NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data for these two mobile GPUs is unambiguous. Across every recorded test, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile finishes ahead of the RTX 4050 Mobile. The database records nine benchmark comparisons, and the 4060 Mobile wins all nine. There is no test in which the 4050 Mobile takes the lead.

The largest margin comes in the Passmark DirectX 10 test. There, the 4060 Mobile scores 107 against the 4050 Mobile's 79, a 35.4% advantage. That is the widest gap in the entire head-to-head set. DirectX 11 shows a 20.8% delta, with scores of 157 and 130 respectively. DirectX 12 narrows the gap slightly to 19.7%, with the 4060 Mobile at 73 and the 4050 Mobile at 61. Legacy DirectX 9 workloads still favor the higher-tier part, as the 4060 Mobile posts 216 versus 184, a 17.4% lead.

The OpenCL and Vulkan results tell a similar story. In Geekbench OpenCL, the 4060 Mobile achieves 89420, while the 4050 Mobile manages 74748, a 19.6% difference. Vulkan is nearly identical: 89569 for the 4060 Mobile against 75235 for the 4050 Mobile, a 19.1% delta. These are modern compute and graphics APIs, so the consistent margin suggests the 4060 Mobile's advantage is not limited to legacy paths. The Passmark G3D score, which is often treated as a general gaming proxy, shows the 4060 Mobile at 17469 versus 14423, a 21.1% lead. That is a substantial performance gap for a laptop GPU upgrade.

The two remaining tests, Passmark G2D and GPU Compute, show smaller but still decisive margins. The 2D test scores 730 for the 4060 Mobile and 633 for the 4050 Mobile, a 15.3% gap. GPU Compute, which stresses raw throughput, records 6816 for the 4060 Mobile and 5947 for the 4050 Mobile, a 14.6% difference. Even in the weakest relative showing, the 4060 Mobile is still ahead by double digits.

Looking at the broader database context, the 4060 Mobile's average benchmark score of 22729 places it in the 67th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the desktop NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080, which scores 22895, a 0.7% difference in favor of the older card. The AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT sits 0.8% behind at 22549. The Intel Arc B580 is 1.3% ahead at 23021, and the newer RTX 5060 Mobile trails by 1.3% at 22435. The 4050 Mobile, by contrast, averages 19049, which is the 63rd percentile. Its closest neighbors are the AMD Radeon RX 6600 at 19036 (0.1% behind), the Quadro K6000 at 19030 (0.1% behind), the Tesla K20m at 19089 (0.2% ahead), and the RTX 2000 Ada Generation at 18954 (0.5% behind). The 4060 Mobile's average is 19.3% higher than the 4050 Mobile's, which aligns closely with the individual test deltas.

The Verdict

The choice between these two comes down to how much performance headroom is needed. The data shows the 4060 Mobile is faster in every single recorded benchmark, with margins ranging from 14.6% to 35.4%. If the workload is anything from DirectX 9 legacy titles to modern Vulkan compute, the 4060 Mobile is the better pick. The only scenario where the 4050 Mobile makes sense is when the power budget is the limiting factor, as its TDP is 50 W against the 4060 Mobile's 115 W. But even then, the 4050 Mobile still carries the same architecture and feature set, just with fewer cores and less memory bandwidth.

For gaming and general GPU compute, the 4060 Mobile's 21.1% lead in Passmark G3D is the strongest single argument in its favor. That is not a marginal difference; it is the kind of gap that translates into playable versus borderline frame rates in demanding titles. The 4060 Mobile also has 8 GB of VRAM versus 6 GB, which matters for texture-heavy games and larger compute workloads. The 4050 Mobile is not a weak card, as its 63rd percentile ranking shows, but it is clearly positioned a step below.

The verdict from the data is straightforward: pick the 4060 Mobile if performance is the priority and the laptop chassis can handle the higher power draw. Pick the 4050 Mobile only if the lower TDP is essential for a thinner, cooler, or longer-battery-life machine, and the performance gap is acceptable.

Architecture Differences

Both GPUs share the same fundamental design. They use the AD107 chip, built on Ada Lovelace architecture, manufactured by TSMC on a 5 nm process. The die size is identical at 159 mm², and both pack 18,900 million transistors. The transistor density is the same at 118.9M per mm². This means the architectural foundation is identical; the performance difference comes from how the silicon is configured, not from a generational leap.

The 4060 Mobile has 3072 shading units, 96 texture mapping units, and 48 raster operation pipelines. The 4050 Mobile has 2560 shading units and 80 TMUs, but it also has 48 ROPs. The ray tracing core count differs: 24 for the 4060 Mobile versus 20 for the 4050 Mobile. Tensor cores follow the same pattern, with 96 on the 4060 Mobile and 80 on the 4050 Mobile. These extra cores explain the raw throughput numbers. The 4060 Mobile delivers 11.61 TFLOPS of FP32 and FP16 performance, while the 4050 Mobile delivers 8.986 TFLOPS in both. The pixel rate is 90.72 GPixel/s versus 84.24 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 181.4 GTexel/s versus 140.4 GTexel/s.

