NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 AD103 vs NVIDIA RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation Comparison

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 AD103 and NVIDIA RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation share the same AD103 chip, the same 5 nm TSMC process, and identical transistor counts, yet they serve entirely different roles. The desktop card is a dual-slot, 200 W add-in board with a 192-bit memory bus, while the mobile part is an integrated graphics processor designed for laptops, consuming 120 W with a 256-bit bus. Benchmark data in the database places the RTX 5000 Mobile in a specific percentile, and the recorded 3DMark Steel Nomad score provides a reference point. The following sections break down the architectural similarities, the specification differences, and the performance implications from the recorded data.

FAQ

Q: What is the difference in memory size between the two GPUs?

A: The RTX 4070 AD103 has 12 GB of GDDR6X memory, while the RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory. The mobile part also uses a wider 256-bit bus compared to the 192-bit bus on the desktop card.

Q: Which GPU has a higher boost clock?

A: The RTX 4070 AD103 boosts to 2475 MHz, whereas the RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation boosts to 2115 MHz. The desktop card's base clock is 1920 MHz, and the mobile part's base clock is 1425 MHz.

Q: How do the shading unit counts compare?

A: The RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation has 9728 shading units, while the RTX 4070 AD103 has 5888. This gives the mobile part a substantial lead in raw shader count.

Q: What is the thermal design power for each GPU?

A: The RTX 4070 AD103 has a TDP of 200 W, and the RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation has a TDP of 120 W. The desktop card requires a 550 W suggested power supply and uses a single 16-pin connector, while the mobile part uses no external power connectors.

Q: Which GPU has a higher memory bandwidth?

A: The RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation delivers 576.0 GB/s, compared to 504.2 GB/s for the RTX 4070 AD103. This is due to the mobile part's 256-bit bus and 18 Gbps effective memory speed.

Q: What is the production status of each GPU?

A: The RTX 4070 AD103 is marked as end-of-life, while the RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation is marked as active. The desktop card was released on 2024-02-29, and the mobile part was released on 2023-03-20.

Architecture Differences

Both GPUs use the AD103 chip, fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC. The transistor count is identical at 45,900 million, and the die size is the same at 379 mm². The transistor density is 121.1M per mm² for both. The architecture is Ada Lovelace for both, and they share the same API support: DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

The core configuration differs significantly. The RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation uses 9728 shading units, 304 TMUs, and 112 ROPs. The RTX 4070 AD103 uses 5888 shading units, 184 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. Ray tracing and tensor cores also differ: the mobile part has 76 RT cores and 304 tensor cores, while the desktop card has 46 RT cores and 184 tensor cores. These counts directly affect the compute throughput, as the mobile part's FP32 rating is 41.15 TFLOPS, and the desktop card is rated at 29.15 TFLOPS. The FP16 performance is identical to FP32 for both, at 41.15 TFLOPS and 29.15 TFLOPS respectively.

The memory subsystem is a key architectural difference. The RTX 4070 AD103 uses 12 GB of GDDR6X on a 192-bit bus, with a memory clock of 1313 MHz and 21 Gbps effective speed. The RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation uses 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, with a memory clock of 2250 MHz and 18 Gbps effective speed. The resulting bandwidth is 504.2 GB/s for the desktop card and 576.0 GB/s for the mobile part. The pixel rate is 158.4 GPixel/s for the RTX 4070 AD103 and 236.9 GPixel/s for the RTX 5000 Mobile. Texture rates are 455.4 GTexel/s and 643.0 GTexel/s, respectively.

The physical design diverges completely. The RTX 4070 AD103 is a dual-slot card, 240 mm long, 110 mm high, and 40 mm wide, with a single 16-pin power connector and a 550 W suggested PSU. The RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation is an integrated graphics processor with no slot width, no power connectors, and no listed dimensions. The desktop card outputs 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the mobile part's display outputs are portable device dependent. Both use a PCIe 4.0 x16 bus interface.

The production lifecycle also differs. The RTX 4070 AD103 is end-of-life, with a launch MSRP of 599 USD, and its predecessor is GeForce 30, successor GeForce 50. The RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation is active, with no launch MSRP, and its predecessor is Ampere-MW, successor Blackwell-MW. The desktop card was released on 2024-02-29, and the mobile part on 2023-03-20.

The Verdict

The recorded data shows two GPUs that are not direct competitors. The RTX 4070 AD103 is a desktop card with a 200 W TDP, a dual-slot cooler, and a 599 USD launch MSRP. The RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation is a laptop part with a 120 W TDP, no external power connectors, and no launch MSRP. The mobile part has more shading units, more TMUs, more ROPs, more RT cores, more tensor cores, more memory, and a wider memory bus. Its FP32 compute is 41.15 TFLOPS versus 29.15 TFLOPS for the desktop card, a difference of 12.0 TFLOPS in absolute terms. The mobile part also has higher memory bandwidth at 576.0 GB/s versus 504.2 GB/s.

The desktop card holds advantages in clock speeds. Its base clock is 1920 MHz versus 1425 MHz, and its boost clock is 2475 MHz versus 2115 MHz. This higher clocking partially compensates for the lower core count, but the mobile part's raw shader count is 65% higher (9728 versus 5888). The desktop card uses faster GDDR6X memory, but the mobile part's wider bus yields more bandwidth. The RTX 4070 AD103 is end-of-life, which means it is no longer in production, while the RTX 5000 Mobile remains active.

