by We answer some of the burning questions about the GTX 3050!
Updated December 7, 2022 3:59 p.m
The Nvidia RTX 3050 graphics card is one of the most affordable graphics cards in Nvidia’s latest lineup. However, it still manages to run most games at 1080p at 60fps while still offering premium features like ray tracing and DLSS.
The RTX 3050 delivers high-end graphics performance. The GeForce RTX 3050 can easily meet the suggested system requirements for recently released games. It’s a robust benchmark for current games, often delivering fantastic frame rates at high and ultra 1080p. However, the GeForce RTX 3050 can also meet the 1440p PC system requirements. Ability to run games with a DirectX 12 minimum requirement.
How effectively can the GeForce RTX 3050 run games released in 2022? We’ll examine the latest versions and conduct a frames-per-second study with Ultra graphics settings.
The GeForce RTX 3050 can play 964 of the most demanding games available today with specific graphics system requirements.
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Next, let’s talk about frame rates at 1080p. With the GeForce RTX 3050, Battlefield 2042 comes to 44 frames per second, Dying Light 2 to 52 frames per second and FIFA 22 to 127 frames per second. All run at 1920×1080 screen resolution on Ultra.
We tested Battlefield 2042 on the GeForce RTX 3050 at screen resolutions up to 1440p to see if it had a playable range of frame rates. Here are the results for 1440p from low to high frame rates: L: 89 FPS, M: 70 FPS, H: 47 FPS and U: 34 FPS.
Dying Light 2 was a popular game to test at 1440p with this card and in terms of performance proved playable at an Ultra FPS of 40 FPS. Finally, we checked out FIFA 22, which featured ultra 1440p framerates at 97 FPS.
Based on a handful of these 1440p results, the GeForce RTX 3050 is an excellent hardware option for these screen sizes. At 1440p, Ultra is easily reached in virtually all games, and we recommend increasing the display resolution to 4K for this graphics card.
How long will the GeForce RTX 3050 graphics card support recently released games and when should your PC update the GeForce RTX 3050? To meet the demands of high-end gaming, no graphics card upgrade is required for two to three years.
Can RTX 3050 run VR?
NVIDIA’s entry-level 1080P gaming card is the RTX 3050. Over the GTX 1650 it replaces, the RTX 3050 is a significant improvement. Tensor and RT cores are included in the RTX 3050 for ray tracing and DLSS. The GTX 1660, 1660 Super and 1660 Ti do not have these special cores.
So this is an improvement over those models. More than 145 games and programs currently support DLSS, and some VR games also support it. To see if the RTX 3050’s DLSS VR performance is superior to the GTX 1660 Super, which can’t use DLSS, we’ll specifically test it in No Man’s Sky.
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The $249 RTX 3050 is a no-brainer as a budget-friendly VR card. But in reality it’s hard to find, rarely available at MSRP, and typically sells for upwards of $450 in today’s open market. The RTX 3050 is a better option compared to the GTX 1660 Super, which is currently even more expensive for a gaming enthusiast who needs a strong entry-level VR or 1080P video card.
Upgrade to an RTX 3050 if you enjoy playing 1080p video games or are looking for a good entry-level VR card. Compared to previous GTX 16-0 cards, the EVGA XC Black Edition performs well with the added benefit of supporting ray tracing and especially DLSS.
Nvidia’s RTX 3050 performs admirably given its starting price of $249. It sits between the RTX 2060 and the previous-gen GTX 1660 Super, which sells for far more than Nvidia charges. But that also means that it will under no circumstances be sold for outrageously inflated amounts.
Although the GeForce RTX 3050 mainly focuses on 1080p gaming, unlike the RX 6500 XT, it can usually be stretched on Ultra settings and even handle 1440p at playable (>30 fps) framerates.
Of course, less resource-intensive games and settings should perform even better. Still, it would be best if you focused on the “worst-case scenario” for gaming performance rather than opting for titles that almost any GPU can handle.
Can RTX 3050 run 4k?
With performance similar to the three-year-old GTX 1660 Ti, those who prefer high frame rates should look elsewhere. With support for ray tracing wherever possible, the new RTX 3050 graphics card has one very clear goal in mind: 1080p gaming. Technically, it’s capable of larger Quad HD and 4K pixel counts, but at a significant frame-rate cost.
With support for ray tracing wherever possible, the new RTX 3050 graphics card has one very clear goal in mind: 1080p gaming. Technically, it’s capable of larger Quad HD and 4K pixel counts, but at a significant frame-rate cost. Overall, the RTX 3050 Ti is a solid graphics card for 1080p resolution gaming with moderate in-game settings.
However, most video games see frame rates drop below 60 fps when you bump the resolution to 1440p. Therefore, you should refrain from playing games with 1440p or 4K resolution with it.
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Although the GTX 1660 Ti was released three years ago and has an outdated architecture, it works in a similar way. The Nvidia RTX 3050 is a sound graphics card for 1080p gaming and can run most AAA titles at 60 frames per second.
Despite the low price, the RTX 3050’s biggest strength is its support for technologies like ray tracing and DLSS. This has a significant impact on a game’s visual quality and overall performance, but few games offer these features. Therefore, before upgrading to the RTX 3050, you should make sure your favorite games are compatible with the RTX feature set.
Can the RTX 3050 do ray tracing?
The RTX 3050 is one of the most affordable graphics cards in Nvidia’s latest lineup. However, it still manages to run most games at 1080p at 60fps while still offering premium features like ray tracing and DLSS.
The ability to do ray tracing at a reasonable price is perhaps its most important selling point, especially when compared to cards like the GTX 1660 Ti. With performance similar to the three-year-old GTX 1660 Ti, those looking for high framerates should look into it prefer to go somewhere else.
But what exactly is ray tracing? This is a sophisticated rendering method that can be used to create more realistic light and shadow effects. It is best known for its excellent reflections that help create more photorealistic environments. Few games support ray tracing, but those that do, like Control, Cyberpunk 2077, and the upcoming Dying Light 2, really benefit in terms of graphics.
Meanwhile, DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) is a spatial image upscaling solution that uses artificial intelligence to significantly improve frame rate performance with minimal loss of visual quality. According to the specs, it’s crucial for cards like the RTX 3050 because it allows for smoother performance despite the GPU’s low power.
Outside of Nvidia’s premium features, the RTX 3050’s specs appear to be very standard. It only has 2560 CUDA cores, while the RTX 3060 and RTX 3060 Ti both have 3584 and 4864, respectively. This makes the RTX 3050 by far the least effective of the trio.
Despite the low price, the RTX 3050’s biggest strength is its support for technologies like ray tracing and DLSS. This has a significant impact on a game’s visual quality and overall performance, but few games offer these features. Therefore, before upgrading to the RTX 3050, you should make sure your favorite games are compatible with the RTX feature set.
