Nvidia is expected to release the RTX 3050, a budget-friendly gaming desktop GPU, next month. This would possibly come in two different versions: one with 4GB and one with 8GB.
That information comes from avid Twitter leaker kopite7kimi (which was captured by VideoCardz). He states that there are two different variants: the GA106-150 with 2,560 CUDA cores and 8GB of memory, and the GA106-140 with 2,304 CUDA cores and 4GB of VRAM.
So there is a (relatively) stronger version with twice as much VRAM, and that in addition to a cheaper model. We have to take all information with a grain of salt, especially because many different rumors have already surfaced about the RTX 3050. This information, or at least that of the GA106-150, is in the same line of previous leaks.
If all goes well, Nvidia will announce the RTX 3050 (or both versions) at CES 2022 in January. The GPUs will then hit store shelves later in the month. Some rumors here cite January 27 as the launch date. We expect more information about the RTX 3090 Ti, so we already have something to look forward to.
Analysis: even more budget-friendly GPUs
Two new options for affordable graphics cards coming out next month is certainly interesting. We don’t have an exact idea of the price yet, and even then we’ll probably have to get around all the scalpers to get our hands on one. Any bit of news is good, because we have seen little to no budget-friendly products from Ampere in 2021. AMD also had little to offer us here.
We heard earlier that the RTX 3050 Ti may be built around the GA106-150 GPU, so we suspect that this leak doesn’t point to two 3050s, but to a standard 3050 and 3050 Ti.
VideoCardz seems to believe that this is not the case. They state that Nvidia will release two different models of the RTX 3050, both based on the GA106. This is followed by a stronger version of the GA106, which then becomes the Ti version. The core of the GPU remains the same to keep production costs as low as possible for third party manufacturers, which seems logical.
We’ll have to wait a little longer. We’d like to see some cheaper graphics cards come out, and in nice quantities. We also expect the AMD RX 6500 XT next month, which should be followed by the RX 6400 after some time. This too is all based on rumours, so keep taking it with a grain of salt. The Arc Alchemist GPU from Intel is also expected to appear early next year. If AMD and Nvidia fail to provide an affordable alternative, then there is a chance that Intel will pay the necessary attention here.
