PNY GeForce RTX 3050 6GB VERTO: the better affordable entry-level GPU

As more games are released with ray tracing and DLSS/FSR features, it’s just a matter of time before GPUs with ray tracing support take over the budget-gaming market. While RT does offer impressive visuals and immersive experiences in high-end gaming, these features might be more of a luxury than a necessity for gamers with a tight budget. Even with NVIDIA launching the RTX 3050 back in early 2022, the minimum cost to get you a reasonable ray tracing experience is still $249, or above MYR 1000.

This, however, is about to change after NVIDIA launched its RTX 3050 6GB variant at a starting price of $179. Although the RTX 3060 is still the most popular choice based on the latest survey on Steam, the GTX 1650 is still the most demanded entry-level GPU by budget gamers here in Malaysia. We got our hands on the PNY GeForce RTX 3050 6GB VERTO this time for a quick test but instead of the GTX 1650, we’ll be comparing it against the GTX 1660 and GTX 1660 Ti for a quick performance gauge.

Specifications

RTX 3050 8GB vs RTX 3050 6GB

GTX 1660 vs RTX 3050 6GB

GTX 1660 Ti vs RTX 3050 6GB

The PNY GeForce RTX 3050 6GB VERTO

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The RTX 3050 6GB VERTO comes in a compact design featuring a dual-fan cooler and measures a dimension of 186.18 x 113.03 x 38.61mm, which is slightly shorter than the RTX 3050 8GB VERTO. Due to the low TDP of 70W, the power supplied from the PCIe slot is enough to power the card and because of its compact size, it’s a great option for those who are into compact ITX build.

The display output options on the RTX 3050 6GB VERTO are very straightforward – 1 x DisplayPort, 1 x HDMI port, and 1 x DVI-D port.

Test System Setup

As mentioned at the beginning of this test, we tested the RTX 3050 6GB VERTO against the RTX 1660 and RTX 1660 Ti mainly on 1080p resolution for a quick performance gauge. We don’t plan to push these cards beyond 1080p due to the obvious limitations based on the specs and the settings for the titles we’ve selected for the test are set to high. Also, the test is done under the ambient temperature of 32°C.

Games benchmark – 1080P, High Settings, No DLSS/FSR

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

There’s no way to measure the ray tracing performance for the GTX cards because they don’t have the hardware to support the feature, so our focus here is the raster performance of the three cards.

Aside from newer titles like Starfield and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora that stress the GPU hard, the rest of the titles run pretty well on the RTX 3050 6GB VERTO with more than 60fps average on most occasions. Without FSR or DLSS, the RTX 3050 6GB VERTO easily performs better than the GTX 1660 in raster performance and runs about 16-20% slower than the GTX 1660 Ti.

While the GTX 1660 Ti is the better GPU out of the three we have tested, the RTX 3050 6GB VERTO does have its advantage with DLSS and ray tracing to deliver better aesthetics in games. FSR might be the alternative for non-RTX cards for performance boost, our previous tests show that DLSS is still the better option when it comes to lower resolutions like 1080p.

Thermals & Power Draw

Moving on to the thermals and power draw, the RTX 3050 6GB VERTO maxes at about 69.2W. Due to our higher ambient temperature, we observed a higher GPU load temperature and hot spot temperature after the test.

The GPU load temperature and hot spot temperature recorded are at 77.9°C and 89.4°C respectively. This is considered reasonable as the RTX 30 series card has a TJ Max temp of 93°C. This, of course, can be improved by increasing the fan curve using the PNY VelocityX software. Because the fans are almost inaudible even during high GPU loads, I think users could customize the fan curve according to their preferences.

Final Thoughts

For a product that is designed to be affordable and power-efficient, the RTX 3050 6GB VERTO is good for basic gaming nowadays. There’s no denying that the RTX 3050 6GB is currently the most affordable entry-level ray tracing GPU because of its starting price of 899 MYR. It will struggle for high settings in some modern titles but with DLSS/FSR or perhaps frame generation if supported, the RTX 3050 6GB can still handle these titles to an extent.

Despite not having the latest technology such as Frame Generation that we can see on the RTX 40 series cards, the performance is okay overall with the compact design and power efficiency of the card being the main selling point. It’s a great choice for small PC builds and it goes without saying, it can fit in almost any PC case and doesn’t require any additional power aside from the 75W power supplied by the PCIe slot.

All in all, the RTX 3050 6GB is a solid budget option for gamers who are looking for a quick upgrade without spending too much. Compared to the older-gen GTX 1650 and GTX 1660, the RTX 3050 6GB is a better choice here. You get to enjoy newer technology and avoid the risk of buying into an older EOL architecture.

Where to Buy?

• Shopee

By the way, all Malaysians, do keep an eye out for the yellow “FTS” sticker on PNY GPUs. That signifies authenticity from the distributor and will be expedited for a speedy RMA process if anything goes wrong.

To get your warranty process, contact either of these two Facebook pages:

1. https://www.facebook.com/FTSMY/
2. https://www.facebook.com/PNYMalaysia