NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile vs NVIDIA Quadro M4000M Comparison

The NVIDIA Quadro M4000M and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile represent two distinct eras of mobile graphics, separated by nearly eight years of architectural evolution. The data shows a decisive performance shift, with the newer RTX 4050 Mobile dominating the benchmark results, yet the Quadro M4000M retains a distinct profile in terms of memory bandwidth and legacy API support that is worth examining.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head comparison is stark, with the GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile winning both available benchmarks decisively. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the RTX 4050 Mobile scores 74,748 points, which is a 73.3% improvement over the Quadro M4000M’s 19,989 points. This is not a marginal gain; the newer GPU delivers roughly 3.7 times the raw compute throughput in this OpenCL workload. The gap is nearly identical in the Vulkan API, where the RTX 4050 Mobile scores 75,235 against the Quadro’s 20,971, a 72.1% delta. The consistency of these margins across two different graphics APIs suggests the performance advantage is fundamental to the hardware, not an artifact of a single driver or test scenario.

Looking at the broader benchmark context, the Quadro M4000M’s average benchmark score of 20,480 places it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, while the RTX 4050 Mobile’s average of 19,049 sits slightly lower at the 63rd percentile. This apparent contradiction—where the newer card wins head-to-head but has a lower average score—is explained by the inclusion of additional PassMark tests for the RTX 4050 Mobile. The RTX 4050 Mobile’s PassMark G3D score of 14,423 and its DirectX 9 score of 184 are impressive, but its DirectX 10 score of 79 and DirectX 12 score of 61 drag its average down relative to the Quadro, which only has the two Geekbench results. The RTX 4050 Mobile’s PassMark GPU Compute score of 5,947 further illustrates its strength in compute-heavy tasks, while its G2D score of 633 indicates solid 2D performance. The Quadro M4000M’s nearest rivals include the GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (average score 20,534, delta -0.3%) and Intel Arc B570 (20,556, delta -0.4%), placing it in a competitive bracket for its generation. The RTX 4050 Mobile’s nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6600 (19,036, delta 0.1%) and the Quadro K6000 (19,030, delta 0.1%), showing it trades blows with desktop-class parts from a few years prior.

The Verdict

From the data, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile is the clear performance winner for any modern workload. Its 73.3% and 72.1% leads in OpenCL and Vulkan respectively are overwhelming, and its PassMark results show strong DirectX 9, 10, 11, and 12 performance. The RTX 4050 Mobile also carries 6 GB of GDDR6 memory versus the Quadro’s 4 GB of GDDR5, which gives it a capacity advantage for larger textures and datasets. The newer architecture also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, a feature the Quadro lacks. For gaming, content creation, or any compute task that leverages modern APIs, the RTX 4050 Mobile is the only rational choice based on the benchmarks.

The Quadro M4000M, however, is not without merit, but its strengths are narrower. Its 256-bit memory bus provides 160.4 GB/s of bandwidth, which is only slightly less than the RTX 4050 Mobile’s 192.0 GB/s despite the latter having a wider performance lead in compute. The Quadro’s 64 ROPs are also higher than the RTX 4050 Mobile’s 48, which could offer an edge in certain fill-rate-limited scenarios. Its 65th percentile ranking versus the RTX 4050 Mobile’s 63rd percentile indicates that in the full database context, it is not a slouch. The data suggests the Quadro M4000M is a specialist part for legacy applications or specific workstation tasks where its Maxwell architecture and memory subsystem are better suited, but for general use, the RTX 4050 Mobile is superior.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs represent a generational leap in NVIDIA’s design philosophy. The Quadro M4000M uses the GM204 chip based on Maxwell 2.0 architecture, built on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It packs 5,200 million transistors onto a 398 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 13.1 million per mm². In contrast, the RTX 4050 Mobile uses the AD107 chip based on Ada Lovelace architecture, fabricated on a 5 nm process, also at TSMC. This newer chip contains 18,900 million transistors on a much smaller 159 mm² die, achieving a density of 118.9 million per mm². This is a 9-fold increase in density, explaining how the RTX 4050 Mobile can offer more than double the shading units (2,560 vs 1,280) while consuming half the power (50 W vs 100 W).

