The RTX 3050 is built on NVIDIA’s Ampere architecture. It marks the first time that ray-tracing has been available on an entry level (50-series) card. Second generation ray tracing cores can be switched on for more realistic light simulation, albeit at a hit to performance. The 3050 features 2560 CUDA cores, a boost clock frequency of 1.78 GHz, 8 GB of the latest GDDR6 memory and NVIDIA’s DLSS. DLSS technology uses the 3050’s tensor cores to scale up resolutions whilst maintaining high frame rates and without losing significant image quality. The 3050 also includes an encoder (NVENC) for sharper images and smoother capture whilst recording/streaming. The MRSP of entry models is $249 USD, however, street prices are closer to $600 USD. Early benchmarks show that the 3050 only headlines around 50% faster than AMD's 6500 XT whilst street prices for the 3050 are over 100% higher. Many experienced users simply have no interest in buying AMD cards, regardless of price. AMD’s neanderthal marketing tactics seem to have come back to haunt them. Their brazen domination of social media platforms including youtube and reddit resulted in millions of users purchasing sub standard products. Experienced gamers know all too well that high average fps are worthless when they are accompanied with stutters, random crashes, excessive noise and a limited feature set. [Jan '22GPUPro]
AMD’s mid-range RX 590 is the latest refresh of their Polaris-based RX 580, which in turn was a refresh of the RX 480. This iteration yields 10% higher clock speeds compared to the RX 580 which is fuelled by an increased power draw from 185W to 225W. The 590 does not have a 4GB variant which is good for longevity. At launch the 590 was priced at $280, which was 20% more expensive and 7% faster than Nvidia’s then popular 6GB 1060. In today’s market the 590 can be found for little as $170. For more than 90% of gamers (≤1080p) the RX 590 (at $170) represents the best value for money available. Since the GPU is by far the most important component in a gaming PC, it is usually worth spending more on it. The next step up from a 590 would be to Nvidia’s comparable $230 1660S. The 1660S is a more refined card, less heat results in less fan noise, but both are capable of delivering silky smooth 60+ EFps in almost all of today’s popular games at 1080p with maximum details. [Nov '19GPUPro]
We calculate effective 3D speed which estimates gaming performance for the top 12 games. Effective speed is adjusted by current prices to yield value for money. Our figures are checked against thousands of individual user ratings. The customizable table below combines these factors to bring you the definitive list of top GPUs. [GPUPro]
Welcome to our PC speed test tool. UserBenchmark will test your PC and compare the results to other users with the same components. You can quickly size up your PC, identify hardware problems and explore the best value for money upgrades.