GeForce RTX 3050 6GB
Radeon HD 7290M
GeForce RTX 3050 6GB vs Radeon HD 7290M Performance Spectrum
About G3D Mark
G3D Mark is a standard benchmark that measures graphics performance in real-world gaming scenarios. It simplifies comparing cards from different brands, where higher scores directly correlate with better fps and smoother gaming experiences.
GeForce RTX 3050 6GB vs Radeon HD 7290M FPS Benchmarks
Predicted gaming performance across popular games. Tested paired with Ryzen 7 9800X3D to isolate GPU performance.
Search any supported game below to compare 1080p FPS for both components.
Path of Exile 2
Counter-Strike 2
League of Legends
Valorant
Among Us
Apex Legends
ARC Raiders
Baldur's Gate 3
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
GeForce RTX 3050 6GB vs Radeon HD 7290M: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict
See where each GPU makes more sense in practice: raw FPS, VRAM, features, power draw, pricing, and long-term headroom.
GeForce RTX 3050 6GB
2024Why buy it
- ✅2841.3% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 63.6 vs 0 G3D/$ ($169 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
- ✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
- ✅1100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 512 MB).
- ✅Better long-term bet: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
Trade-offs
- ❌Fewer clear downsides in this head-to-head, aside from the usual pricing and availability swings.
Radeon HD 7290M
2012Why buy it
- ✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.
Trade-offs
- ❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3050 6GB across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ❌Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
- ❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
- ❌2012 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
- ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 63.6 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $169 MSRP).
Quick Answers
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Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
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GeForce RTX 3050 6GB vs Radeon HD 7290M Technical Specifications
Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.
GeForce RTX 3050 6GB
The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in February 2 2024. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1042 MHz to 1470 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 70W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 18 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 10,749 points. Launch price was $179.
Radeon HD 7290M
The Radeon HD 7290M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 24 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 850 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 100W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 123 points.
Graphics Performance
In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB scores 10,749 versus the Radeon HD 7290M's 123 — the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB leads by 8639%. The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is built on Ampere while the Radeon HD 7290M uses GCN 1.0, both on 8 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 2,304 (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 1,280 (Radeon HD 7290M). Raw compute: 6.774 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 2.176 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7290M).
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3050 6GB | Radeon HD 7290M |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 10,749+8639% | 123 |
| Architecture | Ampere | GCN 1.0 |
| Process Node | 8 nm | 28 nm |
| Shading Units | 2304+80% | 1280 |
| Compute (TFLOPS) | 6.774 TFLOPS+211% | 2.176 TFLOPS |
| ROPs | 32 | 32 |
| TMUs | 72 | 80+11% |
| L1 Cache | 2.3 MB+642% | 0.31 MB |
| L2 Cache | 2 MB+300% | 0.5 MB |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 7290M leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3050 6GB | Radeon HD 7290M |
|---|---|---|
| Upscaling Tech | DLSS 2 Super Resolution | FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 |
| Frame Generation | Not Supported | Not Supported |
| Ray Reconstruction | No | No |
| Low Latency | NVIDIA Reflex | AMD Anti-Lag |
Video Memory (VRAM)
The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB has 6 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 7290M carries 512 MB. GeForce RTX 3050 6GB gives you 1100% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 96-bit on the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB and System on the Radeon HD 7290M. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 7290M) — the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3050 6GB | Radeon HD 7290M |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 6 GB+1100% | 0.5 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 | Shared |
| Memory Bandwidth | 168 GB/s | System |
| Bus Width | 96-bit | System |
| L2 Cache | 2 MB+300% | 0.5 MB |
Display & API Support
DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 11.2 (11_0) (Radeon HD 7290M). OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.4. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 2.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3050 6GB | Radeon HD 7290M |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12 Ultimate+7% | 11.2 (11_0) |
| OpenGL | 4.6+5% | 4.4 |
| Max Displays | 4+100% | 2 |
Media & Encoding
Hardware encoder: NVENC (5th Gen) (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs UVD 3 (Radeon HD 7290M). Decoder: NVDEC (7th Gen) vs UVD 3. Supported codecs: H.264,HEVC,AV1 (Decode Only) (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,DivX,Xvid (Radeon HD 7290M).
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3050 6GB | Radeon HD 7290M |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | NVENC (5th Gen) | UVD 3 |
| Decoder | NVDEC (7th Gen) | UVD 3 |
| Codecs | H.264,HEVC,AV1 (Decode Only) | H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,DivX,Xvid |
Power & Dimensions
The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB draws 70W versus the Radeon HD 7290M's 100W — a 35.3% difference. The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 300W (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 350W (Radeon HD 7290M). Power connectors: None vs 1x 6-pin. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 75°C.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3050 6GB | Radeon HD 7290M |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 70W-30% | 100W |
| Recommended PSU | 300W-14% | 350W |
| Power Connector | None | 1x 6-pin |
| Length | 160mm | — |
| Slots | 2 | 0-100% |
| Temp (Load) | 75°C | 75°C |
| Perf/Watt | 153.6+12700% | 1.2 |
Value Analysis
The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3050 6GB (2024 vs 2012).
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3050 6GB | Radeon HD 7290M |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $169 | — |
| Codename | GA107 | Wimbledon |
| Release | February 2 2024 | April 24 2012 |
| Ranking | #252 | #531 |
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