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 8GB

2022

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 50.3 vs 0 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅Draws 130W instead of 160W, a 30W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
❌Weaker long-term outlook: GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU is the safer future-proof pick thanks to newer hardware and better gaming feature support.

GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU

2023

Why buy it

✅57.7% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
✅More future proof: Ada Lovelace (2022−2024) on 5nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 50.3 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
❌23.1% higher power demand at 160W vs 130W.

GeForce RTX 3050 8GB

2022

GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU

2023

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 50.3 vs 0 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅Draws 130W instead of 160W, a 30W reduction.

Why buy it

✅57.7% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
✅More future proof: Ada Lovelace (2022−2024) on 5nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
❌Weaker long-term outlook: GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU is the safer future-proof pick thanks to newer hardware and better gaming feature support.

Trade-offs

❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 50.3 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
❌23.1% higher power demand at 160W vs 130W.

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU better than GeForce RTX 3050 8GB?

Yes. GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU is the better GPU overall here. You are getting 57.7% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data, 38.8% higher PassMark G3D performance, and 136 vs 80 Tensor cores. It also comes from 2023 instead of 2022, which helps its case as the more complete modern gaming card.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2023 generation instead of 2022, 38.8% more raw performance headroom, better upscaling support with DLSS 3.5 Super Resolution (2023) instead of DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) and better frame-generation support with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023) instead of DLSS Super Resolution, and a 5nm process instead of 8nm. That broader feature stack should age better as more games lean on modern upscaling and frame-generation support.

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

GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU is priced in an unclear MSRP range at an unclear MSRP versus $249 MSRP, and you are getting 57.7% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and 38.8% higher G3D Mark. GeForce RTX 3050 8GB still holds the G3D-per-dollar lead, so the performance win comes with a real value premium. If you are comfortable paying the premium for the stronger gaming result, GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU is the one to buy. If staying closer to budget matters more, GeForce RTX 3050 8GB still makes more sense on price alone and remains capable enough for modern gaming.

Is GeForce RTX 3050 8GB still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. GeForce RTX 3050 8GB is still a strong gaming GPU in 2026: it is very strong for 1080p, good for 1440p, and more limited at 4K. This mostly comes down to price. If you want to stay closer to $249 MSRP, it remains a strong choice; if you are comfortable paying more, GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU earns that extra money with a clearly stronger gaming result and a more complete overall package.

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 8GB Benchmark Check

GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3050 8GB	GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU
1080p
low	130 FPS	177 FPS
medium	113 FPS	162 FPS
high	99 FPS	142 FPS
ultra	83 FPS	124 FPS
1440p
low	119 FPS	143 FPS
medium	96 FPS	118 FPS
high	81 FPS	101 FPS
ultra	69 FPS	93 FPS
4K
low	64 FPS	93 FPS
medium	57 FPS	79 FPS
high	39 FPS	66 FPS
ultra	33 FPS	59 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3050 8GB Open GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3050 8GB	GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU
1080p
low	245 FPS	416 FPS
medium	211 FPS	348 FPS
high	165 FPS	282 FPS
ultra	128 FPS	225 FPS
1440p
low	163 FPS	269 FPS
medium	135 FPS	226 FPS
high	112 FPS	188 FPS
ultra	92 FPS	154 FPS
4K
low	89 FPS	117 FPS
medium	74 FPS	97 FPS
high	62 FPS	82 FPS
ultra	49 FPS	64 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3050 8GB Open GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce RTX 3050 8GB	GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU
1080p
low	564 FPS	783 FPS
medium	451 FPS	626 FPS
high	376 FPS	522 FPS
ultra	282 FPS	392 FPS
1440p
low	423 FPS	587 FPS
medium	338 FPS	470 FPS
high	282 FPS	392 FPS
ultra	212 FPS	294 FPS
4K
low	282 FPS	392 FPS
medium	226 FPS	313 FPS
high	188 FPS	261 FPS
ultra	141 FPS	196 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3050 8GB Open GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce RTX 3050 8GB	GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU
1080p
low	469 FPS	775 FPS
medium	415 FPS	626 FPS
high	336 FPS	522 FPS
ultra	282 FPS	392 FPS
1440p
low	373 FPS	587 FPS
medium	326 FPS	470 FPS
high	237 FPS	392 FPS
ultra	198 FPS	294 FPS
4K
low	200 FPS	374 FPS
medium	175 FPS	313 FPS
high	152 FPS	261 FPS
ultra	126 FPS	196 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3050 8GB Open GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 3050 8GB and GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU

GeForce RTX 3050 8GB

The GeForce RTX 3050 8GB is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 4 2022. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1552 MHz to 1777 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: 12,535 points. Launch price was $249.

GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU

The GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 18 2023. It features the Ada Lovelace architecture. The core clock ranges from 2310 MHz to 2535 MHz. It has 4352 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 160W. Manufactured using 5 nm process technology. It features 34 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 17,400 points. Launch price was $399.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3050 8GB scores 12,535 versus the GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU's 17,400 — the GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU leads by 38.8%. The GeForce RTX 3050 8GB is built on Ampere while the GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU uses Ada Lovelace, both on 8 nm vs 5 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce RTX 3050 8GB) vs 4,352 (GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU). Raw compute: 9.098 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3050 8GB) vs 22.06 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU). Boost clocks: 1777 MHz vs 2535 MHz. Ray tracing: 20 RT cores (GeForce RTX 3050 8GB) vs 34 (GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU) with 80 Tensor cores vs 136.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3050 8GB	GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU
G3D Mark Score	12,535	17,400+39%
Architecture	Ampere	Ada Lovelace
Process Node	8 nm	5 nm
Shading Units	2560	4352+70%
Compute (TFLOPS)	9.098 TFLOPS	22.06 TFLOPS+142%
Boost Clock	1777 MHz	2535 MHz+43%
ROPs	32	48+50%
TMUs	80	136+70%
L1 Cache	2.5 MB	4.3 MB+72%
L2 Cache	2 MB	32 MB+1500%
Ray Tracing Cores	20	34+70%
Tensor Cores	80	136+70%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

A critical advantage for the GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU is support for DLSS 3.5 + 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 8GB lacks specific hardware/driver support for this native frame generation tier.The GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU supports the newer DLSS 3.5 Super Resolution, whereas the GeForce RTX 3050 8GB is capped at DLSS 2 Super Resolution.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3050 8GB	GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU
Upscaling Tech	DLSS 2 Super Resolution	DLSS 3.5 Super Resolution
Frame Generation	Not Supported	DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation
Ray Reconstruction	No	Yes (DLSS 3.5)
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	NVIDIA Reflex

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards feature 8 GB of GDDR6. Memory bandwidth: 224 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3050 8GB) vs 256 GB/s (GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU) — a 14.3% advantage for the GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU. Bus width: 128-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce RTX 3050 8GB) vs 32 MB (GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU) — the GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3050 8GB	GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU
VRAM Capacity	8 GB	8 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	224 GB/s	256 GB/s+14%
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB	32 MB+1500%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3050 8GB) vs 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU). Vulkan: 1.4 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3050 8GB	GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU
DirectX	12 Ultimate	12 Ultimate
Vulkan	1.4	1.4
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 7th gen (GeForce RTX 3050 8GB) vs NVENC (8th Gen) (GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU). Decoder: NVDEC 5th gen vs NVDEC (5th Gen). Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3050 8GB) vs H.264,HEVC,AV1,VP9 (GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU).

Feature	GeForce RTX 3050 8GB	GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU
Encoder	NVENC 7th gen	NVENC (8th Gen)
Decoder	NVDEC 5th gen	NVDEC (5th Gen)
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9	H.264,HEVC,AV1,VP9

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3050 8GB draws 130W versus the GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU's 160W — a 20.7% difference. The GeForce RTX 3050 8GB is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 450W (GeForce RTX 3050 8GB) vs 650W (GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU). Power connectors: 8-pin vs Mobile. Typical load temperature: 66°C vs 80°C.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3050 8GB	GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU
TDP	130W-19%	160W
Recommended PSU	450W-31%	650W
Power Connector	8-pin	Mobile
Length	242mm	—
Height	112mm	—
Slots	2	0-100%
Temp (Load)	66°C-18%	80°C
Perf/Watt	96.4	108.8+13%