NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Comparison

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile: the newer Blackwell-based RTX 5060 wins 7 of 10 head-to-head benchmarks and holds a 2.3% higher average benchmark score, but the older Ampere part retains advantages in specific compute and legacy API workloads. The RTX 5060 dominates modern DX12 and compute tests, while the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile fights back in OpenCL and DirectX 12 legacy paths. The data points to a clear generational efficiency win for the RTX 5060, though the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile remains competitive in raw compute throughput.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The single largest victory for the RTX 5060 comes in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, where it scores 3628 against the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile's 2869 — a 26.5% advantage. This is the most demanding modern gaming test in the dataset, and the gap is decisive. The RTX 5060 also dominates Passmark GPU Compute, posting 10899 versus 8471, a 28.7% lead. That compute delta is nearly identical to the Steel Nomad margin, suggesting the Blackwell architecture delivers substantially higher efficiency per unit of work in modern shader-heavy loads.

The RTX 5060 wins Passmark DirectX 11 by 22% (200 vs 164) and DirectX 9 by 11.9% (225 vs 201). These legacy API results show the newer part does not sacrifice older compatibility performance for its modern gains. The 2D workload is a landslide: Passmark G2D scores 1154 vs 818, a 41.1% advantage for the RTX 5060. This is the largest single delta in the entire comparison, indicating far stronger texture and pixel processing in non-3D contexts.

In Vulkan, the RTX 5060 leads 113321 vs 107502, a 5.4% margin. The Geekbench Vulkan test is less decisive than Steel Nomad, but still favors the new architecture. Passmark G3D also goes to the RTX 5060, 20891 vs 19288, an 8.3% win. This aggregate 3D score corroborates the Steel Nomad result, though the margin is smaller because it includes older API paths where the gap narrows.

The RTX 3080 Ti Mobile claims three wins. Its best result is Geekbench OpenCL, scoring 117866 against 112787, a 4.3% lead. This is notable because OpenCL often reflects raw compute capability rather than gaming-optimized paths. The older card also wins Passmark DirectX 12 (88 vs 77, a 12.5% edge) and Passmark DirectX 10 (131 vs 127, a 3.1% margin). The DX12 result is surprising given the RTX 5060's dominance in Steel Nomad DX12, but the Passmark DX12 test is a lighter workload where the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile's higher shader count may help.

The average benchmark scores tell the broader story: RTX 5060 at 26331 vs RTX 3080 Ti Mobile at 25740, a 2.3% overall lead. The RTX 5060 sits at the 72nd percentile of all GPUs, while the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile is at the 71st. These are statistically adjacent rankings, but the RTX 5060's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT (1.2% higher) and the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary (0.8% lower), while the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile's nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon Pro W5700 (0.1% higher) and the AMD Radeon RX 6700M (0.4% higher). The RTX 5060's competitive set skews toward desktop-class discrete GPUs, whereas the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile's rivals are primarily mobile and workstation parts.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs represent entirely different design philosophies separated by three generations. The RTX 5060 uses the GB206 chip built on TSMC's 5 nm process, packing 21,900 million transistors into a 181 mm² die — a transistor density of 121.0 million per mm². The RTX 3080 Ti Mobile uses the GA103 chip on Samsung's 8 nm node, with 22,000 million transistors spread across a massive 496 mm² die, yielding just 44.4 million transistors per mm². The RTX 5060 achieves nearly three times the transistor density, which explains its ability to deliver competitive performance with far fewer resources.

Memory configurations diverge sharply. The RTX 5060 has 8 GB of GDDR7 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 3080 Ti Mobile has 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, providing 512.0 GB/s. The RTX 3080 Ti Mobile has 14.3% more memory bandwidth and double the capacity, which matters for texture-heavy or large-dataset workloads. However, the RTX 5060's GDDR7 runs at 28 Gbps effective versus 16 Gbps for the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile, partially offsetting the wider bus disadvantage.

Compute resources favor the older chip in raw counts. The RTX 3080 Ti Mobile has 7424 shading units, 232 TMUs, 96 ROPs, 58 RT cores, and 232 tensor cores. The RTX 5060 has 3840 shading units, 120 TMUs, 48 ROPs, 30 RT cores, and 120 tensor cores — roughly half in every category. Yet the RTX 5060's FP32 throughput is 19.18 TFLOPS versus 18.71 TFLOPS for the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile, a 2.5% advantage despite fewer cores. The same applies to pixel rate (119.9 vs 121.0 GPixel/s, essentially tied) and texture rate (299.6 vs 292.3 GTexel/s, a 2.5% RTX 5060 lead). The Blackwell architecture extracts more work per core.

Clock speeds reveal the efficiency story. The RTX 5060 runs at 2280 MHz base and 2497 MHz boost, while the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile sits at 810 MHz base and 1260 MHz boost. The RTX 5060's boost clock is nearly double. This clock advantage, combined with the 5 nm process, allows the RTX 5060 to hit higher performance at 145 W TDP versus the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile's 115 W. The newer card draws more power but delivers 26.5% higher modern DX12 performance.

Connectivity and features also diverge. The RTX 5060 uses PCIe 5.0 x8, while the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile uses PCIe 4.0 x16. The RTX 5060 has fixed display outputs (1x HDMI 2.1b, 3x DisplayPort 2.1b), whereas the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile's outputs are portable-device dependent. The RTX 5060 requires a 1x 8-pin power connector and suggests a 300 W PSU; the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile has no power connectors listed. Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

The RTX 5060 is an active production part released in 2025, while the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile is end-of-life from 2022. The RTX 5060 has a launch MSRP of 299 USD. The RTX 3080 Ti Mobile has no launch MSRP listed.

