NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile vs NVIDIA N1X 40SM Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows no direct head-to-head benchmark results between the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile and the NVIDIA N1X 40SM. The database contains no shared test entries for these two GPUs, and the N1X 40SM has an empty benchmark profile with an average score of zero. This makes a conventional side-by-side comparison impossible from measured performance data alone.

What the database does provide is a full benchmark suite for the RTX 4090 Mobile. Its Geekbench OpenCL score is 180,831, while its Geekbench Vulkan score is 170,774. In PassMark testing, the RTX 4090 Mobile records a G3D score of 27,212, a GPU compute score of 12,347, a DirectX 11 score of 262, a DirectX 9 score of 310, a DirectX 10 score of 173, a DirectX 12 score of 107, and a G2D score of 984. These figures place the RTX 4090 Mobile at the 84th percentile among all GPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 43,667.

The N1X 40SM, by contrast, has no recorded benchmark scores in any test category. Its database percentile is listed at 50, but this reflects the absence of data rather than measured performance. The comparison therefore rests on architectural specifications and theoretical throughput figures, not on empirical results.

When the RTX 4090 Mobile is placed against its nearest rivals in the database, the margins are narrow. It sits 0.8% above the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 (average score 43,301), 0.9% above the GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile (43,268), and 0.9% above the Quadro M6000 24 GB (43,262). It trails the NVIDIA RTX A6000 by 0.9% (average score 44,075). These deltas show that the RTX 4090 Mobile is effectively at parity with a cluster of high-end GPUs, with all differences within one percentage point.

Where Each One Wins

For the RTX 4090 Mobile, the wins are measurable and concrete across every benchmark category it has been tested in. Its peak performance appears in compute-oriented workloads, where the GPU compute score of 12,347 and the Geekbench OpenCL score of 180,831 indicate strong general-purpose throughput. The DirectX 11 score of 262 and DirectX 9 score of 310 show solid legacy API performance, while the DirectX 12 score of 107 is lower, suggesting that the card's newer architecture does not translate into proportional gains in that specific test. The G3D score of 27,212 represents its primary gaming-oriented result.

For the N1X 40SM, there are no benchmark wins in the database. The GPU has zero recorded scores, so any assessment of where it wins must be inferred from its specification sheet. Its texture rate of 750.7 GTexel/s exceeds the RTX 4090 Mobile's 515.3 GTexel/s, indicating a theoretical advantage in texture-heavy workloads. Its boost clock of 2346 MHz is substantially higher than the RTX 4090 Mobile's 1695 MHz, which could translate into higher single-threaded shader throughput in certain tasks. However, without benchmark data, these remain projections rather than verified results.

The RTX 4090 Mobile also holds a decisive advantage in pixel throughput, with 189.8 GPixel/s against the N1X 40SM's 93.84 GPixel/s. This suggests the RTX 4090 Mobile would perform better in fill-rate-bound scenarios, such as high-resolution rasterization with heavy overdraw.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural generations. The RTX 4090 Mobile uses the AD103 chip built on the Ada Lovelace architecture, fabricated by TSMC on a 5 nm process. The N1X 40SM uses the GB20B chip built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture, also fabricated by TSMC on a 5 nm process. Both are integrated graphics packages with a slot width of IGP and no power connectors, but their internal designs diverge significantly.

The RTX 4090 Mobile packs 45,900 million transistors into a 379 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 121.1 million per mm². The N1X 40SM has a slightly larger die at 382 mm², but its transistor count is listed as unknown, so no density comparison is possible. The RTX 4090 Mobile features 9,728 shading units, 304 texture mapping units, and 112 ROPs. The N1X 40SM counters with 5,120 shading units, 320 texture mapping units, and only 40 ROPs. The RTX 4090 Mobile has more than double the shading units and nearly triple the ROPs, while the N1X 40SM has slightly more TMUs.

Ray tracing and tensor core counts also favor the RTX 4090 Mobile. It carries 76 RT cores and 304 tensor cores, while the N1X 40SM has 40 RT cores and 160 tensor cores. The RTX 4090 Mobile also leads in raw FP32 compute at 32.98 TFLOPS, and matches that figure for FP16 at 32.98 TFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio. The N1X 40SM delivers 24.02 TFLOPS for both FP32 and FP16, also at a 1:1 ratio.

Memory configurations differ sharply. The RTX 4090 Mobile uses 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, with memory clocks of 2250 MHz and 18 Gbps effective, producing 576.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The N1X 40SM uses 128 GB of LPDDR5X on a 256-bit bus, with memory clocks of 1067 MHz and 8.5 Gbps effective, producing 273.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX 4090 Mobile has more than double the memory bandwidth despite having one-eighth the capacity. The N1X 40SM's massive memory pool is likely intended for AI or data-center workloads rather than gaming.

