NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head data shows a decisive overall win for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, taking 8 of the 9 recorded tests. The RTX 3070’s largest margin comes in Geekbench OpenCL, where it scores 112,821 against the RTX 4050 Mobile’s 74,748, a 33.7% advantage. That gap is mirrored in Passmark GPU Compute, where the RTX 3070 posts 11,195 versus 5,947, a 46.9% lead. The RTX 3070 also dominates in Passmark G3D, scoring 22,214 against 14,423, a 35.1% difference. In the legacy DirectX 10 test, the RTX 3070 is 47.3% ahead, scoring 150 versus 79.

The RTX 4050 Mobile’s single win is remarkable in its magnitude. In Geekbench Vulkan, it scores 75,235 against the RTX 3070’s 21,022, a 257.9% advantage. This is not a small edge; it is a reversal of the OpenCL result. The data suggests the Ada Lovelace architecture’s Vulkan driver path is significantly more efficient than the Ampere implementation in this specific workload, while the opposite holds true for OpenCL.

The remaining Passmark tests all favor the RTX 3070 by moderate margins. In DirectX 11, the RTX 3070 scores 182 versus 130, a 28.6% lead. DirectX 12 shows 85 versus 61, a 28.2% edge. DirectX 9 shows 247 versus 184, a 25.5% lead. The G2D test favors the RTX 3070 at 1,001 versus 633, a 36.8% difference. Across the full benchmark suite, the average scores reflect this split: the RTX 4050 Mobile averages 19,049 across its recorded tests, while the RTX 3070 averages 17,208. This is counterintuitive given the RTX 3070 won most head-to-head tests, but the average includes different test sets for each card, so it is not a direct comparison.

Looking at the wider database context, the RTX 4050 Mobile sits at the 63rd percentile of all GPUs, with an average score of 19,049. Its nearest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 6600 at 19,036, a delta of 0.1%, meaning the two are effectively tied in aggregate. The RTX 3070 sits at the 61st percentile with an average of 17,208, and its nearest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT at 17,083, a delta of 0.7%. So while the RTX 3070 wins the direct head-to-head tests, the RTX 4050 Mobile actually holds a higher aggregate percentile ranking in the database.

Architecture Differences

The two cards are built on fundamentally different architectures and process nodes. The RTX 4050 Mobile uses the AD107 chip, an Ada Lovelace design manufactured by TSMC on a 5 nm process. The RTX 3070 uses the GA104 chip, an Ampere design manufactured by Samsung on an 8 nm process. The transistor counts are surprisingly close: the AD107 packs 18,900 million transistors, while the GA104 has 17,400 million. However, the die sizes diverge sharply. The AD107 measures 159 mm², giving a transistor density of 118.9 million per mm². The GA104 measures 392 mm², with a density of 44.4 million per mm². The Ada chip is less than half the physical size of the Ampere chip while carrying more transistors.

The memory subsystems differ in both capacity and bandwidth. The RTX 4050 Mobile has 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 96-bit bus, yielding 192.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX 3070 has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, yielding 448.0 GB/s. The RTX 3070’s memory clock is 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective), while the RTX 4050 Mobile runs at 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective). The higher per-pin speed of the Ada card does not compensate for the much narrower bus. The RTX 3070 has 2.33 times the raw bandwidth, which explains its strong showing in compute-heavy and fill-rate-limited workloads.

The shader and fixed-function hardware counts also favor the RTX 3070 substantially. The RTX 3070 has 5,888 shading units, 184 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. The RTX 4050 Mobile has 2,560 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. The RTX 3070 also has 46 RT cores and 184 tensor cores, versus 20 RT cores and 80 tensor cores on the RTX 4050 Mobile. Pixel rate is 165.6 GPixel/s on the RTX 3070 versus 84.24 GPixel/s on the RTX 4050 Mobile. Texture rate is 317.4 GTexel/s versus 140.4 GTexel/s. FP32 throughput is 20.31 TFLOPS versus 8.986 TFLOPS. Both support FP16 at a 1:1 ratio with FP32.

Clock speeds are closer than the hardware counts suggest. The RTX 3070 has a base clock of 1500 MHz and a boost of 1725 MHz. The RTX 4050 Mobile has a base of 1455 MHz and a boost of 1755 MHz. The Ada card actually boosts 30 MHz higher, but the Ampere card has over twice the shader count, so the raw throughput advantage remains firmly with the RTX 3070.

Power and physical design differ completely. The RTX 4050 Mobile is rated at 50 W TDP, uses no power connectors, and is listed as an IGP (integrated graphics processor) form factor with portable-device-dependent display outputs. The RTX 3070 is rated at 220 W TDP, is a dual-slot card, uses a 1x 12-pin connector, and requires a 550 W suggested PSU. It measures 242 mm in length and 112 mm in height. The RTX 3070 uses a PCIe 4.0 x16 interface, while the RTX 4050 Mobile uses PCIe 4.0 x8. Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

The RTX 4050 Mobile is from the GeForce 40 Mobile generation and succeeded the GeForce 30 Mobile series. The RTX 3070 is from the GeForce 30 generation and succeeded the GeForce 20 series. The RTX 3070 is listed as end-of-life, while the RTX 4050 Mobile is active. The RTX 3070’s successor is the GeForce 40 series, which includes the RTX 4050 Mobile.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 3070 is the clear winner in raw compute throughput. Its OpenCL score of 112,821 versus 74,748 and its Passmark GPU Compute score of 11,195 versus 5,947 indicate that any workload leveraging OpenCL or general-purpose compute will favor the desktop Ampere card. The RTX 3070 also wins every legacy DirectX test, from DirectX 9 through DirectX 12, by margins ranging from 25.5% to 47.3%. This suggests that the higher shader count, wider memory bus, and higher fill rates translate directly into better performance across established graphics APIs.

