Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 price, restocks, specs, performance and more

An Nvidia RTX GPU — (Image credit: Nvidia)

The GeForce RTX 3050 is one of Nvidia’s latest desktop GPUs. Unlike the premium RTX 3090 Ti, the RTX 3050 is a moderately specced and moderately priced entry-level GPU.

In a world where people are clamoring to get their hands on cards like the RTX 3080 Ti and RTX 3090, the RTX 3050 is somewhat of an oddity. A card specializing in 1080p/60fps gaming isn’t something most hardcore PC gamers want in 2022. Sure, ray tracing is a great addition, as is DLSS and Nvidia G-Sync, but outside of those features, the card isn’t all that impressive on paper.

However, the $249 asking price makes the GPU enticing, especially for folks who’ve been unable to get their hands on any of Nvidia’s RTX 30-series cards due to the never-ending chip shortage. As such, from the moment we saw the GeForce RTX 3050 go on sale it flew off the shelves and is now seemingly out of stock in the U.S. and the U.K.

So with that in mind, here’s everything you need to know about the Nvidia RTX 3050.

Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050: Price and release date

The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 launched on January 27, 2022 for a retail price of $249. Sadly, high demand saw it sell out rather quickly, meaning it joins its fellow RTX 30-series graphics cards in being challenging to find in stock.

But to help you out, we have our guide on where to buy the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050; check it out as you never know when you might stumble across a quiet restock. Though GPU prices have dropped in recent months, be aware that some cards are going for heavily inflated prices.

Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050: Restocks and deals

As it stands, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 appears to be sold out pretty much everywhere. But restocks are likely to happen, even if it's just sporadically. Our product tracker tool below will flag any retailers that have the GeForce RTX 3050 in stock, as well as highlight any deals for it — just don't expect to find a bargain price any time soon.

Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050: Specs and performance

The RTX 3050 is designed to deliver 1080p resolution at 60 frames per second with ray tracing enabled.

The RTX 3050 is built on Ampere architecture and uses 8GB of GDDR6 VRAM. This is the same memory found in the RTX 3060 Ti. The card has 2,560 CUDA cores with a base clock of 1.55 GHz and a boost clock of 1.78 GHz. It also has a 128-bit memory interface width seen in GPUs targeting 1080p.

Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 performance comparison — (Image credit: Nvidia)

Features like DLSS AI upscaling and Nvidia G-Sync will help the card maintain high frame rates, even with ray tracing enabled. This means games will run silky smooth. Nvidia Reflex paired with G-Sync, will all but eliminate input latency – making games feel more responsive. Other features like Shadowplay, Broadcast, Freestyle, Highlights and Ansel exist for the esports crowd.

Of course, we’d need to test the RTX 3050’s performance for ourselves to judge, but based on Nvidia’s claims, the card should be suitable for budget-minded players.

Below, we compare the RTX 3050 to other RTX 30 series cards.

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Nvidia GeForce RTX 30-series GPUs
Row 0 - Cell 0	Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050	Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060	Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti	Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070	Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080	Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090
Nvidia CUDA Cores	2,560	3,584	4,864	5,888	8,704	10,496
Boost Clock (GHz)	1.78	1.78	1.67	1.73	1.71	1.70
Memory Size	8 GB	12 GB	8 GB	8 GB	10 GB	24 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR6	GDDR6	GDDR6	GDDR6X	GDDR6X
Dimensions	9.5 x 4.4 inches	9.5 x 4.4 inches	9.5 x 4.4 inches	9.5 x 4.4 inches	11.2 x 4.4 inches	12.3 x 5.4 inches
Power Draw	130W	170W	200W	220W	320W	350W
Price	$250	$330	$400	$500	$700	$1,500

Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050: Outlook

Even though the RTX 3050 isn’t meant to be a powerhouse of a graphics card, it should still deliver the 1080p/60fps experience Nvidia promises – hopefully without fiddling too much with a game’s graphical settings.

The asking price of $249 makes it compelling despite its modest specs. And though certain retailers are selling the card for well above its MSRP, the fact it isn’t attractive to crypto miners should (in theory) keep costs moderate.

It’s difficult to speak on the card’s availability due to the ongoing semiconductor shortage, but if things ease up in 2022 as some analysts and reports suggest, then perhaps it won’t be an impossible task.

We'll bring you more on the RTX 3050 after we've had a chance to run it through our own performance tests.

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Tony is a computing writer at Tom’s Guide covering laptops, tablets, Windows, and iOS. During his off-hours, Tony enjoys reading comic books, playing video games, reading speculative fiction novels, and spending too much time on X/Twitter. His non-nerdy pursuits involve attending Hard Rock/Heavy Metal concerts and going to NYC bars with friends and colleagues. His work has appeared in publications such as Laptop Mag, PC Mag, and various independent gaming sites.