03/12/21 Fresh leaks suggest Nvidia’s entry-level RTX 3050 desktop GPU could arrive on January 27 2022.
Nvidia’s RTX 3050 laptop GPU has provided many gamers with current-gen gaming PC tech throughout ongoing shortages, and rumours of desktop RTX 3050 and RTX 3050 Ti variants continue to make the rounds. However, according to Kopite7Kimi, it looks like the green team’s entry-level card could use specs that reportedly belonged to the Ti model, meaning it’s actually faster than we originally thought.
As per the leaker’s new information, the RTX 3050 will come armed with a GA106-150 Ampere GPU and 8GB GDDR6 VRAM. Previous rumours suggest that the RTX 3050 Ti would feature this chipset, while the standard model would continue to wield the mobile variants GA107-350 setup.
Just like with all leaks and rumours, it’s best to take the RTX 3050’s apparent specs with a grain of salt. However, if the leak is legit, the dedicated graphics card could rival Intel’s rumoured Arc Alchemist A380, a 6GB graphics offering that uses a DG2-128EU GPU. The green team’s entry-level chip could also surpass GeForce GTX 1660 Super-level performance, but it won’t quite beat the revamped RTX 2060, which is set to release next week.
Of course, while the RTX 3050 could prove to be an affordable way to join the RTX 3000 fold, component shortages and stock hoarding resellers could hamper availability. That said, Nvidia is hoping to refine its manufacturing processes going into 2022, and Congress is trying to put a stop to GPU grabbing Grinch bots, so the green team’s entry-level card could arrive at just the right time.
Update: Thanks to Jongxing2020, we now know that Nvidia’s RTX 3050 could arrive on January 27 2022. While previous rumours suggest a mid-year launch for both the RTX 3050 and RTX 3050 Ti, it looks like the entry-level card’s release plans may have changed.