Best RTX 3050 graphics card 2024
We help you make the best choice for your budget friendly card
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- 01The best RTX 3050Editor’s Pick
- 02Best Zotac RX 3050
After AMD’s release of their low-end RX 6500 XT, Nvidia is bringing out their own budget competitor, and we find the best RTX 3050. The next-gen card is meant as an entryway into ray tracing and low-end performance with comparisons being made between it and the 1650 and 1050. Supposedly giving you a third more performance and DLSS can even perform with ray tracing.
If you’ve been waiting to upgrade from your older hardware or have been waiting to build your first budget PC then the RTX 3050 release may be the one for you. However, with a new release, there’s a whole range of choices and it might be difficult to know which one to buy.
Best RTX 3050 graphics card 2024: our top picks
- 01The best RTX 3050Editor’s Pick
- 02Best Zotac RX 3050
To make it a much easier choice for you, we go through all the available AIB choices and compare, evaluate, and test the range to choose the best one available. With availability from six different manufacturers, there are at least 20 options for the 3050 so we bring you just the top few to choose from.
Best RTX 3050 graphics cards 2024
ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3050 OC
Core Clock Speed
1890 MHz Boost
CUDA Cores
2560
Memory Size
8GB GDDR6
Dimensions
300 x 133.6 x 53.5 mm (2.7 slot)
PSU Required
550W
ZOTAC GAMING RTX 3050 Twin Edge OC
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
Colorful iGame RTX 3050 Ultra W DUO OC
Core Clock Speed
1822 MHz OC boost, 1777 MHz boost,1552 Base clock
CUDA Cores
2560
Memory Size
8GB GDDR6
Dimensions
253 x 129 x 45.6 mm (over two slot)
PSU Required
550W
PNY RTX 3050 8GB UPRISING Dual Fan
Core Clock Speed
1777 MHz boost, 1552 Base clock
CUDA Cores
2560
Memory Size
8GB GDDR6
Dimensions
259 x 127 x 42 mm (dual slot)
PSU Required
500W
PNY RTX 3050 8GB XLR8 Gaming REVEL EPIC-X
Core Clock Speed
1777 MHz boost, 1552 MHz clock
CUDA Cores
2560
Memory Size
8GB GDDR6
Dimensions
170 x 125 x 40 mm (2 slot)
PSU Required
500W
Best RTX 3050 graphics card 2024: reviews
ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3050 OC
Core Clock Speed
1890 MHz Boost
CUDA Cores
2560
Memory Size
8GB GDDR6
Dimensions
300 x 133.6 x 53.5 mm (2.7 slot)
PSU Required
550W
- RGB personalization
- Great build quality and design
- Solid performane and overclocking
- Quiet thermal design
- More expensive option
Our top spot for the best RTX 3050 goes to the ASUS ROG Strix RTX 3050 OC. The card has the classic Strix design that features strong materials a great build quality. With that sort of build, you can expect longevity out of both the die and the card.
The 2.7 slot design of the card along with three fans gives the card great cooling to keep up the great performance as well as longevity of the card. The efficient design keeps the card cool and quiet so you can expect both great performances as well as not hearing it. Also helped with the cutout backplate to allow the airflow through for better cooling.
With that cooling, there’s plenty of overhead for more overclocking, as the card already comes factory-overclocked. This gives it the edge in performance and quality over the other options. However, it is a larger 3-fan card is the bigger option being 300 mm long, so it may not suit everyone as well as ending up more expensive.
ZOTAC GAMING RTX 3050 Twin Edge OC
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
- Solid build quality
- Options for both overclocked and not
- Options for both overclocked and not
- Lower specs than other offerings
The Zotac option provides the usual quality and design at a better cost offering. The specifications do suggest that this card only has an 8x PCI express lane compared to the x16 that everyone else offers. However, with the lower-end performance of the card, they won’t use it that much or it is just an error on their website.
The card also provides a great cooling solution with a large heatsink and three heat pipes to redistribute the heat more efficiently. The two fans also make sure that the airflow through the solution is enough to keep the whole card cool and keep up the performance. While also providing the same features of four display outputs while keeping the design to just two slots.
