GeForce RTX 3050 6GB vs Tesla P40

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3050 6GB

2024Core: 1042 MHzBoost: 1470 MHz
RTX family
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VS
NVIDIA

Tesla P40

2016Core: 1303 MHzBoost: 1531 MHz
Similar parts
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GeForce RTX 3050 6GB vs Tesla P40 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 Tesla P40: 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

2024

Why buy it

  • Costs $5,530 less on MSRP ($169 MSRP vs $5,699 MSRP).
  • Delivers 2969.8% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 63.6 vs 2.1 G3D/$ ($169 MSRP vs $5,699 MSRP).
  • Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
  • Better long-term bet: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
  • Draws 70W instead of 250W, a 180W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Lower PassMark G3D performance (10,749 vs 11,808).
  • Less VRAM, with 6 GB vs 24 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.

Tesla P40

2016

Why buy it

  • +9.9% higher PassMark G3D performance.
  • 300% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (24 GB vs 6 GB).

Trade-offs

  • No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
  • 2016 hardware with 24 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
  • 3272.2% HIGHER MSRP
    $5,699 MSRPvs$169 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.1 vs 63.6 G3D/$ ($5,699 MSRP vs $169 MSRP).
  • 257.1% higher power demand at 250W vs 70W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Tesla P40 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 9.9% in PassMark G3D (11,808 vs 10,749), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: the newer upscaling stack, DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, a 8nm process instead of 16nm, 18 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2024 generation instead of 2016. That gives it the more rounded hardware package for newer games.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce RTX 3050 6GB makes the most sense to buy today. It is $5,530 cheaper on MSRP at $169 vs $5,699, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 2969.8% (63.6 vs 2.1), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. Tesla P40 still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce RTX 3050 6GB vs Tesla P40 Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

NVIDIA

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.

NVIDIA

Tesla P40

The Tesla P40 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in September 13 2016. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 1303 MHz to 1531 MHz. It has 3840 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 250W. Manufactured using 16 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 11,808 points. Launch price was $5,699.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB scores 10,749 versus the Tesla P40's 11,808 — the Tesla P40 leads by 9.9%. The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is built on Ampere while the Tesla P40 uses Pascal, both on 8 nm vs 16 nm. Shader units: 2,304 (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 3,840 (Tesla P40). Raw compute: 6.774 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 11.76 TFLOPS (Tesla P40). Boost clocks: 1470 MHz vs 1531 MHz.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 6GBTesla P40
G3D Mark Score
10,749
11,808+10%
Architecture
Ampere
Pascal
Process Node
8 nm
16 nm
Shading Units
2304
3840+67%
Compute (TFLOPS)
6.774 TFLOPS
11.76 TFLOPS+74%
Boost Clock
1470 MHz
1531 MHz+4%
ROPs
32
96+200%
TMUs
72
240+233%
L1 Cache
2.3 MB+64%
1.4 MB
L2 Cache
2 MB
3 MB+50%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Tesla P40 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 6GBTesla P40
Upscaling Tech
DLSS 2 Super Resolution
Upscaling support
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
Standard
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB has 6 GB of VRAM, while the Tesla P40 carries 24 GB. Tesla P40 gives you 300% 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 256-bit on the Tesla P40. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 3 MB (Tesla P40) — the Tesla P40 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 6GBTesla P40
VRAM Capacity
6 GB
24 GB+300%
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR6
Bus Width
96-bit
256-bit+167%
L2 Cache
2 MB
3 MB+50%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 12.1 (Tesla P40). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.1. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.5. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 0.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 6GBTesla P40
DirectX
12 Ultimate
12.1
Vulkan
1.3+18%
1.1
OpenGL
4.6+2%
4.5
Max Displays
4
0
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (5th Gen) (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs NVENC 4.0 (2x) (Tesla P40). Decoder: NVDEC (7th Gen) vs PureVideo HD VP6. Supported codecs: H.264,HEVC,AV1 (Decode Only) (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (Tesla P40).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 6GBTesla P40
Encoder
NVENC (5th Gen)
NVENC 4.0 (2x)
Decoder
NVDEC (7th Gen)
PureVideo HD VP6
Codecs
H.264,HEVC,AV1 (Decode Only)
MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB draws 70W versus the Tesla P40's 250W — a 112.5% difference. The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 300W (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 500W (Tesla P40). Power connectors: None vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 160mm vs 267mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 85°C.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 6GBTesla P40
TDP
70W-72%
250W
Recommended PSU
300W-40%
500W
Power Connector
None
PCIe-powered
Length
160mm
267mm
Height
112mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
75°C-12%
85°C
Perf/Watt
153.6+225%
47.2
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB came in at $169, while the Tesla P40 launched at $5699. On MSRP, GeForce RTX 3050 6GB was 97% cheaper ($5530 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 63.6 (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 2.1 (Tesla P40) — the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB offers 2928.6% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3050 6GB (2024 vs 2016).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 6GBTesla P40
MSRP
$169-97%
$5699
Performance per Dollar
63.6+2929%
2.1
Codename
GA107
GP102
Release
February 2 2024
September 13 2016
Ranking
#252
#227

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