AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 6 GB Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data includes a single direct comparison between these two cards: the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test. In that benchmark, the AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE scores 2336, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 6 GB scores 1515. That is a 54.2% advantage for the AMD card, a decisive margin that separates the two in raw DX12 performance.

Looking at the broader database averages, the gap widens further. The RX 7650 GRE holds an average benchmark score of 42723, placing it in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs. The RTX 3050 6 GB averages 2329, which puts it in the 15th percentile. That percentile gap is enormous: the AMD card sits well above the midpoint of all recorded GPUs, while the NVIDIA card sits near the bottom quartile.

For context on where the RX 7650 GRE lands, its closest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER with an average score of 43223 (1.2% higher), the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB at 43262 (1.2% higher), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile at 43268 (1.3% higher). This means the RX 7650 GRE is effectively trading blows with much higher-tier products, trailing them by roughly one percent. The RTX 3050 6 GB, by contrast, sits alongside the NVIDIA GeForce GT 640M (2335, 0.3% higher), the NVIDIA Quadro P620 (2339, 0.4% higher), and the Intel HD Graphics 510 (2305, 1% lower). Those are integrated and low-end discrete parts from years ago.

The single head-to-head result confirms the pattern: the RX 7650 GRE delivers more than one and a half times the DX12 performance of the RTX 3050 6 GB. No benchmark in the database shows a win for the NVIDIA card. The AMD card wins the only recorded comparison, and its average score is roughly 18 times higher than the NVIDIA card's average, though that figure includes different test suites. The takeaway from the numbers is unambiguous: these are not competing in the same performance class.

Architecture Differences

The RX 7650 GRE uses the Navi 33 chip built on RDNA 3.0 architecture, manufactured on a 6 nm process at TSMC. The RTX 3050 6 GB uses the GA107 chip on Ampere architecture, fabricated on an 8 nm process at Samsung. The node difference matters: 6 nm versus 8 nm gives the AMD chip a transistor density of 65.2 million per square millimeter, compared to 43.5 million for the NVIDIA chip. The AMD die is slightly larger at 204 mm² versus 200 mm², yet it packs 13,300 million transistors versus 8,700 million. That is a 53% transistor advantage on a nearly identical die area.

The memory subsystems diverge sharply. The RX 7650 GRE has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX 3050 6 GB has 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 96-bit bus, delivering 168.0 GB/s. The AMD card offers 33% more memory capacity and 71% more bandwidth. The clock speeds also favor AMD: the RX 7650 GRE boosts to 2695 MHz with a base clock of 1720 MHz and a game clock of 2350 MHz. The RTX 3050 6 GB boosts to only 1470 MHz with a base of 1042 MHz. Memory clocks are 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective) versus 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective).

Shader configurations tell a more nuanced story. The RX 7650 GRE has 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 64 raster operation units. The RTX 3050 6 GB has more shading units at 2304, but far fewer TMUs at 72 and ROPs at 32. The NVIDIA card also includes 72 tensor cores, which the AMD card lacks entirely, and 18 ray tracing cores versus 32 for AMD. The AMD card's higher clocks and wider texture/ROP configuration produce a pixel rate of 172.5 GPixel/s versus 47.04 GPixel/s, and a texture rate of 345.0 GTexel/s versus 105.8 GTexel/s. FP32 compute is 22.08 TFLOPS for AMD versus 6.774 TFLOPS for NVIDIA.

Both cards support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The RX 7650 GRE uses PCIe 4.0 x8, same as the RTX 3050 6 GB. Display outputs differ: AMD offers 1x HDMI 2.1a and 3x DisplayPort 2.1, while NVIDIA offers 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a. Power requirements are very different. The RX 7650 GRE has a 170 W TDP with a single 8-pin connector and a suggested 450 W PSU. The RTX 3050 6 GB has a 70 W TDP with no power connector and a suggested 250 W PSU. The NVIDIA card is physically longer at 242 mm versus 204 mm for AMD, though both are dual-slot.

Where Each One Wins

The RX 7650 GRE wins every recorded benchmark comparison. Its strengths are in raw DX12 performance, memory bandwidth, and compute throughput. The 54.2% lead in 3DMark Steel Nomad shows it handles modern DirectX 12 workloads with substantial headroom over the RTX 3050 6 GB. The 8 GB memory capacity and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth make it more suitable for higher resolution textures and heavier scenes. Its 22.08 TFLOPS FP32 compute also positions it well for general GPU compute tasks.

The RTX 3050 6 GB has no benchmark wins in the database. Its advantages are structural rather than performance-based. The 70 W TDP with no external power connector means it can draw all power from the PCIe slot, making it suitable for systems with weak power supplies or minimal cooling. The 72 tensor cores, which the AMD card lacks, could benefit workloads that use NVIDIA-specific tensor acceleration, though no benchmark in the database tests this. The lower power draw also means less heat output, which can matter in compact cases.

The RTX 3050 6 GB does show some life in specific legacy DirectX tests. Its PassMark DirectX 9 score of 124 is notably higher than its DirectX 10 score of 59, DirectX 11 score of 72, and DirectX 12 score of 53. This suggests the card handles older APIs disproportionately well relative to its own modern performance. However, this observation is internal to the NVIDIA card and does not constitute a win against the AMD card, which has no PassMark scores recorded.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE in 3DMark Steel Nomad?

A: The RX 7650 GRE scores 2336 versus 1515 for the RTX 3050 6 GB, a 54.2% higher score.

Q: Which card has more memory and bandwidth?

A: The RX 7650 GRE has 8 GB GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus with 288.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 3050 6 GB has 6 GB GDDR6 on a 96-bit bus with 168.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The RX 7650 GRE has a 170 W TDP, requires a 1x 8-pin power connector, and suggests a 450 W PSU. The RTX 3050 6 GB has a 70 W TDP, requires no power connector, and suggests a 250 W PSU.

Q: Which card has a higher transistor density?

A: The RX 7650 GRE, built on TSMC's 6 nm process, has 65.2 million transistors per mm². The RTX 3050 6 GB, on Samsung's 8 nm process, has 43.5 million per mm².

Q: Does the RTX 3050 6 GB have any features the RX 7650 GRE lacks?

A: Yes, the RTX 3050 6 GB has 72 tensor cores, while the RX 7650 GRE has none. The NVIDIA card also has a lower TDP and requires no external power connector.

Q: How do these cards compare in overall database percentile?

A: The RX 7650 GRE is in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs with an average score of 42723. The RTX 3050 6 GB is in the 15th percentile with an average score of 2329.

The Verdict

The data separates these two cards into entirely different tiers. The RX 7650 GRE outperforms the RTX 3050 6 GB by 54.2% in the only direct benchmark, and its average database score of 42723 dwarfs the NVIDIA card's 2329. The AMD card's 8 GB memory, 288.0 GB/s bandwidth, and 22.08 TFLOPS compute place it in the same neighborhood as the RTX 4070 SUPER, trailing by only 1.2%. The RTX 3050 6 GB sits alongside integrated graphics and decade-old mobile parts.

A buyer prioritizing performance should choose the RX 7650 GRE without hesitation. The 83rd percentile ranking means it outperforms the vast majority of recorded GPUs. The NVIDIA card's 15th percentile ranking means it sits below most discrete desktop GPUs.

The only scenario where the RTX 3050 6 GB makes sense is one where power delivery is severely constrained. Its 70 W TDP and lack of a power connector allow installation in systems that cannot support a card with external power requirements. The RX 7650 GRE needs a 450 W PSU and a single 8-pin connector. If a system lacks those, the NVIDIA card is the only option.

The RX 7650 GRE is also the newer product, released on 2025-02-06, while the RTX 3050 6 GB launched on 2024-02-01 and is already marked end-of-life. The AMD card remains in active production, while the NVIDIA card has been discontinued. For any new build with a standard power supply, the RX 7650 GRE is the clear choice based on the measured data.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 6 GB |

|---|---|---|

| Architecture | RDNA 3.0 | Ampere |

| Process Node | 6 nm | 8 nm |

| Foundry | TSMC | Samsung |

| Transistors | 13,300 million | 8,700 million |

| Die Size | 204 mm² | 200 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 65.2M / mm² | 43.5M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1720 MHz | 1042 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2695 MHz | 1470 MHz |

| Game Clock | 2350 MHz | None |

| Memory Size | 8 GB | 6 GB |

| Memory Bus | 128 bit | 96 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 288.0 GB/s | 168.0 GB/s |

| Memory Clock | 2250 MHz (18 Gbps) | 1750 MHz (14 Gbps) |

| Shading Units | 2048 | 2304 |

| TMUs | 128 | 72 |

| ROPs | 64 | 32 |

| RT Cores | 32 | 18 |

| Tensor Cores | None | 72 |

| Pixel Rate | 172.5 GPixel/s | 47.04 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 345.0 GTexel/s | 105.8 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 22.08 TFLOPS | 6.774 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 22.08 TFLOPS (1:1) | 6.774 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 170 W | 70 W |

| Power Connectors | 1x 8-pin | None |

| Suggested PSU | 450 W | 250 W |

| Display Outputs | 1x HDMI 2.1a, 3x DisplayPort 2.1 | 1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a |

| Length | 204 mm | 242 mm |

| Height | 115 mm | 112 mm |

| Production Status | Active | End-of-life |

| Release Date | 2025-02-06 | 2024-02-01 |

| Launch MSRP | 279 USD | 179 USD |