GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPU vs Radeon RX 6850M

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPU

2022Core: 1552 MHzBoost: 1777 MHz

Popular choices:

VS
AMD

Radeon RX 6850M

2022Core: 2068 MHzBoost: 2416 MHz

Popular choices:

Performance Spectrum - GPU

About G3D Mark

G3D Mark is a standard benchmark that measures graphics performance in real-world gaming scenarios. It simplifies comparing cards from different brands, where higher scores directly correlate with better fps and smoother gaming experiences.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPU

2022

Why buy it

  • Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon RX 6850M across 39 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).

Radeon RX 6850M

2022

Why buy it

  • 16.7% more average FPS across 39 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
  • More future proof: RDNA 2.0 (2020−2025) on 7nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • No DLSS support; it relies on FSR 3 (2023) instead.

Quick Answers

So, is Radeon RX 6850M better than GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPU?
Yes. Radeon RX 6850M is the better GPU overall here. You are getting 16.7% more average FPS across 39 tracked games in our benchmark data and 1.1% higher PassMark G3D performance.
Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?
Radeon RX 6850M is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting better upscaling support with FSR 3 (2023) instead of DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) and better frame-generation support with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023) instead of DLSS Super Resolution and a 7nm process instead of 8nm. That broader feature stack should age better as more games lean on modern upscaling and frame-generation support.
Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?
Radeon RX 6850M is priced in an unclear MSRP range at an unclear MSRP versus an unclear MSRP, and you are getting 16.7% more estimated average FPS across 39 tracked games in our benchmark data and 1.1% higher G3D Mark. G3D-per-dollar is basically tied between them. If you are comfortable paying the premium for the stronger gaming result, Radeon RX 6850M is the one to buy. If staying closer to budget matters more, GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPU still makes more sense on price alone and remains capable enough for modern gaming.
Is GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPU still worth buying for gaming in 2026?
Yes. GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPU is still a strong gaming GPU in 2026: it is very strong for 1080p, good for 1440p, and more limited at 4K. This mostly comes down to price. If you want to stay closer to an unclear MSRP, it remains a strong choice; if you are comfortable paying more, Radeon RX 6850M earns that extra money with a clearly stronger gaming result and a more complete overall package.

Games Benchmarks

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 9800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

PresetGeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPURadeon RX 6850M
1080p
low130 FPS167 FPS
medium113 FPS148 FPS
high99 FPS131 FPS
ultra83 FPS111 FPS
1440p
low119 FPS140 FPS
medium96 FPS113 FPS
high81 FPS101 FPS
ultra69 FPS91 FPS
4K
low64 FPS84 FPS
medium57 FPS71 FPS
high39 FPS58 FPS
ultra33 FPS50 FPS
Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

PresetGeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPURadeon RX 6850M
1080p
low245 FPS317 FPS
medium210 FPS267 FPS
high164 FPS209 FPS
ultra127 FPS165 FPS
1440p
low163 FPS201 FPS
medium135 FPS170 FPS
high112 FPS133 FPS
ultra92 FPS107 FPS
4K
low88 FPS109 FPS
medium74 FPS91 FPS
high62 FPS75 FPS
ultra49 FPS57 FPS
League of Legends

League of Legends

PresetGeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPURadeon RX 6850M
1080p
low546 FPS552 FPS
medium437 FPS442 FPS
high364 FPS368 FPS
ultra273 FPS276 FPS
1440p
low410 FPS414 FPS
medium328 FPS331 FPS
high273 FPS276 FPS
ultra205 FPS207 FPS
4K
low273 FPS276 FPS
medium219 FPS221 FPS
high182 FPS184 FPS
ultra137 FPS138 FPS
Valorant

Valorant

PresetGeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPURadeon RX 6850M
1080p
low448 FPS487 FPS
medium398 FPS397 FPS
high326 FPS333 FPS
ultra273 FPS276 FPS
1440p
low359 FPS384 FPS
medium315 FPS313 FPS
high232 FPS249 FPS
ultra196 FPS202 FPS
4K
low198 FPS217 FPS
medium174 FPS175 FPS
high151 FPS163 FPS
ultra125 FPS126 FPS

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPU and Radeon RX 6850M

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPU

The GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPU is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 4 2022. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1552 MHz to 1777 MHz. It has 2560 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 130W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 20 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 12,144 points. Launch price was $249.