The memory subsystems differ fundamentally. The Quadro uses 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, while the RTX 4050 Mobile uses 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 96-bit bus. The RTX 4050 Mobile compensates for its narrower bus with faster memory (16 Gbps effective versus 5 Gbps effective), resulting in higher total bandwidth (192.0 GB/s vs 160.4 GB/s). The RTX 4050 Mobile also introduces dedicated RT cores (20) and tensor cores (80), features entirely absent from the Quadro, which enables hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI workloads. The FP32 compute rate tells the story: the RTX 4050 Mobile delivers 8.986 TFLOPS versus the Quadro’s 2.593 TFLOPS, a 3.5-fold increase. The RTX 4050 Mobile also supports FP16 at a 1:1 ratio (8.986 TFLOPS), while the Quadro has no listed FP16 capability. The bus interface also advances from PCIe 3.0 x16 on the Quadro to PCIe 4.0 x8 on the RTX 4050 Mobile.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the RTX 4050 Mobile in OpenCL?

A: The RTX 4050 Mobile scores 74,748 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 73.3% higher than the Quadro M4000M’s 19,989.

Q: Does the Quadro M4000M win any benchmark?

A: In the head-to-head benchmarks provided, the Quadro M4000M does not win any. It has 0 wins versus 2 for the RTX 4050 Mobile.

Q: Which GPU has more memory bandwidth?

A: The RTX 4050 Mobile has higher memory bandwidth at 192.0 GB/s, compared to the Quadro M4000M’s 160.4 GB/s.

Q: What are the PassMark DirectX 12 scores for the RTX 4050 Mobile?

A: The RTX 4050 Mobile scores 61 in PassMark DirectX 12 and 130 in DirectX 11. The Quadro M4000M has no PassMark scores listed.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The RTX 4050 Mobile has 2,560 shading units, while the Quadro M4000M has 1,280.

Q: What is the difference in transistor density?

A: The RTX 4050 Mobile has a transistor density of 118.9M per mm², while the Quadro M4000M has 13.1M per mm².

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 4050 Mobile wins in every benchmark category where both are tested. Its OpenCL and Vulkan scores are over 70% higher, and its PassMark scores, while not directly comparable to the Quadro, demonstrate modern API proficiency. The RTX 4050 Mobile’s 6 GB memory capacity is 50% larger than the Quadro’s 4 GB, which is crucial for modern game textures and AI models. Its 50 W TDP is half that of the Quadro’s 100 W, making it far more power-efficient for mobile applications. The inclusion of RT and tensor cores gives it a feature set that the Quadro cannot match, opening up ray-traced gaming and DLSS-class AI acceleration.

The Quadro M4000M’s wins are more subtle and confined to specific hardware characteristics. It has 64 ROPs compared to the RTX 4050 Mobile’s 48, which could theoretically improve performance in pixel-heavy, fill-rate-bound tasks. Its 256-bit memory bus is wider, and while total bandwidth is lower, the bus width might offer lower latency in certain access patterns. The Quadro’s 65th percentile ranking is slightly higher than the RTX 4050 Mobile’s 63rd, indicating that in a broad database of GPUs, it sits marginally better relative to its peers in aggregate scores. The Quadro also supports DirectX 12 (12_1), which is older but still relevant for legacy applications. Its MXM Module form factor suggests it was designed for upgradeable workstation laptops, which may appeal to users with specialized chassis.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every specification. The Quadro M4000M uses the GM204 chip on a 28 nm process with 5,200 million transistors, while the RTX 4050 Mobile uses AD107 on 5 nm with 18,900 million transistors. Clock speeds differ significantly: the Quadro has a base clock of 975 MHz and boost of 1013 MHz, while the RTX 4050 Mobile runs at 1455 MHz base and 1755 MHz boost. Memory speed differs as well, with the Quadro at 1253 MHz (5 Gbps effective) and the RTX 4050 Mobile at 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective). The memory bus width is 256-bit for the Quadro versus 96-bit for the RTX 4050 Mobile. The RTX 4050 Mobile has 20 RT cores and 80 tensor cores; the Quadro has none. Pixel rate is higher on the RTX 4050 Mobile (84.24 GPixel/s vs 64.83 GPixel/s), as is texture rate (140.4 GTexel/s vs 81.04 GTexel/s). The Quadro’s TDP is 100 W, double the RTX 4050 Mobile’s 50 W, and it uses an MXM Module slot versus the RTX 4050 Mobile’s IGP form factor. The Quadro is end-of-life, released in 2015, while the RTX 4050 Mobile is active, released in 2023. The bus interface upgrades from PCIe 3.0 x16 to PCIe 4.0 x8. Finally, the Quadro supports DirectX 12 (12_1), while the RTX 4050 Mobile supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2).