After long speculation, Nvidia has officially released the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB version of the previous-gen budget graphics card.
In December, we revealed how Nvidia was planning to launch the RTX 3050 6GB version of its budget graphics card by replacing the RTX 3050 8GB version. Today, Nvidia has officially launched (via VideoCardz) the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 6GB graphics card.
Compared to the RTX 3050 8GB, the RTX 3050 6GB doesn’t cut only the memory, it also cuts-down on some specifications.
For a start, the CUDA Cores in the RTX 3050 6GB have been reduced from RTX 3050 8GB. The RTX 3050 6GB has 2304 CUDA cores, compared to 2560 CUDA cores found in the RTX 3050 8GB.
Clocks too have been reduced. The Boost clock has been reduced to 1.47GHz, from 1.78GHz. The base clock has been reduced to 1.04GHz, from 1.55GHz.
The memory bus in the 6GB version too has been cut to 96-bit from the 128-bit earlier. Which is expected considering how GPUs work.
All other things seem to remain the same as far as specifications are concerned. Except the power draw. The outcome of cutting of the specs means that the RTX 3050 6GB graphics card uses just 70W of power.
Which means that the card doesn’t require any 6-pin or 8-pin power connector. Even the official recommended specs suggest just 300W PSU.
RTX 3050 6GB Specs Table
For the benefit of the readers, we have made a simple table.
| Specs | RTX 3050 8GB | RTX 3050 6GB |
|---|---|---|
| GPU | GA106-150 | GA107-325 |
| CUDA Cores | 2560 | 2304 |
| Base / Boost Clock | 1.55GHz / 1.78GHz | 1.04GHz / 1.47GHz |
| Memory Type | 8GB GDDR6 | 6GB GDDR6 |
| Memory Speed | 14 Gbps | 14 Gbps |
| Memory Bus | 128-bit | 96-bit |
| PCIe Bus | PCIe 4.0 x8 | PCIe 4.0 x8 |
| MSRP | $249 | $169 |
It must be mentioned, these specs are better than what the leaks officially suggested.
Performance And Retail
ComputerBase.de (translated), via @harukaze5719, did a quick benchmark and compared both Nvidia RTX 3050 8GB and RTX 3050 6GB in 3DMark and Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty.
The RTX 3050 6GB version was 21-24% slower than the RTX 3050 8GB in 3DMark. In Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty too, the RTX 3050 6GB version was 21% slower than the RTX 3050 8GB, in both average and minimum FPS. More benchmarks are expected soon.
As far as official listings are concerned, likes of MSI and GIGABYTE have officially started listing the card. VideoCardz reveals that Palit has gone ahead and even released a fanless version in addition to others.
Conclusion
A new graphics is always nice to have. But by releasing RTX 3050 6GB, Nvidia has raised many questions than providing answers.
First, why name it RTX 3050 6GB, whereas RTX 3030 would have been more suitable for this model. We know we are skipping a version here, but RTX 3050 8GB wasn’t suitable to be called a xx50 card in the first place.
Second is, where is RTX 4050. A year ago, we reported how Nvidia was planning to release RTX 4050 with 6GB VRAM. What happened to that. The RTX 4000 graphics cards come with upgraded cores and encoders. RTX 4000 cards even support DLSS 3, something which RTX 3000 don’t, they come with DLSS 2. Cheaper graphics cards could technically benefit from frame-generation, which DLSS 3 provides.
Third is the pricing. It costs around $169. In Germany, it’s retailing around €200. Who’s going to buy a RTX 3050 6GB graphics card when AMD Radeon RX 6600 is available for as cheap as $200 and is massively faster than what Nvidia is offering here.
Forth, for whom is this graphics card aimed at exactly. It’s not OEM exclusive that they will put it OEM made PCs. Is Nvidia trying to beat AMD’s recently launched Ryzen 8000G series APUs which are CPUs with powerful built-in GPUs. There are some rumors that people might install these in mini-PCs or PCs made for entertainment.
Overall, it needs to be seen how the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 6GB performs, especially in sales.