Colorful iGame RTX 3050 Ultra W DUO OC
Core Clock Speed
1822 MHz OC boost, 1777 MHz boost,1552 Base clock
CUDA Cores
2560
Memory Size
8GB GDDR6
Dimensions
253 x 129 x 45.6 mm (over two slot)
PSU Required
550W
- Colorful and unique design
- Overclocked with plenty more potential
- Has easy button for overclocked mode
- Plenty of personalization with software
- More expensive choice
- Requires more unique build to fit in
Most GPU offerings are very much similar in color and design. With black being the main offering and not much variety in between just different cooling and branded shrouds. So you may be looking for something different and more colorful. Or if you’re looking for the final piece for that whiteout build then Colorful has the choice for you.
With a white shroud with highlights of purple and blue, it definitely stands out from the crowd. And it doesn’t just rely on the design to be the better option but does also come with great performance. It has an overclocking button so you can easily choose in what mode to run it in without having to pick which one before you buy.
Along with a great cooling of two fans and a large heatsink, it makes sure it keeps performing as well as it can. It also gives you the opportunity for personalization with software allowing you to change the color of the RGB to best fit into your system.
PNY RTX 3050 8GB UPRISING Dual Fan
Core Clock Speed
1777 MHz boost, 1552 Base clock
CUDA Cores
2560
Memory Size
8GB GDDR6
Dimensions
259 x 127 x 42 mm (dual slot)
PSU Required
500W
- Better cooling than smaller offering
- Lower quality build
- No overclock even at bigger design
Sometimes you may not be looking for anything too flashy or the biggest performer. So going for the cheaper option may be the better option for you and get the best out of what you’re getting. But even with that, it will still be performing up to scratch with the base performance of the RTX 3050.
It does mean that the card doesn’t have the best build quality. Made from plastic materials rather than solid metal than the other options. It will still get the job done and does still have two fans and great cooling for keeping up the performance. And then you still could try overclocking the card.
PNY RTX 3050 8GB XLR8 Gaming REVEL EPIC-X
Core Clock Speed
1777 MHz boost, 1552 MHz clock
CUDA Cores
2560
Memory Size
8GB GDDR6
Dimensions
170 x 125 x 40 mm (2 slot)
PSU Required
500W
- Compact card able to fit smaller builds
- Fully featured even for a small card
- Has a splash of RGB
- Minimal cooling may affect performance or longevity
- No room for overclocking
- Lower build quality
Some builds have a lot smaller space to try to fit in cards. So with graphics cards growing ever bigger finding ITX or smaller cards is becoming more tricky without sacrificing that much performance. However, PNY has a great choice for a small form factor offering.
The single fan card has the same performance as a non-OC card and so will provide the same great experience. As well as offering the same four displays out so you will not be missing out on anything. However, with such a small cooling solution you may not get a quiet performance. The fan will be working harder to keep it cool but will get the job done.
How we choose the best RTX 3050 GPU
Choosing the right products for our best of guides is a long and intense process. With so many options, we make sure to choose only the best options for you.
We take hours researching each of the products, going through product benchmarking, and user reviews where possible. With all of these together we make sure to form the best conclusion for you.
We’ve amassed plenty of knowledge throughout the years and with that have got to know AIBs and releases very well. Now we want to pass on all we know especially to those who may not know their way around graphics cards.
How we test
Testing is an integral part of the selection process. It is a key part of any GPU, making sure it not only performs as well as it claims but all other features it possesses. As well as making sure it is the best and has an advantage over its competition.
Most products recommended by us, go through a rigorous testing process. It involves price comparisons, performance, efficiency, and design. Each is pushed to the limit and beyond to check how well it does and if it is enough to take the spot.
Considerations
Even though it may be the low-end option, the RTX 3050 options are still worth deciding on and choosing. The market is all over the place so as budget-friendly as the MSRP suggests, sellers may not have the same idea of price. Every penny counts and so we want to make sure we take the most things into consideration. So here are the main things when considering the best 3050.
Performance
One of the key features of a graphics card is how well it performs. It’s important to know how much framerate you can expect. Now the 3050 is on the lower end of the performance in Nvidia’s lineup so it’s not the most powerful thing.
The manufacturers get one card with its specifications and build their designs on top of it. So even though you might expect the same performance there will be some variation, with different cooling solutions and overclocking there will be differences.
The factory overclock raises the boost clock from 1777MHz up to 1807MHz. However, it doesn’t stop you from pushing it any further as long as there’s a good design to allow for it. This will then mean you can expect some change in performance between the cards.
Cooling
Each manufacturer designs its own cooling solutions so they won’t perform all exactly the same. This will make sure your GPU keeps performing as well as it should throughout any stresses and workloads.
