GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB vs GTX 1060 Max-Q 6 GB

Place in the ranking	348	311
Place by popularity	not in top-100	25
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	no data	37.05
Power efficiency	13.18	13.64
Architecture	Pascal (2016−2021)	Ampere (2020−2024)
GPU code name	GP106	GA107
Market segment	Laptop	Desktop
Release date	27 June 2017 (7 years ago)	27 January 2022 (2 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	no data	$199

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

no data

Detailed specifications

General parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.

Pipelines / CUDA cores	1280	2048
Core clock speed	1063 MHz	1545 MHz
Boost clock speed	1480 MHz	1740 MHz
Number of transistors	4,400 million	8,700 million
Manufacturing process technology	16 nm	8 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	80 Watt	90 Watt
Texture fill rate	118.4	111.4
Floating-point processing power	3.789 TFLOPS	7.127 TFLOPS
ROPs	48	32
TMUs	80	64
Tensor Cores	no data	64
Ray Tracing Cores	no data	16

Form factor & compatibility

Information on compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For desktop graphics cards it's interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility).

Laptop size	large	no data
Interface	PCIe 3.0 x16	PCIe 4.0 x8
Length	no data	242 mm
Width	no data	2-slot
Supplementary power connectors	None	1x 6-pin

VRAM capacity and type

Parameters of VRAM installed: its type, size, bus, clock and resulting bandwidth. Integrated GPUs have no dedicated video RAM and use a shared part of system RAM.

Memory type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Maximum RAM amount	6 GB	4 GB
Memory bus width	192 Bit	128 Bit
Memory clock speed	2002 MHz	1500 MHz
Memory bandwidth	192.2 GB/s	192.0 GB/s
Shared memory	-	-

Connectivity and outputs

Types and number of video connectors present on the reviewed GPUs. As a rule, data in this section is precise only for desktop reference ones (so-called Founders Edition for NVIDIA chips). OEM manufacturers may change the number and type of output ports, while for notebook cards availability of certain video outputs ports depends on the laptop model rather than on the card itself.

Display Connectors	No outputs	1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a
HDMI	-	+
G-SYNC support	+	-

Supported technologies

Supported technological solutions. This information will prove useful if you need some particular technology for your purposes.

VR Ready

no data

API compatibility

List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.

DirectX	12 (12_1)	12 Ultimate (12_2)
Shader Model	6.4	6.7
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
OpenCL	1.2	3.0
Vulkan	1.2.131	1.3
CUDA	6.1	8.6

Synthetic benchmark performance

Non-gaming benchmark results comparison. The combined score is measured on a 0-100 point scale.

Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark score. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

GTX 1060 Max-Q 6 GB 15.32

RTX 3050 4 GB 17.83
+16.4%

Passmark

This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark. It gives the graphics card a thorough evaluation under various types of load, providing four separate benchmarks for Direct3D versions 9, 10, 11 and 12 (the last being done in 4K resolution if possible), and few more tests engaging DirectCompute capabilities.

GTX 1060 Max-Q 6 GB 5891

RTX 3050 4 GB 6853
+16.3%

Gaming performance

Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS.

Average FPS across all PC games

Here are the average frames per second in a large set of popular games across different resolutions:

Full HD	80 −12.5%	90−95 +12.5%
1440p	15 −6.7%	16−18 +6.7%
4K	30 +0%	30−35 +0%

Cost per frame, $

1080p	no data	2.21
1440p	no data	12.44
4K	no data	6.63

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Counter-Strike 2	27−30 −11.1%	30−33 +11.1%
Cyberpunk 2077	30−33 +0%	30−33 +0%
Elden Ring	45−50 −6.4%	50−55 +6.4%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Battlefield 5	50−55 −10%	55−60 +10%
Counter-Strike 2	27−30 −11.1%	30−33 +11.1%
Cyberpunk 2077	30−33 +0%	30−33 +0%
Forza Horizon 4	60−65 −12.9%	70−75 +12.9%
Metro Exodus	40−45 −7.1%	45−50 +7.1%
Red Dead Redemption 2	35−40 −8.1%	40−45 +8.1%
Valorant	60−65 −14.8%	70−75 +14.8%

