EVGA RTX 3050 XC Black 8GB Review

EVGA is one of the most respected names in the business for high-end hardware, but that doesn’t mean they can’t do more affordable products too! The new entry-level RTX cards are here, and I have the EVGA RTX 3050 XC Black 8GB on my test bench to find out what it can do. The RTX 3050 is the first time an xx50 class card has featured ray tracing, so it’ll certainly be interesting to see what that can do. Of course, RTX is more than just ray tracing, and you’ll benefit from features like DLSS, Reflex, Broadcast and other Nvidia technologies. With this new GPU launching just a week after AMD launched their new entry-level model, I’m eager to see how the two compare. However, with Nvidia using 8GB of VRAM and AMD just 4GB, I’m sure Nvidia will take the lead, however, the Nvidia cards will also be more expensive as a result, so it’s a tricky thing to balance.

EVGA RTX 3050 XC Black

The EVGA GeForce RTX 3050 XC BLACK features a streamlined design, with a pair of huge fans to help keep things nice and cool. The fans run pretty much edge to edge, with a side and backplate design that’s going to help exhaust heat with ease. A zero RPM fan mode means things will be completely silent when the card isn’t being maxed out, and the shorter PCB will make it a prime choice for more compact PC builds. EVGA has a strong reputation for high performance, albeit often at a higher price too. However, I’m expecting big things from this little card when it comes to our benchmarks.

Features

• Nvidia Ampere Streaming Multiprocessors
• 2nd Generation RT Cores
• 3rd Generation Tensor Cores
• Powered by GeForce RTX™ 3050
• Integrated with 8GB GDDR6 128-bit memory interface
• All-Metal Backplate
• Two-Slot Design
• Dual Fan Design
• Zero Decibel Fan Mode

“The EVGA GeForce RTX™ 3050 cards punch above their weight with the latest Ampere GPU, 8GB of GDDR6 VRAM, and a 14GHz memory clock to enable solid performance even at 1440p. The XC Series tradition continues with a shorter PCB, dual-slot cooling and a quiet, zero decibel fan mode, making the EVGA GeForce RTX™ 3050 a perfect choice for the entry level gaming users.” – EVGA