GeForce RTX 3050 6GB vs GeForce RTX 5090 D

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3050 6GB

2024Core: 1042 MHzBoost: 1470 MHz
VS
NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 5090 D

2025Core: 2017 MHzBoost: 2407 MHz
RTX family
·······

GeForce RTX 3050 6GB vs GeForce RTX 5090 D 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 GeForce RTX 5090 D 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.

GeForce RTX 3050 6GB vs GeForce RTX 5090 D: 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 $1,830 less on MSRP ($169 MSRP vs $1,999 MSRP).
  • Delivers 209.7% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 63.6 vs 20.5 G3D/$ ($169 MSRP vs $1,999 MSRP).
  • Draws 70W instead of 575W, a 505W reduction.
  • Measures 160mm instead of 304mm, a 144mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 5090 D across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 6 GB vs 32 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • No equivalent frame-generation stack like DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation (2025).
  • GeForce RTX 5090 D is the safer long-term pick here because the hardware is newer and the feature stack is stronger.

GeForce RTX 5090 D

2025

Why buy it

  • 210.1% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Access to a newer frame-generation stack with DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation (2025).
  • 433.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (32 GB vs 6 GB).
  • Better long-term bet: Blackwell 2.0 (2025−2026) on 5nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • 1082.8% HIGHER MSRP
    $1,999 MSRPvs$169 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 20.5 vs 63.6 G3D/$ ($1,999 MSRP vs $169 MSRP).
  • 721.4% higher power demand at 575W vs 70W.
  • 90% longer card at 304mm vs 160mm.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce RTX 5090 D is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 210.1% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 282% in PassMark G3D (41,059 vs 10,749), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce RTX 5090 D is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 32 GB vs 6 GB of VRAM, the newer feature stack, with DLSS 4 Super Resolution (2025) and DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation (2025), while GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is limited to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) and no comparable frame-generation support, a 5nm process instead of 8nm, and 170 vs 18 ray-tracing units. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce RTX 3050 6GB makes the most sense to buy today. It is $1,830 cheaper on MSRP at $169 vs $1,999, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 209.7% (63.6 vs 20.5), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1440p and 4K headroom, GeForce RTX 5090 D has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce RTX 3050 6GB vs GeForce RTX 5090 D 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

GeForce RTX 5090 D

The GeForce RTX 5090 D is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 30 2025. It features the Blackwell 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 2017 MHz to 2407 MHz. It has 21760 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 575W. Manufactured using 5 nm process technology. It features 170 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 41,059 points. Launch price was $2,299.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB scores 10,749 versus the GeForce RTX 5090 D's 41,059 — the GeForce RTX 5090 D leads by 282%. The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is built on Ampere while the GeForce RTX 5090 D uses Blackwell 2.0, both on 8 nm vs 5 nm. Shader units: 2,304 (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 21,760 (GeForce RTX 5090 D). Raw compute: 6.774 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 104.8 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 5090 D). Boost clocks: 1470 MHz vs 2407 MHz. Ray tracing: 18 RT cores (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 170 (GeForce RTX 5090 D) with 72 Tensor cores vs 680.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 6GBGeForce RTX 5090 D
G3D Mark Score
10,749
41,059+282%
Architecture
Ampere
Blackwell 2.0
Process Node
8 nm
5 nm
Shading Units
2304
21760+844%
Compute (TFLOPS)
6.774 TFLOPS
104.8 TFLOPS+1447%
Boost Clock
1470 MHz
2407 MHz+64%
ROPs
32
176+450%
TMUs
72
680+844%
L1 Cache
2.3 MB
21.3 MB+826%
L2 Cache
2 MB
96 MB+4700%
Ray Tracing Cores
18
170+844%
Tensor Cores
72
680+844%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The clearest feature edge for the GeForce RTX 5090 D is support for DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation. In games that support it, that can smooth out motion and lift perceived FPS. The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB does not have comparable native support in the same tier.The GeForce RTX 5090 D supports the newer DLSS 4 Super Resolution, whereas the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is capped at DLSS 2 Super Resolution.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 6GBGeForce RTX 5090 D
Upscaling Tech
DLSS 2 Super Resolution
DLSS 4 Super Resolution
Frame Generation
Not Supported
DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation
Ray Reconstruction
No
Yes (DLSS 4)
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
NVIDIA Reflex
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB has 6 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce RTX 5090 D carries 32 GB. GeForce RTX 5090 D gives you 433.3% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bandwidth: 168 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 1792 GB/s (GeForce RTX 5090 D) — a 966.7% advantage for the GeForce RTX 5090 D. Memory bus width is 96-bit on the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB and 512-bit on the GeForce RTX 5090 D. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 96 MB (GeForce RTX 5090 D) — the GeForce RTX 5090 D has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 6GBGeForce RTX 5090 D
VRAM Capacity
6 GB
32 GB+433%
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR7
Memory Bandwidth
168 GB/s
1792 GB/s+967%
Bus Width
96-bit
512-bit+433%
L2 Cache
2 MB
96 MB+4700%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 5090 D). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 6GBGeForce RTX 5090 D
DirectX
12 Ultimate
12 Ultimate
Vulkan
1.3
1.3
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
4
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (5th Gen) (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs NVENC 9th Gen (GeForce RTX 5090 D). Decoder: NVDEC (7th Gen) vs NVDEC 8th Gen. Supported codecs: H.264,HEVC,AV1 (Decode Only) (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs H.264,H.265,AV1,VP9 (GeForce RTX 5090 D).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 6GBGeForce RTX 5090 D
Encoder
NVENC (5th Gen)
NVENC 9th Gen
Decoder
NVDEC (7th Gen)
NVDEC 8th Gen
Codecs
H.264,HEVC,AV1 (Decode Only)
H.264,H.265,AV1,VP9
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB draws 70W versus the GeForce RTX 5090 D's 575W — a 156.6% difference. The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 300W (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 1000W (GeForce RTX 5090 D). Power connectors: None vs 16-pin. Card length: 160mm vs 304mm, occupying 2 vs 3 slots. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 85.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 6GBGeForce RTX 5090 D
TDP
70W-88%
575W
Recommended PSU
300W-70%
1000W
Power Connector
None
16-pin
Length
160mm
304mm
Height
137mm
Slots
2-33%
3
Temp (Load)
75°C-12%
85
Perf/Watt
153.6+115%
71.4
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB came in at $169, while the GeForce RTX 5090 D launched at $1999. On MSRP, GeForce RTX 3050 6GB was 91.5% cheaper ($1830 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 63.6 (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 20.5 (GeForce RTX 5090 D) — the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB offers 210.2% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 5090 D (2025 vs 2024).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 6GBGeForce RTX 5090 D
MSRP
$169-92%
$1999
Performance per Dollar
63.6+210%
20.5
Codename
GA107
GB202
Release
February 2 2024
January 30 2025
Ranking
#252
#1

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