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 8GB

2022

Why buy it

✅95.5% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 50.3 vs 0 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation (2023).
❌52.9% higher power demand at 130W vs 85W.

Radeon RX 5500M

2019

Why buy it

✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation (2023).
✅Draws 85W instead of 130W, a 45W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3050 8GB across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
❌Weaker long-term outlook: GeForce RTX 3050 8GB is the safer future-proof pick thanks to newer hardware and better gaming feature support.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 50.3 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $249 MSRP).

GeForce RTX 3050 8GB

2022

Radeon RX 5500M

2019

Why buy it

✅95.5% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 50.3 vs 0 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Why buy it

✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation (2023).
✅Draws 85W instead of 130W, a 45W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation (2023).
❌52.9% higher power demand at 130W vs 85W.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3050 8GB across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
❌Weaker long-term outlook: GeForce RTX 3050 8GB is the safer future-proof pick thanks to newer hardware and better gaming feature support.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 50.3 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $249 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 3050 8GB better than Radeon RX 5500M?

Yes. GeForce RTX 3050 8GB is clearly the better overall GPU here. GeForce RTX 3050 8GB averages 95.5% more FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 12,535 vs 5,954 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 3050 8GB is a 2022 card with DLSS Super Resolution, while Radeon RX 5500M is a 2019 model from an older generation with FSR upscaling + limited Frame Generation. So this is not really a tight same-tier comparison. It is more a modern card against an older, weaker alternative.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce RTX 3050 8GB is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2022 generation instead of 2019, 110.5% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 8 GB instead of 4 GB, and the stronger feature stack with DLSS Super Resolution instead of FSR upscaling + limited Frame Generation. That leaves it with more room for heavier textures, tougher ray tracing loads, and higher-end 1440p or 4K gaming over the next few years.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

GeForce RTX 3050 8GB is the smarter buy today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. GeForce RTX 3050 8GB is priced in an unclear MSRP range at $249 MSRP versus an unclear MSRP, and you are getting 95.5% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and 110.5% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 100+%. That is why the better overall card still comes out as the smarter buy today, not just the faster one.

Is Radeon RX 5500M still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. Radeon RX 5500M is still a strong modern gaming GPU: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. It remains a good buy when you can get it meaningfully cheaper than the alternative around an unclear MSRP, even if GeForce RTX 3050 8GB is still the cleaner recommendation on overall value today.

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.

GeForce RTX 3050 8GB Benchmark Check

Radeon RX 5500M Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3050 8GB	Radeon RX 5500M
1080p
low	130 FPS	92 FPS
medium	113 FPS	83 FPS
high	99 FPS	68 FPS
ultra	83 FPS	56 FPS
1440p
low	119 FPS	86 FPS
medium	96 FPS	75 FPS
high	81 FPS	59 FPS
ultra	69 FPS	49 FPS
4K
low	64 FPS	42 FPS
medium	57 FPS	39 FPS
high	39 FPS	27 FPS
ultra	33 FPS	24 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3050 8GB Open Radeon RX 5500M

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3050 8GB	Radeon RX 5500M
1080p
low	245 FPS	128 FPS
medium	211 FPS	96 FPS
high	165 FPS	68 FPS
ultra	128 FPS	45 FPS
1440p
low	163 FPS	84 FPS
medium	135 FPS	58 FPS
high	112 FPS	43 FPS
ultra	92 FPS	32 FPS
4K
low	89 FPS	38 FPS
medium	74 FPS	29 FPS
high	62 FPS	23 FPS
ultra	49 FPS	17 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3050 8GB Open Radeon RX 5500M

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce RTX 3050 8GB	Radeon RX 5500M
1080p
low	564 FPS	268 FPS
medium	451 FPS	214 FPS
high	376 FPS	179 FPS
ultra	282 FPS	134 FPS
1440p
low	423 FPS	201 FPS
medium	338 FPS	161 FPS
high	282 FPS	134 FPS
ultra	212 FPS	100 FPS
4K
low	282 FPS	134 FPS
medium	226 FPS	107 FPS
high	188 FPS	89 FPS
ultra	141 FPS	64 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3050 8GB Open Radeon RX 5500M

