NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM are both Ampere-generation parts, but the data positions them in different tiers entirely. Across nine head-to-head benchmark comparisons, the RTX 3060 Ti wins eight, with the RTX 3050 OEM taking a single but notable victory. The average benchmark scores tell the same story: the RTX 3060 Ti posts 16,129 versus 15,199 for the RTX 3050 OEM, a gap of roughly 6%. In practical terms, the RTX 3060 Ti is the clear performance leader, while the RTX 3050 OEM is a more modest option that still holds its own in specific API workloads.

The Verdict

The data suggests a straightforward choice for most buyers. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the superior performer for anyone prioritizing raw frame rates and compute throughput. Its average benchmark score is 16,129, placing it in the 59th percentile of all GPUs, while its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 9060, trails by just 0.7% with an average score of 16,014. The RTX 3060 Ti also sits slightly ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT, which averages 16,361, a delta of -1.4%. For gaming and general GPU compute, this card delivers consistently higher numbers across DirectX 10, 11, 12, and 9, as well as in G3D and compute tests.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM, by contrast, is a more restrained product. Its average benchmark score of 15,199 puts it in the 57th percentile, and its closest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 7600, which scores 15,171 — a negligible 0.2% difference. The RTX 3050 OEM is not without merit, however. It wins the Vulkan head-to-head decisively, and its lower power draw makes it a candidate for systems with tighter power budgets. For those building a modest 1080p machine or a secondary rig, the RTX 3050 OEM is adequate, but the data does not support choosing it over the RTX 3060 Ti for pure performance.

Architecture Differences

Both cards share the same Ampere architecture and are fabricated on Samsung’s 8 nm process node, but they are built on different chips. The RTX 3060 Ti uses the GA104 die, which packs 17,400 million transistors across a 392 mm² area, yielding a transistor density of 44.4M per mm². The RTX 3050 OEM uses the smaller GA106 chip, with 12,000 million transistors on a 276 mm² die, giving a density of 43.5M per mm². This difference in physical resources translates directly into compute capability.

The RTX 3060 Ti carries 4,864 shading units, 152 texture mapping units, and 80 ROPs. It also includes 38 RT cores and 152 tensor cores. The RTX 3050 OEM is cut down significantly, with 2,304 shading units, 72 TMUs, and just 32 ROPs. Its RT core count is 18, and it has 72 tensor cores. In terms of raw throughput, the RTX 3060 Ti delivers 16.20 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, double the 8.087 TFLOPS of the RTX 3050 OEM. Both cards support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, so feature-level API support is identical.

Memory configurations also diverge. The RTX 3060 Ti uses a 256-bit bus with 8 GB of GDDR6, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX 3050 OEM has the same 8 GB capacity but a 128-bit bus, halving bandwidth to 224.0 GB/s. This memory bandwidth difference is a major factor in the performance gap, particularly in higher-resolution workloads. Both cards use a dual-slot cooler and share the same dimensions: 242 mm in length and 112 mm in height. The RTX 3060 Ti requires a single 12-pin power connector and a 550 W suggested PSU, while the RTX 3050 OEM uses a single 8-pin connector and a 300 W suggested PSU.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The biggest wins for the RTX 3060 Ti are substantial. In the Passmark DirectX 10 test, it scores 132 against the RTX 3050 OEM’s 61, a 116.4% advantage. The DirectX 11 test shows a similar pattern, with the RTX 3060 Ti at 163 versus 86, a 89.5% lead. In DirectX 9, the RTX 3060 Ti posts 234 compared to 137, a 70.8% improvement. The Passmark G3D test, which is a strong indicator of overall gaming performance, shows the RTX 3060 Ti at 20,349 versus 11,857, a 71.6% margin. Compute workloads follow suit: the Passmark GPU Compute test yields 10,006 for the RTX 3060 Ti and 5,779 for the RTX 3050 OEM, a 73.1% difference.

The RTX 3060 Ti also wins the DirectX 12 test, scoring 78 against 58, a 34.5% lead, and the Geekbench OpenCL test, 78,927 versus 60,740, a 29.9% advantage. Even the Passmark G2D test, which measures 2D graphics performance, goes to the RTX 3060 Ti, albeit narrowly, with 989 versus 973, a 1.6% difference.

The RTX 3050 OEM’s single win comes in the Geekbench Vulkan test. There, it scores 57,103 against the RTX 3060 Ti’s 47,784, a 16.3% margin in its favor. This is an interesting result, as Vulkan is a low-level API that can favor different hardware configurations. The RTX 3050 OEM’s higher boost clock of 1755 MHz, compared to the RTX 3060 Ti’s 1665 MHz, may contribute to this specific outcome, though the overall benchmark picture remains heavily tilted toward the RTX 3060 Ti.

Specification Differences

The most significant specification gap is in the compute core. The RTX 3060 Ti has 4,864 shading units versus 2,304 on the RTX 3050 OEM, more than double. Texture mapping units are 152 versus 72, and ROPs are 80 versus 32. The RT core count is 38 versus 18, and tensor cores are 152 versus 72. These differences directly explain the large performance deltas in most tests.

Clock speeds differ in an interesting way. The RTX 3050 OEM actually has a higher base clock at 1515 MHz, compared to the RTX 3060 Ti’s 1410 MHz, and a higher boost clock at 1755 MHz versus 1665 MHz. However, the RTX 3060 Ti’s much larger core count and memory bandwidth more than compensate for its lower clocks. Memory bandwidth is a key differentiator: 448.0 GB/s for the RTX 3060 Ti versus 224.0 GB/s for the RTX 3050 OEM, a 2x difference. Both cards have 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, but the bus width is 256-bit versus 128-bit.

The power profiles are also distinct. The RTX 3060 Ti has a TDP of 200 W, while the RTX 3050 OEM draws 130 W. The suggested PSU is 550 W for the RTX 3060 Ti and 300 W for the RTX 3050 OEM. The RTX 3060 Ti uses a 1x 12-pin power connector, while the RTX 3050 OEM uses a 1x 8-pin connector. Both cards are dual-slot, use PCIe 4.0, and have identical display outputs: 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a. The bus interface differs, with the RTX 3060 Ti at PCIe 4.0 x16 and the RTX 3050 OEM at PCIe 4.0 x8. The RTX 3060 Ti was released on 2020-11-30, while the RTX 3050 OEM arrived later on 2022-01-03. Both are end-of-life products with the same predecessor and successor: GeForce 20 and GeForce 40.

FAQ

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti has an average benchmark score of 16,129, compared to 15,199 for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM.

Q: In which benchmark does the RTX 3050 OEM outperform the RTX 3060 Ti?

A: The RTX 3050 OEM wins the Geekbench Vulkan test, scoring 57,103 against the RTX 3060 Ti’s 47,784, a 16.3% margin.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference between the two cards?

A: The RTX 3060 Ti provides 448.0 GB/s over a 256-bit bus, while the RTX 3050 OEM provides 224.0 GB/s over a 128-bit bus.

Q: How do the power requirements compare?

A: The RTX 3060 Ti has a TDP of 200 W and a suggested PSU of 550 W, while the RTX 3050 OEM has a TDP of 130 W and a suggested PSU of 300 W.

Q: What is the transistor count difference?

A: The RTX 3060 Ti uses the GA104 chip with 17,400 million transistors, while the RTX 3050 OEM uses the GA106 chip with 12,000 million transistors.

Q: Which card is closer to the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT in performance?

A: The RTX 3060 Ti is within 1.4% of the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT’s average score of 16,361, while the RTX 3050 OEM is not listed among that card’s nearest rivals.