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MSI GeForce RTX 3050 Gaming X

W1zzard

W1zzard

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May 14, 2004
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System Specs
Processor Ryzen 7 5700X
Memory 48 GB
Video Card(s) RTX 4080
Storage 2x HDD RAID 1, 3x M.2 NVMe
Display(s) 30" 2560x1600 + 19" 1280x1024
Software Windows 10 64-bit
The MSI GeForce RTX 3050 Gaming X features a large triple-slot, dual-fan thermal solution that achieves excellent temperatures. Also included is a medium-sized overclock out of the box and the highly popular idle-fan-stop capability.

Show full review
 
How is it so loud at just 1200 RPM?

Also, does the 3050 really have HDMI 2.0 and not 2.1 (the actual 2.1)?
 
Remember in the US right now, you don't even need to head to a Microcenter. The 6500 XT is $270 and in stock for days on Newegg, not $350. In fact it regularly had $200 options, but those are bought by bots for resellers, so you only have minutes to make a purchase. The Radeon 6600 is the top selling card on Newegg, selling for $450-$460, not $550 or higher. Also in stock all week long. There's no way I'd consider an RTX 3050 that isn't $350 or lower. Not unless those other two options went out of stock.
 
Garrus said:
Remember in the US right now, you don't even need to head to a Microcenter. The 6500 XT is $270 and in stock for days on Newegg, not $350. In fact it regularly had $200 options, but those are bought by bots for resellers, so you only have minutes to make a purchase. The Radeon 6600 is the top selling card on Newegg, selling for $450-$460, not $550 or higher. Also in stock all week long. There's no way I'd consider an RTX 3050 that isn't $350 or lower. Not unless those other two options went out of stock.
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I can't say I fully understand why Nvidia cards are more expensive for gaming when it's ETH mining that dictates the prices right now and all the Nvidia cards are LHR versions where you can only mine at ~70% hashrate anyway.

I'm not complaining; RX6600 in stock at better pricing than a 3060 is a win for gamers.
 
The smaller, 2 slots design and shorter heatsink of the Evga XC black beats this large triple slot cooler is the ultimate irony, is it because silicon lottery or bad mount pressure, thermal paste ?

I don't like how triple slot cooler are now so common in even sub XX50 cards, i remember not too long ago buying dual fan cooling solution for such a card was considered a waste of money, and that was when they were only two slots lol
 
Chrispy_ said:
I can't say I fully understand why Nvidia cards are more expensive for gaming when it's ETH mining that dictates the prices right now and all the Nvidia cards are LHR versions where you can only mine at ~70% hashrate anyway.

I'm not complaining; RX6600 in stock at better pricing than a 3060 is a win for gamers.
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They can still make money getting these drops at "new msrp"

This is normal launch rush for any new video card(and AMD didn't do themselves any favors by ;launching the train wreck 6500 xt first, EASILY DOUBLING EXPECTED DEMAND for this new entry-level!)
 
Solid State Soul ( SSS ) said:
Its because its an undesirable card for both gamers and miners
Click to expand...
Even at the $199 MSRP the 6500XT is a turd for a PCIe 3.0 system;

You can get working GTX970 cards on ebay for as low as $120 and whilst a 6500XT can manage average framerates similar to the GTX970 in a PCIe 3.0 system, the 99% lows are way off the mark. The 6500XT is a stuttery mess where the GTX970 will handle things acceptably.
 
The only card worth it's salt at this end of the scale must be the 6600. Even though I can't believe $600 seems reasonable for a budget GPU?
 
