This question is essential, since it assumes that, although the reference value of the GeForce RTX 3050 It is 279 euros, this can change depending on the model we choose, its quality and the specifications of each assembler that represent added value.

As such, GeForce RTX 3050 editions with a much more modest design and finishes should be much closer to that suggested price, while premium variations, with higher-quality finishes, will have a much higher price.

I haven't said anything new, This is how the field has worked for a few years now, but I have loved to clarify it because I understand that it is an essential question, and that it may not be so clear to our readers with less understanding.

The truth is that the wait seemed long to me.

From the moment NVIDIA introduced the Turing architecture I was eager to see a standard-grade model equipped with RT cores and tensor cores.

Unfortunately, the RTX 2050 never materialized, at least in its desktop form, and we had to wait for the GeForce RTX 3050 to find a graphics card that try to democratize, seriously, the two technologies, and does so by placing itself under 300 euros.

I know that with the current drop in the consumer graphics card market, talking about prices is very difficult, but as I have said before, I want to start from the reference costs of each product, since the rest are unofficial costs resulting from speculation and greed.

Today, the wait came to an end.

Specifically, the model we have in our hands is GIGABYTE Eagle version which, as we will see later, combines an incredible design and build quality for the range in which this graphics card is included.

GeForce RTX 3050: Ampere at its best

The GeForce RTX 3050 is based on NVIDIA's Ampere architecture and is, as we mentioned, a mid-range graphics solution.

Although it is framed in a level that we can consider as "economic", does not give up any of the key specifications of that architecture, which means that the huge green did not introduce any cuts into this graphics card.

This is an essential aspect, especially knowing what happened with the Radeon RX 6500 XT.

We have said that the GeForce RTX 3050 uses the Ampere architecture in the best way, and this means that it has a block of second-generation RT cores, which are used to free up the shaders from all the workload of ray tracing, as they handle everything related to ray-triangle intersections, box bounding, the collision system, BVH cross intersections, and also have the ability to interpolate and calculate the interpolation of each triangle over time to use motion blur effects.

Next to these second generation RT cores we have a block of third generation tensor cores, whose specialty is AI (artificial intelligence), inference and deep learning.

The algorithm that makes DLSS possible runs on them, a technology for image reconstruction and rescaling that, as we have seen in several professional analyses, is capable of improving performance without having to make sacrifices in image quality.

In fact, when we run it in quality mode, it is able to exceed the native resolution.

Second generation RT cores improve have the ability to work completely asynchronous, and double their ability to calculate intersections to the first generation RT cores, resulting in much higher performance.

For their part, the third-generation tensor cores also represent a significant leap forward, since They have the ability to fold the performance Turing's theory when working with scattered matrices.

The GeForce RTX 3050 maintains the commitment to specialization, a fundamental approach since, without those 2 blocks of specialist cores, It would not be feasible to enable ray tracing in games while maintaining an optimal level of fluidity, and we would not have the opportunity to enjoy the virtues that DLSS offers.

NVIDIA wanted to show the difference that RT cores make when we activate ray tracing, and for this it shared the image that we see just below these lines.

The GTX 1650, which is its direct predecessor, is not capable of running Control or Minecraft with ray tracing active, while the GeForce RTX 3050 is still around 60 FPS.

Surprised? Well, that's completely understandable, after all, all the work that the RT cores do in the GeForce RTX 3050 They are in charge of the shaders in the case of the GTX 1650 which, in addition to this, must perform other tasks.

Of course, this means a huge overhead that greatly extends the rendering time of each frame, making games a genuine screen pass.

I know this graph caused some controversy, but to me It seems correct to me because it shows the generational leap that the GeForce RTX 3050 represents., not only because of the massive increase in capacity that comes from the jump to Ampere, but also because of the introduction of that specialized hardware that allows us to enjoy new generation technologies.

These two blocks of specialist cores distribute encapsulation with the shaders, the texturing entities and the rest of the elements that make up the GPU mounted on the GeForce RTX 3050.

