The first benchmarks are unanimous: Nvidia does much better than AMD on the entry level. Indeed, the GeForce RTX 3050 scores 24% higher than the Radeon RX 6500 XT on 3DMark, while the former will soon join its competitor on reseller shelves.
This start to the year is busy for the two rivals in the graphics card sector. AMD fired first with its Radeon RX 6500 XT, released last week. Nvidia’s response was not long in coming: the RTX 3050, presented at the beginning of the month, will be launched on January 27. On paper, the two GPUs are positioned on the same entry-level slice with prices not exceeding (normally) the 280 €. But what about in practice?
According to the first benchmarks, the difference is noticeable to say the least. Indeed, on 3DMark Time Spy, the RTX 3050 obtains a score of 6166, against 4970 for the RX 6500 XT, i.e. a margin of 24%. Note that the gap is less important on FireStrike, with only a few points of difference. But the result remains the same: at an almost equal price, Nvidia does much better than its rival.
Nvidia does better at entry-level than AMD
A blow for AMD, which seems to want to erase the limits of the technical sheet of its graphics card. Comparing the latter with the RTX 3050, one feature immediately jumps out. While the RX 6500 XT only offers 4 GB of GDDR6 VRAM, its direct competitor has 8. If AMD’s strategy could ensure more stocks for gamers, it will have to be done at the expense of performance.
On the same subject: RX 6500 XT — AMD does not assume to launch such a weak graphics card in 2022
However, it should be put into perspective. At the price where they are marketed, graphics cards are not really expected in the field of power. After more than two years of shortage, some simply hope to get their hands on a GPU to complete their setup. Without relying on technologies such as DLSS and FSR that allow fill gaps effectively maps in this area.
Source: VideoCardz