The RTX 3050 6GB was put through its paces, and it turns out that this neutered version is 20% slower than its counterpart with 8GB of memory. Is it really worth calling it RTX 3050?
RTX 3050 6 GB: performance sacrificed to its 8 GB counterpart?
As a reminder, with this card, NVIDIA offers a more neutered GPU than with the original card. This model features 256 fewer cuda cores and a smaller memory footprint. Here, we have 6 GB of VRAM coupled to a 96-bit bus. Inevitably, bandwidth takes a serious hit: 168 GB/s versus 224 GB/s. The same goes for frequencies, which have been revised downwards: 1492 MHz vs. 1777 MHz.
All these modifications mean that the card has little in common with the original. This is reflected in the power consumption, since the TDP rises to 70W, enabling cards without auxiliary power supplies. But performance is also seriously impacted, with a 20% reduction compared to the 3050 8GB. Naturally, all the modifications made to the GPUs are responsible for this drop.
On the other hand, it’s important to remember that this card has not been designed for high-end performance – quite the contrary. We’re talking here about a GPU that’s more powerful than an iGPU , as it performs around 25~26% better than a 780M (Ryzen 7 8700G) on Time Spy. Even so, it’s aimed at 1080p gaming with medium detail. Something it does well at under €200.