That GPU is a GA106-150-A1, which is manufactured in 8nm development from Samsung, and is distributed in a total of 2 GPCs (Graphics Processing Clusters), ten TPCs (Texture Processing Clusters) and 20 SM entities (Continuous Use Multiprocessors).

Each SM unit based on Ampere doubles the number of shaders that we found in Turing.

This means we went from 64 shaders to 128 shaders.

Doubling the number of shaders means doubling the capacity, per clock period, doing work with single-precision floating point operations (FP32), which are the most important when we talk about games, and those that most benefit such demanding tasks as ray tracing.

This SM unit also has 4 texturing entities, 4 tensor cores and one RT core, and has a total of 128KB of L1 cache.

As we have said, all 128 shaders have the ability to work with FP32 operations, and half of those shaders can also work with INT32 operations concurrently.

It is clear that, at the architectural level, Ampere remains the most advanced one available today in the graphics field.

We move on to learn about the memory subsystem of the GeForce RTX 3050 and we are with a 128-bit bus, which is accompanied by a total of 8GB GDDR6 running at 14 GHz.

NVIDIA did a great job in this regard, as it has fitted a splendid amount of graphics memory, and shaped a memory subsystem that is capable of achieving a bandwidth of 224 GB/s.

That NVIDIA has decided to integrate 8 GB of GDDR6 memory in the GeForce RTX 3050 is not by chance.

This graphics card uses the design PCIE Gen4 x8, which means that if we connect it to a PCIE Gen3 slot, it will work in x8 mode, with the resulting reduction in bandwidth.

Luckily, having 8GB of graphics memory, The impact on performance is almost zero.

On the other hand, we must take into consideration that this amount far exceeds the perfect level that we will need to play in 1080p and maximum quality, even activating textures to the limit and ray tracing.

I've told you that the GeForce RTX 3050 upholds every single key feature of the Ampere architecture, and when I say everything, I mean everything.

This means that it saves the Support for HDMI 2.1 standard, which increases the bandwidth from 18 Gbps to 48 Gbps, and the AV1 decoding, an open and free video coding format that achieves higher quality compression, and higher performance, than the H.264, HEVC and VP9 codecs.

As expected, this new graphics card also works with Resizable BAR, NVIDIA Reflex, NVIDIA RTX I/O, NVIDIA Broadcast, and NVIDIA Studio professional drivers.

• GA106 graphics core in 8nm.
• 2,560 shaders at 1,552 MHz-1,792 MHz.
• 80 texturing entities.
• 48 raster entities.
• 80 third-generation tensor cores.
• 20 second-generation RT cores.
• 128-bit collective.
• 8GB GDDR6 at 14GHz (224GB/s bandwidth).
• FP32 capacity: 9.09 TFLOPS.
• PCIE Gen4 x8 working platform.
• It requires an 8-pin power connector, and a 450 watt power supply is recommended.
• Matched with DirectX 12 Ultimate.
• TBP: 130 watts.
• Price: from 279 euros.

GIGABYTE Eagle GeForce RTX 3050 Outside Review

The GIGABYTE Eagle GeForce RTX 3050 has a fairly understated design and a very solid size. Personally, I like the angular line and the blue details that the Taiwanese company has used on this model.

Just take it out of the box and it jumps into view an incredible build quality which puts it above what we are used to seeing in its range.

We only have to look at the photographs to realize this.

GIGABYTE has taken care of every single point of this graphics card, and has mounted a dual-fan cooling system that rests on a notably sized radiator.

On the back we have a rear metal plate, which contributes structural solidity, helps in cooling tasks and puts, next to the Methacrylate cover of the frontl, the icing on the cake in the aesthetic section.

The fans mounted on the GIGABYTE Eagle GeForce RTX 3050 use nano graphene lubricant, which can theoretically increase the service life by up to 2.1 times, have the ability to rotate in opposite directions to improve the air flow and They remain completely off when the workload is reduced, which translates into completely unobtrusive performance.

All fan blades have a curved finish with small three-dimensional lines in their area, which provides a benefit for the passage of air, as we can see in the attached image.

