57, compared to the Tesla M4's 60, but this is based on a different set of recorded tests, so it should not be over-interpreted. Overall, the RTX 3050 OEM is the more capable and more modern card, while the Tesla M4 serves a specific low-power niche.