NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile represent two distinct approaches to high-performance laptop graphics. The 3080 Mobile is a last-generation Ampere flagship built on Samsung's 8 nm process, while the 4060 Mobile is a current-generation Ada Lovelace part on TSMC's 5 nm node. Despite the 4060 Mobile having a newer architecture, the data reveals a close contest: the 3080 Mobile averages 23628 in benchmarks, while the 4060 Mobile averages 22729. The 3080 Mobile scores higher in compute-heavy workloads, but the 4060 Mobile wins in several DirectX and 2D tests. This analysis breaks down the benchmark results, architectural differences, and specifications to show where each GPU has an advantage.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile has a higher average benchmark score of 23628, compared to the RTX 4060 Mobile's 22729. This puts the 3080 Mobile at the 69th percentile of all GPUs, while the 4060 Mobile sits at the 67th percentile.

Q: How do the two compare in raw compute performance?

A: The RTX 3080 Mobile wins the compute-focused tests. It scores 7276 in Passmark GPU Compute, which is 6.7% higher than the 4060 Mobile's 6816. In Geekbench OpenCL, the 3080 Mobile leads by 17.2% with a score of 104831 versus 89420.

Q: In which benchmark does the RTX 4060 Mobile have its biggest win?

A: The RTX 4060 Mobile's largest victory is in Passmark DirectX 9, where it scores 216 compared to the 3080 Mobile's 170. This represents a 21.3% delta in favor of the newer card.

Q: Do both GPUs have the same memory configuration?

A: Yes, both have 8 GB of GDDR6 memory. However, they differ in bus width and bandwidth: the RTX 3080 Mobile uses a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the RTX 4060 Mobile uses a 128-bit bus with 256.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: What are the transistor counts and die sizes for each?

A: The RTX 3080 Mobile has 17,400 million transistors on a 392 mm² die, with a density of 44.4M per mm². The RTX 4060 Mobile packs 18,900 million transistors onto a much smaller 159 mm² die, achieving a density of 118.9M per mm².

Q: Which GPU is currently in production?

A: The RTX 4060 Mobile is marked as "Active" in production status, while the RTX 3080 Mobile is "End-of-life." The 4060 Mobile was released on 2023-01-02, and its successor is the GeForce 50 Mobile.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 3080 Mobile is the clear winner for compute-heavy applications. It dominates in Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan, with scores of 104831 and 104066 respectively, beating the 4060 Mobile by 17.2% and 16.2%. The Passmark GPU Compute test also favors the 3080 Mobile, with a 6.7% lead. This makes it the stronger choice for tasks like rendering, machine learning, or any workload that leverages raw shading and tensor core throughput. Its 18.98 TFLOPS FP32 performance is significantly higher than the 4060 Mobile's 11.61 TFLOPS, reinforcing this edge.

The RTX 4060 Mobile wins in most DirectX gaming scenarios. It takes Passmark DirectX 11 with a score of 157 versus 146, and Passmark DirectX 9 with a commanding 216 versus 170, a 21.3% advantage. It also edges out the 3080 Mobile in Passmark DirectX 12 by a narrow margin (73 vs 72). For 2D workloads, the 4060 Mobile is faster, scoring 730 in Passmark G2D compared to 637. The overall Passmark G3D score also favors the 4060 Mobile at 17469 versus 16321, a 6.6% difference. This suggests that for modern game titles that rely on newer API features and higher clock speeds, the 4060 Mobile provides a smoother experience.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on fundamentally different architectures. The RTX 3080 Mobile uses the Ampere architecture with the GA104 chip, fabricated by Samsung on an 8 nm process. In contrast, the RTX 4060 Mobile uses the Ada Lovelace architecture with the AD107 chip, manufactured by TSMC on a 5 nm process. This process shrink allows the 4060 Mobile to pack 18,900 million transistors into a 159 mm² die, achieving a transistor density of 118.9M per mm². The 3080 Mobile has fewer transistors (17,400 million) but a much larger die at 392 mm², resulting in a density of just 44.4M per mm².

The core configurations differ significantly. The 3080 Mobile has 6144 shading units, 192 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, along with 48 RT cores and 192 tensor cores. The 4060 Mobile has exactly half of these: 3072 shading units, 96 TMUs, 48 ROPs, 24 RT cores, and 96 tensor cores. Despite having fewer cores, the 4060 Mobile achieves higher clock speeds, with a base of 1545 MHz and boost of 1890 MHz, compared to the 3080 Mobile's 1110 MHz base and 1545 MHz boost. This clock advantage helps the 4060 Mobile compensate for its smaller core count in certain workloads.

Both GPUs support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, so there is no difference in API feature support. The bus interface differs: the 3080 Mobile uses PCIe 4.0 x16, while the 4060 Mobile uses PCIe 4.0 x8. The 4060 Mobile is classified as an "IGP" in slot width, while the 3080 Mobile has no specified slot width. Both have no power connectors listed and a TDP of 115 W.

