Friday, February 2nd 2024
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 6GB Formally Launched
NVIDIA today formally launched the GeForce RTX 3050 6 GB as its new entry-level discrete GPU. The RTX 3050 6 GB is a significantly different product from the original RTX 3050 that the company launched as a mid-range product way back in January 2022. The RTX 3050 had originally launched on the 8 nm GA106 silicon, with 2,560 CUDA cores, 80 Tensor cores, 20 RT cores, 80 TMUs, and 32 ROPs; with 8 GB of 14 Gbps GDDR6 memory across a 128-bit memory bus; these specs also matched the maximum core-configuration of the smaller GA107 silicon, and so the company launched the RTX 3050 based on GA107 toward the end of 2022, with no change in specs, but a slight improvement in energy efficiency from the switch to the smaller silicon. The new RTX 3060 6 GB is based on the same GA107 silicon, but with significant changes.
To begin with, the most obvious change is memory. The new SKU features 6 GB of 14 Gbps GDDR6, across a narrower 96-bit memory bus, for 168 GB/s of memory bandwidth. That's not all, the GPU is significantly cut down, with just 16 SM instead of the 20 found on the original RTX 3050. This works out to 2,048 CUDA cores, 64 Tensor cores, 16 RT cores, 64 TMUs, and an unchanged 32 ROPs. The GPU comes with lower clock speeds of 1470 MHz boost, compared to 1777 MHz on the original RTX 3050. The silver lining with this SKU is its total graphics power (TGP) of just 70 W, which means that cards can completely do away with power connectors, and rely entirely on PCIe slot power. NVIDIA hasn't listed its own MSRP for this SKU, but last we heard, it was supposed to go for $179, and square off against the likes of the Intel Arc A580.
To begin with, the most obvious change is memory. The new SKU features 6 GB of 14 Gbps GDDR6, across a narrower 96-bit memory bus, for 168 GB/s of memory bandwidth. That's not all, the GPU is significantly cut down, with just 16 SM instead of the 20 found on the original RTX 3050. This works out to 2,048 CUDA cores, 64 Tensor cores, 16 RT cores, 64 TMUs, and an unchanged 32 ROPs. The GPU comes with lower clock speeds of 1470 MHz boost, compared to 1777 MHz on the original RTX 3050. The silver lining with this SKU is its total graphics power (TGP) of just 70 W, which means that cards can completely do away with power connectors, and rely entirely on PCIe slot power. NVIDIA hasn't listed its own MSRP for this SKU, but last we heard, it was supposed to go for $179, and square off against the likes of the Intel Arc A580.
65 Comments on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 6GB Formally Launched
RTX 3060 Ti is towards 400 bucks. RX 6700 XT 12GB is on par with RTX 3060 8GB which starts from 280 bucks.
www.techpowerup.com/review/sapphire-radeon-rx-7600-xt-pulse/35.html
RT is an enthusiast feature that most aim for only if they have significant headroom once base setting are turned up. Obviously not gonna get that on something that's more geared towards entry level systems
(Just to be clear, I know the suggested cards are cheaper, but I am willing the above amount, provided I can play with some level of RT.)
High end PC gaming is going to the cloud. Just get used to the concept of renting a GPU and paying more per month for higher details, resolution, and all the rest. That is the future of PC gaming.
Might have to pull a bit more and go laptop like I did I settled for a 4060 on one hehe
But loads of people play FPS games (look at Steam most played) and cloud is useless for that thanks to inevitable high latency. There's no way I'd play Rocket League from the cloud, I tried just to see and it's non-functional. Ark: SE was OK in the cloud as timing isn't as key so for some games it can work but it's still a compromise. Ark in the cloud wasn't as good as on my home PC but it was loads better than on the Dell Latitude laptop I use on the road. But then I prefer to use Latitude times to play games it can manage like FO: New Vegas or Stardew Valley.
Loads of great games out there, just match them to your PC instead of latching your PC to someone else's cloud.
Why do you think the term apple tax exists in the first place.It is stuck as high end because developers still use it as a high end feature and thus don't take the time to make it perform well. Look at the RT found within the UE, it's not a great performer.
Usually if you want a game that performs how it should with RT, you'd look at 2021 games or prior, those games show us that RT doesn't have to be exclusive to the high end if devs just take the time to make it properly perform. (Metro Exodus PC Enhanced my beloved, the ever great running game that you are)
As for UE, that one needs to be cross platform, it probably does a lot of stuff in software in order to achieve that goal. Doesn't mean the hardware isn't up to the task.
I didn't buy a laptop since 2009 lol and it still works
But now days laptops are pretty good substitutes for desktops, plus portable which I really need atm
I love the acer amd 7840hs laptop I got I'm just a little disappointed it doesn't have a 4070 but I'm not a heavy gamer either so no biggie it has a 4060 and just under 1k.us
If you give up on RT, then RX 7700 XT and RX 7800 XT are probably better value, but then as you implied you might not want to pay that much in that case, so look at RTX 4060 then.Not likely going to happen. It's a moving target, so unless you want to play 5 year old games at low by then, the performance deficit is only going to increase, not decrease.
Sadly, games in general, even top games, are to a larger and larger extent mass-produced "shelfware" game engines with very poor optimization, so games in general are getting more buggy and inefficient in the last years. There probably will be gems that are 3x more efficient than the rest, and looks and plays amazing on a RTX 4060 in 4K, but those will be exceptions, not the rule.Totally with you on that. I can't stand laptops either, "neutered" desktops either (underpowered or throttling after seconds of load). Laptops have incredible inconsistent performance, are hot, noisy, and by the time you find a "desktop replacement", it has all the disadvantages of both and none of the advantages.
I'd rather stick with my old Sandy Bridge-E i7-3930K over any laptop today, if it wasn't for the fact that my 11 year old computer is a bit unstable.
If you're not dead set on gaming in 4K, you can get a very good gaming experience with a decent mid-range GPU today. I personally prefer smoothness over resolution any day.