GeForce RTX 3050 6GB
Radeon HD 8490
GeForce RTX 3050 6GB vs Radeon HD 8490 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 Radeon HD 8490 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.
Path of Exile 2
Counter-Strike 2
League of Legends
Valorant
Among Us
Apex Legends
ARC Raiders
Baldur's Gate 3
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
GeForce RTX 3050 6GB vs Radeon HD 8490: 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
2024Why buy it
- ✅1657.8% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ✅Delivers 2294.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 63.6 vs 2.7 G3D/$ ($169 MSRP vs $99 MSRP).
- ✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
- ✅500% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 1 GB).
- ✅Better long-term bet: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
Trade-offs
- ❌Fewer clear downsides in this head-to-head, aside from the usual pricing and availability swings.
Radeon HD 8490
2009Why buy it
- ✅Costs $70 less on MSRP ($99 MSRP vs $169 MSRP).
Trade-offs
- ❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3050 6GB across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ❌Less VRAM, with 1 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
- ❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
- ❌2009 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
- ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.7 vs 63.6 G3D/$ ($99 MSRP vs $169 MSRP).
Quick Answers
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GeForce RTX 3050 6GB vs Radeon HD 8490 Technical Specifications
Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.
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.
Radeon HD 8490
The Radeon HD 8490 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 2 2009. It features the TeraScale architecture. The core clock speed is 850 MHz. It has 800 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 190W. Manufactured using 55 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 263 points. Launch price was $249.
Graphics Performance
In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB scores 10,749 versus the Radeon HD 8490's 263 — the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB leads by 3987.1%. The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is built on Ampere while the Radeon HD 8490 uses TeraScale, both on 8 nm vs 55 nm. Shader units: 2,304 (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 800 (Radeon HD 8490). Raw compute: 6.774 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 1.36 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 8490).
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3050 6GB | Radeon HD 8490 |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 10,749+3987% | 263 |
| Architecture | Ampere | TeraScale |
| Process Node | 8 nm | 55 nm |
| Shading Units | 2304+188% | 800 |
| Compute (TFLOPS) | 6.774 TFLOPS+398% | 1.36 TFLOPS |
| ROPs | 32+100% | 16 |
| TMUs | 72+80% | 40 |
| L1 Cache | 2.3 MB+1337% | 0.16 MB |
| L2 Cache | 2 MB+700% | 0.25 MB |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 8490 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3050 6GB | Radeon HD 8490 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Video Memory (VRAM)
The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB has 6 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 8490 carries 1 GB. GeForce RTX 3050 6GB gives you 500% 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 64-bit on the Radeon HD 8490. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 0.25 MB (Radeon HD 8490) — the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3050 6GB | Radeon HD 8490 |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 6 GB+500% | 1 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bandwidth | 168 GB/s | Unknown |
| Bus Width | 96-bit+50% | 64-bit |
| L2 Cache | 2 MB+700% | 0.25 MB |
Display & API Support
DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 11.2 (Radeon HD 8490). OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.4. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 2.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3050 6GB | Radeon HD 8490 |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12 Ultimate+7% | 11.2 |
| OpenGL | 4.6+5% | 4.4 |
| Max Displays | 4+100% | 2 |
Media & Encoding
Hardware encoder: NVENC (5th Gen) (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs UVD 3.1 (Radeon HD 8490). Decoder: NVDEC (7th Gen) vs UVD 3.1. Supported codecs: H.264,HEVC,AV1 (Decode Only) (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (Radeon HD 8490).
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3050 6GB | Radeon HD 8490 |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | NVENC (5th Gen) | UVD 3.1 |
| Decoder | NVDEC (7th Gen) | UVD 3.1 |
| Codecs | H.264,HEVC,AV1 (Decode Only) | H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 |
Power & Dimensions
The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB draws 70W versus the Radeon HD 8490's 190W — a 92.3% difference. The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 300W (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 350W (Radeon HD 8490). Power connectors: None vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 160mm vs 168mm, occupying 2 vs 1 slots.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3050 6GB | Radeon HD 8490 |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 70W-63% | 190W |
| Recommended PSU | 300W-14% | 350W |
| Power Connector | None | 1x 6-pin |
| Length | 160mm | 168mm |
| Slots | 2 | 1-50% |
| Temp (Load) | 75°C | — |
| Perf/Watt | 153.6+10871% | 1.4 |
Value Analysis
At launch, the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB came in at $169, while the Radeon HD 8490 launched at $99. On MSRP, Radeon HD 8490 was 41.4% cheaper ($70 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 63.6 (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 2.7 (Radeon HD 8490) — the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB offers 2255.6% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3050 6GB (2024 vs 2009).
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3050 6GB | Radeon HD 8490 |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $169 | $99-41% |
| Performance per Dollar | 63.6+2256% | 2.7 |
| Codename | GA107 | RV790 |
| Release | February 2 2024 | April 2 2009 |
| Ranking | #252 | #762 |
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