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce RTX 3050 8GB	Radeon RX 5500M
1080p
low	469 FPS	262 FPS
medium	415 FPS	204 FPS
high	336 FPS	174 FPS
ultra	282 FPS	134 FPS
1440p
low	373 FPS	201 FPS
medium	326 FPS	161 FPS
high	237 FPS	130 FPS
ultra	198 FPS	100 FPS
4K
low	200 FPS	97 FPS
medium	175 FPS	75 FPS
high	152 FPS	66 FPS
ultra	126 FPS	53 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3050 8GB Open Radeon RX 5500M

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 3050 8GB and Radeon RX 5500M

GeForce RTX 3050 8GB

The GeForce RTX 3050 8GB 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: 12,535 points. Launch price was $249.

Radeon RX 5500M

The Radeon RX 5500M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in October 7 2019. It features the RDNA 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1375 MHz to 1645 MHz. It has 1408 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 85W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,954 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3050 8GB scores 12,535 versus the Radeon RX 5500M's 5,954 — the GeForce RTX 3050 8GB leads by 110.5%. The GeForce RTX 3050 8GB is built on Ampere while the Radeon RX 5500M uses RDNA 1.0, both on 8 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce RTX 3050 8GB) vs 1,408 (Radeon RX 5500M). Raw compute: 9.098 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3050 8GB) vs 4.632 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 5500M). Boost clocks: 1777 MHz vs 1645 MHz.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3050 8GB	Radeon RX 5500M
G3D Mark Score	12,535+111%	5,954
Architecture	Ampere	RDNA 1.0
Process Node	8 nm	7 nm
Shading Units	2560+82%	1408
Compute (TFLOPS)	9.098 TFLOPS+96%	4.632 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1777 MHz+8%	1645 MHz
ROPs	32	32
TMUs	80	88+10%
L2 Cache	2 MB	2 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

A critical advantage for the Radeon RX 5500M is support for FSR Frame Generation. 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 8GB lacks specific hardware/driver support for this native frame generation tier.The GeForce RTX 3050 8GB gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon RX 5500M relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3050 8GB	Radeon RX 5500M
Upscaling Tech	DLSS 2 Super Resolution	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	FSR Frame Generation
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce RTX 3050 8GB comes with 8 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon RX 5500M has 4 GB. The GeForce RTX 3050 8GB offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 128-bit vs 128-bit.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3050 8GB	Radeon RX 5500M
VRAM Capacity	8 GB+100%	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	224 GB/s	224 GB/s
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB	2 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3050 8GB) vs 12 (Radeon RX 5500M). Vulkan: 1.4 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 3.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3050 8GB	Radeon RX 5500M
DirectX	12 Ultimate	12
Vulkan	1.4+17%	1.2
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4+33%	3

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 7th gen (GeForce RTX 3050 8GB) vs VCN 2.0 (Radeon RX 5500M). Decoder: NVDEC 5th gen vs VCN 2.0. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3050 8GB) vs H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP9 (Radeon RX 5500M).

Feature	GeForce RTX 3050 8GB	Radeon RX 5500M
Encoder	NVENC 7th gen	VCN 2.0
Decoder	NVDEC 5th gen	VCN 2.0
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9	H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP9

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3050 8GB draws 130W versus the Radeon RX 5500M's 85W — a 41.9% difference. The Radeon RX 5500M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 450W (GeForce RTX 3050 8GB) vs 350W (Radeon RX 5500M). Power connectors: 8-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 242mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 66°C vs 75°C.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3050 8GB	Radeon RX 5500M
TDP	130W	85W-35%
Recommended PSU	450W	350W-22%
Power Connector	8-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	242mm	0mm
Height	112mm	—
Slots	2	0-100%
Temp (Load)	66°C-12%	75°C
Perf/Watt	96.4+38%	70.0