Specification Differences

The most striking specification difference is the memory bus and bandwidth. The RTX 3080 Mobile uses a 256-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX 4060 Mobile uses a 128-bit bus, halving the bandwidth to 256.0 GB/s. Both have 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, but the 4060 Mobile runs its memory at 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective), while the 3080 Mobile runs at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). The faster memory clock on the 4060 Mobile partially offsets its narrower bus, but the 3080 Mobile still has a 75% bandwidth advantage.

Compute resources are starkly different. The 3080 Mobile has 6144 shading units, 192 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, while the 4060 Mobile has 3072, 96, and 48, respectively. The 3080 Mobile also has double the RT cores (48 vs 24) and tensor cores (192 vs 96). This translates to a pixel rate of 148.3 GPixel/s and texture rate of 296.6 GTexel/s for the 3080 Mobile, versus 90.72 GPixel/s and 181.4 GTexel/s for the 4060 Mobile. FP32 and FP16 performance are both rated at 18.98 TFLOPS for the 3080 Mobile and 11.61 TFLOPS for the 4060 Mobile.

Clock speeds favor the 4060 Mobile. It has a base clock of 1545 MHz and boost clock of 1890 MHz, compared to 1110 MHz and 1545 MHz for the 3080 Mobile. Both GPUs have a TDP of 115 W. The 3080 Mobile is end-of-life and was released on 2021-01-11, while the 4060 Mobile is active, released on 2023-01-02, and has a successor in the GeForce 50 Mobile. The 4060 Mobile's predecessor is the GeForce 30 Mobile series, which includes the 3080 Mobile.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data shows a split decision, with the RTX 3080 Mobile taking 4 wins and the RTX 4060 Mobile taking 5. The 3080 Mobile's victories are often decisive. In Geekbench OpenCL, it scores 104831, a 17.2% lead over the 4060 Mobile's 89420. Geekbench Vulkan shows a similar gap, with 104066 versus 89569, a 16.2% delta. The 3080 Mobile also wins Passmark DirectX 10 (120 vs 107, a 12.1% lead) and Passmark GPU Compute (7276 vs 6816, a 6.7% lead).

The RTX 4060 Mobile's wins are more varied. Its biggest win is in Passmark DirectX 9, where it scores 216, a 21.3% improvement over the 3080 Mobile's 170. It also wins Passmark G2D with 730 versus 637, a 12.7% margin. In Passmark DirectX 11, the 4060 Mobile scores 157, beating the 3080 Mobile's 146 by 7%. The Passmark G3D test shows a 6.6% win for the 4060 Mobile (17469 vs 16321). The narrowest margin is in Passmark DirectX 12, where the 4060 Mobile wins 73 to 72, a mere 1.4% difference.

Looking at the nearest rivals, the 3080 Mobile sits close to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z (average score 23736, a -0.5% delta) and the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile (23518, a 0.5% delta). The 4060 Mobile is similarly positioned near the RTX 2080 (22895, -0.7% delta) and the Intel Arc B580 (23021, -1.3% delta). These rival comparisons confirm that both GPUs are in the same performance tier, with the 3080 Mobile having a slight overall edge in average score.

The Verdict

The data supports a clear split: the RTX 3080 Mobile is the better choice for compute-heavy tasks and raw throughput. Its 17.2% lead in OpenCL and 16.2% lead in Vulkan make it the superior option for professional applications, content creation, or any workload that exploits its 6144 shading units and 192 tensor cores. The 3080 Mobile also has a massive bandwidth advantage at 448.0 GB/s, which is critical for high-resolution textures and large datasets. If your primary use case is GPU compute, the 3080 Mobile is the one to pick.

The RTX 4060 Mobile is the better choice for gaming, particularly in DirectX 9 and DirectX 11 titles. Its 21.3% win in DX9 and 7% win in DX11 suggest it handles legacy and current API workloads more efficiently, likely due to its higher clock speeds (1545 MHz base, 1890 MHz boost). The 4060 Mobile also wins the overall Passmark G3D score by 6.6%, meaning it delivers better average gaming performance. Its newer Ada Lovelace architecture and active production status make it a more future-proof option for gamers.

If forced to choose one based on benchmark results, the RTX 3080 Mobile has the higher average score (23628 vs 22729) and wins the more important compute benchmarks. However, the RTX 4060 Mobile wins more individual tests and has the edge in gaming scenarios. The 3080 Mobile's end-of-life status and the 4060 Mobile's active production status suggest that the 4060 Mobile is the more sustainable long-term investment. For gaming, pick the 4060 Mobile; for compute, pick the 3080 Mobile. The data does not support a single absolute winner.