For users who need a desktop GPU with a launch MSRP and a dual-slot design, the RTX 4070 AD103 fits that role. For laptops requiring an integrated solution with no power connectors, the RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation is the only option based on the data. The mobile part's higher compute and memory specifications suggest it is positioned for larger workloads, despite its lower TDP. The desktop card's higher clocks and end-of-life status indicate a different market segment. Benchmark results for the RTX 5000 Mobile place it at the 21st percentile among all GPUs, with an average score of 3596 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. The RTX 4070 AD103 has no recorded benchmarks in the database.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs share the same chip, process, and transistor count, but several fields differ. The clock speeds are different: the RTX 4070 AD103 has a base clock of 1920 MHz and a boost clock of 2475 MHz, while the RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation has a base clock of 1425 MHz and a boost clock of 2115 MHz. The memory clock is also different, at 1313 MHz with 21 Gbps effective for the desktop card, and 2250 MHz with 18 Gbps effective for the mobile part.

Memory configuration differs in size, type, bus width, and bandwidth. The RTX 4070 AD103 uses 12 GB of GDDR6X on a 192-bit bus with 504.2 GB/s. The RTX 5000 Mobile uses 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 576.0 GB/s. Core counts differ across all categories: shading units (5888 versus 9728), TMUs (184 versus 304), ROPs (64 versus 112), RT cores (46 versus 76), and tensor cores (184 versus 304). The pixel rate is 158.4 GPixel/s versus 236.9 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 455.4 GTexel/s versus 643.0 GTexel/s. FP32 and FP16 performance are 29.15 TFLOPS versus 41.15 TFLOPS for both.

The TDP is 200 W for the desktop card and 120 W for the mobile part. The slot width is dual-slot versus IGP. The power connector is 1x 16-pin versus none. The suggested PSU is 550 W for the desktop card, and the mobile part has no suggested PSU. The display outputs are 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a versus portable device dependent. The production status is end-of-life versus active. The release date is 2024-02-29 versus 2023-03-20. The launch MSRP is 599 USD for the desktop card, and the mobile part has no launch MSRP. The predecessor is GeForce 30 versus Ampere-MW, and the successor is GeForce 50 versus Blackwell-MW. The RTX 4070 AD103 has dimensions of 240 mm length, 110 mm height, and 40 mm width, while the mobile part has no listed dimensions.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains no direct head-to-head benchmark results between these two GPUs. The wins count is 0 for both sides. The only recorded benchmark is for the RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation, which scored 3596 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. That score places the mobile part at the 21st percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 3596.

The nearest rivals for the RTX 5000 Mobile provide context. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 545 has an average score of 3594, a delta of 0.1% relative to the mobile part. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 735M scores 3616, a delta of -0.6%. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 scores 3629, a delta of -0.9%. The AMD Radeon HD 6770 scores 3649, a delta of -1.5%. These deltas are all within 1.5% of the RTX 5000 Mobile's score, placing it in a narrow performance band alongside these older cards.

The RTX 4070 AD103 has no benchmarks, no average score, and no nearest rivals in the database. Its percentile is 50, but that is based on no recorded measurements. Therefore, no direct comparison of measured performance is possible from the available data.

The compute specifications, however, allow a theoretical comparison. The RTX 5000 Mobile has a 41.15 TFLOPS FP32 rating, which is 12.0 TFLOPS higher than the desktop card's 29.15 TFLOPS. That is a 41% advantage in raw compute. The pixel rate is 236.9 GPixel/s versus 158.4 GPixel/s, a 78.5 GPixel/s difference. The texture rate is 643.0 GTexel/s versus 455.4 GTexel/s, a 187.6 GTexel/s difference. The memory bandwidth is 576.0 GB/s versus 504.2 GB/s, a 71.8 GB/s advantage for the mobile part.

The desktop card counters with higher clocks. The boost clock is 2475 MHz versus 2115 MHz, a 360 MHz difference. The base clock is 1920 MHz versus 1425 MHz, a 495 MHz difference. The desktop card also uses GDDR6X memory, which is a faster memory type, but the mobile part's wider bus and larger capacity dominate the bandwidth figure.

The RTX 5000 Mobile's recorded benchmark score of 3596 is close to the scores of its four nearest rivals, all of which are within 55 points. The closest is the GeForce GT 545 at 3594, just 2 points behind. The GeForce GT 735M is 20 points ahead, the GeForce GTX 1050 is 33 points ahead, and the Radeon HD 6770 is 53 points ahead. These deltas are very small, indicating that the mobile part's measured performance is tightly clustered with these older GPUs, despite its much higher core count and memory bandwidth.

The RTX 4070 AD103's lack of benchmark data means its actual performance is unverified in the database. Its 50th percentile is a neutral placeholder, not a measured result. The desktop card's higher clocks and end-of-life status suggest it was a mainstream product, but without recorded scores, no performance claims can be made from the data.

In summary, the recorded data shows a clear split. The RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation has superior core counts, memory capacity, bandwidth, and compute ratings. The RTX 4070 AD103 has higher clock speeds, a lower TDP is not the case, it actually has a higher TDP, and a launch MSRP. The mobile part's single benchmark score of 3596 places it at the 21st percentile, and its rivals are all older, lower-performance cards. The desktop card has no measured scores. The architectural comparison favors the mobile part in nearly every quantitative category, except for clock speed and memory type. The desktop card's 41% lower compute rating and 12 GB memory capacity put it in a different class, despite the shared AD103 chip.