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NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 · Photo source

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050
Photo 1 of 43

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 · Photo source

NVIDIA · GeForce

GeForce RTX 3050

Released January 2022

A 2022 Ampere graphics card for 1080p gaming, with an original 8 GB version and a later lower-power 6 GB revision.

Memory
8 GB or 6 GB
Shaders
2,560 or 2,304
Boost clock
1,780 MHz or 1,470 MHz
Bandwidth
224 GB/s or –
Power
130 W or 70 W

What reviewers say

Reviewers found the original 8 GB card capable at 1080p and valued DLSS, but judged its raw performance improvement over older GTX cards modest. Launch pricing and availability weakened its appeal. PC Gamer tested Gigabyte's Eagle; TechRadar and PCWorld tested EVGA's XC Black. These reviews do not cover the later 6 GB version.

From pcgamer.com, techradar.com and pcworld.com

Specifications

Report a wrong or missing spec

Performance

Chip maker
NVIDIA
Architecture
Ampere
Shader cores
2,560 or 2,304
Boost clock
1,780 MHz or 1,470 MHz
Architecture
NVIDIA reference GPU figures; photo shows PNY's stock-clock 8 GB VERTO Dual Fan partner card. The 6 GB revision went on sale on 2 February 2024. NVIDIA also lists different OEM clocks and core counts; a complete independent OEM specification is not published here.
Ray tracing
Second-generation RT Cores
AI cores
Third-generation Tensor Cores
Upscaling and frame generation
NVIDIA DLSS upscaling
Base clock
Original 8 GB is 1.55 GHz and 6 GB is 1.04 GHz on NVIDIA's rounded table; PNY specifies 1,552 MHz and 1,042 MHz respectively. NVIDIA rounds the original boost to 1.78 GHz; PNY gives 1,777 MHz.

Memory

Video memory
8 GB GDDR6 or 6 GB GDDR6
Memory bus
128-bit or 96-bit
Memory bandwidth
224 GB/s or –
Memory detail
PNY specifies 14 Gbps GDDR6 for both capacities. Its original 8 GB page publishes 224 GB/sec bandwidth; the 6 GB PDF labels its bandwidth figure as Gbps, so an unambiguous numeric bandwidth is omitted for that revision.

Connections and power

Board power
130 W or 70 W
Interface
PCIe 4.0
Display outputs
PNY 8 GB VERTO has 3 × DisplayPort 1.4a and 1 × HDMI 2.1; PNY 6 GB VERTO lists DisplayPort 1.4a, HDMI 2.1 and DVI-DL, for 3 displays. Check the chosen partner card.
Maximum resolution
7680 × 4320 on PNY's specifications; HDMI supports 4K 120 Hz HDR, 8K 60 Hz HDR and variable refresh rate
Power connector
Original reference specification and PNY 8 GB VERTO require 1 × 8-pin; NVIDIA and PNY specify no auxiliary connector for the 6 GB version
Recommended power supply
NVIDIA specifies 550 W for the original 8 GB card and 300 W for 6 GB; requirements depend on the rest of the system
Slot width
Partner designs vary; PNY's pictured 8 GB VERTO and its 6 GB VERTO are dual-slot cards
Size (reference card)
No Founders Edition card; pictured PNY 8 GB VERTO is 8.99 × 4.49 × 1.71 inches. PNY 6 GB VERTO is 186.2 × 113 × 38.50 mm.
Video encode and decode
PNY specifies seventh-generation NVIDIA Encoder and fifth-generation Decoder; its 8 GB board is PCIe 4.0 x8 and 6 GB is PCIe 4.0 x16 with x8 active

Versions

VersionMemoryShadersBoost clockMemory busBandwidthBoard power
Original 8 GB GDDR68 GB GDDR62,5601,780 MHz128-bit224 GB/s130 W
6 GB GDDR66 GB GDDR62,3041,470 MHz96-bit–70 W

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Hardware ray tracing and DLSS upscaling
  • 8 GB of GDDR6 on the original version
  • Later 70 W version needs no auxiliary power connector

Cons

  • 6 GB revision has fewer cores and a narrower memory bus
  • Original 130 W specification requires auxiliary power
  • Partner card dimensions and display outputs vary

Closest rivals

Model
MemoryShadersBoost clockBandwidthPowerReleased
AMDRadeon RX 7600
8 GB2,0482,655 MHz288 GB/s165 WMay 2023
AMDRadeon RX 6600
8 GB1,7922,491 MHz224 GB/s132 WOct 2021
NVIDIAGeForce RTX 4060
8 GB3,0722,460 MHz272 GB/s115 WJun 2023

Sources

  1. nvidia.com/en-gb/geforce/graphics-cards/30-series/rtx-3050
  2. nvidia.com/en-in/geforce/news/geforce-rtx-3050-graphics-cards
  3. nvidia.com/en-gb/geforce/news/rtx-3050-6gb-out-now
  4. pny.com/pny-geforce-rtx-3050-8gb-verto-dual-fan
  5. pny.com/file%20library/company/support/product%20brochures/geforce%20graphics/e…

Photo: d2vfia6k6wrouk.cloudfront.net

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