GeForce RTX 3050 6GB Specs Leak Reveals Big Cuts To GPU Cores And Clocks For A Lower TDP
In addition to recently launching a handful of GeForce RTX 40 Super series GPUs (check out our GeForce RTX 4070 Super review that just went live this morning), NVIDIA is also expected to unveil a retooled GeForce RTX 3050 from the previous generation lineup, albeit with different power and performance goals. Just how different remains to be seen, though some leaked specifications give us a pretty good idea (assuming they turn out to be accurate).
According to previous leaks and rumors, the second iteration of the GeForce RTX 3050 that's inbound will feature less VRAM, and specifically 6GB of GDDR6 memory as opposed to 8GB that's found on the current model. That's not the only change, though, according to the folks at Videocardz—they report that it will debut with a spec sheet that's similar to the cut-down OEM variant, at least as it relates to a downgrade in CUDA cores.
Citing information obtained from NVIDIA's board partners, the site says the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB will feature 2,304 CUDA cores, which is a 10% reduction compared to the 2,560 CUDA cores found on the current 8GB model. The site also claims the memory bus is being tightened to 96-bit versus 128-bit, resulting in 168GB/s of memory bandwidth. That's a more drastic 25% bandwidth reduction, to go along with having 25% less memory.
As for the GPU clocks, those will be cut as well. Assuming NVIDIA's board partners are feeding accurate information into the wild, the core clock will drop 32% from 1,552MHz to 1,042MHz, while the boost clock will be 17% slower, dropping from 1,777MHz to 1,470MHz.
Obviously this will all add up to a somewhat sizable performance disadvantage versus the current model, though it should be a cheaper SKU when it arrives. It's also expected to slice the TGP nearly in half—from 130W all the way down to 70W, which is just over a 46% reduction.
The lower TGP should enable the card to draw the necessary power from a PCIe slot rather than be tethered directly to the power supply unit (PSU). Additionally, there's been chatter of passively-cooled (read: fanless) GeForce RTX 3050 6GB models finding their way into the market, which would be a potential boon for gamers piecing together a silent or quiet PC.
NVIDIA's pricing will determine if the cut-down specs are reasonable. As a point of reference, the cheapest 8GB model we can find is a factory-overclocked Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3050 Windforce OC card that's on sale for $219.99 on Amazon ($50 off). We also found an ASUS Phoenix GeForce RTX 3050 on sale for $229.99 ($70 off), which is the next lowest price we found. Previous rumors suggest the 6GB variant could debut with a $179 MSRP.