Full HD
High Preset

Battlefield 5	50−55 −10%	55−60 +10%
Counter-Strike 2	27−30 −11.1%	30−33 +11.1%
Cyberpunk 2077	30−33 +0%	30−33 +0%
Dota 2	56 −16.1%	65−70 +16.1%
Elden Ring	45−50 −6.4%	50−55 +6.4%
Far Cry 5	55−60 −16.1%	65−70 +16.1%
Fortnite	92 −8.7%	100−105 +8.7%
Forza Horizon 4	60−65 −12.9%	70−75 +12.9%
Grand Theft Auto V	84 −13.1%	95−100 +13.1%
Metro Exodus	40−45 −7.1%	45−50 +7.1%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	175 −14.3%	200−210 +14.3%
Red Dead Redemption 2	35−40 −8.1%	40−45 +8.1%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	45−50 −6.4%	50−55 +6.4%
Valorant	60−65 −14.8%	70−75 +14.8%
World of Tanks	190−200 −11.7%	220−230 +11.7%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5	50−55 −10%	55−60 +10%
Counter-Strike 2	27−30 −11.1%	30−33 +11.1%
Cyberpunk 2077	30−33 +0%	30−33 +0%
Dota 2	55−60 −9.1%	60−65 +9.1%
Far Cry 5	55−60 −16.1%	65−70 +16.1%
Forza Horizon 4	60−65 −12.9%	70−75 +12.9%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	48 −14.6%	55−60 +14.6%
Valorant	60−65 −14.8%	70−75 +14.8%

1440p
High Preset

Dota 2	21−24 −9.1%	24−27 +9.1%
Elden Ring	24−27 −12.5%	27−30 +12.5%
Grand Theft Auto V	21−24 −4.3%	24−27 +4.3%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	130−140 −15.1%	160−170 +15.1%
Red Dead Redemption 2	12−14 −7.7%	14−16 +7.7%
World of Tanks	100−110 −12.1%	120−130 +12.1%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5	30−35 −12.9%	35−40 +12.9%
Counter-Strike 2	12−14 −7.7%	14−16 +7.7%
Cyberpunk 2077	10−12 −9.1%	12−14 +9.1%
Far Cry 5	35−40 −8.1%	40−45 +8.1%
Forza Horizon 4	35−40 −8.1%	40−45 +8.1%
Metro Exodus	30−35 −2.9%	35−40 +2.9%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	20−22 −5%	21−24 +5%
Valorant	35−40 −5.3%	40−45 +5.3%

4K
High Preset

Counter-Strike 2	10−12 −9.1%	12−14 +9.1%
Dota 2	54 −11.1%	60−65 +11.1%
Elden Ring	10−11 +0%	10−11 +0%
Grand Theft Auto V	54 −11.1%	60−65 +11.1%
Metro Exodus	10−11 +0%	10−11 +0%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	57 −14%	65−70 +14%
Red Dead Redemption 2	10−11 +0%	10−11 +0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	54 −11.1%	60−65 +11.1%

4K
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5	14−16 −14.3%	16−18 +14.3%
Counter-Strike 2	10−12 −9.1%	12−14 +9.1%
Cyberpunk 2077	4−5 +0%	4−5 +0%
Dota 2	27−30 −11.1%	30−33 +11.1%
Far Cry 5	18−20 −10.5%	21−24 +10.5%
Fortnite	24 −12.5%	27−30 +12.5%
Forza Horizon 4	21−24 −9.1%	24−27 +9.1%
Valorant	16−18 −5.9%	18−20 +5.9%

This is how GTX 1060 Max-Q 6 GB and RTX 3050 4 GB compete in popular games:

RTX 3050 4 GB is 13% faster in 1080p
RTX 3050 4 GB is 7% faster in 1440p
A tie in 4K

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	15.32	17.83
Recency	27 June 2017	27 January 2022
Maximum RAM amount	6 GB	4 GB
Chip lithography	16 nm	8 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	80 Watt	90 Watt

GTX 1060 Max-Q 6 GB has a 50% higher maximum VRAM amount, and 12.5% lower power consumption.

RTX 3050 4 GB, on the other hand, has a 16.4% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 4 years, and a 100% more advanced lithography process.

The GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB is our recommended choice as it beats the GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q 6 GB in performance tests.

Be aware that GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q 6 GB is a notebook card while GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB is a desktop one.

Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.