The apparent specifications for the RTX 3050 6GB have been published by Videocardz, and if true, then the RTX 3050 6GB is more than just a 3050 8GB with less VRAM. Previously it was believed the 3050 6GB would just have less memory and slower memory bandwidth, but Videocardz claims it's substantially cut down in pretty much every aspect. This means it won't make our list of the Best GPUs for Gaming.
Previous 3050 6GB rumors suggested that only the VRAM capacity and bandwidth would be changed. Lowering the amount of VRAM from 8GB to 6GB meant deactivating 32 bits of the 128-bit wide memory bus that exists in the 3050, in turn decreasing bandwidth.
*Specifications are unconfirmed.
However, the RTX 3050 6GB will seemingly be cut-down not just in memory, but in every specification that's relevant to performance. While lowering memory capacity and bandwidth may have had a limited effect on performance depending on the game, cutting down core count and frequency are even more impactful. Rough math indicates that the RTX 3050 6GB might only have roughly 75% of the performance of its 8GB counterpart, depending on the game of course.
The RTX 3050 8GB is already a somewhat slow card that found itself between the RX 6500 XT and the RX 6600 in our review. Cutting down this performance even further would likely make the 3050 6GB more comparable to the 6500 XT, which is AMD's second lowest-end GPU from the RX 6000 series available at retail.
Of course, the 3050 6GB would have two notable advantages over the 6500 XT. It would have 6GB against the 6500 XT's 4GB, and the low TDP of the 3050 6GB implies that it won't require a power connector, as a 16-lane PCIe slot can deliver 75 watts. There will be at least one passively-cooled 3050 6GB, which is certainly good for users who want quiet gaming PCs.
While lower VRAM capacity is often tied to a drop in core count with Nvidia GPUs (such as with the GTX 1060 3GB and the RTX 3080 10GB), the only other time we've seen something like this was with the RTX 4080 12GB. That GPU doesn't exist anymore, as Nvidia rebranded it to the RTX 4070 Ti and dropped the price accordingly.
Videocardz says the RTX 3050 6GB will release in February, which is in line with previous rumors. It's all but certain that it at least won't launch in January, as it would conflict with the release schedule for the RTX 40 Super series.