The Verdict

The data shows the RTX 5060 is the better modern GPU by a clear margin. It wins the two most important tests — 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 (26.5% ahead) and Passmark GPU Compute (28.7% ahead) — plus the aggregate Passmark G3D and Vulkan results. The 2.3% average score advantage and 72nd percentile ranking confirm it as the stronger overall performer. Anyone running modern DX12 games or compute-heavy applications should choose the RTX 5060.

The RTX 3080 Ti Mobile retains value only in specific niches. Its 16 GB memory and 512.0 GB/s bandwidth could benefit workloads that exceed 8 GB VRAM, and its Geekbench OpenCL lead (4.3%) suggests better raw compute in some APIs. The Passmark DX12 win (12.5%) is an anomaly that does not extend to heavier DX12 loads. For legacy DX10 tasks, the older card edges ahead by 3.1%, but this is a minor advantage.

The RTX 5060 is the recommended choice for gaming, modern compute, and 2D productivity. The RTX 3080 Ti Mobile makes sense only if 16 GB memory capacity is essential and the workload is weighted toward OpenCL or older DX12 paths. The RTX 5060's 5 nm process, higher clocks, and newer architecture deliver more performance per transistor and per shader, making it the superior product for nearly all use cases.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 wins decisively, scoring 3628 versus 2869 for the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile, a 26.5% advantage.

Q: Does the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile have any benchmark wins?

A: Yes, it wins 3 of 10 head-to-head tests: Geekbench OpenCL (117866 vs 112787, 4.3% ahead), Passmark DirectX 12 (88 vs 77, 12.5% ahead), and Passmark DirectX 10 (131 vs 127, 3.1% ahead).

Q: What is the memory advantage of the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile?

A: The RTX 3080 Ti Mobile has 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 512.0 GB/s bandwidth, versus 8 GB of GDDR7 on a 128-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s for the RTX 5060.

Q: How do the average benchmark scores compare?

A: The RTX 5060 averages 26331 across all tests, while the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile averages 25740. The RTX 5060 is 2.3% higher and ranks at the 72nd percentile versus the 71st for the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile.

Q: Which GPU has better compute performance in Passmark?

A: The RTX 5060 wins Passmark GPU Compute with 10899 versus 8471, a 28.7% advantage. However, the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile wins Geekbench OpenCL with 117866 versus 112787.

Q: What are the process node differences?

A: The RTX 5060 uses TSMC's 5 nm process with 121.0 million transistors per mm², while the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile uses Samsung's 8 nm process with 44.4 million transistors per mm².

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 5060 wins in modern gaming and compute scenarios. Its 26.5% lead in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 is the strongest indicator for current-generation game engines. The 28.7% Passmark GPU Compute victory covers general-purpose compute tasks, and the 41.1% Passmark G2D win indicates superior 2D and texture processing. Vulkan performance (5.4% ahead) matters for cross-platform titles and modern APIs. The RTX 5060 also wins DirectX 11 (22%) and DirectX 9 (11.9%), covering a wide range of older but still-played games. Its 299 USD launch MSRP makes it a straightforward choice for new builds.

The RTX 3080 Ti Mobile wins in narrow but specific areas. Its 4.3% Geekbench OpenCL lead suggests better performance in OpenCL-accelerated applications like some scientific or video-editing tools. The 12.5% Passmark DirectX 12 win applies to lighter DX12 workloads, though this does not translate to heavier DX12 tests. The 3.1% DirectX 10 edge matters only for very old games or legacy software. Its 16 GB memory capacity is the most compelling reason to choose it — workloads that need more than 8 GB VRAM will benefit, even if the raw performance is lower. The 115 W TDP is also lower than the RTX 5060's 145 W, which could favor thin-and-light laptops.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in nearly every specification category. The RTX 5060 uses the GB206 chip on TSMC's 5 nm process, while the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile uses the GA103 chip on Samsung's 8 nm. Transistor counts are similar (21,900 vs 22,000 million), but die size differs dramatically: 181 mm² versus 496 mm². Transistor density is 121.0M / mm² for the RTX 5060 versus 44.4M / mm² for the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile.

Clock speeds favor the RTX 5060: 2280 MHz base and 2497 MHz boost versus 810 MHz base and 1260 MHz boost. Memory differs in size (8 GB GDDR7 vs 16 GB GDDR6), bus width (128-bit vs 256-bit), bandwidth (448.0 vs 512.0 GB/s), and effective speed (28 Gbps vs 16 Gbps). The RTX 5060 has 3840 shading units, 120 TMUs, 48 ROPs, 30 RT cores, and 120 tensor cores. The RTX 3080 Ti Mobile has 7424 shading units, 232 TMUs, 96 ROPs, 58 RT cores, and 232 tensor cores.

Pixel rates are nearly identical (119.9 vs 121.0 GPixel/s), but texture rate favors the RTX 5060 (299.6 vs 292.3 GTexel/s). FP32 performance is 19.18 TFLOPS for the RTX 5060 versus 18.71 TFLOPS for the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile, and FP16 matches FP32 on both (1:1 ratio). TDP differs: 145 W for the RTX 5060 versus 115 W for the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile. The RTX 5060 uses a 1x 8-pin power connector and recommends a 300 W PSU; the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile has no power connectors listed. Bus interface is PCIe 5.0 x8 for the RTX 5060 versus PCIe 4.0 x16 for the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile. Display outputs are fixed on the RTX 5060 (1x HDMI 2.1b, 3x DisplayPort 2.1b) and portable-device dependent on the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile. Production status is Active for the RTX 5060 and End-of-life for the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile.