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.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

GeForce RTX 3050 8GB

2022

Why buy it

✅+42.5% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Delivers 31% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 50.3 vs 38.4 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $229 MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 130W instead of 185W, a 55W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation (2023).

Radeon RX 580

2017

Why buy it

✅Costs $20 less on MSRP ($229 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation (2023).
✅Measures 241mm instead of 242mm, a 1mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (8,799 vs 12,535).
❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2017-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 38.4 vs 50.3 G3D/$ ($229 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
❌42.3% higher power demand at 185W vs 130W.

GeForce RTX 3050 8GB

2022

Radeon RX 580

2017

Why buy it

✅+42.5% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Delivers 31% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 50.3 vs 38.4 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $229 MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 130W instead of 185W, a 55W reduction.

Why buy it

✅Costs $20 less on MSRP ($229 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation (2023).
✅Measures 241mm instead of 242mm, a 1mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation (2023).

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (8,799 vs 12,535).
❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2017-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 38.4 vs 50.3 G3D/$ ($229 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
❌42.3% higher power demand at 185W vs 130W.

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 3050 8GB better than Radeon RX 580?

Yes. GeForce RTX 3050 8GB is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 12,535 vs 8,799 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 3050 8GB is a 2022 card with DLSS Super Resolution, while Radeon RX 580 is a 2017 model from an older generation with FSR upscaling + limited Frame Generation. So this is not really a tight same-tier comparison. It is more a modern card against an older, weaker alternative.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce RTX 3050 8GB is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2022 generation instead of 2017, 42.5% more raw performance headroom, the stronger feature stack with DLSS Super Resolution instead of FSR upscaling + limited Frame Generation, and a 8nm process instead of 14nm. That broader feature stack should age better as more games lean on modern upscaling and frame-generation support.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

GeForce RTX 3050 8GB is the smarter buy by a wide margin. GeForce RTX 3050 8GB is about 8.7% more expensive on MSRP at $249 MSRP versus $229 MSRP, and you are getting 42.5% higher G3D Mark. Radeon RX 580 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

Is Radeon RX 580 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

No, not for a fresh gaming build. Radeon RX 580 is 2017 hardware with 8 GB of VRAM, 8,799 in G3D Mark, and FSR upscaling + limited Frame Generation. That is simply too far behind to be an easy modern recommendation.

Games Benchmarks

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 9800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

GeForce RTX 3050 8GB Benchmark Check

Radeon RX 580 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3050 8GB	Radeon RX 580
1080p
low	130 FPS	146 FPS
medium	113 FPS	129 FPS
high	99 FPS	110 FPS
ultra	83 FPS	81 FPS
1440p
low	119 FPS	133 FPS
medium	96 FPS	111 FPS
high	81 FPS	86 FPS
ultra	69 FPS	64 FPS
4K
low	64 FPS	59 FPS
medium	57 FPS	52 FPS
high	39 FPS	33 FPS
ultra	33 FPS	29 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3050 8GB Open Radeon RX 580

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3050 8GB	Radeon RX 580
1080p
low	245 FPS	159 FPS
medium	211 FPS	137 FPS
high	165 FPS	119 FPS
ultra	128 FPS	93 FPS
1440p
low	163 FPS	92 FPS
medium	135 FPS	73 FPS
high	112 FPS	57 FPS
ultra	92 FPS	46 FPS
4K
low	89 FPS	37 FPS
medium	74 FPS	29 FPS
high	62 FPS	24 FPS
ultra	49 FPS	19 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3050 8GB Open Radeon RX 580

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce RTX 3050 8GB	Radeon RX 580
1080p
low	564 FPS	396 FPS
medium	451 FPS	317 FPS
high	376 FPS	264 FPS
ultra	282 FPS	198 FPS
1440p
low	423 FPS	297 FPS
medium	338 FPS	238 FPS
high	282 FPS	198 FPS
ultra	212 FPS	148 FPS
4K
low	282 FPS	198 FPS
medium	226 FPS	158 FPS
high	188 FPS	132 FPS
ultra	141 FPS	99 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3050 8GB Open Radeon RX 580

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce RTX 3050 8GB	Radeon RX 580
1080p
low	469 FPS	368 FPS
medium	415 FPS	317 FPS
high	336 FPS	264 FPS
ultra	282 FPS	198 FPS
1440p
low	373 FPS	290 FPS
medium	326 FPS	238 FPS
high	237 FPS	189 FPS
ultra	198 FPS	145 FPS
4K
low	200 FPS	154 FPS
medium	175 FPS	120 FPS
high	152 FPS	105 FPS
ultra	126 FPS	85 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3050 8GB Open Radeon RX 580

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 3050 8GB and Radeon RX 580

GeForce RTX 3050 8GB

The GeForce RTX 3050 8GB is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 4 2022. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1552 MHz to 1777 MHz. It has 2560 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 130W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 20 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 12,535 points. Launch price was $249.

