NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 6GB
22.5Rasterization24.3
20Ray Tracing—
32.4Memoryspec-based31.2
76.3Efficiencyspec-based93.3
29.8Compute33.3
3 spec wins — NVIDIA GeForce GTX 9708 spec wins — NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 6GB
InnoReviews verdict
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 6GB wins this graphics card face-off, 40.2 to 32.6, pulling ahead mainly in compute (+3) and rasterization (+2). NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 still makes sense if its price or standout specs fit your needs better.
Which would you pick?
Key differences
Reasons to pick the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
- 167% higher Bus width: 256 bit vs 96 bit
- 33% higher bandwidth: 224 GB/s vs 168 GB/s
Reasons to pick the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 6GB
- Stronger compute score: 33 vs 30
- 71% lower process: 8 nm vs 28 nm
- 52% lower TDP: 70 W vs 145 W
- 50% higher VRAM: 6 GB vs 4 GB
- 38% higher Shading units: 2,304 vs 1,664
- Lower launch price: $169 vs $329
General
| Spec | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 6GB |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2014 | 2024 |
| Architecture | Maxwell | Ampere |
| Process | 28 nm | 8 nm+71% |
| TDP | 145 W | 70 W+52% |
| Power connector | 2x 6-pin | None (slot-powered) |
Cores & Clocks
| Spec | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 6GB |
|---|---|---|
| Shading units | 1,664 | 2,304+38% |
| RT cores | — | 18 |
| Tensor / AI cores | — | 72 |
| Base clock | 1,050 MHz+1% | 1,042 MHz |
| Boost clock | 1,178 MHz | 1,470 MHz+25% |
Memory
| Spec | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 6GB |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM | 4 GB | 6 GB+50% |
| VRAM type | GDDR5 | GDDR6 |
| Bus width | 256 bit+167% | 96 bit |
| Bandwidth | 224 GB/s+33% | 168 GB/s |
Benchmarks
| Spec | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 6GB |
|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Time Spy | 3,625Bottom 7% | 4,831+33%Bottom 14% |
| PassMark G3D | 9,635Bottom 13% | 10,740+11%Bottom 18% |
Features
| Spec | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 6GB |
|---|---|---|
| Upscaling | — | DLSS 4 (no FG) |
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