AMD

Radeon RX 6850M

The Radeon RX 6850M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 4 2022. It features the RDNA 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 2068 MHz to 2416 MHz. It has 1792 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 120W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. It features 28 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 12,274 points.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPU scores 12,144 and the Radeon RX 6850M reaches 12,274 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPU is built on Ampere while the Radeon RX 6850M uses RDNA 2.0, both on 8 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPU) vs 1,792 (Radeon RX 6850M). Raw compute: 9.098 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPU) vs 8.659 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 6850M). Boost clocks: 1777 MHz vs 2416 MHz. Ray tracing: 20 RT cores (GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPU) vs 28 (Radeon RX 6850M) with 80 Tensor cores.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPURadeon RX 6850M
G3D Mark Score
12,144
12,274+1%
Architecture
Ampere
RDNA 2.0
Process Node
8 nm
7 nm
Shading Units
2560+43%
1792
Compute (TFLOPS)
9.098 TFLOPS+5%
8.659 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
1777 MHz
2416 MHz+36%
ROPs
32
64+100%
TMUs
80
112+40%
L1 Cache
2.5 MB+400%
0.5 MB
L2 Cache
2 MB
2 MB
Ray Tracing Cores
20
28+40%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

A critical advantage for the Radeon RX 6850M is support for FSR Frame Generation + AFMF. This allows it to generate entire frames using AI/Algorithms, essentially doubling the frame rate in CPU-bound scenarios or heavy ray-tracing titles. The GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPU lacks specific hardware/driver support for this native frame generation tier.The GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPU gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon RX 6850M relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPURadeon RX 6850M
Upscaling Tech
DLSS 2 Super Resolution
FSR 3
Frame Generation
Not Supported
FSR Frame Generation + AFMF
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
AMD Anti-Lag
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards feature 8 GB of GDDR6. Memory bandwidth: 192 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPU) vs 432 GB/s (Radeon RX 6850M) — a 125% advantage for the Radeon RX 6850M. Bus width: 128-bit vs 192-bit.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPURadeon RX 6850M
VRAM Capacity
8 GB
8 GB
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth
192 GB/s
432 GB/s+125%
Bus Width
128-bit
192-bit+50%
L2 Cache
2 MB
2 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPU) vs 12.2 (Radeon RX 6850M). Vulkan: 1.4 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPURadeon RX 6850M
DirectX
12 Ultimate
12.2+2%
Vulkan
1.4
1.4
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
4
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (7th Gen) (GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPU) vs VCN 3.0 (Radeon RX 6850M). Decoder: NVDEC (7th Gen) vs VCN 3.0. Supported codecs: H.264,HEVC,AV1 (Decode),VP9 (GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPU) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 (Radeon RX 6850M).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPURadeon RX 6850M
Encoder
NVENC (7th Gen)
VCN 3.0
Decoder
NVDEC (7th Gen)
VCN 3.0
Codecs
H.264,HEVC,AV1 (Decode),VP9
MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPU draws 130W versus the Radeon RX 6850M's 120W — a 8% difference. The Radeon RX 6850M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPU) vs 500W (Radeon RX 6850M). Power connectors: Mobile vs Mobile. Typical load temperature: 82°C vs 85°C.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPURadeon RX 6850M
TDP
130W
120W-8%
Recommended PSU
500W
500W
Power Connector
Mobile
Mobile
Length
267mm
Height
111mm
Slots
0-100%
2
Temp (Load)
82°C-4%
85°C
Perf/Watt
93.4
102.3+10%