Although the prices have dropped, video cards are still not really accessible and certainly not for every pocket. To cope with the demand, the manufacturers also launched slightly cheaper intermediate models, such as AMD’s RX 6500 or Nvidia’s RTX 3050. Asus, which produces video cards based on graphics processors from both companies, recently launched the Dual GeForce RTX 3050 OC Edition, which we took a closer look at.
in compact dimensions
The intermediate series of video cards are usually characterized by smaller sizes compared to the leading cards in the family, which is actually an advantage. This makes them much more convenient to use in compact cases, and their power consumption is also often lower. Asus’ GeForce RTX 3050 Dual OC is 200mm long, which is about two-thirds the length of a full-sized graphics card.
It interfaces with a PCIe 4.0 x8 connection and occupies no more than two slots on which are 3 DisplayPort 1.4a ports and another HDMI 2.1 port. Its total power is 130 watts, which also means that it is satisfied with a single 12V electrical connection, so that a particularly strong and powerful power supply is not required – even the recommendation of Asus says that a supply with a power of only 550 watts is sufficient.
The GeForce RTX 3050 Dual OC card has a pair of fans with technology that Asus calls Axial-tech. They are based on a smaller ventilation core, but equipped with larger blades that manage to bring them to a higher level of efficiency compared to other fans in the field. They also use dual bearings that last longer. But, no less important than that, in the thermal aspect, is the use of a casing made of aluminum and a double and separated cooling body. So thanks to this design and the temperature control, as long as the temperature is below 50 degrees the speed of the fans drops to a minimum to a noise of 0db.
Technology and performance
The Dual GeForce RTX 3050 OC Edition card is based on the second generation of RT cores and the third generation of Nvidia’s Tensor cores with support for ray tracing. It offers 2,560 Cuda cores, 8 gigabytes of GDDR6 working memory, in a 128-bit interface and with a speed of 14 gigabit/s that utilizes a bandwidth of 224 gigabytes/s.
The OC in the name of the card means that it is an edition that allows acceleration of the original card. This amounts to a slightly higher clock frequency of 1,852 MHz in overclocked mode. In normal gaming mode the frequency is 1,822 MHz. By comparison, the RTX 3050’s base spec clocks in at 1,777 MHz, so that’s a welcome addition.
The performance tests give the RTX 3050 a good middle ground. In Dirt 5 it manages to display about 60 frames per second, Far Cry 6 reaches 72 frames per second, while in Cyberpunk 2077 the number is lower at about 43 frames per second. All games ran in FHD resolution.
Compared to the advanced cards, the 3050 does not have the ability to connect an additional card using Crossfire/NVlink technology, a dedicated button for various work modes or protections. What’s more, it is designed with Asus’ Auto−Extreme technology, which guarantees a high standard in the production process and a more reliable product that will work over time.
Finally, Asus also offers GPU Tweak II. which is an advanced control panel that allows viewing card data in real time such as effort, temperature, fan speed and more. It is also possible to change and adjust the work profile and change parameters such as clock speed, memory and voltage settings, when it is available for Windows computers.
The bottom line
The Dual GeForce RTX 3050 OC Edition card currently does not provide peak performance, certainly compared to the 3060 and even more so to the 3080. On the other hand, those who are willing to settle for Full HD resolution are certainly able to run graphics-intensive games easily, so it is very suitable for the thrifty gamer.
It doesn’t have advanced features like the advanced cards and you can’t connect more than one card to the system with a direct link, but it does offer a slightly higher high frequency. It is also particularly suitable for small cases and only needs a single electrical connection.
The price of Dual GeForce RTX 3050 OC Edition is NIS 1,799 with a 3-year warranty from Visual, the official importer of Asus products in Israel.