NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile vs NVIDIA Tesla M4 Comparison

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile and NVIDIA Tesla M4 are two end-of-life GPUs from different eras, targeting different workloads. The benchmark data shows a decisive performance gap, but the Tesla M4 retains a niche for specific deployment scenarios. The RTX 3060 Mobile achieves a Geekbench OpenCL score of 79,483, while the Tesla M4 scores 16,932, resulting in a delta of 369.4% in favor of the mobile part.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only shared benchmark in the data is Geekbench OpenCL, and the results are lopsided. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile scores 79,483 points, which is 369.4% higher than the NVIDIA Tesla M4’s 16,932 points. This is not a marginal lead; the RTX 3060 Mobile delivers nearly five times the raw compute performance in this OpenCL workload. The deltaPct of 369.4% is the single largest comparative figure available, dwarfing the margins seen in the nearest-rival listings for either card.

Contextualizing the RTX 3060 Mobile’s score, its average benchmark score of 18,159 places it at the 62nd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon Pro 5700, scores 18,189, which is just 0.2% higher. The RTX 3060 Mobile also edges out the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER (18,093) by 0.4% and sits 1.2% behind both the AMD Radeon RX 460 (18,373) and Intel Arc A770M (18,383). These tight margins indicate that despite the massive lead over the Tesla M4, the RTX 3060 Mobile is competitively grouped with a cluster of mid-range desktop and mobile parts from the same era.

For the Tesla M4, its average benchmark score of 16,932 puts it at the 60th percentile. Its nearest rival is the AMD Radeon HD 7970M, which scores 17,019 and is 0.5% higher. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 (17,037) is 0.6% higher, while the NVIDIA T400 4 GB (16,792) is 0.8% lower. The AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT (17,083) leads by 0.9%. The Tesla M4’s performance is thus tightly packed with older and entry-level parts, showing it is far outside the performance class of the RTX 3060 Mobile.

In the head-to-head tally, the RTX 3060 Mobile wins the single available test, with winsA equal to 1 and winsB equal to 0. There are no other overlapping benchmark results to analyze, so the OpenCL comparison must serve as the primary quantitative verdict.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between the two GPUs spans five years of NVIDIA design evolution. The RTX 3060 Mobile is built on the GA106 chip using the Ampere architecture, fabricated on an 8 nm process at Samsung. It packs 12,000 million transistors into a 276 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 43.5M per mm². In contrast, the Tesla M4 uses the GM206 chip with the Maxwell 2.0 architecture, produced on a 28 nm process at TSMC. Its transistor count is 2,940 million on a 228 mm² die, giving a density of 12.9M per mm². The RTX 3060 Mobile’s density is more than three times higher, reflecting the newer process node.

Core configurations diverge sharply. The RTX 3060 Mobile has 3,840 shading units, 120 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 48 raster output pipelines (ROPs). It also includes 30 ray tracing cores and 120 tensor cores, which the Tesla M4 lacks entirely—the latter has null values for both RT and tensor cores. The Tesla M4 is limited to 1,024 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. This is a 3.75x difference in shading units, a 1.875x difference in TMUs, and a 1.5x difference in ROPs, all favoring the newer part.

Clock speeds tell a different story. The RTX 3060 Mobile has a base clock of 900 MHz and a boost clock of 1,425 MHz. The Tesla M4 runs at 872 MHz base and 1,072 MHz boost. While the RTX 3060 Mobile has a higher peak boost, the Tesla M4’s clocks are not drastically lower, meaning the performance gap comes primarily from core count and architecture efficiency rather than raw frequency. Memory further separates them: the RTX 3060 Mobile uses 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus with 336.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the Tesla M4 uses 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus with 88.00 GB/s bandwidth—a 3.8x bandwidth advantage for the mobile part.

The RTX 3060 Mobile supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the Tesla M4 is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4, so those APIs are not differentiators. The Tesla M4 is a single-slot card with no display outputs, while the RTX 3060 Mobile’s outputs are portable-device dependent.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 3060 Mobile wins decisively in raw compute, as evidenced by the 369.4% OpenCL advantage. This makes it the clear choice for general-purpose GPU compute tasks, gaming, and any workload that benefits from modern features like ray tracing or tensor core acceleration. Its 10.94 TFLOPS FP32 throughput and 10.94 TFLOPS FP16 (1:1) performance, combined with 30 RT cores and 120 tensor cores, position it for real-time graphics, machine learning inference, and content creation. The 336.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 6 GB VRAM also support larger datasets and higher-resolution textures than the Tesla M4’s 4 GB allocation.