If the GPU goes over its specified temperature it will throttle down and give a worse performance to preserve its useability and not destroy itself. So having a competent cooling solution for longevity and performance is an important factor to consider.
Price
Also, a key factor in decision-making is how it will cost you. Graphics cards are usually the most expensive part of a build so it’s best to spend some time considering which one to get so you get the best for your money.
The RTX 3050 comes with an MSRP from Nvidia at $249, so even though it may be less than other cards it’s still not cheap. Although in today’s market, we can expect these cards to sell for even higher it’s best to keep the comparisons contained to the 3050s to know what to expect.
Size
Sometimes size can be an important factor for some people with how big a GPU is. If you’re looking to fit a card into a small case you need to look around for something that might fit in. Or if you have a more compact case and don’t want a three-fan one that doesn’t fit then you need to be certain the card fits.
Along with dimensions, there is also a slot number manufacturers provide. This is how many back IO slots the GPU will cover to more easily display how much space the card will take up.
Understanding the specs
Graphics card specifications may have a lot of hard-to-understand terms and jargon. It may seem daunting, but we will tell you what they mean and which of them are important.
Clock speeds
One of the big numbers and terms being thrown around in there is clock speed. Sometimes there are multiple numbers stating the core, boost, or game clock. These terms are for when the GPU is under different situations as it doesn’t have to run full speed the whole time.
But clock speed/rate is how fast the microprocessor is operating. So how quickly the GPU manages to chew through the instructions to bring the graphics to your screen. For GPU releases, the cards will come with a stock frequency, and then overclocking and boosting from different AIBs may give different results.
VRAM
An important factor when games are getting more quality intensive and at higher resolutions. It is the GPUs RAM (random access memory) and so gives it fast volatile storage. It allows important data to run the game to be stored and given out more quickly to make sure it is performing well. So with more VRAM, you can make sure even at higher resolutions and quality you still get the framerate.
TDP
TDP is the thermal design power of the GPU. It refers to the maximum amount of heat a GPU is producing under intense stress. This factor will be what the cooling solution of the card will need to get rid of to make sure it’s performing throughout the most intense cases.
Is a RTX 3050 good for gaming?
For its cost, the RTX 3050 is a decent card. It offers great 1080p performance at an entry-level cost. Especially with the additional features, you get with Nvidia software.
You can even push the resolution up to 1440p and achieve around 60 FPS. So it is worth the purchase for low-end performance.
Can the RTX 3050 run 4K?
The RTX 3050 is more of an entry-level card focused on 1080p gaming. So although technically possible to run it at 4k it isn’t recommended. It’s a straining resolution and won’t get you a large framerate. Although if the game has DLSS cranking that to max might get you a good enough experience.
Best RTX 3050 graphics card 2024 frequently asked questions
Is a RTX 3050 good for gaming?
For its cost, the RTX 3050 is a decent card. It offers great 1080p performance at an entry-level cost. Especially with the additional features, you get with Nvidia software.
You can even push the resolution up to 1440p and achieve around 60 FPS. So it is worth the purchase for low-end performance.
Can the RTX 3050 run 4K?
The RTX 3050 is more of an entry-level card focused on 1080p gaming. So although technically possible to run it at 4k it isn’t recommended. It’s a straining resolution and won’t get you a large framerate. Although if the game has DLSS cranking that to max might get you a good enough experience.
What is the RTX 3050 equivalent to?
If you’re looking for an equivalent option for the RTX 3050, then the RX 6500 XT or RX 6600 is the AMD Radeon equivalent. It offers an alternative with a difference in what they offer in terms of software and features. So it may come down to the price and availability to which you choose.
What is the best RTX 3060?
For the best choice of model for the RTX 3050, we have gone for the ROG Strix OC. It combines both high-quality build and components as well as great cooling to give the card a good overclock. Which then provides a better performance of the round-up of the cards. Although it can come at a higher price, so there is also the option of a bit more budget-friendly options, such as the Zotac Twin Edge. Whilst for something a bit more white and vibrant there is the Colorful iGame.
Final Word
There is our choice for the best RTX 3050 currently available and a selection of other choice options. There are a lot of choices out there in the market so it can be confusing and hard to pick the right one for you. So we hope we have helped with your decision, especially for an entry-level card, it can be a good way to get into PCs and not spend too much money on a GPU.