Radeon RX 580

The Radeon RX 580 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 18 2017. It features the GCN 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1257 MHz to 1340 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 185W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,799 points. Launch price was $229.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3050 8GB scores 12,535 versus the Radeon RX 580's 8,799 — the GeForce RTX 3050 8GB leads by 42.5%. The GeForce RTX 3050 8GB is built on Ampere while the Radeon RX 580 uses GCN 4.0, both on 8 nm vs 14 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce RTX 3050 8GB) vs 2,304 (Radeon RX 580). Raw compute: 9.098 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3050 8GB) vs 6.175 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 580). Boost clocks: 1777 MHz vs 1340 MHz.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3050 8GB	Radeon RX 580
G3D Mark Score	12,535+42%	8,799
Architecture	Ampere	GCN 4.0
Process Node	8 nm	14 nm
Shading Units	2560+11%	2304
Compute (TFLOPS)	9.098 TFLOPS+47%	6.175 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1777 MHz+33%	1340 MHz
ROPs	32	32
TMUs	80	144+80%
L1 Cache	2.5 MB+346%	0.56 MB
L2 Cache	2 MB	2 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

A critical advantage for the Radeon RX 580 is support for FSR Frame Generation. This allows it to generate entire frames using AI/Algorithms, essentially doubling the frame rate in CPU-bound scenarios or heavy ray-tracing titles. The GeForce RTX 3050 8GB lacks specific hardware/driver support for this native frame generation tier.The GeForce RTX 3050 8GB gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon RX 580 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3050 8GB	Radeon RX 580
Upscaling Tech	DLSS 2 Super Resolution	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	FSR Frame Generation
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards feature 8 GB of video memory. Memory bandwidth: 224 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3050 8GB) vs 256 GB/s (Radeon RX 580) — a 14.3% advantage for the Radeon RX 580. Bus width: 128-bit vs 256-bit.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3050 8GB	Radeon RX 580
VRAM Capacity	8 GB	8 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	224 GB/s	256 GB/s+14%
Bus Width	128-bit	256-bit+100%
L2 Cache	2 MB	2 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3050 8GB) vs 12 (Radeon RX 580). Vulkan: 1.4 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3050 8GB	Radeon RX 580
DirectX	12 Ultimate	12
Vulkan	1.4+8%	1.3
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 7th gen (GeForce RTX 3050 8GB) vs VCE 3.0 (Radeon RX 580). Decoder: NVDEC 5th gen vs UVD 6.3. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3050 8GB) vs H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP9 (Radeon RX 580).

Feature	GeForce RTX 3050 8GB	Radeon RX 580
Encoder	NVENC 7th gen	VCE 3.0
Decoder	NVDEC 5th gen	UVD 6.3
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9	H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP9

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3050 8GB draws 130W versus the Radeon RX 580's 185W — a 34.9% difference. The GeForce RTX 3050 8GB is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 450W (GeForce RTX 3050 8GB) vs 500W (Radeon RX 580). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 242mm vs 241mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 66°C vs 75°C.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3050 8GB	Radeon RX 580
TDP	130W-30%	185W
Recommended PSU	450W-10%	500W
Power Connector	8-pin	8-pin
Length	242mm	241mm
Height	112mm	—
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	66°C-12%	75°C
Perf/Watt	96.4+103%	47.6

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce RTX 3050 8GB launched at $249 MSRP, while the Radeon RX 580 launched at $229. The Radeon RX 580 costs 8% less ($20 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 50.3 (GeForce RTX 3050 8GB) vs 38.4 (Radeon RX 580) — the GeForce RTX 3050 8GB offers 31% better value. The GeForce RTX 3050 8GB is the newer GPU (2022 vs 2017).