GeForce RTX 3050 6GB vs Mobility Radeon HD 4870

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3050 6GB

2024Core: 1042 MHzBoost: 1470 MHz
RTX family
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VS
AMD

Mobility Radeon HD 4870

2009Core: 550 MHz
Similar parts
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GeForce RTX 3050 6GB vs Mobility Radeon HD 4870 Performance Spectrum

About G3D Mark

G3D Mark is a standard benchmark that measures graphics performance in real-world gaming scenarios. It simplifies comparing cards from different brands, where higher scores directly correlate with better fps and smoother gaming experiences.

GeForce RTX 3050 6GB vs Mobility Radeon HD 4870: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each GPU makes more sense in practice: raw FPS, VRAM, features, power draw, pricing, and long-term headroom.

GeForce RTX 3050 6GB

2024

Why buy it

  • +1392.9% higher PassMark G3D performance.
  • Costs $130 less on MSRP ($169 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
  • Delivers 2541.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 63.6 vs 2.4 G3D/$ ($169 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
  • Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
  • 500% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 1 GB).

Trade-offs

  • 133.3% higher power demand at 70W vs 30W.

Mobility Radeon HD 4870

2009

Why buy it

  • Draws 30W instead of 70W, a 40W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Lower PassMark G3D performance (720 vs 10,749).
  • Less VRAM, with 1 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
  • 2009 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 76.9% HIGHER MSRP
    $299 MSRPvs$169 MSRP

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 1392.9% in PassMark G3D (10,749 vs 720), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 6 GB vs 1 GB of VRAM, a 8nm process instead of 55nm, 18 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2024 generation instead of 2009. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce RTX 3050 6GB makes the most sense to buy today. It is $130 cheaper on MSRP at $169 vs $299, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 2541.3% (63.6 vs 2.4), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce RTX 3050 6GB vs Mobility Radeon HD 4870 Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3050 6GB

The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in February 2 2024. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1042 MHz to 1470 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 70W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 18 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 10,749 points. Launch price was $179.

AMD

Mobility Radeon HD 4870

The Mobility Radeon HD 4870 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 9 2009. It features the TeraScale architecture. The core clock speed is 550 MHz. It has 800 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 30W. Manufactured using 55 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 720 points.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB scores 10,749 versus the Mobility Radeon HD 4870's 720 — the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB leads by 1392.9%. The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is built on Ampere while the Mobility Radeon HD 4870 uses TeraScale, both on 8 nm vs 55 nm. Shader units: 2,304 (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 800 (Mobility Radeon HD 4870). Raw compute: 6.774 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 0.88 TFLOPS (Mobility Radeon HD 4870).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 6GBMobility Radeon HD 4870
G3D Mark Score
10,749+1393%
720
Architecture
Ampere
TeraScale
Process Node
8 nm
55 nm
Shading Units
2304+188%
800
Compute (TFLOPS)
6.774 TFLOPS+670%
0.88 TFLOPS
ROPs
32+100%
16
TMUs
72+80%
40
L1 Cache
2.3 MB+1337%
0.16 MB
L2 Cache
2 MB+700%
0.25 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Mobility Radeon HD 4870 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 6GBMobility Radeon HD 4870
Upscaling Tech
DLSS 2 Super Resolution
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
AMD Anti-Lag
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB has 6 GB of VRAM, while the Mobility Radeon HD 4870 carries 1 GB. GeForce RTX 3050 6GB gives you 500% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 96-bit on the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB and 64-bit on the Mobility Radeon HD 4870. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 0.25 MB (Mobility Radeon HD 4870) — the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 6GBMobility Radeon HD 4870
VRAM Capacity
6 GB+500%
1 GB
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
168 GB/s
Unknown
Bus Width
96-bit+50%
64-bit
L2 Cache
2 MB+700%
0.25 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 10.1 (Mobility Radeon HD 4870). OpenGL: 4.6 vs 3.3. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 2.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 6GBMobility Radeon HD 4870
DirectX
12 Ultimate+19%
10.1
OpenGL
4.6+39%
3.3
Max Displays
4+100%
2
🎬

Media & Encoding

Decoder: NVDEC (7th Gen) vs UVD 2.0. Supported codecs: H.264,HEVC,AV1 (Decode Only) (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (Mobility Radeon HD 4870).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 6GBMobility Radeon HD 4870
Encoder
NVENC (5th Gen)
Decoder
NVDEC (7th Gen)
UVD 2.0
Codecs
H.264,HEVC,AV1 (Decode Only)
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB draws 70W versus the Mobility Radeon HD 4870's 30W — a 80% difference. The Mobility Radeon HD 4870 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 300W (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 350W (Mobility Radeon HD 4870). Power connectors: None vs PCIe-powered.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 6GBMobility Radeon HD 4870
TDP
70W
30W-57%
Recommended PSU
300W-14%
350W
Power Connector
None
PCIe-powered
Length
160mm
Slots
2
0-100%
Temp (Load)
75°C
Perf/Watt
153.6+540%
24.0
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB came in at $169, while the Mobility Radeon HD 4870 launched at $299. On MSRP, GeForce RTX 3050 6GB was 43.5% cheaper ($130 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 63.6 (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 2.4 (Mobility Radeon HD 4870) — the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB offers 2550% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3050 6GB (2024 vs 2009).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 6GBMobility Radeon HD 4870
MSRP
$169-43%
$299
Performance per Dollar
63.6+2550%
2.4
Codename
GA107
M98
Release
February 2 2024
January 9 2009
Ranking
#252
#927

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