Rumours have it that NVIDIA is working on a GeForce RTX 3050 with just 6GB of graphics memory. If that is true, then it is likely that we could be looking at variant of the card that is not just less powerful, but possibly cheaper too.
One report with an unnamed source suggests that the new card will be based on the PG173 PCB, while the GPU itself will be a GA107-325-Kx architecture. Apart from the lower memory, the new RTX 3050 will also come with reduced game clock of 1,470MHz and a smaller 96-bit memory bus. Oh, and it will also have a lower TGP of 70W, which means that it may or may not require an 8-pin PCIe power connector to run. The last time we saw such as thing was with the GTX 1050.
RX 6600 / RTX 3050 pic.twitter.com/7MdJJO3rEW
— 188号 (@momomo_us) October 4, 2023
It’s not uncommon for NVIDIA to come up with lower-tier variants of its GPU architectures, especially this late into the game. Case in point, the GeForce GTX 16 Series which came about in 2019. The entry-level series was based on the brand’s first RTX-capable Turing architecture but lacked the ability to run the main attraction of it, ray-tracing.
As to why NVIDIA is revisiting an older card from the generation before, it’s been suggested that the graphics card maker is doing this in order to have a competitor of sorts against AMD’s Radeon RX 6600 and Intel’s upcoming ARC A580, which a leaked slide from prominent leakster @momomo_us indicates that the card is still on its way.
Again, this is just a rumour and as such, should be treated with the general surgeon’s warning of sodium consumption. At least, until the 6GB RTX 3050 actually becomes a reality.
(Source: Techspot)
