RTX 3050 6GB vs GTX 1080 – does the new budget topple the old OG?

Looking for the differences, we look ath the 3050 vs 1080

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Looking for how the RTX 3050 6GB vs GTX 1080 compare, then you’ve come to the right place. With a couple of generations difference, you can expect plenty of improvements, so if you’re looking for an upgrade or considering between them we outline the details and figure out.

The two GPUs came out at rather different periods of time with vastly different selections of cards. The GTX 1080 was one of the top cards coming out in the Pascal generation, coming out in May of 2016, it has been quite some time already. The RTX 3050 6GB model was released in February 2024 quite a while after the Ampere series had already been surpassed by the newer 40 series, and was a rather surprising addition. But let’s see the differences.

RTX 3050 6GB

Pros

Power efficient, 70W TDP

Can run without external power

Inexpensive

Small form factor cards available

Cons

20% worse performance than 8GB model

Limited performance at higher resolutions

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ASUS ROG STRIX GTX 1080

Pros

The best cooling setup, featuring a huge heatsink and three fans

Strong factory overclock

Cons

Way too large for an ITX build, and many average-sized ATX builds

The most expensive of the cards

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RTX 3050 vs 1080 specs

	RTX 3050	GTX 1080
GPU	GA107	GP104
Architecture	Ampere	Pascal
GPU process	Samsung 8nm	TSMC 16nm
CUDA cores	2304	2560
Base clock speed	1470 MHz	1600 MHz
Boost clock speed	1040 MHz	1730 MHz
VRAM	6GB GDDR6	8GB GDDR5X
Memory bandwidth	168 GB/s	320 GB/s
Memory bus	96-bit	256-bit
Memory clock	14 Gbps	10 Gbps
TDP	70W	180W

To start the two are on different generations of Nvidia graphics cards. We can see the improvements that bring from just the process and size of the dies found in the cards. With Samsung giving half the size, the density is nearly double so you get much more transistors and cores in a smaller size.

In this case, the GTX 1080 has a smaller die size, but yet it in fact comes close in CUDA core count. However, these are different generations and aren’t one-to-one comparisons either. The clock rate is nothing too exciting either, the 30 series had lower clock rates and nothing like the high 40 series overclocks we’ve seen.

The memory also drops between there as the 1080 opts for 8GB of GDDR5X compared to 6GB of GDDR6 in the 3050. This also means it has a lower bandwidth, with a lower bit bus the higher clock doesn’t keep up. However, in general, the power requirements have also fallen, as the entry-level card (3050) gets a better consumption from the lower levels it has.

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Is the 3050 6GB better than a 1080?

Reviews for the RTX 3050 6GB are few and far between, but the German site Computerbase has given us a basic look at what it has to offer. There we can see how it compares to the GTX 1080 in those benchmarks.

In 3DMark Computerbase sees the 3050 achieve 4,869 whilst the 1080 on ULs benchmarks gets 7,537. The site also provides a Cyberpunk benchmark, where they manage 36 FPS on average, 9 less than the 8GB model. However, the 1080 doesn’t have any results so we’re not sure how it compares just yet as the site benchmarks we’re not sure of how they are set up.

Is the 3050 6GB more expensive than a 1080?

Nvidia did not announce a recommended price for the RTX 3050 6GB model. But there is a $179 price tag according to others like Techpowerup, which is relatively cheap considering GPU prices these days. Compared to the GTX 1080 that came out with a price tag of $599, that would make the 3050 $420 cheaper than the 1080. Although there are some renewed models available for just over $200 the difference is not as significant.

ASUS Dual GeForce RTX 3050 OC

Pros

Simple and compact design

Great out of box perfromance

Fantastic cooling preventing throttling

Cons

More expensive than other offerings

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ASUS GTX 1080 TURBO

Pros

A cooler good enough for pushing the factory overclock a bit farther

Typically retails at a great discount

Cons

A modest factory overclock

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Is the 3050 a good upgrade from the 1080?

If you’re rocking a GTX 1080, then you’re going to want something a bit better honestly. The RTX 3050 6GB is good for those after something under $200 and does not require a power requirement. But this shows the 50 model does show the improvements that the lower card does come in at a similar level to the top Pascal card, so you can expect similar performance but with the new features available.

You can get access to DLSS being on the RTX family but it’s still a lower older card and not on par with the 1080. Something in the 40 series like the 4070 Super is a better option but that does come with a much higher price tag but a longer-term solution including DLSS 3 inclusion.

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Final word

With plenty of differences to account for between RTX 3050 6GB vs GTX 1080, comparing these two is pretty interesting – hopefully you learnt a thing or two. The 3050 is much more up to date card, while the GTX 1080 has been showing its age for some time. We’d definitely recommend the newer GPU these days, especially if you want a low-power build. If you want to see even more alternatives, check out our RTX 3050 8GB vs RTX 3050 6GB, RTX 3050 6GB vs RTX 4060 and RTX 3050 6GB vs RTX 2060 guides.