Key Points
- Ray-tracing on the RTX 3050 reduces performance, making it less useful for low-end graphics cards.
- The RTX 3060 offers almost 50% better performance than the RTX 3050 for a slight price difference.
- The RTX 3050 struggles with 1440p gaming, requiring lower video settings for smooth gameplay.
- Older graphics card models offer similar performance to the RTX 3050.
- The RX 6600 is cheaper and offers up to 30% more performance than the RTX 3050.
Whether or not the RTX 3050 is one of the best GPUs out there is controversial. Some gamers say that it’s a very good graphics card and anyone thinking about getting one should do so, but there is another side of the gaming community that complains about the RTX 3050. That’s why down below, you can find the most common complaints about the RTX 3050.
This way, you can learn about both the good and bad sides of the RTX 3050 and decide if it’s the right graphics card for your gaming needs and your gaming computer, so read on!
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The 8 Biggest Complaints About the RTX 3050
The biggest complaints about the RTX 3050 don’t have much to do with its performance, but rather its value and competitors that may offer better value for less money.
Read on to find out what RTX 3050 users complain about most.
You May Not Need Ray-Tracing
Ray-tracing is a technology from NVIDIA that can graphically simulate the behavior of light in a physical sense. This naturally improves the graphics and lets gamers immerse themselves in the gameplay. While most RX and RTX models include ray-tracing, some NVIDIA graphics cards don’t.
Most RTX 3050 users complain that ray-tracing on the RTX 3050 graphics card reduces performance and you have to turn this feature off to get some more FPS for smooth gameplay. Therefore, the ray-tracing feature doesn’t make much sense on a low-end graphics card like the RTX 3050.
The RTX 3060 Offers Almost 50% Better Performance
One of the most commonly recommended GPUs over the RTX 3050 is the RTX 3060 model. The RTX 3060 model offers almost 50% more performance than the RTX 3050, but only at a slight price difference. So, unless you’re on a tight budget, it’s better to spend a bit more money on a better graphics card.
Of course, the price difference depends on retailers, but judging by the MSRP, the difference between these two graphics cards is only $80. However, with the recent price inflation around the world, it can be quite difficult to find one of these graphics cards near its MSRP.
1440p Gamers Might Struggle With Video Settings
While the RTX 3050 is a very good graphics card for 1080p gaming and allows you to play AAA games at high settings, you might have trouble doing the same at 1440p. Gamers who have a monitor that supports 1440p will therefore need to drastically reduce the video settings to ensure good FPS and smooth gameplay.
Instead of using high or even ultra-high video settings as you would with 1080p, you’ll need to choose low to medium video settings for 1440p gaming. So, it’s important to think about your monitor and gaming needs before you choose the RTX 3050, or you might find out later that you made a bad choice.
Older Models Offer Similar Performance
Gamers who realized that they could have spent less money for similar performance in native resolution only complain about the RTX 3050, but some gamers find it justified since you can get very similar performance with older graphics cards that offer similar performance.
The good thing about the RTX 3050 is that this graphics card has DLSS, which isn’t the case with older graphics cards. This could be a good reason to push back against user complaints, as DLSS alone on a low-entry graphics card provides a much better boost than older mid-range graphics cards that don’t include DLSS. However, performance-wise, it’s tricky to see a newly purchased graphics card have a similar performance to the older models.
It’s Selling for Way Above Its MSRP
The RTX 3050 has an MSRP of $249, but the big problem is that retailers are selling it for well over $300. All gamers should use their common sense and compare the RTX 3050 to other graphics cards, and we don’t recommend buying it for more than $300.
Of course, NVIDIA isn’t responsible for the market, inflation, and current prices. For those reasons, the RTX 3050 just doesn’t make sense because you’d be paying too much. The RTX 3050 still has a lot to offer, but you need to make sure you don’t pay too much.
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The RX 6600 is Cheaper and Has Better Performance
When you factor in inflation and market prices, the RX 6600 is a better value compared to an RTX 3050. At the time of writing, you can pick up an RTX 3050 at a slight 7% discount for around $267 — the lowest price you’ll find. Otherwise, you’ll pay almost $300, if not more.
On the other hand, you can get the RX6600 for around $199 with no discount. Yes, the RTX 3050 has DLSS that can boost its performance even more, but the RX6600 has native performance that can easily match the RTX 3050. That’s why we understand the complaints from gamers who say it’s pointless to consider the RTX 3050 when the RX 6600 is cheaper and offers up to 30% more performance.
RTX 2060 is Cheaper and 10% Faster
The RTX 2060 is a more affordable graphics card than the RTX 3050, and the 16GB version of the RTX 2060 has 50% more memory bus width. This basically gives you a much better graphics card that offers at least 10% more performance, which can be as much as 20%.
Of course, prices have been up and down lately, and no one knows how much more prices will go up. But even if you can snag a used RTX 2060 from a trusted source, you’ll spend less money and get a better graphics card.
Price to Value Isn’t Great
The biggest complaints are about the price and value of this graphics card. The RTX 3050 is a decent graphics card. But in the sea of graphics cards you can choose from, it’s not really worth it for the price.
The market is mostly to blame for this, as graphics card prices have skyrocketed, making it much more expensive to upgrade your computer’s GPU. So, you’re paying 1.5 times the price you normally would, and you’re not getting a performance boost for it. That’s one of the reasons you keep hearing about other graphics cards, even when you’re researching the RTX 3050.
Budget-conscious gamers will mostly recommend other graphics cards for that budget.
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- 8GB GDDR6 RAM
- NVIDIA Ampere architecture
- 1807 MHz GPU clock speed
- PCIe 4.0
- IceStorm 2.0 Advanced Cooling, FREEZE Fan Stop
- DisplayPort, HDMI, PCI Express video output interface
Wrapping Up
The RTX 3050 isn’t a bad graphics card. But with graphics card prices skyrocketing due to the recession and recent inflation, it’s hard to get good value for the money you’ll spend on the RTX 3050.
As a result, the biggest complaints are about the price-performance ratio, and you’ll probably hear a lot about other graphics cards you could buy instead to upgrade your gaming computer.
We don’t think you can go wrong with the RTX 3050 if you can find a good deal. However, if you want to spend that kind of money, you have other options.
Summary Table
| Complaint | Description |
|---|---|
| 1. You May Not Need Ray-Tracing | Ray-tracing on the RTX 3050 reduces performance and may need to be turned off for smooth gameplay. |
| 2. The RTX 3060 Offers Almost 50% Better Performance | RTX 3060 provides significantly better performance for a slight price difference. |
| 3. 1440p Gamers Might Struggle With Video Settings | RTX 3050 may require reduced video settings for 1440p gaming. |
| 4. Older Models Offer Similar Performance | Older graphics cards can provide similar performance to the RTX 3050. |
| 5. Itâs Selling for Way Above Its MSRP | RTX 3050 is being sold for well over its MSRP of $249. |
| 6. The RX 6600 is Cheaper and Has Better Performance | RX 6600 offers better value and up to 30% more performance at a lower price. |
| 7. RTX 2060 is Cheaper and 10% Faster | RTX 2060 provides better performance at a lower price. |
| 8. Price to Value Isnât Great | Price-performance ratio of the RTX 3050 is not ideal due to market conditions and other available options. |
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