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

✅66.8% 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).

Trade-offs

❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
❌160% higher power demand at 130W vs 50W.

Radeon RX 6500M

2022

Why buy it

✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
✅Draws 50W instead of 130W, a 80W 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 3 (2023) instead.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 50.3 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $249 MSRP).

GeForce RTX 3050 8GB

2022

Radeon RX 6500M

2022

Why buy it

✅66.8% 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).

Why buy it

✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
✅Draws 50W instead of 130W, a 80W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
❌160% higher power demand at 130W vs 50W.

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 3 (2023) instead.
❌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 6500M?

Yes. GeForce RTX 3050 8GB is the better GPU overall here. You are getting 66.8% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data, 68.4% higher PassMark G3D performance, DLSS 2 Super Resolution, and 8 GB vs 4 GB of VRAM.

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 68.4% 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 3 + AFMF. 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 66.8% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and 68.4% 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 6500M still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. Radeon RX 6500M 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 6500M Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3050 8GB	Radeon RX 6500M
1080p
low	130 FPS	104 FPS
medium	113 FPS	92 FPS
high	99 FPS	79 FPS
ultra	83 FPS	66 FPS
1440p
low	119 FPS	94 FPS
medium	96 FPS	80 FPS
high	81 FPS	67 FPS
ultra	69 FPS	56 FPS
4K
low	64 FPS	47 FPS
medium	57 FPS	44 FPS
high	39 FPS	33 FPS
ultra	33 FPS	29 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3050 8GB Open Radeon RX 6500M

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3050 8GB	Radeon RX 6500M
1080p
low	245 FPS	172 FPS
medium	211 FPS	134 FPS
high	165 FPS	100 FPS
ultra	128 FPS	63 FPS
1440p
low	163 FPS	113 FPS
medium	135 FPS	87 FPS
high	112 FPS	67 FPS
ultra	92 FPS	46 FPS
4K
low	89 FPS	56 FPS
medium	74 FPS	44 FPS
high	62 FPS	35 FPS
ultra	49 FPS	24 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3050 8GB Open Radeon RX 6500M

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce RTX 3050 8GB	Radeon RX 6500M
1080p
low	564 FPS	334 FPS
medium	451 FPS	268 FPS
high	376 FPS	211 FPS
ultra	282 FPS	167 FPS
1440p
low	423 FPS	245 FPS
medium	338 FPS	201 FPS
high	282 FPS	165 FPS
ultra	212 FPS	126 FPS
4K
low	282 FPS	146 FPS
medium	226 FPS	128 FPS
high	188 FPS	87 FPS
ultra	141 FPS	57 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3050 8GB Open Radeon RX 6500M

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce RTX 3050 8GB	Radeon RX 6500M
1080p
low	469 FPS	282 FPS
medium	415 FPS	214 FPS
high	336 FPS	187 FPS
ultra	282 FPS	156 FPS
1440p
low	373 FPS	209 FPS
medium	326 FPS	154 FPS
high	237 FPS	128 FPS
ultra	198 FPS	103 FPS
4K
low	200 FPS	103 FPS
medium	175 FPS	75 FPS
high	152 FPS	66 FPS
ultra	126 FPS	51 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3050 8GB Open Radeon RX 6500M

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 3050 8GB and Radeon RX 6500M

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 6500M

The Radeon RX 6500M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 4 2022. It features the RDNA 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 2000 MHz to 2400 MHz. It has 1024 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 6 nm process technology. It features 16 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 7,443 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3050 8GB scores 12,535 versus the Radeon RX 6500M's 7,443 — the GeForce RTX 3050 8GB leads by 68.4%. The GeForce RTX 3050 8GB is built on Ampere while the Radeon RX 6500M uses RDNA 2.0, both on 8 nm vs 6 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce RTX 3050 8GB) vs 1,024 (Radeon RX 6500M). Raw compute: 9.098 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3050 8GB) vs 4.915 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 6500M). Boost clocks: 1777 MHz vs 2400 MHz. Ray tracing: 20 RT cores (GeForce RTX 3050 8GB) vs 16 (Radeon RX 6500M) with 80 Tensor cores.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3050 8GB	Radeon RX 6500M
G3D Mark Score	12,535+68%	7,443
Architecture	Ampere	RDNA 2.0
Process Node	8 nm	6 nm
Shading Units	2560+150%	1024
Compute (TFLOPS)	9.098 TFLOPS+85%	4.915 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1777 MHz	2400 MHz+35%
ROPs	32	32
TMUs	80+25%	64
L1 Cache	2.5 MB+900%	0.25 MB
L2 Cache	2 MB+100%	1 MB
Ray Tracing Cores	20+25%	16

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

A critical advantage for the Radeon RX 6500M 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 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 6500M relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3050 8GB	Radeon RX 6500M
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)

The GeForce RTX 3050 8GB comes with 8 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon RX 6500M has 4 GB. The GeForce RTX 3050 8GB offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 224 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3050 8GB) vs 144 GB/s (Radeon RX 6500M) — a 55.6% advantage for the GeForce RTX 3050 8GB. Bus width: 128-bit vs 64-bit. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce RTX 3050 8GB) vs 1 MB (Radeon RX 6500M) — the GeForce RTX 3050 8GB has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3050 8GB	Radeon RX 6500M
VRAM Capacity	8 GB+100%	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	224 GB/s+56%	144 GB/s
Bus Width	128-bit+100%	64-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB+100%	1 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3050 8GB) vs 12 (12_2) (Radeon RX 6500M). Vulkan: 1.4 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 3.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3050 8GB	Radeon RX 6500M
DirectX	12 Ultimate	12 (12_2)
Vulkan	1.4	1.4
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4+33%	3

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 7th gen (GeForce RTX 3050 8GB) vs VCN 3.0 (Radeon RX 6500M). Decoder: NVDEC 5th gen vs VCN 3.0. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3050 8GB) vs H.264,HEVC,VP9 (Decode Only) (Radeon RX 6500M).

Feature	GeForce RTX 3050 8GB	Radeon RX 6500M
Encoder	NVENC 7th gen	VCN 3.0
Decoder	NVDEC 5th gen	VCN 3.0
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9	H.264,HEVC,VP9 (Decode Only)

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3050 8GB draws 130W versus the Radeon RX 6500M's 50W — a 88.9% difference. The Radeon RX 6500M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 450W (GeForce RTX 3050 8GB) vs 350W (Radeon RX 6500M). Power connectors: 8-pin vs Mobile. Typical load temperature: 66°C vs 85°C.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3050 8GB	Radeon RX 6500M
TDP	130W	50W-62%
Recommended PSU	450W	350W-22%
Power Connector	8-pin	Mobile
Length	242mm	—
Height	112mm	—
Slots	2	0-100%
Temp (Load)	66°C-22%	85°C
Perf/Watt	96.4	148.9+54%