The Tesla M4, despite losing the compute battle, wins in power efficiency and physical footprint. Its 50 W TDP is significantly lower than the RTX 3060 Mobile’s 80 W TDP, and it requires a suggested PSU of only 250 W. Being single-slot with no display outputs, it is designed for dense server installations where space and power are constrained. Its 2.195 TFLOPS FP32 performance, while modest, is still useful for lightweight inference, virtualization, or headless compute tasks where the RTX 3060 Mobile’s feature set is unnecessary. The Tesla M4’s PCIe 3.0 x16 interface, while older, remains compatible with a wide range of server platforms.

In terms of API support, the RTX 3060 Mobile’s DirectX 12 Ultimate capability is superior for modern gaming and graphics workloads, whereas the Tesla M4’s DirectX 12 (12_1) is sufficient for basic compute but not feature-rich rendering. The Tesla M4’s lack of RT and tensor cores means it cannot accelerate ray-traced workloads or tensor-based AI operations, areas where the RTX 3060 Mobile excels.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the RTX 3060 Mobile than the Tesla M4 in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The RTX 3060 Mobile scores 79,483 versus the Tesla M4’s 16,932, a 369.4% advantage for the mobile GPU.

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

A: No, the Tesla M4 has null values for both RT cores and tensor cores, while the RTX 3060 Mobile includes 30 RT cores and 120 tensor cores.

Q: What is the memory configuration difference?

A: The RTX 3060 Mobile has 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus with 336.0 GB/s bandwidth; the Tesla M4 has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus with 88.00 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has a lower power draw?

A: The Tesla M4 has a 50 W TDP, which is lower than the RTX 3060 Mobile’s 80 W TDP.

Q: Are both GPUs the same age?

A: No, the RTX 3060 Mobile was released on 2021-01-11, while the Tesla M4 was released on 2015-11-09, making the Tesla M4 significantly older.

Q: What is the percentile ranking of each GPU?

A: The RTX 3060 Mobile is at the 62nd percentile of all GPUs, while the Tesla M4 is at the 60th percentile, despite the large score gap.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in nearly every measurable specification. The RTX 3060 Mobile uses the GA106 chip with Ampere architecture on an 8 nm Samsung process, while the Tesla M4 uses GM206 with Maxwell 2.0 on a 28 nm TSMC process. Transistor counts are 12,000 million versus 2,940 million, with die sizes of 276 mm² versus 228 mm². Transistor density is 43.5M per mm² versus 12.9M per mm².

Clock speeds differ: the RTX 3060 Mobile has a 900 MHz base and 1,425 MHz boost, while the Tesla M4 has 872 MHz base and 1,072 MHz boost. Memory speed is 14 Gbps effective for the RTX 3060 Mobile versus 5.5 Gbps effective for the Tesla M4. Shading units are 3,840 versus 1,024; TMUs are 120 versus 64; ROPs are 48 versus 32. The RTX 3060 Mobile has 30 RT cores and 120 tensor cores; the Tesla M4 has none.

Pixel rate is 68.40 GPixel/s versus 34.30 GPixel/s; texture rate is 171.0 GTexel/s versus 68.61 GTexel/s. FP32 compute is 10.94 TFLOPS versus 2.195 TFLOPS. The RTX 3060 Mobile supports FP16 at 10.94 TFLOPS (1:1), while the Tesla M4 has no FP16 data. TDP is 80 W versus 50 W. The Tesla M4 is single-slot with a 250 W suggested PSU, while the RTX 3060 Mobile has no slot width or PSU data. Bus interface is PCIe 4.0 x16 versus PCIe 3.0 x16. Display outputs are portable-device dependent versus no outputs. DirectX support is 12 Ultimate (12_2) versus 12 (12_1). The Tesla M4 has a predecessor (Tesla Kepler) and successor (Tesla Pascal), while the RTX 3060 Mobile’s predecessor is GeForce 20 Mobile with no successor listed.

The Verdict

From the data, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile is the superior performer in raw compute, with a 369.4% lead in the only shared benchmark. Its architectural advantages—more cores, newer process, higher bandwidth, and dedicated RT/tensor hardware—make it suitable for any workload requiring modern graphics or compute features. The 62nd percentile ranking and tight competition with the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 and GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER confirm it is a solid mid-range option for gaming laptops or mobile workstations.

The NVIDIA Tesla M4, while far slower, is not without purpose. Its 50 W TDP, single-slot form factor, and lack of display outputs make it ideal for dense server deployments where power and space are at a premium. Its 60th percentile ranking, despite the score gap, indicates it remains competitive within its own class of low-power compute cards. The 250 W suggested PSU requirement also simplifies system integration.

For users with compute-intensive workloads, gaming, or content creation, the RTX 3060 Mobile is the clear choice. For headless, power-constrained server environments where only basic compute is needed, the Tesla M4’s efficiency and form factor may justify its lower performance. The decision hinges on whether performance or deployment constraints take priority.