Nvidia could be prepping a new entry-level RTX 3050 with just 6GB of VRAM

[DragonSlayer101]

What just happened? Nvidia is reportedly planning to launch a new variant of the entry-level RTX 3050 graphics card with just 6GB of memory. The new card is likely to be more affordable than the company's existing offerings, which include the original RTX 3050 with 8GB of VRAM.

A report cites an unnamed source claiming that the new card will feature the GA107-325-Kx GPU and be based on the PG173 SKU 16 PCB board. This is in contrast with the existing RTX 3050 8GB model that features the GA106-150-KA-A1 GPU with 2,560 cores.

Apart from the lower memory configuration, the new RTX 3050 variant will also reportedly have other reduced specifications, including a 1,470 Mhz clock speed and a 96-bit wide bus. Both of those are lower than the current RTX 3050, which has a 1,777 MHz boost clock (reference model) and 128-bit bus. Of course, there are a ton of OC models available from various OEMs with higher clock speeds.

The report also claims that the lower specifications would lead to lower power requirements, and the card will have a rated TGP of just 70W, meaning it may not even require an external power connector. For the sake of comparison, the original RTX 3050 has a 115W TGP and requires 8-pin connectors to draw power from the PSU.

RX 6600 / RTX 3050 pic.twitter.com/7MdJJO3rEW

– 188å· (@momomo_us) October 4, 2023

Meanwhile, a new leaked slide (via @momomo_us) from Intel once again confirms that its Arc A580 graphics card is still in the works. It is expected to compete against the GeForce RTX 3050 and the Radeon RX 6600, but is yet to be officially launched despite being announced last year. The leaked slide reveals that some of the specifications of the card have changed since its official announcement, including the TBP (Total Board Power), which is now expected to be 185W instead of the previously announced 175W.

It's not immediately clear why Intel increased the power requirements for the upcoming card, but the 10 additional watts could be crucial in helping it compete on even terms against the entry-level offerings from Nvidia and AMD. A report from VideoCardz also claims that at least two OEMs, viz. ASRock and Sparkle, are planning to release their versions of the Arc A580, although the exact launch date and other related details remain a mystery for now. While the leaks suggest that a launch could be imminent, the pricing could eventually decide its success in a market dominated by two players for years.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/100395-nvidia-could-prepping-new-entry-level-rtx-3050.html

 

[maxxcool7421]

Nvidia "will someone PLEEEEEASE buy some gpus?? Were very sorry you had to pay 350$ for a 1060 in 2021..."

 

[VaRmeNsI]

All eyes on Intel to provide some meaningful competition with Battlemage.

 

[rmcrys]

The 3050 8 GB is at present day already a very low end card, cutting the plug and presenting an even lower end 3050 with just 6 GB RAM, I wouldn't pay more than 50 euros for it. I paid last year 200€ for an almost new 3060 Ti which is far more powerful than this garbage.

 

[Lew Zealand]

So they're taking a power-hungry Ampere GPU and cutting it down to fit a 70W spec instead of a power-efficient Ada Lovelace GPU to do the same?

More backhanded middle fingers to the low-end customer, big surprise.

 

[BitBot]

Hey Nvidia, you are supposed to cut back the price of previous gen cards, not the specs.

 

[Thatsdisgusting]

Nvidia "will someone PLEEEEEASE buy some gpus?? Were very sorry you had to pay 350$ for a 1060 in 2021..."

Judging by today's state of GPU things, they're FAAAR from sorry.

 

[brucek]

I'm already used to people telling me that refrigerators, air conditioners, houses, ec. were built better 20 years ago.

I'm worried it'll soon be the same for GPUs, or at least Nvidia GPUs...

 

[yRaz]

So they're taking a power-hungry Ampere GPU and cutting it down to fit a 70W spec instead of a power-efficient Ada Lovelace GPU to do the same?

More backhanded middle fingers to the low-end customer, big surprise.

well the 4060 was already a 4050 and the 4060ti should have been just a 4060. Basically their whole naming scheme should have been knocked down a notice aside from the 4080 and the 4090. I'm honestly not mad about the naming or the performance of the 4080 or the 4090, just mad about the price.

But they can't release a 4050 because of the 4060 scam they tried to pull and now they're realizing they need something even lower end at a lower price. Even the RTX3050 had 8gigs so I don't know what kind of joke they're trying to pull with a 6gig 3060.

As someone who bought nVidia cards for over 15 years it's going to take A LOT of convincing for me to switch back from AMD. They were high on the crypto buzz for awhile and then when AI took over they thought they could create a second bubble in AI using the 40 series. Used, the H100's were going for over $60,000 frequently and now they're readily available for $30,000. The H100 price has crashed 50% in the last 2 months with many people saying it's really only worth 12-15,000 so we could see the price of the H100 continue to crash below MSRP over the coming months.

AI certainly has a place, but in the same way that people thought everything was going to run on the block chain, everything isn't going to utilize AI. Just like the internet of things was a thing that crashed. I know someone with a wifi toaster. What in the world could wifi bring to your toaster?

 

[Lew Zealand]

But they can't release a 4050 because of the 4060 scam they tried to pull and now they're realizing they need something even lower end at a lower price. Even the RTX3050 had 8gigs so I don't know what kind of joke they're trying to pull with a 6gig 3060.

A 96-bit 6GB 4050 with an AD107 "4060" cut to 2560 cores, lower clocks to hit 75W, and similar ROP and L2 cache to the 4060 would still be (marginally) faster than the 4050 laptop and notably slower than the 4060. There's wiggle room there for a current-gen 75W GPU but instead we get the 75W GPU they should have released 2+ years ago.

 

[MisterSpock]

*cough* RTX 3040 *cough*

 

[Theinsanegamer]

AI certainly has a place, but in the same way that people thought everything was going to run on the block chain, everything isn't going to utilize AI. Just like the internet of things was a thing that crashed. I know someone with a wifi toaster. What in the world could wifi bring to your toaster?

I can think of something. Tie all of your food appliances to a scale with WiFi. Too heavy, toaster wont work and fridge will not open. I've just solved the obesity epidemic! Now, where's my $1,000,000,000 in VC funding?

 

[Dyson Parkes]

I can think of something. Tie all of your food appliances to a scale with WiFi. Too heavy, toaster wont work and fridge will not open. I've just solved the obesity epidemic! Now, where's my $1,000,000,000 in VC funding?

Add in a camera for a body scan, set a lower parameter as well. Too light, gym equipment locks out until you gain a little weight.

For those who don't want dedicated scales, put weight sensors in toilet seats.

The possibilities are endless!

 

[i like foxes]

Good news , a successor of GTX 1650 . It was a great card - great fighter . Only a few new titles are difficult for it .

 

[AndreV]

Question for those really in the known: how this 3050/6GB compare to the current AMD's 780M and its next gen iGPU(880M; educated guess here, of course)?

 

[arrowflash]

*cough* RTX 3040 *cough*

More like a RTX 3030.