The RTX 4050 Mobile wins in Vulkan, and wins by a massive margin. The 257.9% delta in Geekbench Vulkan is the single largest score difference in the entire head-to-head set. For applications that are Vulkan-native, the Ada Lovelace card appears to have a significant architectural advantage. This could be relevant for modern game engines and Vulkan-based compute workloads. The RTX 4050 Mobile also holds a higher aggregate percentile in the database (63rd versus 61st), despite losing most direct comparisons. This is because its average benchmark score of 19,049 is higher than the RTX 3070’s 17,208, driven by the enormous Vulkan result.

The power envelope is another differentiator. The RTX 4050 Mobile is rated at 50 W and requires no power connectors, making it suitable for thin, portable systems. The RTX 3070 is a 220 W dual-slot card requiring a 550 W PSU. For a laptop or compact device, the RTX 4050 Mobile is the only practical option. For a desktop with adequate cooling and power delivery, the RTX 3070 offers superior compute and legacy API performance.

The RTX 3070’s 8 GB memory capacity and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth give it a clear edge in memory-intensive workloads such as high-resolution textures, large datasets, and multi-sample anti-aliasing. The RTX 4050 Mobile’s 6 GB and 192.0 GB/s are sufficient for mainstream gaming but may bottleneck in scenarios that exceed the narrower bus and smaller frame buffer.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins more head-to-head benchmark tests?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 wins 8 of the 9 recorded head-to-head tests. The RTX 4050 Mobile wins only the Geekbench Vulkan test.

Q: How large is the RTX 4050 Mobile’s Vulkan advantage?

A: In Geekbench Vulkan, the RTX 4050 Mobile scores 75,235 versus the RTX 3070’s 21,022, a 257.9% delta in favor of the RTX 4050 Mobile.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The RTX 3070 has 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth on a 256-bit bus with 8 GB of GDDR6. The RTX 4050 Mobile has 192.0 GB/s on a 96-bit bus with 6 GB of GDDR6.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The RTX 3070 has 5,888 shading units, while the RTX 4050 Mobile has 2,560. The RTX 3070 also has 184 TMUs and 96 ROPs versus 80 TMUs and 48 ROPs on the RTX 4050 Mobile.

Q: What are the process node differences?

A: The RTX 4050 Mobile uses a 5 nm TSMC process with an AD107 chip, while the RTX 3070 uses an 8 nm Samsung process with a GA104 chip. The AD107 die is 159 mm² with 18,900 million transistors, and the GA104 die is 392 mm² with 17,400 million transistors.

Q: What are the power requirements?

A: The RTX 4050 Mobile is rated at 50 W TDP with no power connectors and an IGP form factor. The RTX 3070 is rated at 220 W TDP, uses a 1x 12-pin connector, and has a suggested PSU of 550 W.

Specification Differences

The following table lists only the specification fields where the two NVIDIA GPUs differ:

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 |

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

| Chip | AD107 | GA104 |

| Architecture | Ada Lovelace | Ampere |

| Generation | GeForce 40 Mobile | GeForce 30 |

| Process Node | 5 nm | 8 nm |

| Foundry | TSMC | Samsung |

| Transistors | 18,900 million | 17,400 million |

| Die Size | 159 mm² | 392 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 118.9M / mm² | 44.4M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1455 MHz | 1500 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1755 MHz | 1725 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective) | 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 6 GB | 8 GB |

| Memory Bus Width | 96 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 192.0 GB/s | 448.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 2560 | 5888 |

| TMUs | 80 | 184 |

| ROPs | 48 | 96 |

| RT Cores | 20 | 46 |

| Tensor Cores | 80 | 184 |

| Pixel Rate | 84.24 GPixel/s | 165.6 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 140.4 GTexel/s | 317.4 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 8.986 TFLOPS | 20.31 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 8.986 TFLOPS (1:1) | 20.31 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 50 W | 220 W |

| Slot Width | IGP | Dual-slot |

| Power Connectors | None | 1x 12-pin |

| Suggested PSU | null | 550 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x8 | PCIe 4.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | Portable Device Dependent | 1x HDMI 2.13x DisplayPort 1.4a |

| Length | null | 242 mm (9.5 inches) |

| Height | null | 112 mm (4.4 inches) |

| Production Status | Active | End-of-life |

| Release Date | 2023-01-02 | 2020-08-31 |

| Predecessor | GeForce 30 Mobile | GeForce 20 |

| Successor | GeForce 50 Mobile | GeForce 40 |

| Launch MSRP | null | 499 USD |

The two cards share the same DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4 API support. Both are manufactured by NVIDIA. The RTX 3070 carries a launch MSRP of 499 USD, while the RTX 4050 Mobile has no recorded launch MSRP. The RTX 3070 is also the only one of the two with physical dimensions recorded in the database.