Unreleased Nvidia budget GPU to rival AMD and Intel emerges overseas — RTX 3050 6GB specifications shared through retailer listing

GeForce RTX 3050 StormX OC 6GB
GeForce RTX 3050 StormX OC 6GB (Image credit: Citilink)

A GeForce RTX 3050 6GB has been in the works for some time. Although the last-generation Ampere graphics card is unlikely to contend for a spot on the list of best graphics cards, the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB could be a decent alternative for budget gamers if correctly priced.

While Nvidia's latest graphics cards are on the Ada Lovelace architecture, the chipmaker still has some Ampere products up its sleeves. However, instead of an upgrade, the forthcoming GeForce RTX 3050 6GB represents a regression from the vanilla GeForce RTX 3050, which has 8GB of onboard memory.

Russian retailer Citilink (via VideoCardz) has listed three custom GeForce RTX 3050 6GB models from Nvidia partner Palit on the company's website. The list includes the  GeForce RTX 3050 StormX OC 6GB(NE63050S18JE-1070F), GeForce RTX 3050 StormX 6GB (NE63050018JE-1070F), and GeForce RTX 3050 KalmX 6GB (NE63050018JE-1070H). Although the specifications are from a retailer, it's wise to treat them cautiously since they could be placeholders. For example, the packaging render for the GeForce RTX 3050 StormX OC 6GB still corresponds to the 8GB model, but the specifications and product code are different.

Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 6GB Specifications

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Graphics CardRTX 3050 8GBRTX 3050 6GB*
ArchitectureGA106GA106 or GA107
Process TechnologySamsung 8NSamsung 8N
Transistors (Billion)1212 or 8.7
Die size (mm^2)276276 or 200
SMs / CUs2020
GPU Cores2,5602,560
Tensor Cores8080
RT Cores2020
Base Clock (MHz)1,5521,042
Boost Clock (MHz)1,7771,777
VRAM Speed (Gbps)1414
VRAM (GB)86
VRAM Bus Width12896
ROPs3232
TMUs8080
TFLOPS FP32 (Boost)9.19.1
Bandwidth (GB/s)224168
Board Power (Watts)130115
Launch DateJanuary 2022February 2024
Official Launch MSRP$249 ?

*Specifications are unconfirmed.

According to the retailer, the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB retains the same 2,560 CUDA cores as the GeForce RTX 3050 8GB. The silicon is unknown. The original GeForce RTX 3050 utilized the GA106 die, but Nvidia later used the GA107 die instead. It's a coin toss on whether the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB will be on the GA106 or GA107 die, although we're more inclined to the latter. At any rate, the CUDA core count remains untouched.

The GeForce RTX 3050 StormX OC 6GB features a 1,402 MHz base clock and a 1,777 MHz boost clock. While the base clock is significantly lower, the boost clock appears to be the same as the GeForce RTX 3050 8GB. Therefore, the FP32 performance for both variants should be the same (9.1 TFLOPS). We don't expect any design changes with the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB, meaning it should still be on the PCIe 4.0 x8 interface like the original.

(Image credit: Citilink)

As the model name insinuates, the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB has 6GB of GDDR6 memory clocked at 14 Gbps. Those are the exact memory chips found inside the GeForce RTX 3050 8GB. However, there's a huge twist. Much to our disappointment, the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB has a debilitated memory interface, limited to a 96-bit bus as opposed to the 128-bit bus on the GeForce RTX 3050 8GB.

The narrower memory interface limits the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB's memory bandwidth to 168 GB/s, 56 GB/s lower than the GeForce RTX 3050 8GB. It's a massive blow to the graphics card since it loses 2GB of memory and 25% of its bandwidth.

The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB may have a lower TDP, due to the absence of a few memory chips. Citilink listed the GeForce RTX 3050 StormX OC 6GB with a 115W TDP, 15W lower than the standard GeForce RTX 3040 8GB. It's not a huge deal since it's just a 12% reduction. Nonetheless, there are rumors that the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB thermal design is around 70W to 80W. If accurate, the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB will not require external power connectors.

The GeForce RTX 3050 8GB has a $249 MSRP, however, custom models on the market start at $219.99. Citilink sells the GeForce RTX 3050 StormX OC 6GB for $321.79, which aligns with some of the other custom 8GB offerings from the same retailer. Nevertheless, the official MSRP for the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB pricing remains a mystery. The Ampere-based graphics card is rumored to launch in February, so hopefully, more retailer listings arise to give us a better idea of the pricing.

Zhiye Liu
News Editor and Memory Reviewer

Zhiye Liu is a news editor and memory reviewer at Tom’s Hardware. Although he loves everything that’s hardware, he has a soft spot for CPUs, GPUs, and RAM.

  • Neilbob
    Or they could just lower the price of the 3050 to where it should be based on the performance, which is around 150, and completely forego adding an extra useless product to the stack.

    Yeah, right.
    Reply
  • PiersPlowman
    Neilbob said:
    Or they could just lower the price of the 3050 to where it should be based on the performance, which is around 150, and completely forego adding an extra useless product to the stack.

    Yeah, right.
    Never gonna happen. AMvidia got a taste for insane profits during the last mining boom and come hell or high water they are not dropping prices. The "cheap" SKUs either serve as decoys to upsell the next tier, or they are the utter dregs that would normally be thrown in the recycle bin.

    Lisa and Jensen are laughing their socks off while FOMOing saps pay top dollar for this trash.
    Reply
  • hotaru251

    The GeForce RTX 3050 8GB has a $249 MSRP, however, custom models on the market start at $219.99. Citilink sells the GeForce RTX 3050 StormX OC 6GB for $321.79


    not 1 person should ever buy this over intel's gpu.
    (and i only run team green anymore)

    you are probably better off buying an old gpu off ebay if you are THAT desperate for a gpu at $200-250.
    Reply
  • Giroro
    2GB of VRAM is not what's stopping NVIDIA from dropping the prices on their years-old obsolete GPUs.

    Because it turns out 2GB of VRAM isn't a creepy old billionaire who's desperately trying to hoarde literally all the money in the world like a mythological dragon, for reasons no human being can explain.
    Reply
  • LolaGT
    If it ends up being $100 US, yes, anything over that, then no. The original 3050 was and still is no bueno.

    .....the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB could be a decent alternative for budget gamers if priced adequately.
    Reply
  • Joseph_138
    As if the RTX 3050 wasn't already bad enough. I can't even imagine that either the GA106 or GA 107 version would give acceptable performance. This is just another way for nVidia to unload their junk grade chips on an unsuspecting public.
    Reply
  • magbarn
    These sound like factory rejects that Nvidia had lying around. 96 bit memory interface on a >$200 video card?!
    Nvidia will continue to neglect bargain gaming as long as they're getting billions of dollars from their AI division. Why waste TSMC capacity on gaming when you can make 10x the profit on AI sales?
    Reply
  • Udyr
    Unreleased Nvidia budget GPU to rival AMD and Intel
    Straight out of marketing jargon.
    Reply
  • Bamda
    Does it come with the Nvidia tax?
    Reply