NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile vs NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile Comparison

The NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile are two Ampere-based mobile GPUs that share the same underlying silicon but diverge significantly in their performance profiles. The benchmark data shows the GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile wins most head-to-head tests, taking 7 of 9 comparisons, while the RTX A4000 Mobile secures 2 wins. However, the RTX A4000 Mobile posts a higher average benchmark score of 21,379 compared to the RTX 3070 Mobile's 20,534, and it also achieves a higher percentile ranking at 66 versus 65. The RTX A4000 Mobile is positioned as a professional-grade solution, while the RTX 3070 Mobile is a consumer gaming part, yet the data reveals a nuanced relationship where the consumer card often edges ahead in raw tests, but the professional card holds its own in specific workloads.

The Verdict

The data presents a clear split: the GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile is the better choice for users prioritizing raw graphics throughput and DirectX performance. It leads the RTX A4000 Mobile in the PassMark DirectX 10 test by 7.1% (113 vs 105), in DirectX 11 by 8% (138 vs 127), and in DirectX 9 by 1.9% (160 vs 157). It also dominates in the Geekbench Vulkan test with a score of 86,768, which is 15.9% higher than the RTX A4000 Mobile's 73,002. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2,380 further cements its gaming credentials, though no comparable score exists for the A4000 in that specific test. For gaming and general graphics tasks, the RTX 3070 Mobile is the superior performer.

The RTX A4000 Mobile, despite its fewer wins, is not without merit. It wins the Geekbench OpenCL test with a score of 97,178, beating the RTX 3070 Mobile's 92,939 by 4.6%. It also wins the PassMark DirectX 12 test by 3.1% (66 vs 64). The A4000's higher average benchmark score of 21,379, compared to the RTX 3070 Mobile's 20,534, suggests that in compute-heavy or mixed workloads, the professional card may offer more consistent performance. The RTX A4000 Mobile is the pick for professionals who rely on OpenCL compute tasks or need the stability of a workstation-class part, even if it lags in traditional graphics tests. The RTX 3070 Mobile is the pick for gamers and users who prioritize the DirectX and Vulkan pipelines.

Architecture Differences

Both GPUs are built on the same GA104 chip, manufactured on an 8 nm process at Samsung, with an identical transistor count of 17,400 million and a die size of 392 mm². The transistor density is also identical at 44.4M / mm². This means the fundamental architecture is the same, with both featuring 5,120 shading units, 160 TMUs, 80 ROPs, 40 RT cores, and 160 tensor cores. The core counts are identical, so the performance differences are driven by clock speeds and memory configuration, not architectural disparities.

The key architectural difference lies in clock speeds. The RTX A4000 Mobile has a base clock of 1140 MHz and a boost clock of 1680 MHz, while the RTX 3070 Mobile operates at a lower 1110 MHz base and 1560 MHz boost. This gives the A4000 a higher peak compute capability, as reflected in its FP32 rating of 17.20 TFLOPS versus the RTX 3070 Mobile's 15.97 TFLOPS. The memory clocks also differ, with the A4000 running at 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective) and the RTX 3070 Mobile at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). This difference in memory speed directly impacts bandwidth, with the RTX 3070 Mobile achieving 448.0 GB/s compared to the A4000's 384.0 GB/s. Both cards use 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, but the faster memory on the RTX 3070 Mobile gives it a distinct advantage in bandwidth-sensitive applications.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Geekbench OpenCL test is the RTX A4000 Mobile's strongest showing. It scores 97,178, which is 4.6% higher than the RTX 3070 Mobile's 92,939. This win is notable because it suggests the A4000's higher boost clock of 1680 MHz translates into better compute performance in OpenCL workloads, which are common in professional and scientific applications. The RTX A4000 Mobile also takes the PassMark DirectX 12 test, scoring 66 versus the RTX 3070 Mobile's 64, a 3.1% advantage. This indicates that in modern DirectX 12 titles, the professional card can hold its own, despite its lower memory bandwidth.

The Geekbench Vulkan test is a decisive victory for the RTX 3070 Mobile, with a score of 86,768 compared to the A4000's 73,002. This 15.9% lead is the largest margin in any benchmark, and it highlights the RTX 3070 Mobile's strength in Vulkan-based gaming and applications. The RTX 3070 Mobile also wins the PassMark DirectX 10 test by 7.1% (113 vs 105), the DirectX 11 test by 8% (138 vs 127), and the DirectX 9 test by 1.9% (160 vs 157). These consistent wins across older DirectX versions suggest the consumer card is better optimized for legacy graphics APIs.

In the PassMark G3D test, the RTX 3070 Mobile scores 15,309, which is 3.4% higher than the A4000's 14,796. The G2D test shows a similar pattern, with the RTX 3070 Mobile winning 641 to 585, an 8.7% margin. The PassMark GPU Compute test also favors the RTX 3070 Mobile, which scores 6,827 versus the A4000's 6,394, a 6.3% advantage. These results paint a picture of the RTX 3070 Mobile as the more balanced performer across a wide range of graphics and compute tasks.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in several key specification fields. The RTX A4000 Mobile has a base clock of 1140 MHz, while the RTX 3070 Mobile is slightly lower at 1110 MHz. The boost clocks also differ, with the A4000 reaching 1680 MHz and the RTX 3070 Mobile hitting 1560 MHz. This 120 MHz boost clock advantage for the A4000 contributes to its higher FP32 throughput of 17.20 TFLOPS versus 15.97 TFLOPS for the RTX 3070 Mobile.

Memory clocks are another point of divergence. The RTX A4000 Mobile runs its GDDR6 memory at 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective), while the RTX 3070 Mobile runs at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). This results in a memory bandwidth difference of 384.0 GB/s for the A4000 versus 448.0 GB/s for the RTX 3070 Mobile. Both cards have 8 GB of memory on a 256-bit bus, so the bandwidth difference is entirely due to clock speed. The pixel rate also differs, with the A4000 achieving 134.4 GPixel/s and the RTX 3070 Mobile at 124.8 GPixel/s, reflecting the A4000's higher boost clock. Similarly, the texture rate is 268.8 GTexel/s for the A4000 and 249.6 GTexel/s for the RTX 3070 Mobile. Both cards have the same TDP of 115 W, use PCIe 4.0 x16, and support DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile has a higher average benchmark score of 21,379, compared to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile's 20,534.

Q: How much faster is the RTX 3070 Mobile in the Geekbench Vulkan test?

A: The RTX 3070 Mobile scores 86,768 in the Geekbench Vulkan test, which is 15.9% higher than the RTX A4000 Mobile's 73,002.

Q: Does the RTX A4000 Mobile win any benchmark tests?

A: Yes, the RTX A4000 Mobile wins two tests: the Geekbench OpenCL test (97,178 vs 92,939, a 4.6% lead) and the PassMark DirectX 12 test (66 vs 64, a 3.1% lead).

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference between the two GPUs?

A: The RTX 3070 Mobile has a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s, while the RTX A4000 Mobile has 384.0 GB/s, a difference driven by the RTX 3070 Mobile's higher memory clock of 1750 MHz versus 1500 MHz.

Q: Which GPU has a higher boost clock?

A: The RTX A4000 Mobile has a higher boost clock of 1680 MHz, compared to the RTX 3070 Mobile's 1560 MHz.

Q: How do the two GPUs compare in the PassMark G3D test?

A: The RTX 3070 Mobile scores 15,309 in the PassMark G3D test, which is 3.4% higher than the RTX A4000 Mobile's 14,796.