NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile vs NVIDIA Tesla M40 Comparison
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile
Tesla M40
PERFORMANCE BENCHMARKS
Analysis: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile vs NVIDIA Tesla M40
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile vs NVIDIA Tesla M40
Head-to-Head Benchmarks
The only direct benchmark comparison available shows a decisive victory for the GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RTX 5050 Mobile scores 84171 points, while the Tesla M40 manages 39192 points. This translates to a 114.8% performance advantage for the newer mobile GPU — more than double the raw compute output of the Tesla M40 in this specific workload.
The RTX 5050 Mobile’s lead is substantial enough that the Tesla M40 would need to nearly double its performance to match. The 114.8% deltaPct is not a marginal edge; it represents a generational leap in compute efficiency and raw throughput. In practical terms, any OpenCL-based task—from physics simulations to image processing—will complete in roughly half the time on the RTX 5050 Mobile compared to the Tesla M40.
However, the Tesla M40 counters in other areas not captured by this single benchmark. The M40 achieves a pixel rate of 106.8 GPixel/s, which is 122.5% higher than the RTX 5050 Mobile’s 48.00 GPixel/s. Similarly, the M40’s texture rate of 213.5 GTexel/s dwarfs the RTX 5050 Mobile’s 120.0 GTexel/s. These fillrate advantages suggest the Tesla M40 retains strength in specific rasterization-heavy workloads, even if its compute-oriented OpenCL score lags far behind.
It is also worth noting the average benchmark scores from their respective peer groups. The RTX 5050 Mobile carries an avgBenchmarkScore of 43268, while the Tesla M40 sits at 41897. The RTX 5050 Mobile is 3.3% ahead on this aggregate metric, but both GPUs occupy the same 83rd percentile among all GPUs. This parity in percentile ranking indicates that despite the massive OpenCL gap, the two products serve comparable overall performance tiers when considering a broader spectrum of workloads.
The Verdict
The data points to a clear conclusion: choose the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile for any compute-focused task where OpenCL performance matters. The 114.8% advantage in Geekbench OpenCL is overwhelming and cannot be ignored. If your workload relies on general-purpose GPU computing, the RTX 5050 Mobile is the superior option by a wide margin.
Conversely, the Tesla M40 remains relevant only for specific rasterization-bound scenarios. Its fillrate advantages—122.5% higher pixel rate and 77.9% higher texture rate—indicate that legacy graphics pipelines or certain rendering tasks could still favor the older card. However, these advantages come with a 250 W TDP versus the RTX 5050 Mobile’s 50 W TDP, making the efficiency comparison starkly one-sided.
For most users, the RTX 5050 Mobile is the rational pick. It delivers more than double the OpenCL compute performance, consumes 80% less power, and comes from an active production line. The Tesla M40 is end-of-life, with no display outputs, requiring a 600 W suggested PSU, and occupying a dual-slot form factor. The RTX 5050 Mobile is an IGP with no power connectors, making it vastly easier to integrate into modern systems.
The only scenario where the Tesla M40 makes sense is if you have a specialized workload that specifically leverages its higher fillrates and 12 GB of VRAM (versus 8 GB on the RTX 5050 Mobile) and you are constrained to a PCIe 3.0 platform. But even then, the compute gap is so massive that most users will find the RTX 5050 Mobile’s advantages impossible to overlook.
Architecture Differences
The architectural divide between these two GPUs is generational. The RTX 5050 Mobile uses the GB207 chip built on Blackwell 2.0 architecture, fabricated on a 5 nm TSMC process. The Tesla M40 uses the GM200 chip on Maxwell 2.0 architecture, produced on a 28 nm TSMC node. This process difference is stark: 5 nm versus 28 nm.
Transistor counts tell the story of design philosophy. The RTX 5050 Mobile packs 16,900 million transistors into a 149 mm² die, achieving a density of 113.4M transistors per mm². The Tesla M40 has 8,000 million transistors spread across a massive 601 mm² die, yielding just 13.3M transistors per mm². The RTX 5050 Mobile is 8.5 times denser, a signal of the miniaturization achieved over nearly a decade of process improvements.
The RTX 5050 Mobile introduces hardware features absent from the Tesla M40. It includes 20 RT cores and 80 tensor cores, enabling hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI tensor operations. The Tesla M40 has neither, with those fields marked null. The RTX 5050 Mobile also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the Tesla M40 is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1).
