NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile vs NVIDIA Quadro K5200 Comparison

The NVIDIA Quadro K5200 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile represent two distinct eras of GPU design, separated by nearly a decade of architectural evolution. The K5200 is an end-of-life professional workstation card from 2014, built on the Kepler architecture, while the RTX 4050 Mobile is an active laptop part from the Ada Lovelace generation. Benchmark data reveals a stark performance gulf, with the newer mobile chip dominating in raw compute tests despite its significantly lower power envelope. This analysis will examine the head-to-head results, architectural shifts, and specification differences that define this comparison.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark results are decisively one-sided. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the RTX 4050 Mobile scores 74,748 points against the Quadro K5200’s 19,024 points. This represents a delta of -74.5 percent from the perspective of the K5200, meaning the older card achieves only about a quarter of the newer card’s score. The Geekbench Vulkan test tells a similar story: the RTX 4050 Mobile posts 75,235 points versus 20,180 points for the K5200, a -73.2 percent difference.

These are not marginal improvements; they are generational leaps. The RTX 4050 Mobile’s OpenCL score is roughly 3.9 times higher than the K5200’s, and its Vulkan score is approximately 3.7 times higher. The K5200 wins zero head-to-head comparisons, while the RTX 4050 Mobile wins both. The data indicates that the Ada Lovelace architecture delivers compute performance that the Kepler architecture cannot approach, even when comparing a desktop workstation card to a mobile part.

The average benchmark scores underscore the consistency of this result. The K5200 averages 19,602 points across its benchmarks, while the RTX 4050 Mobile averages 19,049 points. This near-parity in average scores is misleading, however, because the RTX 4050 Mobile’s average is pulled down by a series of low Passmark scores (ranging from 61 to 633) that are not present in the K5200’s benchmark suite. In the two shared tests—OpenCL and Vulkan—the RTX 4050 Mobile is overwhelmingly faster, with a combined average of approximately 74,992 points versus 19,602 for the K5200. The percentile rankings reflect this mixed picture: the K5200 sits at the 64th percentile of all GPUs, while the RTX 4050 Mobile sits at the 63rd percentile, placing them in the same broad performance tier when averaged across all available tests.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear winner for compute-intensive workloads. The RTX 4050 Mobile is the superior choice for any task that leverages OpenCL or Vulkan, delivering roughly three to four times the performance of the Quadro K5200. Its nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the AMD Radeon RX 6600 (deltaPct 0.1), the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 (deltaPct 0.1), and the NVIDIA RTX 2000 Ada Generation (deltaPct 0.5), all of which have average scores within one percent of the RTX 4050 Mobile. This places the mobile chip firmly in the modern mid-range tier.

For the Quadro K5200, the situation is different. Its nearest rivals include the AMD FirePro D300 (deltaPct -0.2), the AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT (deltaPct -0.8), and the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX (deltaPct 1). The inclusion of the RX 7900 XTX, a flagship desktop card, in the K5200’s rival list with a delta of only 1 percent suggests that the average benchmarking score is not representative of the K5200’s compute strengths. The K5200’s performance is competitive with these cards only in the specific tests it runs, but it lacks the architectural features and raw throughput of the RTX 4050 Mobile.

The practical verdict is straightforward: the RTX 4050 Mobile is for users who need modern compute performance, ray tracing, and efficiency. The Quadro K5200 is a legacy part that, while still functional, is outclassed in every measurable benchmark shared with the RTX 4050 Mobile. Users with the K5200 should consider an upgrade, while those evaluating the RTX 4050 Mobile will find it a capable performer in its class.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is immense. The Quadro K5200 uses the GK110B chip, built on the Kepler architecture, manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC. The chip contains 7,080 million transistors on a die size of 561 mm², yielding a transistor density of 12.6 million per square millimeter. The RTX 4050 Mobile, in contrast, uses the AD107 chip, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture, manufactured on a 5 nm process, also at TSMC. This newer chip packs 18,900 million transistors into a die size of just 159 mm², achieving a transistor density of 118.9 million per square millimeter—roughly 9.4 times denser than the K5200.

The Kepler architecture has no dedicated ray tracing or tensor cores. The RTX 4050 Mobile includes 20 ray tracing cores and 80 tensor cores, enabling hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI workloads. The shading units tell a story of efficiency: the K5200 has 2,304 shading units, while the RTX 4050 Mobile has 2,560—only 11 percent more—but the newer card’s FP32 throughput is 8.986 TFLOPS versus 3.553 TFLOPS for the K5200, a 153 percent increase. The FP16 capability of the RTX 4050 Mobile is also notable, at 8.986 TFLOPS (1:1), while the K5200 has no FP16 rating listed.

