The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 is a capable budget graphics card, but there are better options if you‘re looking for an upgrade. In this guide, we‘ll explore 5 top alternatives to the RTX 3050, analyzing the pros, cons, and ideal use cases of each.
How We Evaluated the Best Alternatives
In selecting and ranking alternatives to the RTX 3050, we focused on several key factors:
- Performance: Raw speed and capability for gaming, creative workloads
- Price: Value for money based on typical retail pricing
- Features: Ray tracing, video ports, encoding, etc.
- Power: Heat, noise, and power draw
- Availability: Ease of actually finding the GPU in stock
Using benchmarks, expert reviews, and hands-on testing, we narrowed down the choices to GPUs that provide better overall value than the RTX 3050.
#1 Pick: Nvidia RTX 3060 Ti
The RTX 3060 Ti is our top pick for an RTX 3050 upgrade, offering approximately 70% faster performance at 1440p gaming workloads. Compared to the 3050, the 3060 Ti has more CUDA cores (4864 vs. 2560), texture units (152 vs. 80), and RT cores (38 vs. 20).
It‘s based on the same Ampere architecture, but the 3060 Ti pulls ahead significantly in real-world gaming tests. The 8GB of GDDR6 also provides enough VRAM for modern games with higher resolution textures.
The 3060 Ti does cost about $130 more than a 3050. However, we think the performance uplift is worth it if you’re looking for 60+ fps gameplay at 1440p while enabling ray traced effects.
Key Specs:
- CUDA Cores: 4864
- Boost Clock: 1665 MHz
- VRAM: 8GB GDDR6
- Power: 200W
- Dimensions: 242 x 112 mm
- Outputs: DP 1.4a, HDMI 2.1
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Great 1440p gaming performance | Higher cost than 3050 |
| Solid ray tracing capability | 8GB VRAM still entry-level |
| Efficient power consumption | Can run hot in compact cases |
Ideal Use Case: Smoother high-refresh 1440p gaming with ray tracing enabled.
#2 Pick: AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT
On team red, the Radeon RX 6700 XT stands out as a compelling 1440p-focused alternative to the RTX 3050. It outpaces the 3050 by a significant 75% margin in many titles at 1440p maximum settings.
The RX 6700 XT benefits from AMD‘s RDNA 2 architecture, with 40 compute units and high engine clocks reaching almost 2.6 GHz. This raw horsepower translates into triple-digit fps results in eSports and well-optimized games.
Compared directly, the 6700 XT is much more capable than the RTX 3050 when it comes to non-RT workloads. It does fall behind in ray tracing performance specifically though, an area where Nvidia still holds an advantage. Still, with 12GB of onboard memory, the RX 6700 XT has more headroom for detailed textures at 1440p.
Retailing around $400, the Radeon RX 6700 XT does cost more than a 3050. But with vastly better 1440p pixel pushing capabilities, we think it’s an investment worth making for silky smooth QHD gameplay.
Key Specs:
- Compute Units: 40
- Game Clock: 2424 MHz
- VRAM: 12GB GDDR6
- Power: 230W
- Dimensions: 258 x 120 mm
- Outputs: DP 1.4, HDMI 2.1
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Excellent 1440p performance | Mediocre ray tracing |
| 12GB VRAM for future proofing | Can run quite hot |
| Great value for money | Higher cost than 3050 |
Ideal Use Case: High fps competitive gaming at 1440p resolution.
#3 Pick: Nvidia RTX 3070
Stepping up to a higher tier card, the RTX 3070 still presents good value compared to the far cheaper RTX 3050. It beats the 3050 by a convincing 75-100% margin across 1080p and 1440p gaming tests.
The improved performance stems from more SMs and higher clocks—the 3070 configures 58 SMs with up to 1730 MHz boost speeds. Combine this with 8GB of efficient GDDR6 memory, and you have a very capable 2560×1440 gaming card.