Clock speeds also differ. The 4060 Mobile has a base clock of 1545 MHz and a boost clock of 1890 MHz. The 4050 Mobile runs at 1455 MHz base and 1755 MHz boost. Both use GDDR6 memory at 2000 MHz, which translates to 16 Gbps effective, but the memory configuration is different. The 4060 Mobile has 8 GB on a 128 bit bus, giving it 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The 4050 Mobile has 6 GB on a 96 bit bus, yielding 192.0 GB/s. That bandwidth gap is a major factor in the 21.1% G3D difference, as memory throughput often limits texture-heavy scenes.

Both cards support the same API set: DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. They also share the same PCIe 4.0 x8 bus interface and are both classified as IGP slot width with no power connectors, meaning they are soldered to the motherboard. Display outputs are portable device dependent, which is typical for mobile parts. The production status is Active for both, and they share the same release date of January 2, 2023. Neither has a launch MSRP listed in the database.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile has an average benchmark score of 22729, while the RTX 4050 Mobile averages 19049. The 4060 Mobile's score is 3680 points higher, which is a 19.3% advantage.

Q: How do the two compare in DirectX 12 performance?

A: In the Passmark DirectX 12 test, the 4060 Mobile scores 73 and the 4050 Mobile scores 61. The 4060 Mobile leads by 19.7%.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The 4060 Mobile has 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth from its 8 GB, 128 bit memory configuration. The 4050 Mobile has 192.0 GB/s from its 6 GB, 96 bit configuration.

Q: Are both GPUs based on the same chip?

A: Yes, both use the AD107 chip on the Ada Lovelace architecture. They share the same 5 nm TSMC process, 159 mm² die size, and 18,900 million transistors.

Q: Which card has more ray tracing cores?

A: The 4060 Mobile has 24 ray tracing cores, while the 4050 Mobile has 20. The 4060 Mobile also has 96 tensor cores versus 80 on the 4050 Mobile.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The 4060 Mobile has a TDP of 115 W, while the 4050 Mobile has a TDP of 50 W. The 4050 Mobile draws less than half the power of the higher-tier card.

Where Each One Wins

The 4060 Mobile wins every benchmark category recorded in the database. Its most dominant area is DirectX 10, where it leads by 35.4%. This suggests legacy API workloads benefit disproportionately from the extra shading units and higher clock speeds. The 4060 Mobile is also strong in DirectX 11 and G3D, with margins above 20%. For anyone running modern games, these are the relevant numbers. The 8 GB memory capacity and 256.0 GB/s bandwidth give it a clear edge in texture-heavy scenarios and higher resolution rendering.

The 4050 Mobile has no benchmark wins in the head-to-head data. Its only advantage is the 50 W TDP, which is less than half the 115 W of the 4060 Mobile. That makes it the better choice for ultra-portable laptops where thermal and power constraints are severe. It still supports the same DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4 APIs, so feature support is not compromised. The 4050 Mobile also holds its own against desktop cards like the RX 6600 and Quadro K6000, with a 0.1% delta in both cases, which shows it is a capable performer for its class.

The 4060 Mobile's use case is straightforward: it is for gamers and creators who need the extra performance and are willing to accept a heavier, hotter laptop. The 4050 Mobile is for users who prioritize battery life and portability over frame rates. The data does not suggest any scenario where the 4050 Mobile outperforms the 4060 Mobile in raw compute or graphics tasks, so the decision rests entirely on the power envelope.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in several key specifications. The 4060 Mobile has 3072 shading units, 96 TMUs, and 24 ray tracing cores, while the 4050 Mobile has 2560 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 20 ray tracing cores. Tensor cores are 96 versus 80. The 4060 Mobile's base clock is 1545 MHz and boost is 1890 MHz, against 1455 MHz and 1755 MHz for the 4050 Mobile. Memory is 8 GB on a 128 bit bus with 256.0 GB/s bandwidth for the 4060 Mobile, versus 6 GB on a 96 bit bus with 192.0 GB/s for the 4050 Mobile. The FP32 and FP16 throughput is 11.61 TFLOPS for the 4060 Mobile and 8.986 TFLOPS for the 4050 Mobile. Pixel rate is 90.72 GPixel/s versus 84.24 GPixel/s, and texture rate is 181.4 GTexel/s versus 140.4 GTexel/s. The TDP is 115 W for the 4060 Mobile and 50 W for the 4050 Mobile.

The specifications that are identical include the chip (AD107), architecture (Ada Lovelace), process node (5 nm), foundry (TSMC), transistor count (18,900 million), die size (159 mm²), transistor density (118.9M per mm²), memory type (GDDR6), memory clock (2000 MHz, 16 Gbps effective), ROP count (48), slot width (IGP), power connectors (None), bus interface (PCIe 4.0 x8), display outputs (Portable Device Dependent), and the full API list (DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, Vulkan 1.4). Both have the same release date, production status, predecessor, and successor in the database. Because the memory clock and ROPs are the same, the performance difference comes down to the core configuration, clock speeds, memory bus width, and capacity.