How much improvement is there between the entry level cards after a generational change
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For yet another comparison we look at the new compared to the old. In particular, we compare the RTX 3050 vs 2060. Both at the lower end of the lineups, we see how the generational difference impacts the performance. See if either makes the best graphics card slot for you.
There is a three-year difference between the two cards. With the RTX 2060, the older card, released in January 2019. Whilst the newer RTX 3050 came out in January of 2022. This does give the card some advantage over what it can offer in its technologies.
RGB personalization
Great build quality and design
Solid performane and overclocking
Quiet thermal design
More expensive option
With the three-year difference between releases, there is a generational difference between the two cards. At that time Nvidia moved from the Turing architecture in the 20 series to Ampere found in the 40 series. Changing the core build of the dies and how they function.
Looking up close we see the 2060 features a TU106-200A GPU variant. The Turing architecture is made with TSMCs 12nm process. Creating a die size of 445mm² which holds 10.8 billion transistors.
Whereas, the 3050 is the GA106-150 Ampere variant. With the foundry process moving to Samsung instead, and its 8nm process. Which gets the die down to 276mm² in size with 12 billion transistors.
| RTX 3050 | RTX 2060 | |
|---|---|---|
| GPU | GA106-150 | TU106-200A |
| CUDA cores | 2,560 | 1,920 |
| RT cores | 20 | 30 |
| TMUs | 80 | 120 |
| Memory | 8GB GDDR6 | 6GB GDDR6 |
| Base clock | 1,552 MHz | 1,365 MHz |
| Boost clock | 1,777 MHz | 1,680 MHz |
| Memory clock | 14 Gbps | 14 Gbps |
| Card bus | PCIe 4.0 x8 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |
| Memory bandwidth | 224.0 GB/s | 336.0 GB/s |
| TDP/TBP | 130 W | 160 W |
Although the die may differ a lot there are other areas of comparison. More options to compare them with as they are more standard. So we do look at what that means for the cards and what they do.
The part that works on creating the graphics, it is what makes up the GPU die. Each with a different specialization to work on and pull together the final result. Working in parallel we particularly look at the shaders for shadows and shading, RT cores for real-time ray tracing, and TMUs for 3D objects.
Looking at the two, we see a change in prioritization between the generations. First off looking at the CUDA cores, we see the 3050 has a 33% higher count. But it falls behind on the rest, with 10 fewer RT cores and 40 fewer TMUs. The architecture shifting priorities that can improve the performance.
For your frame buffer, you have video memory. It stores them to improve your experience by decreasing latency. Smoothing out the gameplay also helps for larger resolutions. As they have higher pixel counts needing more capacity.
There we see a slight increase in capacity. Likely for the ever-evolving graphics of games and making sure cards keep up with the struggle. And even though they are both clocked to 14 Gbps, the bandwidth is decreased with the 3050. Coming from the smaller 128-bit bus, down from 192-bit, it has a bandwidth of 224 GB/s compared to the 2060s 336 GB/s.
Also known as the clock rate, it is how fast the silicon crystals flip in the die. This is how it processes instructions and creates the final image you see on your display. Although not the single factor of performance, it is a target for overclocking to get the most out of your card and push the power and temps.
Comparing the RTX 3050 vs 2060, we see an increase in the frequency over the generation. As the 2060 has a base clock of 1,365 MHz and a boost clock of 1,680 MHz. Whilst the 3050 increases that to 1,552 MHz and 1,777 MHz. Which is an increase in speed of 14% and 5% between the generation.
PCIe express is the standard used for the interface between the graphics card and the motherboard. It sets the speed that the two are capable of achieving. Between the two there is a step up in the generation used.
With the RTX 2060 featuring a PCIe 3.0 x16 which is capable of a 15.754 GB/s throughput. Then an increase in generation doubles the speed. However, the 3050 uses half the size, with a PCIe 4.0 x8. So in fact it has the same throughput as the 2060. So both are capable of putting out the same amount of data.
The thermal design power is the last spec we look at. Which is the total amount of energy the card can consume at maximum utilization. It does give you an understanding of how much your card will cost to run and how much heat it will give off. And between these two cards, there is a decrease. With the 2060 at 160 W and the 3050 30 W lower at 130W. Which will save you energy and heat overall.
For the performance comparison, we first look at 3DMarks benchmarks. This gives us a direct comparison of the graphical performance on a standard test. In it, we see the RTX 2060 achieve a score of 7,538 with a price-to-performance ratio of 21. Whilst the RTX 3050 gets a score of 6,224 and a ratio of 24.
Then we look at the performance of the cards in gaming scenarios with TechSpot’s review. With it, we see the 3050 average of 108 FPS at 1080p and 74 FPS at 1440p. Whilst the 2060 manages an average of 120 and 82 FPS respectively. So we saw the 3050 fall behind by 11% in both resolutions.
Lastly, we compare the price of the 3050 vs 2060. Looking at what the cards launched at, gives us an idea of what they were worth at the time. And with that, we see the older, higher model had an MSRP of $349USD/£279. Whilst the RTX 3050 came in at $249USD/£239. This does show a 40%/17% difference in the pricing between the two.
Compact ITX design
RTX and DLSS capability for cheap
Budget friendly and powerful
Limited overclocking capabilities
Potential for thermal throttling
Very attractive design
Powerful dual fan heatsink
One of the fastest clock speeds in this list
Can become warm if stressed
Overall, comparing the RTX 3050 vs 2060 we see the 2060 win on performance outright. However, it does come in at a higher cost. But so far after its release, you may be able to find it for cheaper and improve its cost per frame compared to the 3050. But since it is an RTX card still you won’t be missing out on any other factors.
Although if you’re thinking of buying a GPU currently you may want to wait just a bit longer. With the expectation of new GPUs coming out quite soon. Both the RTX 4000 series from Nvidia and AMD RDNA 3 cards are supposed to launch by the end of 2022.
In terms of the clock rate, the RTX 3050 has a 14% higher base clock and a 5% higher boost clock than the RTX 2060.
In graphical performance, the 2060 achieves a 21% higher score in 3DMark benchmarks than the 3050. Whilst in gaming it also leads ahead with an 11% lead.
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