Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Graphics Card Specifications
Test Stand Specifications:
Operating System: Windows 11
Motherboard: TUF Gaming X570-Plus (Wi-Fi)
Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
Memory: 16GB DDR4 RAM
PSU: Corsair HX850
Refrigerant: Corsair Hydro Series H150i PRO RGB
The Nvidia RTX 3050 is one of the cheapest graphics cards available in Nvidia's latest range, yet it still manages to reach 1080p performance at 60fps for most games while offering high-end features like ray tracing and DLSS. But with performance not much different from the 3-year-old GTX 1660 Ti, those who like high frame rates will want to look elsewhere.
Explanation of features
1080p performance: Capable of reaching 60 frames per second with most games when playing in 1080p.
DLSS supportsDLSS uses upgrade technology to boost the supported game frame rate without significantly reducing image quality.
Supports ray tracing: Ray tracing allows supported games to highlight advanced lighting and shadow effects.
Introduction
It's easy to get caught up in the hype of all the most powerful graphics cards – like the upcoming RTX 3090 Ti – but budget options are usually the most popular, and the Nvidia RTX 3050 is just that.
The new RTX 3050 graphics card features a clear focus: 1080p with support for ray tracing where possible. It is technically capable of reaching a higher number of Quad HD and 4K pixel resolutions, but only at a significant cost of frame rate.
The Nvidia RTX 3050 may be the cheapest graphics card in the 30-Series lineup at the time of writing, but since it packs Ampere architecture and is capable of high-end features like DLSS and ray tracing, nothing to smell.
So does the RTX 3050 deserve the "buy deal" award or did Nvidia soften the specs enough to lose the magic of Ampere? Here are my thoughts after testing the Gigabyte RTX 3050 Eagle OC 8G.
And if you want to check out direct comparisons with other budget cards, check out our articles on Nvidia RTX 3050, RTX 3060 Ti, Nvidia RTX 3050 and Nvidia GTX 1660 Ti .
Specifications & Design
Features Nvidia's latest Ampere architecture
Supports both ray tracing and DLSS
Contains the lowest power specs in the Ampere range
Built on a 30-Series amp architecture, the Nvidia RTX 3050 is the latest available from Team Green. This means that it boasts second-generation RT Cores and third-generation Tensor Cores, making the GPU more efficient than the previous generation when dealing with the likes of DLSS and ray tracing.
As a result, this is one of the cheapest graphics cards you can buy capable of ray tracing, which is arguably its main attraction, especially when compared to the likes of the GTX 1660 Ti .
But what exactly is ray tracing? This is an advanced display technology that can help produce more realistic lighting and shadow effects. It is especially famous for its excellent reflections, which helps to create more realistic environments of images. Ray tracing is only supported by a set number of games, but it really helps improve the visuals of the likes of Control, Cyberpunk 2077, and the upcoming Dying Light 2.
Meanwhile, DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) is a spatial image upgrade technology that uses artificial intelligence to give frame rate performance a big boost without any major compromises on visual quality. On paper, it is especially important for cards like the RTX 3050, which allows for smoother performance despite the limited GPU power.
Outside of Nvidia's high-end features, the RTX 3050 spec looks quite ordinary. It has only 2560 CUDA cores – for comparison, the RTX 3060 has 3584 CUDA Cores, and the RTX 3060 Ti boasts 4864. This makes the RTX 3050 weaker trio by a large margin.
| Architecture | Coda Colors | Clock speed increase (GHz) | memory | Graphics Card Power (W) | |
| NVIDIA RTX 3050 | Amp | 2560 | 1.78 | 8 GB GDDR6 | 130 |
| NVIDIA RTX 3060 | Amp | 3584 | 1.78 | 12GB GDDR6 | 170 |
| NVIDIA RTX 3060 Ti | Amp | 4864 | 1.67 | 8 GB GDDR6 | 200 |
| NVIDIA GTX 1660 Ti | Turing | 1536 | 1.77 | 6GB GDDR6 | 120 |
The Nvidia RTX 3050 has at least the same 8GB GDDR6 memory as the RTX 3060 Ti, but it should be noted that it also lags far behind in terms of memory interface width.
