The memory drought continues to affect manufacturers of the best graphics cards and everyday consumers hoping to upgrade their systems. However, it seems to have impacted some vendors more severely than others. Manli (via VideoCardz) has expanded its arsenal with two new custom GeForce RTX 3060 and GeForce RTX 3050 graphics cards. The silent launch comes six years after the debut of Nvidia's Ampere architecture.
It may be perplexing to some that graphics card manufacturers are re-releasing products that are two generations old. However, it makes a lot of sense if you look at it since Ampere comes from Samsung’s mature 8nm (8N) manufacturing process. The process node should now be producing excellent yields, making it far more cost-effective to produce Ampere silicon than to produce Ada Lovelace or Blackwell silicon.
The choice to pick the GeForce RTX 3060 and GeForce RTX 3050 for an Ampere revival isn't by chance, either. While everyone dreams of playing AAA games at 4K and maximum settings, mid-range graphics cards ultimately drive the majority of sales. If we look at Steam, the world's largest gaming platform by player count, the GeForce RTX 3060 still reigns as the most popular graphics card despite being five years old. You can say what you want about the GeForce RTX 3050, but it's still sitting comfortably in fourth place.
The memory shortage has disrupted the supply chain for graphics card manufacturers, making it challenging to secure memory inventory, especially the latest GDDR7, at reasonable prices. The fact that the GeForce RTX 3060 and GeForce RTX 3050 use slower-binned GDDR6 memory chips (15 Gbps and 14 Gbps, respectively) and sometimes fewer chips somewhat helps preserve the vendor's profit margins. They're more affordable to produce and move than a GeForce RTX 4060, which uses faster, more expensive 17 Gbps GDDR6 chips, or a GeForce RTX 5050 or GeForce RTX 5060, which use 20 Gbps GDDR6 and 28 Gbps GDDR7, respectively.
The Manli GeForce RTX 3050 6GB Nebula Twin and GeForce RTX 3060 (M2521+N630) are your typical no-frills Ampere graphics cards that target consumers who value affordability over flashy features. They stick to the old tried-and-true dual-slot design with a dual-fan cooler. They conform to Nvidia’s reference specifications, meaning these graphics cards do not feature any factory overclocks.
Manli’s popularity is mainly in the Asian market, so it's highly unlikely these Ampere graphics cards will make their way to the U.S. market. Manli’s decision to re-launch two-generation-old Ampere models lends further credence to a recent rumor that Nvidia's board partners, including Asus, Colorful, Galax, and MSI, are reportedly restarting GeForce RTX 3060 production in July.
Overall, the return of the GeForce RTX 3060 and GeForce RTX 3050 to the market is not necessarily a bad thing, since these Ampere-powered graphics cards remain popular among gamers for their price-to-performance ratio. The true benefit lies with the pricing, though. Custom GeForce RTX 3060 and GeForce RTX 3050 graphics cards start at $299.99 and $239.99, respectively, which are close to their original MSRPs. Time will tell if the resurrection improves pricing on Ampere offerings.
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