Low-midrange 40-series vs entry-level 30-series, how big is the difference?
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With the RTX 4060 now widely available, we want to compare RTX 4060 vs RTX 3050. Just to see how much difference a step up in the hierarchy and a generational gap makes. The RTX 3050 is a fantastic entry-level card, whereas the RTX 4060 is just a step above it as it enters the low end of the mid-range XX60 graphics cards. Before you buy, we advise you to do your research!
Both of them can be viewed as budget options – so it’s worth seeing just how they match up right now. Like always, we’ll be talking you through everything you need to know about what exactly separates these Nvidia GPUs. From the detailed specs to the price of the RTX 4060 vs RTX 3050. So, without further ado, let’s just straight into the comparison.
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High quality and well designed
Overclocked model provides better performance over factory models
Value of the 4060 worse than previous generations
High model cost over other AIBs not too great for value
Cooling overdesigned and large for the graphics power of the card
RGB personalization
Great build quality and design
Solid performane and overclocking
Quiet thermal design
More expensive option
The first thing we want to talk about is the difference in architecture between these two cards. You may think that since they’re both Nvidia graphics cards they’ll have the same architecture. Well, this isn’t the case, as they are from different generations. The RTX 4060 is on the 40-series Ada Lovelace architecture, with the 30-series RTX 3050 is built on last-gen Ampere.
Even though the RTX 3050 is built upon excellent architecture, Nvidia’s 40-series really steps it up, especially when it comes to AI acceleration. For example, the RTX 4060 can now feature DLSS 3.0, with AI frame generation to help boost frame rates massively in supported games. Ada Lovelace also has a smaller TSMC 4nm process node and Shader Execution Reordering (SER) for great efficiency. Ray tracing performance is improved with 3rd-gen RT cores and the 4th-gen Tensor Cores improve deep learning capabilities.
| RTX 4060 | RTX 3050 | |
|---|---|---|
| GPU | AD107 | GA106 |
| Architecture | Ada Lovelace | Ampere |
| GPU process | TSMC 5nm | Samsung 8nm |
| CUDA cores | 3072 | 2560 |
| Base clock speed | 1830 MHz | 1552 MHz |
| Boost clock speed | 2460 MHz | 1777 MHz |
| VRAM | 8GB GDDR6 | 8GB GDDR6 |
| Memory bandwidth | 272 GB/s | 224 GB/s |
| Memory bus | 128-bit | 128-bit |
| Memory clock | 2125 MHz / 17 Gbps effective | 1750 MHz / 14 Gbps effective |
| TDP | 115W | 130W |
As you may be able to tell, the RTX 4060 outperforms or ties the RTX 3050 in every category above. That’s to be expected though, considering it’s the next tier up comparatively. The RTX 4060 is also part of the newest generation, benefitting from the architectural differences we mentioned.
Overall though, the hardware upgrades aren’t incredibly massive, especially as the memory on the 4060 remains largely the same as the 3050, although clock speeds are improved. One of the marvels of the RTX 4060 is the fantastic power efficiency. Even with a buff in specs, the 4060 manages to bring the TDP down by 15W compared to the RTX 3050.
Performance is one of the main driving forces behind which new graphics card you choose. To start off, we’d say the RTX 3050 is a fantastic ray-tracing capable card which is ideal for entry-level budgets. The RTX 4060 is a great choice around the same price bracket though. Both cards are great for 1080p gaming, though the newer 4060 is of course be the better option if you want better in-game frame rates. At higher resolutions like 1440p, the 4060 is the only real choice here, but even then, the card is primarily designed for 1080p and will sometimes have to rely on upscaling techniques for smooth performance in modern AAA games. Tom’s Hardware benchmarks show that the RTX 4060 enjoys a 15 game average of 67 FPS at 1080p compared to the 3050’s 40 FPS. For 1440p, the average framerate hits 45 FPS vs 27 FPS respectively.
The RTX 4060 offers both better performance and less power consumption, ideal for budget builds. Nvidia released a whole bunch of benchmarks when they announced the RTX 4060, but much of this was focused on the architecture improvements such as Nvidia DLSS 3.0 frame generation and RT performance. With settings optimized for those upgrades, the RTX 4060 should massively outperform the RTX 3050.
Compared to RTX 4060 Ti tests, the Ti version offers close to double the FPS of the 3050 in many titles, though the standard RTX 4060 sits below this level as we can see.
Now, what about the price point? The RTX was initially released in early 2022, while the RTX 4060 is the much newer card, arriving in June 2023. That definitely comes into account when assessing the current market price, but let’s first look at the launch day price.
On their respective launches, the RTX 3050 undercuts the RTX 4060 by just $50. As these prices, we think the jump up to the 4060 would be well worth the investment if you’re still on much older hardware. Since there has been some time for the RTX 3050 to rest on the market, it’s more likely to see discounts, especially with competing cards in the new generation releasing. However, you can still find the RTX 3050 around the $250 mark in many cases, or a little lower depending on the manufacturer.
We’ve reached our verdict when comparing RTX 4060 vs RTX 3050. Although the RTX 3050 is a fantastic entry-level GPU, we think the RTX 4060 will be well worth choosing over it for a budget gaming build, if you can find one around the $299 MSRP. However, if you already have a RTX 3050 – or any other 30-series card, upgrading to the 4060 is not really worth the investment based on the largely similar specs. Unless you really want to take advantage of DLSS 3.0 or better raytracing.
The RTX 4060 certainly outperforms the 3050, and it does this with better power efficiency – no doubt a fantastic choice for gamers that want to cheap & efficient solution.
Core clock speed
1,830MHz base, 2535MHz boost
CUDA cores
3,072
Memory size
8GB GDDR6
Dimensions
227.2 x 123.24 x 49.6mm (2.5-slot)
PSU required
550W
TBP
115W
Core Clock Speed
1822 MHz OC boost, 1777 MHz boost,1552 Base clock
CUDA Cores
2560
Memory Size
8GB GDDR6
Dimensions
224.1 x 116.3 x 39.2 mm (dual slot)
PSU Required
450W
Yes, the RTX 4060 is no doubt faster than the RTX 3050. The increased number of CUDA cores, faster clock speeds, and newer architecture are the main specs which will improve performance.
Even though the RTX 3050 is the less powerful card, the RTX 4060 actually has a lower TDP – 115W compared to the 130W of the 30-series card. This makes it much a more power efficient GPU, one of its main selling points.
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