NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Comparison

# Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data presents a striking split between these two NVIDIA GPUs. The RTX 4090 Mobile claims only a single victory across nine head-to-head tests, while the RTX 5070 wins the remaining eight. That lopsided tally, however, hides a more nuanced story about where each GPU excels.

The RTX 4090 Mobile's sole win comes in Geekbench OpenCL, where it scores 180,831 against the RTX 5070's 172,660. That is a 4.7% advantage, a modest but real margin. In every other test, the RTX 5070 turns the tables. The closest contest is Passmark DirectX 12, where the RTX 5070 edges ahead by just 0.9% (108 vs 107). The DirectX 10 gap is similarly narrow at 3.9% (180 vs 173), and DirectX 11 shows a 5.4% lead (277 vs 262). These small deltas suggest that in legacy DirectX workloads, the two GPUs are nearly interchangeable.

The picture changes dramatically in newer or more specialized workloads. Passmark G3D gives the RTX 5070 a 6.6% lead (29,137 vs 27,212), while Geekbench Vulkan shows a 4.6% edge for the RTX 5070 (178,923 vs 170,774). The RTX 5070's advantage grows to 21.8% in Passmark GPU Compute (15,787 vs 12,347), and the largest gap of all appears in Passmark G2D, where the RTX 5070 scores 1,305 versus 984 — a 24.6% blowout. That G2D result is striking, as it measures 2D graphics performance rather than raw 3D rendering, suggesting the newer architecture handles desktop composition and 2D workloads with far greater efficiency.

Looking at average benchmark scores, the RTX 4090 Mobile posts 43,667 versus the RTX 5070's 40,377. That puts the RTX 4090 Mobile in the 84th percentile of all GPUs, while the RTX 5070 sits at the 82nd percentile. The RTX 4090 Mobile's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA RTX A6000 at 44,075 (0.9% ahead) and the Quadro M6000 at 43,301 (0.8% behind). The RTX 5070's closest competitors are all AMD workstation cards: the Radeon Pro 580 at 40,318 (0.1% ahead), the Radeon Pro WX 7100 at 40,063 (0.8% ahead), and the Radeon Pro 5300 at 40,870 (1.2% behind). The RTX 5070 also sits 2% ahead of the NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile at 39,568.

# The Verdict

The data paints a clear picture for most use cases: the RTX 5070 wins the majority of benchmark tests, and often by substantial margins. In compute-heavy workloads, its 21.8% lead in Passmark GPU Compute makes it the obvious choice for tasks that stress parallel processing. The 24.6% advantage in G2D further cements its position for everyday desktop and productivity scenarios. Even in pure 3D rendering, the RTX 5070's 6.6% G3D lead gives it the edge for gaming and graphics-intensive applications.

The RTX 4090 Mobile is not without its merits. Its 4.7% OpenCL victory suggests it retains an advantage in certain compute APIs that favor its larger shader count. And its higher average benchmark score of 43,667 versus 40,377 indicates that, when averaged across all tests, it still holds a slight overall edge. The RTX 4090 Mobile also sits in a higher percentile rank (84th vs 82nd), which reflects its position relative to the entire GPU landscape.

For most buyers, however, the RTX 5070's consistent wins across DirectX 10, 11, 12, Vulkan, G2D, G3D, and GPU Compute make it the more versatile performer. The RTX 4090 Mobile remains relevant for users who specifically prioritize OpenCL workloads or who value the higher aggregate benchmark score. But if the question is which GPU wins more head-to-head matchups, the answer is unambiguous: the RTX 5070, with eight wins out of nine.

# Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different generations and architectures. The RTX 4090 Mobile uses the AD103 chip based on Ada Lovelace, while the RTX 5070 uses the GB205 chip based on Blackwell 2.0. Both are built on a 5 nm process at TSMC, but the transistor counts and die sizes diverge significantly. The RTX 4090 Mobile packs 45,900 million transistors on a 379 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 121.1 million per mm². The RTX 5070 contains 31,100 million transistors on a 263 mm² die, with a density of 118.3 million per mm².

The RTX 4090 Mobile's larger die accommodates more hardware resources. It features 9,728 shading units, 304 texture mapping units, 112 ROPs, 76 RT cores, and 304 tensor cores. The RTX 5070 counters with 6,144 shading units, 192 TMUs, 80 ROPs, 48 RT cores, and 192 tensor cores. Despite having fewer cores, the RTX 5070 achieves a higher pixel rate of 201.0 GPixel/s versus 189.8 GPixel/s for the RTX 4090 Mobile. The texture rates are closer: 482.3 GTexel/s for the RTX 5070 against 515.3 GTexel/s for the RTX 4090 Mobile.