Memory architecture diverges completely. The RTX 5050 Mobile uses 8 GB of GDDR7 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 384.0 GB/s bandwidth. The Tesla M40 uses 12 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, providing 288.4 GB/s bandwidth. Despite having fewer memory chips and a narrower bus, the RTX 5050 Mobile achieves 33.1% higher memory bandwidth thanks to the newer GDDR7 standard.
Specification Differences
The specification sheets reveal several key differences between the two GPUs.
| Specification | RTX 5050 Mobile | Tesla M40 |
|---|---|---|
| Process Node | 5 nm | 28 nm |
| Transistors | 16,900 million | 8,000 million |
| Die Size | 149 mm² | 601 mm² |
| Base Clock | 1020 MHz | 948 MHz |
| Boost Clock | 1500 MHz | 1112 MHz |
| Memory Size | 8 GB | 12 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR7 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bus | 128 bit | 384 bit |
| Bandwidth | 384.0 GB/s | 288.4 GB/s |
| Shading Units | 2560 | 3072 |
| TMUs | 80 | 192 |
| ROPs | 32 | 96 |
| FP32 | 7.680 TFLOPS | 6.832 TFLOPS |
| TDP | 50 W | 250 W |
| Slot Width | IGP | Dual-slot |
| Power Connectors | None | 8-pin EPS |
| Bus Interface | PCIe 5.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |
| Display Outputs | Portable Device Dependent | No outputs |
| Release Date | 2025-06-23 | 2015-11-09 |
The RTX 5050 Mobile leads in clock speeds, FP32 compute, memory bandwidth, and power efficiency. The Tesla M40 counters with more shading units, TMUs, ROPs, and memory capacity. The M40 also has a larger die and higher pixel/texture rates.
FAQ
Q: Which GPU is faster in OpenCL compute?
A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile scores 84171 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 114.8% higher than the Tesla M40’s 39192 score.
Q: Does the Tesla M40 support ray tracing?
A: No. The Tesla M40 has no RT cores or tensor cores. The RTX 5050 Mobile includes 20 RT cores and 80 tensor cores.
Q: Which GPU has more memory bandwidth?
A: The RTX 5050 Mobile delivers 384.0 GB/s, which is 33.1% higher than the Tesla M40’s 288.4 GB/s, despite using a narrower 128-bit bus versus 384-bit.
Q: What is the power consumption difference?
A: The RTX 5050 Mobile has a 50 W TDP, while the Tesla M40 has a 250 W TDP. The Tesla M40 also requires a 600 W suggested PSU and an 8-pin EPS connector, while the RTX 5050 Mobile has no power connectors.
Q: Which GPU has better rasterization fillrates?
A: The Tesla M40 has higher fillrates, with a 106.8 GPixel/s pixel rate and 213.5 GTexel/s texture rate, compared to 48.00 GPixel/s and 120.0 GTexel/s on the RTX 5050 Mobile.
Q: Are both GPUs in the same performance percentile?
A: Yes, both occupy the 83rd percentile among all GPUs. However, the RTX 5050 Mobile has a higher avgBenchmarkScore of 43268 versus 41897 for the Tesla M40.
Where Each One Wins
The RTX 5050 Mobile wins decisively in compute-heavy workloads. The 114.8% OpenCL advantage makes it the clear choice for general-purpose GPU computing, machine learning inference, and any task leveraging FP32 throughput. Its 7.680 TFLOPS FP32 output exceeds the Tesla M40’s 6.832 TFLOPS by 12.4%. The RTX 5050 Mobile also wins on memory bandwidth, PCIe 5.0 interface, and modern API support including DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4.
The Tesla M40 wins in specific rasterization scenarios. Its 106.8 GPixel/s pixel rate and 213.5 GTexel/s texture rate are substantially higher, suggesting advantages in fillrate-bound rendering. The M40’s 12 GB of VRAM, 50% more than the RTX 5050 Mobile, provides additional capacity for large textures or datasets. The M40 also has more shading units (3072 versus 2560), TMUs (192 versus 80), and ROPs (96 versus 32).
For power-constrained or portable systems, the RTX 5050 Mobile is the only viable option. Its 50 W TDP, IGP form factor, and lack of power connectors make it suitable for laptops. The Tesla M40 is a dual-slot card with no display outputs, requiring external power and a 600 W PSU recommendation.
For legacy PCIe 3.0 platforms that cannot upgrade, the Tesla M40 offers a drop-in solution. But for new builds or mobile systems, the RTX 5050 Mobile’s compute dominance, memory bandwidth, and efficiency make it the superior choice. The 83rd percentile ranking for both GPUs masks the fact that the RTX 5050 Mobile achieves this level with a fraction of the power and physical footprint.