NVIDIA has been in the graphics card game for decades. Two of their GPUs that may cross your radar include the
- Powered by GeForce GTX 1650
- NVIDIA Turing architecture and GeForce Experience
- Integrated with 4GB GDDR6 128bit memory interface
- 80mm unique blade fan
- 170 mm compact card size
- Supports HDMI 2.1
- 8GB of VRAM
- Clock speed 1.81GHz
- No power supply connections
- Great for prebuilts
The GeForce GTX 1650 is an excellent low TDP graphics card capable of playing many games at low settings and up to 1080P without any lag or stutters. While the RTX 3050 is a notably more powerful and newer offering in the same tier. Despite the age difference, it still might not be a clear choice, especially if you’re trying to put together an entry-level custom build.
In this 3050 vs. 1650 comparison article, we will compare these two GPUs based on their manufacturer specs, benchmarks, and how they perform when running different games.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| RTX 3050 | GTX 1650 | |
|---|---|---|
| Node | Samsung 8nm | TSMC 12nm |
| Architecture | Ampere | Turing |
| CUDA Cores | 2560 | 896 |
| Core Clock | 1552 MHz | 1485 MHz |
| Boost Clock | 1777 MHz | 1665 MHz |
| Memory | 8 GB | 4 GB GDDR5 |
| Memory Clock | 14 Gbps | 8 Gbps |
| Memory Bandwidth | 224.0 GB/s | 128.1 GB/s |
| Transistors | 12,000 million | 4,700 million |
| TDP | 130W | 75W |
| Launch Year | Jan 4th, 2022 | Apr 23rd, 2019 |
- Powered by GeForce GTX 1650
- NVIDIA Turing architecture and GeForce Experience
- Integrated with 4GB GDDR6 128bit memory interface
- 80mm unique blade fan
- 170 mm compact card size
What’s the Difference Between the RTX 3050 and GTX 1650?
Just like in the GTX vs. RTX comparison, the RTX 3050 vs. GTX 1650 also have some differences. In this section, we will highlight the RTX 3050 and the GTX 1650 in different games to help differentiate their performance. These are some of the standout differences in features and performance that gamers will encounter with each card.
GPU architecture type
The RTX 3050 includes ampere architecture supported by dedicated second-generation RT cores and third-generation tensor cores. Nvidia included multi-streaming processors in this model and equipped it with high-speed DDR6 graphics memory, making it much more capable than the GTX 1650.
RTX 3050 supports new features such as ray tracing, which allows for more realistic lighting and shadows in games. As a result of these improvements, graphics cards with this architecture are more capable of running games at higher resolutions and frame rates.
Although the GTX 1650, with its older Turing architecture, uses one of the earliest versions of 128-bit memory interfaces, with 4GB GDDR5 memory. To cope with memory expansion demands, it has a 1485 MHz base clock, which can be overclocked to provide 1665 MHz output. On the other hand, the RTX 3050 has a notably faster 1550 MHz default output and can achieve 1770 after overclocking.
Graphics quality
The RTX 3050 supports 4K resolution, allowing you to have more immersive and detailed gaming experiences. When you play modern AAA gaming titles with this GPU, you will notice more detailed textures, complex environments, and realistic lighting and shadows.
Although 1650 is capable of running most games at 1080p resolution with medium to high settings, the major downside is that it may struggle with newer or more demanding games.
Below are some benchmarks from the most popular games based on testing submitted to Technical City.
| Game at 1080p High Settings | GTX 1650 FPS | RTX 3050 8 GB FPS |
|---|---|---|
| The Witcher 3 | 56 | 88 |
| Fortnite | 68 | 112 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 34 | 56 |
Processing and clock speed
The RTX 3050 comes with dedicated streaming multiprocessors, 2nd gen RT Cores, and 3rd gen Tensor Cores. With a clock speed of 1552 MHz and a high-speed G6 memory that will handle the latest games pretty well, its current price is more justified than ever for a budget gaming build.
It’s worth noting that the RTX 3050 is also a budget-friendly graphics card — not intended to replace high-end models like RTX 3070 or RTX 3080. The card is aimed at budget-conscious gamers who want to enjoy ray-tracing and DLSS features but with a more affordable price point than the flagships.
The GTX 1650, on the other hand, is older and even less expensive and is only a great choice if you want to play some serious games on a budget or if you just want to try some less demanding games such as e-sports titles. You can enjoy smooth gameplay at clock speeds of 240 MHz, or a turbo clock speed of 1710 MHz.
- Supports HDMI 2.1
- 8GB of VRAM
- Clock speed 1.81GHz
- No power supply connections
- Great for prebuilts
Which One Is Better? Which One Should You Use?
From the points discussed above, it’s clear that the RTX 3050 and GTX 1650 cards significantly differ in performance output. The RTX 3050 offers you nearly twice as many frames per second in most games tested as the GTX 1650. From our point of view, the RTX 3050 is a modern graphics card with new technologies like DLSS, ray tracing, at a much more tempting price point than the latest models.
RTX 3050 also performs much better than the GTX 1650 as it has faster core clocks and more VRAM. The RTX 3050 outperforms the GTX 1650 by a substantial gap in all the games it can run. If your budget allows for it, the 3050 is definitely the better choice overall.
| Aspect | GTX 1650 | RTX 3050 |
|---|---|---|
| Popularity | High | Moderate |
| Price to Performance | Good | Better |
| Power Efficiency | Efficient | Less Efficient |
| Recommended for | Budget Gaming | Mainstream Gaming |