On the side we are with an added 8-pin power connector, which is a requirement for the GIGABYTE Eagle GeForce RTX 3050 to run properly, as it has a TBP of 130 watts.

That power consumption would not be feasible without an additional power connector, as the PCIE slot only provides a maximum of 75 watts. However, looking at the power consumption of this graphics card, there is no doubt that a 6-pin additional power connector would have been sufficient.

The GIGABYTE Eagle GeForce RTX 3050 uses a dual-slot design, but has very compact dimensions, allowing it to fit without any problem even in computers where space is a limited resource.

Its measurements attest to this: 213 mm long, 120 mm wide and 41 mm high. On the back, it has 2 DisplayPort 1.4ay connectors with 2 HDMI 2.1 outputs.

My first contact with the GIGABYTE Eagle GeForce RTX 3050 was very positive.

It is clear that we are faced with a well-built and quality model, Ultra Durable certification attests to this., and both its design and its cooling system place it as one of the most attractive options that we can find in the first "batch" of RTX 3050.

After this first contact, and after checking again the most essential keys of the Ampere architecture, we are ready to launch ourselves fully into the performance tests, although first we will review the hardware, and the program, that we have used in this analysis.

Testing apparatus

• Windows 11 as OS.
• Intel Core i5-12600K processor.
• Gigabyte Aorus Master Z690 motherboard.
• Corsair VENGEANCE RAM memory, DDR5 at 4,400 MHz with CL36 latencies in 2 modules of 32 GB each (64 GB in total).
• 480GB Vital SATA III SSD.
• WD Black SN850 2TB PCIE Gen4 x4 SSD.
• GIGABYTE Eagle GeForce RTX 3050 graphics card with 8GB of GDDR6 memory.
• Corsair iCUE H150i Elite LCD Liquid Cooling System.
• Corsair RM1000x 80 Plus Gold Certified 1,000 Watt Power Supply.

We have enabled Resizable BAR technology, which allows the central processing unit to access the 8 GB of graphics memory of the GeForce RTX 3050, a feature that can improve performance in certain games.

Each and every title has been set to maximum quality in an attempt to put the GIGABYTE Eagle GeForce RTX 3050 against the ropes, since, after all, it is a graphics card that is specifically designed to move smoothly at such resolution.

However, thanks to DLSS it is able to offer an optimal level of fluidity in higher resolutions without abandoning a high level of quality, as we will observe in this analysis.

GIGABYTE Eagle GeForce RTX 3050 Performance

In terms of performance, the GIGABYTE Eagle GeForce RTX 3050 is a real eye-catcher, and it does so well.

It is a graphics card that fulfills its purpose effectively bring ray tracing and DLSS to standard quality, and it does so well that it is capable of achieving playable FPS rates with ray tracing active and at maximum quality without the need to resort, normally, to DLSS.

For example, in Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition, which requires dedicated hardware to speed up ray tracing, the GIGABYTE Eagle GeForce RTX 3050 achieves an average of 39 FPS without DLSS, and with DLSS in quality mode, performance shoots up to 58 FPS.

In this game, DLSS scales really well even at 1080p as the demands of ray tracing are so high.

The explanation is really simple, reducing the number of rendered pixels helps soften the impact of that technology on performance. (the traditional pixel-ray term)If you still have concerns, I recommend you review this product on ray tracing.

This trend continues in each and every game in which we can turn on ray tracing.

The GIGABYTE Eagle GeForce RTX 3050 supports the spectacular type, and the DLSS scales well even when we go down to performance mode with what I have already explained to you, although personally I suggest you don't go beyond the balanced mode, since, starting from 1080p, the loss of sharpness in performance mode does not compensate for the increase in frames per second.

At 1080p and maximum quality, without ray tracing, the GIGABYTE Eagle GeForce RTX 3050 provides outstanding performance for the range it is included in, and if we activate the DLSS in quality mode it is able to move anything with total fluidity, even the rigorous Cyberpunk 2077, and also God of War, although the latter gave me some somewhat strange results.

It may be a driver issue, or simply due to the optimization of the game which, I remind you, uses DirectX 11.

