NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 AD106 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The recorded data splits cleanly along generation and form factor lines. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 AD106 is a desktop-class part built on Ada Lovelace, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile is a laptop-oriented Blackwell 2.0 design. Benchmark results show that the RTX 5080 Mobile holds the advantage in every measured test, with the database recording zero wins for the RTX 4060 AD106 in head-to-head comparisons.

The RTX 5080 Mobile delivers its strongest showings in compute-heavy workloads. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 166,986 and Vulkan score of 169,754 indicate a substantial lead in general-purpose GPU compute and cross-API rendering tasks. The PassMark G3D result of 27,711 further confirms that the mobile part dominates in rasterized gaming workloads. The RTX 5080 Mobile also outperforms in legacy DirectX tests, with PassMark DirectX 9 and DirectX 10 scores of 314 and 171 respectively, showing that the newer architecture does not sacrifice backward compatibility performance.

Where the RTX 4060 AD106 could theoretically win is in scenarios that favor lower power envelopes or specific desktop integration, but the benchmark data does not support any such advantage. The RTX 5080 Mobile posts a percentile ranking of 81 among all GPUs, whereas the RTX 4060 AD106 sits at the 50th percentile. The average benchmark score for the RTX 5080 Mobile is 38,349, while the RTX 4060 AD106 has no recorded average score in the database. For users prioritizing raw throughput, the mobile part is the clear choice. For users constrained by desktop socket compatibility or a dual-slot physical profile, the RTX 4060 AD106 remains a functional option, but the numbers favor the newer mobile silicon.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural generations. The RTX 4060 AD106 uses Ada Lovelace, while the RTX 5080 Mobile uses Blackwell 2.0. Both are fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC, but the transistor counts diverge significantly. The RTX 4060 AD106 packs 22,900 million transistors on a 188 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 121.8 million per square millimeter. The RTX 5080 Mobile more than doubles the transistor budget with 45,600 million transistors on a 378 mm² die, though its density of 120.6 million per square millimeter is slightly lower due to the larger die area.

The RTX 5080 Mobile carries the GB203 chip, whereas the RTX 4060 AD106 uses the AD106 chip. This difference in chip designation reflects a broader gap in execution resources. The RTX 5080 Mobile features 7,680 shading units, 240 texture mapping units, and 96 raster output units. The RTX 4060 AD106 has 3,072 shading units, 96 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. Ray tracing hardware tells a similar story: the RTX 5080 Mobile has 60 RT cores, while the RTX 4060 AD106 has 24. Tensor core counts also favor the mobile part at 240 versus 96.

Clock behavior contrasts sharply. The RTX 4060 AD106 runs a base clock of 1830 MHz and a boost clock of 2460 MHz. The RTX 5080 Mobile operates at a base of 975 MHz and a boost of 1500 MHz. Despite the lower clocks, the RTX 5080 Mobile achieves higher throughput because of its larger execution resource pool. The RTX 5080 Mobile delivers 23.04 TFLOPS of FP32 and FP16 performance, compared to 15.11 TFLOPS for the RTX 4060 AD106 in both precisions. The mobile part also produces higher pixel and texture rates: 144.0 GPixel/s and 360.0 GTexel/s versus 118.1 GPixel/s and 236.2 GTexel/s.

Power and packaging differ as well. The RTX 4060 AD106 has a TDP of 115 W, uses a dual-slot cooler, and requires a 1x 12-pin power connector with a suggested 300 W power supply. The RTX 5080 Mobile is an integrated graphics processor with an 80 W TDP, no power connectors, and no suggested PSU figure. The RTX 5080 Mobile connects via PCIe 5.0 x16, while the RTX 4060 AD106 uses PCIe 4.0 x8. Display outputs also differ: the RTX 4060 AD106 offers 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, whereas the RTX 5080 Mobile relies on portable device dependent outputs.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records no direct head-to-head benchmark entries between these two cards, so the comparison relies on the RTX 5080 Mobile's standalone benchmark results and its nearest rival deltas. The RTX 5080 Mobile's average benchmark score of 38,349 places it within 0.1% of the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 (38,299) and 0.6% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile (38,135). It trails the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A (38,691) by 0.9% and the AMD Radeon Pro 580X (38,706) by 0.9%. These margins are small, indicating that the RTX 5080 Mobile sits in a tight cluster of high-performing mobile GPUs.

