GeForce RTX 3050 OEM vs Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire

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 OEM

2022

Why buy it

✅138.1% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 47.8 vs 0 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅300% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 2 GB).
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer clear downsides in this head-to-head, aside from the usual pricing and availability swings.

Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire

2012

Why buy it

✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3050 OEM across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2012-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 47.8 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $249 MSRP).

GeForce RTX 3050 OEM

2022

Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire

2012

Why buy it

✅138.1% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 47.8 vs 0 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅300% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 2 GB).
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Why buy it

✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer clear downsides in this head-to-head, aside from the usual pricing and availability swings.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3050 OEM across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2012-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 47.8 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $249 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 3050 OEM better than Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire?

Yes. GeForce RTX 3050 OEM is clearly the better overall GPU here. GeForce RTX 3050 OEM averages 138.1% more FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 11,892 vs 5,000 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 3050 OEM is a 2022 card with DLSS Super Resolution, while Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire is a 2012 model from an older generation with FSR upscaling. 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 OEM is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2022 generation instead of 2012, 137.8% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 8 GB instead of 2 GB, and the stronger feature stack with DLSS Super Resolution instead of FSR upscaling. That leaves it with more room for heavier textures, tougher ray tracing loads, and higher-end 1440p or 4K gaming over the next few years.

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

GeForce RTX 3050 OEM is the smarter buy today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. GeForce RTX 3050 OEM is priced in an unclear MSRP range at $249 MSRP versus an unclear MSRP, and you are getting 138.1% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and 137.8% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 100+%. That is why the better overall card still comes out as the smarter buy today, not just the faster one.

Is Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire is still a strong modern gaming GPU: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. It remains a good buy when you can get it meaningfully cheaper than the alternative around an unclear MSRP, even if GeForce RTX 3050 OEM is still the cleaner recommendation on overall value today.

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 OEM Benchmark Check

Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3050 OEM	Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire
1080p
low	130 FPS	77 FPS
medium	113 FPS	63 FPS
high	99 FPS	49 FPS
ultra	83 FPS	32 FPS
1440p
low	119 FPS	67 FPS
medium	96 FPS	54 FPS
high	81 FPS	38 FPS
ultra	69 FPS	24 FPS
4K
low	64 FPS	24 FPS
medium	57 FPS	23 FPS
high	39 FPS	15 FPS
ultra	33 FPS	13 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3050 OEM Open Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3050 OEM	Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire
1080p
low	239 FPS	89 FPS
medium	206 FPS	61 FPS
high	164 FPS	45 FPS
ultra	128 FPS	29 FPS
1440p
low	163 FPS	50 FPS
medium	135 FPS	30 FPS
high	112 FPS	21 FPS
ultra	92 FPS	15 FPS
4K
low	88 FPS	17 FPS
medium	74 FPS	11 FPS
high	62 FPS	9 FPS
ultra	49 FPS	6 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3050 OEM Open Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce RTX 3050 OEM	Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire
1080p
low	535 FPS	225 FPS
medium	428 FPS	180 FPS
high	357 FPS	150 FPS
ultra	268 FPS	112 FPS
1440p
low	401 FPS	169 FPS
medium	321 FPS	135 FPS
high	268 FPS	112 FPS
ultra	201 FPS	84 FPS
4K
low	268 FPS	112 FPS
medium	214 FPS	90 FPS
high	178 FPS	75 FPS
ultra	134 FPS	56 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3050 OEM Open Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce RTX 3050 OEM	Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire
1080p
low	467 FPS	129 FPS
medium	414 FPS	105 FPS
high	335 FPS	89 FPS
ultra	268 FPS	74 FPS
1440p
low	372 FPS	98 FPS
medium	321 FPS	81 FPS
high	236 FPS	69 FPS
ultra	197 FPS	56 FPS
4K
low	199 FPS	57 FPS
medium	175 FPS	45 FPS
high	150 FPS	35 FPS
ultra	125 FPS	27 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3050 OEM Open Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 3050 OEM and Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire

GeForce RTX 3050 OEM

The GeForce RTX 3050 OEM is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 4 2022. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1515 MHz to 1755 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: 11,892 points.

Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire

The Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 1 2012. It features the GCN architecture. The core clock speed is 850 MHz. It has 2560 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,000 points.

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Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3050 OEM scores 11,892 versus the Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire's 5,000 — the GeForce RTX 3050 OEM leads by 137.8%. The GeForce RTX 3050 OEM is built on Ampere while the Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire uses GCN, both on 8 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce RTX 3050 OEM) vs 2,560 (Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire).

Feature	GeForce RTX 3050 OEM	Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire
G3D Mark Score	11,892+138%	5,000
Architecture	Ampere	GCN
Process Node	8 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	2560	2560

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3050 OEM gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3050 OEM	Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire
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

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Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce RTX 3050 OEM comes with 8 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire has 2 GB. The GeForce RTX 3050 OEM offers 300% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 224 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3050 OEM) vs 153.6 GB/s x2 (Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire) — a 45.8% advantage for the GeForce RTX 3050 OEM. Bus width: 128-bit vs 256-bit x2.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3050 OEM	Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire
VRAM Capacity	8 GB+300%	2 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	224 GB/s+46%	153.6 GB/s x2
Bus Width	128-bit	256-bit x2+100%

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Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3050 OEM draws 130W versus the Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire's 200W — a 42.4% difference. The GeForce RTX 3050 OEM is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 450W (GeForce RTX 3050 OEM) vs 350W (Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 1x 6-pin.