I know that several of our readers are concerned about the possible performance loss when using this graphics card, which comes with a PCIE Gen4 x8 platform, on a PCIE Gen3 x8 connector.

You can rest assured, the performance loss is so minimal that, as the only significant point, I have only felt an average reduction of 2% in DOOM Eternal.

With this I mean that yes, the GIGABYTE Eagle GeForce RTX 3050, and any GeForce RTX 3050 in general, It is perfect for upgrading a PC with a PCIE Gen3 limit.

In terms of relative rasterization performance, the GIGABYTE Eagle GeForce RTX 3050 It is just one notch below the GeForce RTX 2060, but has the benefit of having 2GB more memory.

If we take DLSS into consideration, the GIGABYTE Eagle GeForce RTX 3050 It is with the ability to surpass, with that technology in quality mode, the Radeon RX 6600.

In addition It is much stronger than this in ray tracing, and without turning on DLSS, so with DLSS you can imagine what happens.

Consumption, temperatures and working speeds

Now we have a clear idea of the performance provided by the GIGABYTE Eagle GeForce RTX 3050, It is a graphics card designed for 1080p.

In addition is possible in 1440p, even without DLSS, but at that resolution turning on ray tracing usually has a pretty big impact.

Its perfect level is that, 1080p.

We now move on to take a look at three key data points: consumption, temperature and the speeds achieved by the GIGABYTE Eagle GeForce RTX 3050.

We start with consumption, and as we can see in the attached image, The values it records are quite good, and is just a shade above the Radeon RX 6600, which in our analysis recorded a peak of 124 watts.

There is no doubt, we will not need a very strong source to move the GIGABYTE Eagle GeForce RTX 3050 without problems.

We now move on to the temperatures, and once again we are faced with a really good result.

The maximum peak of 69 degrees was recorded while playing Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition.

The GIGABYTE Eagle GeForce RTX 3050 has room for overclocking, that's clear, but to do so we need to fine-tune the power limiter, which increases power consumption and temperatures instead of a performance gain that, on average, will be between 4% and 7%.

We finish with the working frequencies. The GIGABYTE Eagle GeForce RTX 3050 comes overclocked from home, since it has a turbo mode of 1,792 MHz, something that can be seen when we monitor the speed of the GPU in different games.

It even surpasses the 1,900 MHz barrier, But in most situations this figure remains somewhat low, as we can see in the attached graph.

Endnotes: A huge generational leap

We're going through a rough patch in the graphics department, there's no arguing about that, and the arrival of graphics cards like the Radeon RX 6500 XT is a clear sign that things are so bad that it seems like anything goes.

Fortunately, NVIDIA did not follow in AMD's footsteps with the Radeon RX 6500 XT, and made the GeForce RTX 3050 a genuine generational leap which, under normal market conditions, would have allowed ray tracing and DLSS to be brought to each and every customer with a budget of less than 300 euros.

Unfortunately, we are not in a typical environment, and it is obvious that in the end the GIGABYTE Eagle GeForce RTX 3050, and each and every GeForce RTX 3050 in general, will end up exceeding the €279 suggested retail price.

However, looking at the current landscape, where graphics cards less powerful than the GIGABYTE Eagle GeForce RTX 3050 now cost 500 euros, I think that The arrival of this will have a very positive impact, and when its price normalizes It will be one of the best models in its category.

At the performance level, the GIGABYTE Eagle GeForce RTX 3050 left me with a good taste in my mouth, not only because of the fact that far surpasses the GTX 1650, its direct predecessor, in rasterization, but rather because it also demonstrated that its RT cores and tensor cores really represent a considerable added value compared to the former.

It is capable of running games with active ray tracing so well that it surpasses much more expensive models. with that technology active, and the DLSS contributes such a huge performance boost that, usually, places it one level above its range.

NVIDIA did an excellent job with the GeForce RTX 3050, and the GIGABYTE Eagle GeForce RTX 3050 stands out as an attractive model, both in terms of design and build quality.

One of the best in its range, and in its price range., even knowing the possible inflation that it may have when it reaches the market tomorrow.