Solid State Soul ( SSS ) said:
Its because its an undesirable card for both gamers and miners
Click to expand...
My point was the review of this MSI RTX 3050 frequently mentioned the RX 6500 XT as competition at $350 etc., so I was pointing out no, the price is $270, again.
Chrispy_ said:
Even at the $199 MSRP the 6500XT is a turd for a PCIe 3.0 system;

You can get working GTX970 cards on ebay for as low as $120 and whilst a 6500XT can manage average framerates similar to the GTX970 in a PCIe 3.0 system, the 99% lows are way off the mark. The 6500XT is a stuttery mess where the GTX970 will handle things acceptably.
Click to expand...
EBay is a cesspool, most people want to stay away from there. Sure you can get a GTX 970 sometimes for $150 USD but that takes a lot of work. Most importantly, the GTX 9 and 10 series is incompatible with the default UEFI only bios setting most motherboards come with, so you shouldn't buy one. Not unless you enjoy having to uninstall your video card every time you reset it and want to access your BIOS settings.
kapone32 said:
The only card worth it's salt at this end of the scale must be the 6600. Even though I can't believe $600 seems reasonable for a budget GPU?
Click to expand...
$450 for the RX 6600. Unless you are referring to the Canadian price which is $600.
 
Garrus said:
My point was the review of this MSI RTX 3050 frequently mentioned the RX 6500 XT as competition at $350 etc., so I was pointing out no, the price is $270, again.

EBay is a cesspool, most people want to stay away from there. Sure you can get a GTX 970 sometimes for $150 USD but that takes a lot of work. Most importantly, the GTX 9 and 10 series is incompatible with the default UEFI only bios setting most motherboards come with, so you shouldn't buy one. Not unless you enjoy having to uninstall your video card every time you reset it and want to access your BIOS settings.

$450 for the RX 6600. Unless you are referring to the Canadian price which is $600.
Click to expand...
Of course I am Canadian and we do not have MicroCenter

Chrispy_ said:
Even at the $199 MSRP the 6500XT is a turd for a PCIe 3.0 system;

You can get working GTX970 cards on ebay for as low as $120 and whilst a 6500XT can manage average framerates similar to the GTX970 in a PCIe 3.0 system, the 99% lows are way off the mark. The 6500XT is a stuttery mess where the GTX970 will handle things acceptably.
Click to expand...
You can't compare those cards. You know Nvidia is lying about the MSRP anyway as that 8GB of VRAM is perfect for mining. This card is competition for the 6600 and 6600XT. So like the rest of the 30 series cards they are nothing but a rumour on retail shelves (scalpers on Newegg and Amazon don't count, even though Nvidia is making record quarters.
 
Chrispy_ said:
I can't say I fully understand why Nvidia cards are more expensive for gaming when it's ETH mining that dictates the prices right now and all the Nvidia cards are LHR versions where you can only mine at ~70% hashrate anyway.

I'm not complaining; RX6600 in stock at better pricing than a 3060 is a win for gamers.
Click to expand...
Resell value is the main reason. Add scarcity to that and it makes nvidia cards a better buy in case you need to dump your mining cards on the quick.
 
Chrispy_ said:
Even at the $199 MSRP the 6500XT is a turd for a PCIe 3.0 system;

You can get working GTX970 cards on ebay for as low as $120 and whilst a 6500XT can manage average framerates similar to the GTX970 in a PCIe 3.0 system, the 99% lows are way off the mark. The 6500XT is a stuttery mess where the GTX970 will handle things acceptably.
Click to expand...
lga1700 boards, 100% of which have pcie4 or even 5, are below $100 now, and as we've seen the 12100f destroys the non-existent competition.

this makes the 12100f + 6500xt a sensible choice for the many people for whom a used GPU is not an option

where i live (not the US) a used 970 4gb with no warranty goes for $210 and a new warrantied boxed 6500xt is $280.
 
These cards make rx6000 a shining star. Better performance, lower power draw and lower price. The only question mark is their driver support. But I suppose they fixed that issue as we would have heard about it by now.
 
lexluthermiester said:
Yes. It's not like this card can do playable 4k, so it really doesn't matter.
Click to expand...

This is not just about gaming in 4K, but I think you are actually wrong. TPU's reviews say 2.0 in the teardown section, but that seems to be a typo. And I looked at the photo of the box, and that says 2.1.
 
THU31 said:
This is not just about gaming in 4K, but I think you are actually wrong.
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The benchmarks support my statement. This GPU is an excellent 1080p part and a passable 1440p experience. 4k is just not what I would consider doable. To qualify, 30FPS is not acceptable in my view. For some it is, not for me.
 