The FP32 compute figures reveal the efficiency of the newer architecture. The RTX 4090 Mobile delivers 32.98 TFLOPS, while the RTX 5070 achieves 30.87 TFLOPS. That is a 6.4% advantage for the older GPU in raw floating-point throughput, yet the RTX 5070 still manages to win most real-world benchmarks. Both GPUs offer FP16 at a 1:1 ratio with FP32.

Memory subsystems differ fundamentally. The RTX 4090 Mobile uses 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 576.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX 5070 uses 12 GB of GDDR7 on a 192-bit bus, yet achieves higher bandwidth at 672.0 GB/s. The GDDR7 memory runs at 1750 MHz with 28 Gbps effective speed, while the GDDR6 in the RTX 4090 Mobile runs at 2250 MHz with 18 Gbps effective speed.

# Specification Differences

The power profiles of these two GPUs could not be more different. The RTX 4090 Mobile has a TDP of 120 W and uses no power connectors, fitting into an IGP slot width. The RTX 5070 draws 250 W, requires a single 16-pin connector, and occupies a dual-slot form factor. The RTX 5070 also specifies a recommended 600 W power supply, a figure the RTX 4090 Mobile does not list.

The bus interfaces differ as well. The RTX 4090 Mobile uses PCIe 4.0 x16, while the RTX 5070 steps up to PCIe 5.0 x16. Display outputs also vary: the RTX 4090 Mobile's outputs are described as "Portable Device Dependent," reflecting its laptop-oriented design, while the RTX 5070 offers 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1b.

Physical dimensions are only provided for the RTX 5070, which measures 245 mm in length, 115 mm in height, and 40 mm in width. Clock speeds show the RTX 5070 running substantially higher: a base of 2325 MHz and boost of 2512 MHz, compared to the RTX 4090 Mobile's base of 1335 MHz and boost of 1695 MHz. The release dates also differ, with the RTX 4090 Mobile launching on 2023-01-02 and the RTX 5070 on 2025-03-03.

# FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 4090 Mobile posts an average benchmark score of 43,667, which is 3,290 points higher than the RTX 5070's 40,377.

Q: How large is the RTX 5070's lead in Passmark GPU Compute?

A: The RTX 5070 scores 15,787 versus 12,347 for the RTX 4090 Mobile, a difference of 21.8%.

Q: What is the only benchmark where the RTX 4090 Mobile wins?

A: The RTX 4090 Mobile wins Geekbench OpenCL with a score of 180,831, beating the RTX 5070's 172,660 by 4.7%.

Q: Do both GPUs support the same DirectX version?

A: Yes, both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), along with OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4.

Q: How does memory bandwidth compare between the two?

A: The RTX 5070 delivers 672.0 GB/s from 12 GB of GDDR7 on a 192-bit bus, while the RTX 4090 Mobile provides 576.0 GB/s from 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus.

Q: What are the TDP figures for each GPU?

A: The RTX 4090 Mobile has a TDP of 120 W, while the RTX 5070 draws 250 W and requires a 600 W power supply.

# Where Each One Wins

The RTX 5070 dominates in most scenarios. Its 24.6% lead in Passmark G2D makes it the superior choice for desktop environments, 2D applications, and any workload that stresses graphical user interface rendering. The 21.8% advantage in Passmark GPU Compute positions it as the better option for general-purpose compute tasks, including physics simulations, video encoding, and machine learning inference. In gaming, the 6.6% G3D lead and 4.6% Vulkan advantage suggest the RTX 5070 delivers smoother frame rates in modern titles, particularly those using Vulkan APIs.

The RTX 5070 also wins the legacy DirectX tests. Its 5.4% lead in DirectX 11 and 3.9% lead in DirectX 10 make it the safer bet for older game libraries and applications that rely on these APIs. Even in DirectX 12, where the margin is just 0.9%, the RTX 5070 comes out ahead. For users who prioritize a single GPU for both productivity and entertainment, the RTX 5070's consistent performance profile is compelling.

The RTX 4090 Mobile's strengths are narrower but real. Its 4.7% OpenCL victory makes it the preferable choice for OpenCL-specific compute workloads, which include certain scientific computing and engineering applications. The higher average benchmark score of 43,667 also suggests it performs better when results are aggregated across the full test suite. Additionally, its higher transistor density (121.1M per mm² vs 118.3M per mm²) and larger FP32 throughput (32.98 TFLOPS vs 30.87 TFLOPS) indicate it retains raw compute headroom that could benefit specialized software optimized for its Ada Lovelace architecture.

The RTX 4090 Mobile's 16 GB memory capacity versus 12 GB on the RTX 5070 also matters for users who need larger frame buffers for high-resolution textures or large datasets. The RTX 4090 Mobile's lower TDP of 120 W makes it more suitable for thin-and-light laptops, while the RTX 5070's 250 W requirement means it belongs in bulkier desktop or high-performance laptop chassis. The RTX 5070's PCIe 5.0 interface and superior memory bandwidth (672.0 GB/s) give it a forward-looking edge for future workloads that can exploit these newer standards.