NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 SUPER vs NVIDIA RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The data presents an unusual comparison. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 SUPER has a recorded benchmark score, while the NVIDIA RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation has no benchmark entries in the database. This means the RTX 5080 SUPER is the only one of the two with measured performance data available. The RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation cannot be assigned any benchmark wins because no test results exist for it. The RTX 5080 SUPER, by default, holds the only recorded win, but the comparison is heavily lopsided due to missing data for the mobile part.

The RTX 5080 SUPER is a desktop graphics card with a 415 W power draw, a dual-slot design, and a 304 mm length. The RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) with a 100 W power envelope, no power connectors, and portable device dependent display outputs. These are fundamentally different product categories. The desktop card is designed for high-throughput workloads in a full-size chassis, while the mobile part is built for power-constrained laptops and workstations.

The use-case split is clear from the design parameters alone. The RTX 5080 SUPER targets desktop systems where space, cooling, and power are available. The RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation targets portable workstations where the GPU must share thermal and power budgets with the CPU and other components. The mobile part's 100 W TDP is less than a quarter of the desktop card's 415 W TDP, indicating a deliberate trade-off between performance and portability.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs use different architectures and chips. The RTX 5080 SUPER is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with the GB203 chip. The RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation uses the Ada Lovelace architecture with the AD104 chip. Both are manufactured by TSMC on a 5 nm process node, but the transistor counts differ significantly. The GB203 contains 45,600 million transistors on a 378 mm² die, while the AD104 contains 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die. The transistor density is nearly identical: 120.6M per mm² for the desktop card and 121.8M per mm² for the mobile part. This suggests both chips are at similar manufacturing maturity, but the desktop chip uses a larger die to accommodate more compute units.

The RTX 5080 SUPER has 10,752 shading units, 336 texture mapping units, and 112 render output units. The RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation has 5,120 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The desktop card has more than double the shading units and TMUs, and nearly double the ROPs. Ray tracing cores follow the same pattern: 84 on the RTX 5080 SUPER versus 40 on the RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation. Tensor cores are 336 versus 160. Every compute resource is substantially larger on the desktop part.

Clock speeds differ as well. The RTX 5080 SUPER has a base clock of 2295 MHz and a boost clock of 2617 MHz. The RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation has a base clock of 1110 MHz and a boost clock of 1545 MHz. The desktop card's boost clock is over 1000 MHz higher than the mobile part's boost clock. This combination of more cores and higher clocks leads to a large performance gap in theoretical throughput.

Memory architecture is also different. The RTX 5080 SUPER uses 24 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256 bit bus, yielding 1.02 TB/s of bandwidth. The RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation uses 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192 bit bus, yielding 432.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The desktop card has double the memory capacity and more than double the bandwidth. The memory clock is 2000 MHz (32 Gbps effective) on the desktop card versus 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective) on the mobile part.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head benchmark section is empty in the database. There are no recorded tests that compare the two GPUs directly. The only benchmark score available for either product is the RTX 5080 SUPER's result in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, where it scored 3075 points. The RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation has no benchmark scores at all, so there is no direct comparison data.

The RTX 5080 SUPER's single benchmark score places it at the 19th percentile of all GPUs in the database. Its nearest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA Quadro P1000 with an average score of 3163 (2.8% higher), the Intel Arc Pro B60 with a score of 3182 (3.4% higher), the NVIDIA GeForce 820A with a score of 2983 (3.1% lower), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860M with a score of 2967 (3.6% lower). These deltas are small, within a range of approximately 3.6% below to 3.4% above the RTX 5080 SUPER's score. This clustering of scores near 3000 suggests that the RTX 5080 SUPER's recorded performance is in a specific performance tier, despite its high-end specifications.

The absence of benchmark data for the RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation means its performance cannot be quantified relative to the RTX 5080 SUPER. The database records no score, no percentile, and no nearest rivals for the mobile part. Any performance comparison between the two would rely on specification differences rather than measured results.

