RTX 3050 6GB vs RTX 4060 – a generation of difference, plus more

With a generation and tier between then, we compare RTX 3050 6GB vs RTX 4060

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Now that Nvidia have introduced the RTX 3050 6GB to the market, we’ve been busy taking a look at this somewhat niche GPU – today we’ll be comparing RTX 3050 6gb vs RTX 4060 to come to a conclusion on which is the best value for money. Most of you may already know that the RTX 4060 will outperform the 3050 6GB in many areas, but we can take a look on just how it does it, and to what extent.

In order to understand the differences between these two graphics cards, we’ll be comparing the specs, performance, price, and any other detail worth mentioning. Nvidia’s 30 series still remains popular even with a wide range of 40 series GPUs available, so the super modest 3050 6GB could still win over some fans.

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 Dual RTX 4060 OC

Pros

Overclocked model that performs well against other models

Price is still good and close to MSRP even as an OC model

Cons

An expensive low entry card for the 8GB available on it

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RTX 3050 6GB vs RTX 4060 specs

Specification	RTX 3050 6GB	RTX 4060
GPU	GA107	AD107
Architecture	Ampere	Ada Lovelace
GPU process	Samsung 8nm	TSMC 5nm
CUDA cores	2,304	3,072
Base clock speed	1,042 MHz	1,830 MHz
Boost clock speed	1,470 MHz	2,460 MHz
VRAM	6GB GDDR6	8GB GDDR6
Memory bandwidth	168 GB/s	272 GB/s
Memory bus	96-bit	128-bit
Memory clock	14 Gbps	17 Gbps
TDP	70W	115W

We can see that the RTX 4060 wins across the board here, but that isn’t really a surprise at all. It’s one generation newer and a level above, belonging to the xx60 tier. The newer Ada Lovelace architecture allows for improved raytracing performance and access to DLSS 3 frame generation, while the smaller 5nm GPU process is much more efficient. The 4060 boasts much high clock speeds, plenty more CUDA cores, and more memory to play with for both 1080p and 1440p gaming.

One of the biggest benefits of the mid-range 40 series cards like the RTX 4060 is the excellent power efficiency. Despite drawing just 115W, the 4060 packs in a lot of power – with an even lower TDP than the 8GB RTX 3050. However, the 3050 6GB undercuts that generously down to 70W, so it can even run without external power, just using the power supplied by PCIe slot.

RTX 3050 6GB vs RTX 4060 performance

We’ve benchmarked the 4060 in our RTX 4060 review to gauge gaming performance. While we haven’t been able to test the 6GB variant, we do have an RTX 3050 review for the original 8GB SKU. However, given the 20% performance drop between RTX 3050 8GB vs 6GB, you can expect a hit to your average frame rates with the newer 6GB variant.

Taking a look at our RTX 4060 testing, we can see that the GPU performed exceptionally well at 1080p and is a good performer in 1440p too for raw performance. In Cyberpunk 2077 at the Ultra preset without ray tracing, it averaged 77 FPS at 1080p and 48 FPS at 1440p. Compare that to a much more lightweight game like Rainbow 6 Siege, where it could even average 130 FPS at 4K, and you can see the power of this GPU.

The RTX 3050 6GB on the other hand will be much more limited to the 1080p resolution, or 1440p at a stretch in optimized or competitive titles. German publication ComputerBase benchmarked the card and report an average FPS of 36 in Cyberpunk 2077 at 1080p on the High preset without FSR.

Gigabyte RTX 4060 OC Low Profile

Core Clock Speed

2,475 MHz

Stream Processors

3,072 CUDA

Memory Size

8GB GDDR6

Dimensions

182 x 69 x 40mm

PSU Required

450W

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How much more expensive is RTX 4060 vs RTX 3050 6GB?

Nvidia didn’t actually announce an official recommend price for the RTX 3050 6GB, but we have seen it retailing at $169.99 upwards. It doesn’t have a Founders Edition, instead being available from a number of partnered manufacturers for stock-clocked and factory-overclock models. A number of these models also retail for $179.99.

The RTX 4060 launched at an MSRP of $299, which is considerably more than the lowly 3050 6GB, but still good value for money given the performance differences. With no RTX 4050 alternative (at the time of writing), this is your entry point to the RTX 40 series if you want to make the most of the improved architecture and huge efficiency gains.

Should I get the RTX 3050 6GB or RTX 4060?

For gaming, the RTX 4060 wins across the board and is a much more future-proof card thanks to the frame generation tech and other AI performance boosts the Ada Lovelace architecture lends you. Despite only having a power draw of 155W itself, that’s no match for the super lightweight RTX 3050 6GB with just 70W, meaning it can be powered straight from the motherboard’s PCIe slot without external power required. This fits a niche for certain small form factor builds or old OEM machines.

We’d recommend the RTX 4060 for most people, especially as it has its own low-profile variant if that’s what you’re after. However, the 3050 6GB has its benefits, at the expense of performance.

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Final word

We’ve come to the end of our RTX 3050 6GB vs RTX 4060 comparison and hopefully you now understand the ins and outs of these GPUS to figure out which suits your needs best. If you want to see even more, check out our RTX 3050 6GB vs GTX 1080 or RTX 3050 6GB vs RTX 2060 pages.

It’s no surprise to see the 4060 outperform the 3050 6GB in just about every kind of way, but that doesn’t mean you should count out the newer entry to the 30 series. It serves its purpose as an ultra low-power graphics card and a solid choice for under $200.