Left · Nvidia
GeForce RTX 3060 12GB
Spec score
Spec score 26
$460
Amazon US, Oct 24
GeForce RTX 3060 12GB against GeForce RTX 5050
Level on the overall index; the details below decide it. The price beside each button is the Amazon US reading where ScoutPrices has one; the comparison below is worked on typical prices.
Right · Nvidia
GeForce RTX 5050
Spec score
Spec score 27
$550
Amazon US, Oct 24
Which one for what
Office & everyday
GeForce RTX 5050right
30 vs 33 for snappy single-core speed, quiet running, and a card that drives two or three screens without fuss.
Coding & development
Either
Within 1 points; buy on price.
Light gaming
GeForce RTX 5050right
30 vs 34 for 1080p frame rates per dollar.
Gaming
GeForce RTX 5050right
25 vs 27 for 1440p frame rates, with a CPU that will not hold the card back.
Heavy gaming
GeForce RTX 3060 12GBleft
20 vs 15 for the strongest graphics card the budget allows.
Content creation
Either
Within 1 points; buy on price.
3D & rendering
Either
Within 0 points; buy on price.
Gaming & streaming
Either
Within 1 points; buy on price.
AI & local models
GeForce RTX 3060 12GBleft
31 vs 28 for video memory first, then card speed, then system memory.
Head to head
Scores
Indices out of 100 on ScoutSpecs' own scale, one per kind of work. They are not frames per second and not a measurement of any one sample.
Spec score
GeForce RTX 3060 12GB: 26
GeForce RTX 5050: 27
1 ptsto the right
Games at 1080p
GeForce RTX 3060 12GB: 30
GeForce RTX 5050: 34
4 ptsto the right
Games at 1440p
GeForce RTX 3060 12GB: 25
GeForce RTX 5050: 27
2 ptsto the right
Games at 4K
GeForce RTX 3060 12GB: 20
GeForce RTX 5050: 15
5 ptsto the left
Rendering and video
GeForce RTX 3060 12GB: 30
GeForce RTX 5050: 30
level
Price and value
Worked on typical prices, the figures the comparison is built on.
Value, points per $100
GeForce RTX 3060 12GB: 5.7
GeForce RTX 5050: 6.9
21%to the right
Typical price
GeForce RTX 3060 12GB: $458
GeForce RTX 5050: $393
$65to the right
From the spec sheets
Video memory
GeForce RTX 3060 12GB: 12 GB
GeForce RTX 5050: 8 GB
50%to the left
Board power
GeForce RTX 3060 12GB: 170 W
GeForce RTX 5050: 130 W
31%to the right
Length
GeForce RTX 3060 12GB: 240 mm
GeForce RTX 5050: 220 mm
9%to the right
The verdict
- The RTX 5050 is 8% faster at 1440p.
- At 4K the gap is 33% in the RTX 3060 12GB's favour.
- RTX 3060 12GB carries 12 GB of video memory against 8 GB.
- The RTX 5050 typically costs $65 less.
- Per dollar, the RTX 5050 is the better buy: 6.9 points per $100 against 5.7.
Specifications
| Spec | GeForce RTX 3060 12GB | GeForce RTX 5050 |
|---|---|---|
| Video memory | 12 GB (better) | 8 GB |
| Board power | 170 W | 130 W (better) |
| Length | 240 mm | 220 mm (better) |
| Power connector | PCIe 8-pin | PCIe 8-pin |
| Brand | Nvidia | Nvidia |
| Released | 2021 | 2025 (better) |
| Typical price | $458 | $393 (better) |
The better figure of each pair is in green, with a tick.