The memory subsystems differ fundamentally. The K5200 uses 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 192.3 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 4050 Mobile uses 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 96-bit bus, delivering 192.0 GB/s bandwidth. Despite the narrower bus, the newer memory type and higher effective clock speed (16 Gbps vs. 6 Gbps) allow the RTX 4050 Mobile to match the K5200’s bandwidth almost exactly. The pixel rate favors the RTX 4050 Mobile at 84.24 GPixel/s versus 37.01 GPixel/s for the K5200, while texture rates are similar: 140.4 GTexel/s for the RTX 4050 Mobile versus 148.0 GTexel/s for the K5200.

API support also diverges. The K5200 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175. The RTX 4050 Mobile supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The newer card’s Vulkan 1.4 support and DirectX 12 Ultimate compliance indicate readiness for modern game and compute APIs that the Kepler card cannot handle.

Specification Differences

The most striking specification difference is power consumption. The Quadro K5200 has a TDP of 150 W, while the RTX 4050 Mobile has a TDP of just 50 W. This means the RTX 4050 Mobile delivers over 2.5 times the FP32 performance at one-third the power draw. The K5200 requires a dual-slot cooler and a single 6-pin power connector, with a suggested 450 W power supply. The RTX 4050 Mobile is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with no power connectors, designed for portable devices.

Clock speeds reflect the architectural and process advantages. The K5200 runs at a base clock of 667 MHz with a boost of 771 MHz, while the RTX 4050 Mobile runs at 1,455 MHz base and 1,755 MHz boost—more than double the K5200’s base clock. Memory clocks also differ: the K5200 runs at 1,502 MHz with 6 Gbps effective speed, while the RTX 4050 Mobile runs at 2,000 MHz with 16 Gbps effective speed.

The bus interface and dimensions further separate the two. The K5200 uses PCIe 3.0 x16, while the RTX 4050 Mobile uses PCIe 4.0 x8. The K5200 is a dual-slot card with physical dimensions of 267 mm in length and 111 mm in height, with display outputs of 2x DVI and 2x DisplayPort 1.2. The RTX 4050 Mobile has no listed dimensions and its display outputs are described as "Portable Device Dependent." The K5200 has a production status of end-of-life, released in July 2014, while the RTX 4050 Mobile is active, released in January 2023.

Memory configuration is another key differentiator. The K5200 offers 8 GB of GDDR5, which is more capacity than the RTX 4050 Mobile’s 6 GB of GDDR6. However, the newer card’s memory type and higher effective speed compensate for the reduced capacity and narrower bus width, resulting in nearly identical bandwidth. The RTX 4050 Mobile also has a higher transistor count (18,900 million vs. 7,080 million) despite a much smaller die, and a significantly higher transistor density. The K5200 has 192 TMUs versus 80 for the RTX 4050 Mobile, but both have 48 ROPs.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in OpenCL benchmarks?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile is significantly faster, scoring 74,748 in Geekbench OpenCL compared to the Quadro K5200’s 19,024, a delta of -74.5 percent for the K5200.

Q: How does the power consumption compare between the two cards?

A: The Quadro K5200 has a TDP of 150 W, while the RTX 4050 Mobile has a TDP of 50 W. The K5200 also requires a dual-slot cooler and a 6-pin power connector, whereas the RTX 4050 Mobile is an IGP with no power connectors.

Q: What are the memory specifications for each GPU?

A: The Quadro K5200 has 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 192.3 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 4050 Mobile has 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 96-bit bus with 192.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Does the RTX 4050 Mobile support ray tracing?

A: Yes, the RTX 4050 Mobile includes 20 ray tracing cores and 80 tensor cores. The Quadro K5200 has no ray tracing or tensor cores listed.

Q: Which card has a higher FP32 performance?

A: The RTX 4050 Mobile has an FP32 throughput of 8.986 TFLOPS, while the Quadro K5200 has 3.553 TFLOPS, making the RTX 4050 Mobile approximately 153 percent faster.

Q: What is the production status of each GPU?

A: The Quadro K5200 is end-of-life, released in July 2014. The RTX 4050 Mobile is active, released in January 2023.