GeForce RTX 3050 6GB vs Radeon Vega Frontier Edition

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3050 6GB

2024Core: 1042 MHzBoost: 1470 MHz
RTX family
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VS
AMD

Radeon Vega Frontier Edition

2017Core: 1382 MHzBoost: 1600 MHz
Similar parts
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GeForce RTX 3050 6GB vs Radeon Vega Frontier Edition 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 Vega Frontier Edition 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 Radeon Vega Frontier Edition: 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 $830 less on MSRP ($169 MSRP vs $999 MSRP).
  • Delivers 398.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 63.6 vs 12.8 G3D/$ ($169 MSRP vs $999 MSRP).
  • Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
  • 100+% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs Unknown).
  • Better long-term bet: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon Vega Frontier Edition across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Radeon Vega Frontier Edition

2017

Why buy it

  • 18.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

  • Less VRAM, with Unknown vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
  • 2017 hardware with Unknown of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 491.1% HIGHER MSRP
    $999 MSRPvs$169 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 12.8 vs 63.6 G3D/$ ($999 MSRP vs $169 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon Vega Frontier Edition is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 18.4% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 18.6% in PassMark G3D (12,753 vs 10,749), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 6 GB vs Unknown of VRAM, a 8nm process instead of 14nm, 18 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2024 generation instead of 2017. 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 $830 cheaper on MSRP at $169 vs $999, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 398.2% (63.6 vs 12.8), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. Radeon Vega Frontier Edition still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce RTX 3050 6GB vs Radeon Vega Frontier Edition 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.

AMD

Radeon Vega Frontier Edition

The Radeon Vega Frontier Edition is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 27 2017. It features the GCN 5.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1382 MHz to 1600 MHz. It has 4096 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 300W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 12,753 points. Launch price was $999.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB scores 10,749 versus the Radeon Vega Frontier Edition's 12,753 — the Radeon Vega Frontier Edition leads by 18.6%. The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is built on Ampere while the Radeon Vega Frontier Edition uses GCN 5.0, both on 8 nm vs 14 nm. Shader units: 2,304 (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 4,096 (Radeon Vega Frontier Edition). Raw compute: 6.774 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 13.11 TFLOPS (Radeon Vega Frontier Edition). Boost clocks: 1470 MHz vs 1600 MHz.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 6GBRadeon Vega Frontier Edition
G3D Mark Score
10,749
12,753+19%
Architecture
Ampere
GCN 5.0
Process Node
8 nm
14 nm
Shading Units
2304
4096+78%
Compute (TFLOPS)
6.774 TFLOPS
13.11 TFLOPS+94%
Boost Clock
1470 MHz
1600 MHz+9%
ROPs
32
64+100%
TMUs
72
256+256%
L1 Cache
2.3 MB+130%
1 MB
L2 Cache
2 MB
4 MB+100%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon Vega Frontier Edition leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 6GBRadeon Vega Frontier Edition
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 Vega Frontier Edition carries 0 MB. GeForce RTX 3050 6GB gives you 100+% 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 System on the Radeon Vega Frontier Edition. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 4 MB (Radeon Vega Frontier Edition) — the Radeon Vega Frontier Edition has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 6GBRadeon Vega Frontier Edition
VRAM Capacity
6 GB
Shared System RAM
Memory Type
GDDR6
Shared
Memory Bandwidth
168 GB/s
System
Bus Width
96-bit
System
L2 Cache
2 MB
4 MB+100%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 12.1 (Radeon Vega Frontier Edition). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.1. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 6GBRadeon Vega Frontier Edition
DirectX
12 Ultimate
12.1
Vulkan
1.3+18%
1.1
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
4
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (5th Gen) (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs VCE 4.0 (Radeon Vega Frontier Edition). Decoder: NVDEC (7th Gen) vs UVD 7.0. Supported codecs: H.264,HEVC,AV1 (Decode Only) (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 (Radeon Vega Frontier Edition).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 6GBRadeon Vega Frontier Edition
Encoder
NVENC (5th Gen)
VCE 4.0
Decoder
NVDEC (7th Gen)
UVD 7.0
Codecs
H.264,HEVC,AV1 (Decode Only)
MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB draws 70W versus the Radeon Vega Frontier Edition's 300W — a 124.3% difference. The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 300W (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 1W (Radeon Vega Frontier Edition). Power connectors: None vs Integrated. Card length: 160mm vs 268mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 85°C.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 6GBRadeon Vega Frontier Edition
TDP
70W-77%
300W
Recommended PSU
300W
1W-100%
Power Connector
None
Integrated
Length
160mm
268mm
Height
105mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
75°C-12%
85°C
Perf/Watt
153.6+261%
42.5
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB came in at $169, while the Radeon Vega Frontier Edition launched at $999. On MSRP, GeForce RTX 3050 6GB was 83.1% cheaper ($830 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 63.6 (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 12.8 (Radeon Vega Frontier Edition) — the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB offers 396.9% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3050 6GB (2024 vs 2017).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 6GBRadeon Vega Frontier Edition
MSRP
$169-83%
$999
Performance per Dollar
63.6+397%
12.8
Codename
GA107
Vega 10
Release
February 2 2024
June 27 2017
Ranking
#252
#203

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