Image: MSI
It’s no secret that graphics cards are exorbitantly expensive. With prices having soared by $100-300 relative to where the industry was a decade ago, the notion of affordability has become nothing more than a distant dream. This problem grows even more pronounced at the sub-$200 level, and is something both Intel and AMD have sought to address in the absence of any real competition from Nvidia. Fortunately, those hardships may be a thing of the past with the introduction of a low-spec variant of the GeForce RTX 3050 that is not only budget-friendly but also promises stellar performance.
The latest version of the GeForce RTX 3050 has, in my opinion, two standout features. One, unlike its 8GB predecessor, this iteration does not require a power connector from the power supply. This renders it essentially a plug-and-play upgrade for any desktop equipped with a PCIe slot, just like the GTX 1050 and 1650. Two, the starting price of $169 is an $80 reduction from the original RTX 3050 introduced two years ago.
In order to offer it at this price, certain concessions had to be made. , the 6GB version of the card will have to manage with 2048 CUDA cores, a 96-bit memory bus, and a 1470MHz clock, all of which are downgrades from the original card and are in line with the 25 percent VRAM reduction. On the plus side, the card retains three DisplayPort and one HDMI video output, which means users can enjoy increased graphical power for multi-monitor setups at an affordable price.
While it won’t be on par with the 8GB card in terms of performance, the lower price and reduced power requirement make the new 6GB RTX 3060 competitive in a space that’s being vigorously fought over by the Radeon RX 6500 XT and Intel Arc A580. Despite the RAM shortage (the 6500 XT has a cheaper 6GB version), the Nvidia card still benefits from DLSS, giving it a significant edge over similar super-sampling technologies from the competitors. For gamers hoping to optimize their 1080p setup, this feature could be the clincher.
We’ll have to get the new GeForce RTX 3050 6GB on a testing bench to make any final judgments, but at this price, it’s poised to be the successor of the GTX 1050 and 1650 that wore the budget crown for years. The significance of a graphics card not requiring an external power source cannot be overstated. This is an exciting development for fans of Nvidia hardware and shows that the company is still mindful of the budget GPU market, despite its current focus on selling high-end chips to the surging AI industry.
Although an exact launch date has not been confirmed, models of the 6GB RTX 3050 are already being listed on Newegg from Asus and MSI.