The theoretical throughput figures provide some indication of the gap. The RTX 5080 SUPER delivers 56.28 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, while the RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation delivers 15.82 TFLOPS. This is a factor of approximately 3.6 in raw compute. Pixel rate is 293.1 GPixel/s versus 98.88 GPixel/s, and texture rate is 879.3 GTexel/s versus 247.2 GTexel/s. These are large differences, but they are calculated specifications, not benchmark results.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher benchmark score in the database?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 SUPER has a recorded score of 3075 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. The NVIDIA RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation has no benchmark scores recorded.

Q: What are the architectures of the two GPUs?

A: The RTX 5080 SUPER uses the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with the GB203 chip. The RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation uses the Ada Lovelace architecture with the AD104 chip.

Q: How do the memory configurations differ?

A: The RTX 5080 SUPER has 24 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256 bit bus with 1.02 TB/s bandwidth. The RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation has 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192 bit bus with 432.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The RTX 5080 SUPER has a TDP of 415 W and uses a single 16-pin power connector. The RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation has a TDP of 100 W and uses no power connectors.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The RTX 5080 SUPER has 10,752 shading units. The RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation has 5,120 shading units, which is less than half the desktop card's count.

Q: What is the release date for each product?

A: The RTX 5080 SUPER has a release date of 2025-12-31. The RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation has a release date of 2023-03-20.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 SUPER | NVIDIA RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation |

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

| Architecture | Blackwell 2.0 | Ada Lovelace |

| Chip | GB203 | AD104 |

| Process Node | 5 nm | 5 nm |

| Transistors | 45,600 million | 35,800 million |

| Die Size | 378 mm² | 294 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 120.6M / mm² | 121.8M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 2295 MHz | 1110 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2617 MHz | 1545 MHz |

| Memory Size | 24 GB | 12 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR7 | GDDR6 |

| Memory Bus Width | 256 bit | 192 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 1.02 TB/s | 432.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 10,752 | 5,120 |

| TMUs | 336 | 160 |

| ROPs | 112 | 64 |

| RT Cores | 84 | 40 |

| Tensor Cores | 336 | 160 |

| Pixel Rate | 293.1 GPixel/s | 98.88 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 879.3 GTexel/s | 247.2 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 56.28 TFLOPS | 15.82 TFLOPS |

| TDP | 415 W | 100 W |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | IGP |

| Power Connectors | 1x 16-pin | None |

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

| Display Outputs | 1x HDMI 2.1b, 3x DisplayPort 2.1b | Portable Device Dependent |

| Release Date | 2025-12-31 | 2023-03-20 |

The two GPUs share the same process node, foundry (TSMC), DirectX version (12 Ultimate 12_2), OpenGL version (4.6), and Vulkan version (1.4). They differ in nearly every other specification. The RTX 5080 SUPER is larger, faster, and more power-hungry in every measurable category. The RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation is smaller, slower, and more power-efficient, reflecting its mobile design.

The Verdict

The data shows two products with fundamentally different design goals. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 SUPER is a high-performance desktop GPU with a 415 W TDP, 24 GB of GDDR7 memory, and 56.28 TFLOPS of FP32 throughput. It has a recorded benchmark score of 3075 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, placing it at the 19th percentile of all GPUs in the database. Its nearest rivals are all within a few percentage points of its score, indicating that its measured performance is competitive with a specific performance tier.

The NVIDIA RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation has no recorded benchmark scores, no percentile ranking, and no nearest rivals in the database. Its specifications show a much smaller chip: 5,120 shading units, 12 GB of GDDR6 memory, and 15.82 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. Its 100 W TDP and IGP form factor make it suitable for portable devices, but its performance cannot be quantified from the available data.

For users choosing between these two, the decision is straightforward based on the data. The RTX 5080 SUPER is the only option with measured performance, and it offers substantially higher compute resources, memory bandwidth, and clock speeds. The RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation is the only option for portable systems, given its IGP design and 100 W power envelope. The desktop card requires a dual-slot chassis, a 16-pin power connector, and a PCIe 5.0 x16 slot. The mobile part requires none of these, as it relies on the host device for power and display output.

The RTX 5080 SUPER has a launch MSRP of 999 USD. The RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation has no launch MSRP recorded. The desktop card is the only product with a clear performance identity in the database. The mobile part remains an unknown quantity until benchmark data is recorded.