Ray tracing is also dramatically improved with 46 dedicated RT cores, allowing smooth frame rates in titles like Control and Cyberpunk 2077 with ray tracing enabled. DLSS support further boosts fps during intense scenes.
Of course, the 3070 costs almost twice as much as the 3050 at between $500 and $600. But we think the experience uplift is noticeable and worthwhile if you game at 1440p or value ray traced effects.
Key Specs:
- CUDA Cores: 5888
- Boost Clock: 1730 MHz
- VRAM: 8GB GDDR6
- Power: 220W
- Dimensions: 242 x 112 mm
- Outputs: DP 1.4, HDMI 2.1
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Excellent 1440p and 1080p gaming | Higher cost than 3050 |
| Great ray tracing performance | 8GB VRAM still considered entry-level |
| Efficient cooling and acoustics | Large size may not fit all cases |
Ideal Use Case: Smooth high fps 1440p gaming with ray tracing enabled.
#4 Pick: AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT
If you‘re willing to spend more for maxed-out 4K gaming, AMD‘s Radeon RX 6800 XT delivers substantially better performance than the RTX 3050 for this use case. It offers at least 80% higher average fps across popular AAA games tested at 4K max settings.
The 6800 XT accomplishes this through 72 enhanced compute units with game clocks beyond 2 GHz. This muscle combined with 16GB of VRAM gives enough headroom for higher resolution textures and assets.
Ray tracing is also improved over the anemic RTX 3050, although AMD still trails Nvidia in this specific area. The card takes more power to run too at over 300W.
But for a superior 4K gaming experience, the RX 6800 XT ultimately beats the 3050 by a huge margin while costing around $650-700. If your focus is next-gen games at 3840×2160, it’s worth the premium.
Key Specs:
- Compute Units: 72
- Game Clock: 2015 MHz
- VRAM: 16GB GDDR6
- Power: 300W
- Dimensions: 267 x 120 mm
- Outputs: DP 1.4, HDMI 2.1
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Excellent 4K gaming performance | Very expensive |
| 16GB VRAM for max textures | AMD ray tracing still behind Nvidia |
| Efficient cooling | High power consumption |
Ideal Use Case: Future-proof 4K gaming rig focused on AAA titles
#5 Pick: AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT
Finally, the Radeon RX 6650 XT delivers a nice blend of 1080p and 1440p gaming muscle while keeping costs relatively low. It outscores the RTX 3050 by around 30-50% depending on the test and resolution.
AMD equips this graphics card with 32 compute units and a sizable game clock of 2635 MHz. The 8GB GDDR6 memory runs at 17.5 Gbps too, providing enough bandwidth for high fidelity effects.
As an added bonus, the RX 6650 XT tends to cost only $50-100 more than RTX 3050 models. That makes it a better value play if you want improved speeds for eSports and other fast-paced games. Just don‘t expect amazing ray tracing performance.
Key Specs:
- Compute Units: 32
- Game Clock: 2635 MHz
- VRAM: 8GB GDDR6
- Power: 180W
- Dimensions: 241 x 116 mm
- Outputs: DP 1.4, HDMI 2.1
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Good 1080p/1440p performance | Weak ray tracing |
| Low power consumption | Can be loud at full load |
| Budget-friendly price | 8GB VRAM still entry-level |
Ideal Use Case: Smoother 1080p and 1440p gaming on a budget.
Bottom Line
While the RTX 3050 seems tempting for its low price, there are much faster alternatives that deliver better gaming experiences. The GPUs highlighted here provide superior performance and additional features while fitting different budgets and resolutions.
If we had to crown an overall champ, the RTX 3060 Ti strikes the best balance of price/performance for high-refresh 1440p gameplay. But every GPU mentioned beats the RTX 3050 handily, so choose based on your needs and budget.
And if you do opt for an RTX 3050 still, that‘s okay too. It can readily handle eSports and AAA titles at 1080p. Just be aware that better options exist for more demanding games and resolutions when you decide to upgrade.
