GeForce RTX 3050 A Laptop GPU vs RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3050 A Laptop GPU

2022Core: 1552 MHzBoost: 1777 MHz
RTX family
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VS
NVIDIA

RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile

2024Core: 1485 MHzBoost: 2025 MHz
RTX family
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GeForce RTX 3050 A Laptop GPU vs RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile 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 A Laptop GPU vs RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile FPS Benchmarks

Predicted gaming performance across popular games. Tested paired with Ryzen 7 9800X3D to isolate GPU performance.

Search any supported game below to compare 1080p FPS for both components.

GeForce RTX 3050 A Laptop GPU vs RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile: 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 A Laptop GPU

2022

Why buy it

  • 25% more Tensor Cores for AI-powered features like DLSS and frame generation, which can increase overall FPS in supported games (80 vs 64).

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • No equivalent frame-generation stack like DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation (2025).
  • RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile is the safer long-term pick here because the hardware is newer and the feature stack is stronger.
  • 271.4% higher power demand at 130W vs 35W.

RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile

2024

Why buy it

  • 20.6% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Access to a newer frame-generation stack with DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation (2025).
  • 100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).
  • Better long-term bet: Ada Lovelace (2022−2024) on 5nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
  • Draws 35W instead of 130W, a 95W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Fewer Tensor Cores for AI-powered features like DLSS and frame generation (64 vs 80), which can reduce FPS gains in supported games.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 20.6% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward GeForce RTX 3050 A Laptop GPU instead at 11,240 vs 11,162, so for this question the real-game FPS result matters more than the synthetic split.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 8 GB vs 4 GB of VRAM, the newer feature stack, with DLSS 4 Super Resolution (2025) and DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation (2025), while GeForce RTX 3050 A Laptop GPU is limited to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) and no comparable frame-generation support, a 5nm process instead of 8nm, and a newer 2024 generation instead of 2022. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup.

GeForce RTX 3050 A Laptop GPU vs RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3050 A Laptop GPU

The GeForce RTX 3050 A Laptop GPU is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 4 2022. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1552 MHz to 1777 MHz. It has 2560 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 130W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 20 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 11,240 points. Launch price was $249.

NVIDIA

RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile

The RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in February 26 2024. It features the Ada Lovelace architecture. The core clock ranges from 1485 MHz to 2025 MHz. It has 2048 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 35W. Manufactured using 5 nm process technology. It features 16 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 11,162 points.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce RTX 3050 A Laptop GPU scores 11,240 and the RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile reaches 11,162 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce RTX 3050 A Laptop GPU is built on Ampere while the RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile uses Ada Lovelace, both on 8 nm vs 5 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce RTX 3050 A Laptop GPU) vs 2,048 (RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile). Raw compute: 9.098 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3050 A Laptop GPU) vs 8.294 TFLOPS (RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile). Boost clocks: 1777 MHz vs 2025 MHz. Ray tracing: 20 RT cores (GeForce RTX 3050 A Laptop GPU) vs 16 (RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile) with 80 Tensor cores vs 64.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 A Laptop GPURTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile
G3D Mark Score
11,240
11,162
Architecture
Ampere
Ada Lovelace
Process Node
8 nm
5 nm
Shading Units
2560+25%
2048
Compute (TFLOPS)
9.098 TFLOPS+10%
8.294 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
1777 MHz
2025 MHz+14%
ROPs
32
32
TMUs
80+25%
64
L1 Cache
2.5 MB+25%
2 MB
L2 Cache
2 MB
12 MB+500%
Ray Tracing Cores
20+25%
16
Tensor Cores
80+25%
64

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The clearest feature edge for the RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile is support for DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation. In games that support it, that can smooth out motion and lift perceived FPS. The GeForce RTX 3050 A Laptop GPU does not have comparable native support in the same tier.The RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile supports the newer DLSS 4 Super Resolution, whereas the GeForce RTX 3050 A Laptop GPU is capped at DLSS 2 Super Resolution.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 A Laptop GPURTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile
Upscaling Tech
DLSS 2 Super Resolution
DLSS 4 Super Resolution
Frame Generation
Not Supported
DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation
Ray Reconstruction
No
Yes (DLSS 4)
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
NVIDIA Reflex
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce RTX 3050 A Laptop GPU has 4 GB of VRAM, while the RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile carries 8 GB. RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile gives you 100% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the GeForce RTX 3050 A Laptop GPU and 64-bit on the RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce RTX 3050 A Laptop GPU) vs 12 MB (RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile) — the RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 A Laptop GPURTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile
VRAM Capacity
4 GB
8 GB+100%
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth
128 GB/s
128 GB/s
Bus Width
64-bit
64-bit
L2 Cache
2 MB
12 MB+500%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12_2 (GeForce RTX 3050 A Laptop GPU) vs 12 (12_2) (RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile). Maximum simultaneous displays: 0 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 A Laptop GPURTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile
DirectX
12_2
12 (12_2)
Max Displays
0
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 7th Gen (GeForce RTX 3050 A Laptop GPU) vs 8th Gen NVENC (RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile). Decoder: NVDEC 5th Gen vs 5th Gen NVDEC. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1 (GeForce RTX 3050 A Laptop GPU) vs H.264,H.265 (HEVC),AV1,VP9 (RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 A Laptop GPURTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile
Encoder
NVENC 7th Gen
8th Gen NVENC
Decoder
NVDEC 5th Gen
5th Gen NVDEC
Codecs
H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1
H.264,H.265 (HEVC),AV1,VP9
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3050 A Laptop GPU draws 130W versus the RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile's 35W — a 115.2% difference. The RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce RTX 3050 A Laptop GPU) vs 500W (RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs PCIe-powered. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 80°C.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 A Laptop GPURTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile
TDP
130W
35W-73%
Recommended PSU
500W
500W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
PCIe-powered
Length
1mm
Slots
0
0
Temp (Load)
80°C
80°C
Perf/Watt
86.5
318.9+269%