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Nvidia's new GeForce RTX 3050 launches at just $249, but good luck getting one
- The new NVIDIA RTX 3050 GPU undercuts the 3060 by $80.
- The GPU offers ray-traced gaming at 60fps in 1080p.
- It goes on sale on January 27, 2022 — likely with sky-high demand.
Nvidia likes to secure its place atop the GPU podium whenever possible. Now, we have our first look at the upcoming graphics cards launched at CES 2022. There’s no better place to start than with a new, budget-friendly offering in the GeForce RTX 3050.
See also: AMD vs NVIDIA
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050: The essentials for under $250
The new NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 follows the lead of the more premium options with NVIDIA’s Ampere architecture. It offers ray-traced gaming at 60fps, even if you have to cap yourself at 1080p. The entry-level GPU even packs 8GB of GDDR6 memory, and the price is tough to beat — it’s set to launch at just $249.
Beyond the basics, the GeForce RTX 3050 sports third-generation Tensor cores. These cores enable AI-based DLSS (deep learning super sampling), which gives you upscaling for a quick graphics boost.
Learn more: NVIDIA DLSS explained
The GeForce RTX 3050 launch comes as NVIDIA announced a whopping 75% of users are still on the aging GTX platform. It should offer an affordable way for users to replace their GTX 1650, 1050, and a few other dated graphics cards.
The GeForce RTX 3050 is expected to launch on January 27, 2022, though that’s easier said than done. Increased demand partnered with the ongoing shortages might lead to price gouging even if you’re lucky enough to find a GPU in stock.
Other NVIDIA GPUs revealed
NVIDIA also announced the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti and 3070 Ti GPUs for the latest generation of gaming laptops. It boasts that the RTX 3080 Ti offers more performance than a desktop-grade Titan RTX machine. The RTX 3080 Ti is tipped to come with 16GB of RAM onboard, though all we learned about the RTX 3070 Ti is that it offers 1.7-times the performance of an RTX 2070 GPU.
You can expect laptops with the RTX 3080 GPU to start at $2,499, while RTX 3070 Ti machines will launch from $1,499.
Finally, NVIDIA teased its next “BF GPU,” the GeForce RTX 3090 Ti. It promises 24GB of GDDR6X memory, but we’ll have to wait a bit longer for the rest of the details.