GeForce RTX 3050 OEM vs Radeon RX 550

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3050 OEM

2022Core: 1515 MHzBoost: 1755 MHz

Popular choices:

VS
AMD

Radeon RX 550

2017Core: 1100 MHzBoost: 1183 MHz

Popular choices:

Performance Spectrum - GPU

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.

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

  • 347.5% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Delivers 41.1% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 47.8 vs 33.8 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $79 MSRP).
  • Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
  • 100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).
  • More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation (2023).
  • 160% higher power demand at 130W vs 50W.
  • 51.6% longer card at 235mm vs 155mm.

Radeon RX 550

2017

Why buy it

  • Costs $170 less on MSRP ($79 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
  • Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation (2023).
  • Draws 50W instead of 130W, a 80W reduction.
  • Measures 155mm instead of 235mm, a 80mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3050 OEM across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 4 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: 2017-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 33.8 vs 47.8 G3D/$ ($79 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 3050 OEM better than Radeon RX 550?
Yes. GeForce RTX 3050 OEM is clearly the better overall GPU here. GeForce RTX 3050 OEM averages 347.5% more FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 11,892 vs 2,674 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 3050 OEM is a 2022 card with DLSS Super Resolution, while Radeon RX 550 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 OEM is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2022 generation instead of 2017, 344.7% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 8 GB instead of 4 GB, and the stronger feature stack with DLSS Super Resolution instead of FSR upscaling + limited Frame Generation. 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 by a wide margin. GeForce RTX 3050 OEM is about 215.2% more expensive on MSRP at $249 MSRP versus $79 MSRP, and you are getting 347.5% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and 344.7% higher G3D Mark. Radeon RX 550 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.
Is Radeon RX 550 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?
No, not for a fresh gaming build. Radeon RX 550 is 2017 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM, 2,674 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.

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

PresetGeForce RTX 3050 OEMRadeon RX 550
1080p
low130 FPS40 FPS
medium113 FPS26 FPS
high99 FPS19 FPS
ultra83 FPS10 FPS
1440p
low119 FPS28 FPS
medium96 FPS17 FPS
high81 FPS9 FPS
ultra69 FPS5 FPS
4K
low64 FPS10 FPS
medium57 FPS6 FPS
high39 FPS4 FPS
ultra33 FPS3 FPS
Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

PresetGeForce RTX 3050 OEMRadeon RX 550
1080p
low239 FPS76 FPS
medium206 FPS47 FPS
high164 FPS35 FPS
ultra128 FPS21 FPS
1440p
low163 FPS23 FPS
medium135 FPS17 FPS
high112 FPS12 FPS
ultra92 FPS8 FPS
4K
low88 FPS6 FPS
medium74 FPS4 FPS
high62 FPS4 FPS
ultra49 FPS2 FPS
League of Legends

League of Legends

PresetGeForce RTX 3050 OEMRadeon RX 550
1080p
low535 FPS120 FPS
medium428 FPS96 FPS
high357 FPS80 FPS
ultra268 FPS60 FPS
1440p
low401 FPS90 FPS
medium321 FPS72 FPS
high268 FPS60 FPS
ultra201 FPS45 FPS
4K
low268 FPS60 FPS
medium214 FPS48 FPS
high178 FPS40 FPS
ultra134 FPS30 FPS
Valorant

Valorant

PresetGeForce RTX 3050 OEMRadeon RX 550
1080p
low467 FPS120 FPS
medium414 FPS96 FPS
high335 FPS80 FPS
ultra268 FPS60 FPS
1440p
low372 FPS90 FPS
medium321 FPS72 FPS
high236 FPS60 FPS
ultra197 FPS45 FPS
4K
low199 FPS54 FPS
medium175 FPS41 FPS
high150 FPS32 FPS
ultra125 FPS22 FPS

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 3050 OEM and Radeon RX 550

NVIDIA

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.

AMD

Radeon RX 550

The Radeon RX 550 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 20 2017. It features the GCN 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1100 MHz to 1183 MHz. It has 512 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,674 points. Launch price was $79.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3050 OEM scores 11,892 versus the Radeon RX 550's 2,674 — the GeForce RTX 3050 OEM leads by 344.7%. The GeForce RTX 3050 OEM is built on Ampere while the Radeon RX 550 uses GCN 4.0, both on 8 nm vs 14 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce RTX 3050 OEM) vs 512 (Radeon RX 550). Raw compute: 8.986 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3050 OEM) vs 1.211 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 550). Boost clocks: 1755 MHz vs 1183 MHz.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 OEMRadeon RX 550
G3D Mark Score
11,892+345%
2,674
Architecture
Ampere
GCN 4.0
Process Node
8 nm
14 nm
Shading Units
2560+400%
512
Compute (TFLOPS)
8.986 TFLOPS+642%
1.211 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
1755 MHz+48%
1183 MHz
ROPs
32+100%
16
TMUs
80+150%
32
L1 Cache
2.5 MB+1823%
0.13 MB
L2 Cache
2 MB+300%
0.5 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

A critical advantage for the Radeon RX 550 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 OEM lacks specific hardware/driver support for this native frame generation tier.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 RX 550 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 OEMRadeon RX 550
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)

The GeForce RTX 3050 OEM comes with 8 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon RX 550 has 4 GB. The GeForce RTX 3050 OEM offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 224 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3050 OEM) vs 112 GB/s (Radeon RX 550) — a 100% advantage for the GeForce RTX 3050 OEM. Bus width: 128-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce RTX 3050 OEM) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon RX 550) — the GeForce RTX 3050 OEM has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 OEMRadeon RX 550
VRAM Capacity
8 GB+100%
4 GB
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
224 GB/s+100%
112 GB/s
Bus Width
128-bit
128-bit
L2 Cache
2 MB+300%
0.5 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.2 (GeForce RTX 3050 OEM) vs 12_0 (Radeon RX 550). Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 3.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 OEMRadeon RX 550
DirectX
12.2+2%
12_0
Max Displays
4+33%
3
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: 8th Gen NVENC (GeForce RTX 3050 OEM) vs VCE 3.4 (Radeon RX 550). Decoder: 5th Gen NVDEC vs UVD 6.3. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (Decode) (GeForce RTX 3050 OEM) vs H.264,H.265 (Radeon RX 550).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 OEMRadeon RX 550
Encoder
8th Gen NVENC
VCE 3.4
Decoder
5th Gen NVDEC
UVD 6.3
Codecs
MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (Decode)
H.264,H.265
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3050 OEM draws 130W versus the Radeon RX 550's 50W — a 88.9% difference. The Radeon RX 550 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 450W (GeForce RTX 3050 OEM) vs 300W (Radeon RX 550). Power connectors: 8-pin vs None. Card length: 235mm vs 155mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 OEMRadeon RX 550
TDP
130W
50W-62%
Recommended PSU
450W
300W-33%
Power Connector
8-pin
None
Length
235mm
155mm
Height
124mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
75°C
Perf/Watt
91.5+71%
53.5
💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce RTX 3050 OEM launched at $249 MSRP, while the Radeon RX 550 launched at $79. The Radeon RX 550 costs 68.3% less ($170 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 47.8 (GeForce RTX 3050 OEM) vs 33.8 (Radeon RX 550) — the GeForce RTX 3050 OEM offers 41.4% better value. The GeForce RTX 3050 OEM is the newer GPU (2022 vs 2017).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 OEMRadeon RX 550
MSRP
$249
$79-68%
Performance per Dollar
47.8+41%
33.8
Codename
GA106
Lexa
Release
January 4 2022
April 20 2017
Ranking
#224
#617