The bus interfaces also differ. The RTX 4090 Mobile uses PCIe 4.0 x16, while the N1X 40SM uses PCIe 5.0 x16. Display outputs are portable-device dependent for the RTX 4090 Mobile, while the N1X 40SM lists a single HDMI output. API support diverges completely: the RTX 4090 Mobile supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, while the N1X 40SM lists N/A for DirectX, OpenGL, and Vulkan.

The power envelope is another differentiator. The RTX 4090 Mobile has a TDP of 120 W, while the N1X 40SM's TDP is unknown. Both are integrated packages with no external power connectors. The RTX 4090 Mobile was released on 2023-01-02, while the N1X 40SM has a release date of 2026-05-31. The RTX 4090 Mobile's predecessor is the GeForce 30 Mobile series and its successor is the GeForce 50 Mobile series, while the N1X 40SM has no listed predecessor or successor.

The Verdict

The data supports a clear conclusion: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile is the better-documented and more versatile GPU. It has a complete benchmark profile, an 84th percentile ranking, and an average score of 43,667 that places it within 1% of the RTX A6000 and the Quadro M6000 family. Its FP32 throughput of 32.98 TFLOPS exceeds the N1X 40SM's 24.02 TFLOPS by roughly 37%. Its pixel rate of 189.8 GPixel/s is more than double the N1X 40SM's 93.84 GPixel/s. Its memory bandwidth of 576.0 GB/s is more than double the N1X 40SM's 273.2 GB/s. For any graphics-intensive application that relies on fill rate, bandwidth, or compute, the RTX 4090 Mobile is the stronger choice.

The N1X 40SM, however, offers attributes that the RTX 4090 Mobile cannot match. Its 128 GB of LPDDR5X memory dwarfs the 16 GB GDDR6 pool of the RTX 4090 Mobile. Its texture rate of 750.7 GTexel/s exceeds the RTX 4090 Mobile's 515.3 GTexel/s. Its boost clock of 2346 MHz is significantly higher. These specifications suggest a GPU oriented toward memory-heavy or texture-heavy tasks where capacity and texture throughput matter more than rasterization speed. The lack of DirectX, OpenGL, and Vulkan support in the database, however, indicates that the N1X 40SM is not designed for conventional gaming or graphics APIs.

The RTX 4090 Mobile is the appropriate selection for users who need proven performance in established graphics and compute workloads. The N1X 40SM is a newer, more specialized part with a release date in 2026, but its absence of benchmark data means its real-world performance is unverified. The RTX 4090 Mobile's measured results give it a decisive edge in verifiability and general-purpose capability.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher FP32 compute performance?

A: The RTX 4090 Mobile delivers 32.98 TFLOPS, while the N1X 40SM delivers 24.02 TFLOPS.

Q: How much memory does each GPU have?

A: The RTX 4090 Mobile has 16 GB of GDDR6, while the N1X 40SM has 128 GB of LPDDR5X.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The RTX 4090 Mobile has 576.0 GB/s of bandwidth, while the N1X 40SM has 273.2 GB/s, giving the RTX 4090 Mobile roughly double the bandwidth.

Q: Does the N1X 40SM support DirectX?

A: The database lists DirectX support as N/A for the N1X 40SM, while the RTX 4090 Mobile supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2).

Q: What are the release dates for these GPUs?

A: The RTX 4090 Mobile was released on 2023-01-02, and the N1X 40SM has a release date of 2026-05-31.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The RTX 4090 Mobile has 9,728 shading units, while the N1X 40SM has 5,120 shading units.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile | NVIDIA N1X 40SM |

|---|---|---|

| Chip | AD103 | GB20B |

| Architecture | Ada Lovelace | Blackwell 2.0 |

| Process Node | 5 nm | 5 nm |

| Transistors | 45,900 million | unknown |

| Die Size | 379 mm² | 382 mm² |

| Base Clock | 1335 MHz | 741 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1695 MHz | 2346 MHz |

| Memory Size | 16 GB | 128 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR6 | LPDDR5X |

| Memory Bus | 256 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 576.0 GB/s | 273.2 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 9728 | 5120 |

| TMUs | 304 | 320 |

| ROPs | 112 | 40 |

| RT Cores | 76 | 40 |

| Tensor Cores | 304 | 160 |

| Pixel Rate | 189.8 GPixel/s | 93.84 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 515.3 GTexel/s | 750.7 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 32.98 TFLOPS | 24.02 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 32.98 TFLOPS (1:1) | 24.02 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 120 W | unknown |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x16 | PCIe 5.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | Portable Device Dependent | 1x HDMI |

| DirectX | 12 Ultimate (12_2) | N/A |

| OpenGL | 4.6 | N/A |

| Vulkan | 1.4 | N/A |

| Release Date | 2023-01-02 | 2026-05-31 |

| Average Benchmark Score | 43,667 | 0 |

| Percentile | 84 | 50 |