In terms of absolute performance, the RTX 5080 Mobile's PassMark G3D score of 27,711 is its strongest gaming metric. The DirectX 11 score of 253 and DirectX 9 score of 314 show that older APIs run efficiently. The DirectX 12 score of 116 and DirectX 10 score of 171 are lower, but they still represent functional performance for modern and legacy titles respectively. The PassMark G2D score of 1,095 indicates solid 2D acceleration, and the GPU compute score of 12,134 reinforces the compute-oriented strength of the Blackwell 2.0 design.

The RTX 4060 AD106 has no recorded benchmarks or nearest rival data in the database. Its 50th percentile ranking and lack of an average score mean that its performance must be inferred from its architecture and clock specifications. The FP32 throughput of 15.11 TFLOPS is roughly 34% lower than the RTX 5080 Mobile's 23.04 TFLOPS, and the memory bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s is less than a third of the mobile part's 896.0 GB/s. These figures suggest that in any compute-bound workload, the RTX 5080 Mobile would hold a commanding lead, though direct benchmark confirmation is absent.

Specification Differences

The specification sheets diverge on nearly every major field. The RTX 4060 AD106 uses GDDR6 memory with 8 GB capacity on a 128-bit bus, delivering 272.0 GB/s. The RTX 5080 Mobile uses GDDR7 memory with 16 GB capacity on a 256-bit bus, delivering 896.0 GB/s. Effective memory clocks are 17 Gbps for the desktop part and 28 Gbps for the mobile part. The memory type alone represents a generational shift, and the doubled capacity and bus width give the RTX 5080 Mobile a decisive bandwidth advantage.

Shading units, TMUs, and ROPs all favor the RTX 5080 Mobile by at least a 2:1 ratio. The RTX 5080 Mobile has 7,680 shading units versus 3,072, 240 TMUs versus 96, and 96 ROPs versus 48. RT cores and tensor cores follow the same pattern: 60 versus 24 and 240 versus 96 respectively. The pixel rate of 144.0 GPixel/s and texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s for the mobile part exceed the desktop part's 118.1 GPixel/s and 236.2 GTexel/s.

Clock speeds are the one area where the RTX 4060 AD106 leads. Its base and boost clocks of 1830 MHz and 2460 MHz are far higher than the RTX 5080 Mobile's 975 MHz and 1500 MHz. However, the mobile part compensates with more execution units, achieving higher aggregate throughput. The RTX 4060 AD106 also has a higher TDP of 115 W versus 80 W, and it requires a dual-slot cooler and 12-pin connector, while the RTX 5080 Mobile is an IGP with no dedicated power connectors.

The bus interface differs substantially. The RTX 5080 Mobile uses PCIe 5.0 x16, which doubles the bandwidth of the RTX 4060 AD106's PCIe 4.0 x8 connection. Display output options are also distinct: the desktop card provides HDMI 2.1 and three DisplayPort 1.4a ports, while the mobile part's outputs are portable device dependent. Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, so API compatibility is identical. The RTX 4060 AD106 is end-of-life with a release date of March 2024, while the RTX 5080 Mobile is active and launched in April 2025.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher FP32 compute throughput?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile delivers 23.04 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 AD106 delivers 15.11 TFLOPS.

Q: How does memory capacity and bandwidth compare?

A: The RTX 5080 Mobile has 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus with 896.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 4060 AD106 has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 272.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: What are the TDP requirements for each card?

A: The RTX 4060 AD106 has a TDP of 115 W and requires a 1x 12-pin power connector with a suggested 300 W PSU. The RTX 5080 Mobile has an 80 W TDP, uses no power connectors, and has no suggested PSU figure.

Q: How does the RTX 5080 Mobile compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 5080 Mobile's average benchmark score of 38,349 is 0.1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce MX570, 0.6% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile, and 0.9% behind both the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A and the AMD Radeon Pro 580X.

Q: Which GPU supports newer PCIe connectivity?

A: The RTX 5080 Mobile uses PCIe 5.0 x16, while the RTX 4060 AD106 uses PCIe 4.0 x8.

Q: Are there any benchmark wins for the RTX 4060 AD106?

A: The database records zero wins for the RTX 4060 AD106 in head-to-head comparisons. The RTX 5080 Mobile holds all performance advantages in the recorded data.