THU31 said:
As long as you stay below 3.5 GB VRAM usage. ;)
Click to expand...
The 6500XT has already been mocked as a "3GB card" by both GN and HWU because despite physically having 4GB it copes worse than the 970 with 3.5GB.
It's crazy, I know, but the numbers don't lie. Perhaps in the case of the 970 the bandwidth drops off gradually - 3.5GB of fast VRAM, 0.5GB of crippled VRAM (that is still double what PCIe 3.0 x16 bandwidth is) and then super-slow main memory over PCIe. That crappy little 0.5GB partition is still way better than it just being a 3.5GB card.

Garrus said:
EBay is a cesspool, most people want to stay away from there. Sure you can get a GTX 970 sometimes for $150 USD but that takes a lot of work.
Click to expand...
Must be a regional thing. Here in the EU ebay is extremely safe to buy with tons of buyer protection and guarantees; You're only at risk as a seller and even then the high turnover and exposure makes those risks worth it. Where else do you get used goods? FB Marketplace is a far bigger cesspool than ebay over here.

Garrus said:
Most importantly, the GTX 9 and 10 series is incompatible with the default UEFI only bios setting most motherboards come with, so you shouldn't buy one. Not unless you enjoy having to uninstall your video card every time you reset it and want to access your BIOS settings.
Click to expand...
I have literally no idea what you're talking about. I spent much of 2020 and 2021 re-using old 970 and 980 cards in a wide variety of internal workstation refurbs (based on averages, probably in the region of ~90 PCs) in B450, B550, X470, B550, H470, Z490, motherboards without ever once encountering this issue you're talking about. Gigabyte/Asus/MSI boards. The boards auto-detected a non-UEFI GPU every time without fail. I wasn't even aware it was a thing because in literally hundreds of builds I've never once ever encountered it or seen such a wild claim on any forum before.

Putting a new UEFI GPU in an older motherboard can cause what you're saying, but a BIOS update usually exists to permanently rectify the problem with that board.

kapone32 said:
You can't compare those cards. You know Nvidia is lying about the MSRP anyway as that 8GB of VRAM is perfect for mining. This card is competition for the 6600 and 6600XT. So like the rest of the 30 series cards they are nothing but a rumour on retail shelves (scalpers on Newegg and Amazon don't count, even though Nvidia is making record quarters.
Click to expand...
Say whaaaaaaat? I didn't compare those cards! Misquote perhaps?
That's a super odd reply to someone dissing an AMD 6500XT with something ancient off ebay. Nvidia's MSRP is irrelevant in that case and I sure as hell didn't bring up the 6600/6600XT in that context.
 
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THU31 said:
Also, does the 3050 really have HDMI 2.0 and not 2.1 (the actual 2.1)?
Click to expand...

Per MSI's website:
DisplayPort x 3 (v1.4a)
HDMI x 1 (Supports 4K@120Hz as specified in HDMI 2.1)
 
lexluthermiester said:
No they don't. The 6500 is a very poor performer. The 3050 is exactly were NVidia wanted it to be. And with falling GPU prices, it will be a great budget card very soon.
Click to expand...

3050 is a poor show for a number of reasons:

1. this gen of 3050 costs almost 2x 6500 XT, and it might never come down to the $249 MSRP (which was just a smokescreen anyway)
2. you barely can buy it, because it's out of stock almost everywhere - 6500 XT has plenty of stock
3. the reason for 1 and 2 is being a cut down GA106 (so 3060, 3060 Ti rejects) with 276 mm² die size and a lot of RAM which has become expensive. 6500 XT is tiny at 107 mm² with less RAM and can be produced in mass and cheap
4. until the chip used stays GA106 (without the 4 GB option), the availability will be poor and price high. The price will only come down after they will use GA107 (and add 4 GB version), but ... that chip probably sucks. If it wouldn't, they would release it months ago already ...

Basically, the review conclusion should also have these cons:
- Actual market price much higher than MSRP
- Limited supply
 
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kruk said:
- Actual market price much higher than MSRP
- Limited supply
Click to expand...
I decided to no longer include these points, because they will be true for every new release in the coming years
 
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