It's not great readings for the RTX 3050, but it was never meant to be a powerful brand new card – it's instead Nvidia's attempt to minimize specs to make the card accessible to everyone, while still delivering decent 1080p performance.
The RTX 3050 has one positive element over its powerful siblings, since it requires less power with a power consumption of only 130 watts. So, if you want to play with Full HD, but also can't imagine seeing your electricity bill get out of hand, this could be a good choice.
Since Nvidia does not sell the founder's version of the RTX 3050, you will have to purchase the GPU from a third-party manufacturer. For this review, we are testing Gigabyte's RTX 3050 Eagle 8GB graphics card. It features a compact dual-fan design, which looks small compared to Nvidia's Founder's Edition RTX 3060 Ti.
Of course, the RTX 3050 will come in all shapes and sizes with all the different third-party manufacturers, which are likely to see slight differences in performance. But they all have the same RTX 3050 GPU chip inside, so the twists shouldn't be too noticeable.
Interestingly, there is no need for an adapter to connect PCIe with the RTX 3050, unlike the rest of its Class 30 brothers. Here you still get Ampere-flavored advantages, such as HDMI 2.1 connectivity, which ensures GPU compatibility with 8K TVs - the RTX 3050 won't be able to reach these resolutions, but it's still nice to get them.
Tags B
Capable of 1080p performance at 60fps for most games
Performance similar to that of the GTX 1660 Ti
Struggles with ray tracing without DLSS
Just because a graphics card is cheap, it doesn't necessarily mean it's good, as it needs to get to a good performance point to make sure it can play modern games at respectable frame rates. As such, we have run the Nvidia RTX 3050 graphics card through different games to know its price.
We tested the RTX 3050 using both synthetic and in-game benchmarks to evaluate its performance, while also checking for power draw at idle and peak. We tested each game with the highest preset available in three resolutions: 1080p, 1440p, and 2160p.
We also tested three other graphics cards to compare the results, which included the GTX 1660 Ti, RTX 3060 Ti, and AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT. We would have liked to include the RTX 3060 and AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT in the standards as well, but currently we can't access them.
To ensure fair testing, each graphics card was used in the exact same computer. Check the technical specifications of our drilling rig below:
Test Stand Specifications:
Operating System: Windows 11
Motherboard: TUF Gaming X570-Plus (Wi-Fi)
Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
Memory: 16GB DDR4 RAM
PSU: Corsair HX850
Refrigerant: Corsair Hydro Series H150i PRO RGB
With this away, let's check all the standard results:
Control
| Accuracy | Turn off ray tracing/off DLSS | Turn on Ray Tracing/Off DLSS | Ray tracking on/running DLSS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 × 1080 | 55 fps | 33fps | 55 fps |
| 2560 × 1440 | 35 fps | 22 fps | 38 fps |
I chose Control to test both DLSS and ray tracing performance on the Nvidia RTX 3050, because it's a relatively recent game that uses both RTX features for a big impact.
As expected, the activation of ray tracing has led to a decrease in 1080p performance from 55 fps to 33 fps, a rather big problem for a card promoted as the most cost-effective option for light display technology.
Fortunately, DLSS successfully compensated for this drop in performance, bringing it up to 55 frames per second. Nvidia has done some great work with DLSS over the years, as the image quality is almost identical to the original image, despite the image being upgraded.
It is also worth noting that by activating DLSS, I was able to turn on Control in 4K resolution with reasonable performance of 30 frames per second. That may not reach the ideal 60fps mark for PC gaming, but it's still much better than the original 16fps non-playable performance I've seen with DLSS deactivated.
The Nvidia RTX 3050 is a great example to prove how important ray tracing and DLSS are – without them, the new GPU wouldn't be much better than the GTX 1660 Ti. However, DLSS and Ray Tracing are only available with specific games, so it's worth checking beforehand if your favorite titles are supported.