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 6GB

2024

Why buy it

✅Costs $2,331 less on MSRP ($169 MSRP vs $2,500 MSRP).
✅Delivers 1455.9% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 63.6 vs 4.1 G3D/$ ($169 MSRP vs $2,500 MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 70W instead of 250W, a 180W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 6 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.

Tesla M40

2015

Why buy it

✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 6 GB).

Trade-offs

❌No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
1379.3% HIGHER MSRP
$2,500 MSRPvs$169 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 4.1 vs 63.6 G3D/$ ($2,500 MSRP vs $169 MSRP).
❌257.1% higher power demand at 250W vs 70W.

GeForce RTX 3050 6GB

2024

Tesla M40

2015

Why buy it

✅Costs $2,331 less on MSRP ($169 MSRP vs $2,500 MSRP).
✅Delivers 1455.9% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 63.6 vs 4.1 G3D/$ ($169 MSRP vs $2,500 MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 70W instead of 250W, a 180W reduction.

Why buy it

✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 6 GB).

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 6 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.

Trade-offs

❌No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
1379.3% HIGHER MSRP
$2,500 MSRPvs$169 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 4.1 vs 63.6 G3D/$ ($2,500 MSRP vs $169 MSRP).
❌257.1% higher power demand at 250W vs 70W.

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 3050 6GB better than Tesla M40?

Yes. GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 10,749 vs 10,220 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is a 2024 card with DLSS Super Resolution, while Tesla M40 is a 2015 model from an older generation with no meaningful modern upscaling stack. 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 6GB is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2024 generation instead of 2015, better upscaling support with DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, and a 8nm process instead of 28nm. 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?

GeForce RTX 3050 6GB can still make sense if you find it at the right price, especially around $169 MSRP. GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is still the smarter buy for most people, though, because the raw performance is close while the overall package is cleaner. GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is about $2,331 cheaper on MSRP at $169 MSRP versus $2,500 MSRP, and you are getting 5.2% higher G3D Mark. Moving to $169 MSRP gets you newer hardware, lower power draw (70W vs 250W), and DLSS Super Resolution.

Is Tesla M40 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. Tesla M40 is still a strong gaming card in 2026: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. Price is really the swing factor here. If you find it at or below $2,500 MSRP, it remains a very sensible buy. GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is still the safer recommendation for most fresh builds because it offers a cleaner overall package with newer hardware and DLSS Super Resolution.

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 6GB Benchmark Check

Tesla M40 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3050 6GB	Tesla M40
1080p
low	85 FPS	151 FPS
medium	72 FPS	130 FPS
high	60 FPS	106 FPS
ultra	40 FPS	65 FPS
1440p
low	74 FPS	121 FPS
medium	64 FPS	103 FPS
high	47 FPS	76 FPS
ultra	30 FPS	47 FPS
4K
low	27 FPS	42 FPS
medium	25 FPS	38 FPS
high	17 FPS	24 FPS
ultra	15 FPS	20 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3050 6GB Open Tesla M40

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3050 6GB	Tesla M40
1080p
low	174 FPS	248 FPS
medium	149 FPS	214 FPS
high	118 FPS	163 FPS
ultra	87 FPS	128 FPS
1440p
low	129 FPS	173 FPS
medium	106 FPS	142 FPS
high	83 FPS	115 FPS
ultra	62 FPS	89 FPS
4K
low	74 FPS	96 FPS
medium	62 FPS	78 FPS
high	48 FPS	65 FPS
ultra	34 FPS	49 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3050 6GB Open Tesla M40

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce RTX 3050 6GB	Tesla M40
1080p
low	484 FPS	460 FPS
medium	387 FPS	368 FPS
high	322 FPS	307 FPS
ultra	242 FPS	230 FPS
1440p
low	363 FPS	345 FPS
medium	290 FPS	276 FPS
high	242 FPS	230 FPS
ultra	181 FPS	172 FPS
4K
low	242 FPS	230 FPS
medium	193 FPS	184 FPS
high	161 FPS	153 FPS
ultra	121 FPS	115 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3050 6GB Open Tesla M40

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce RTX 3050 6GB	Tesla M40
1080p
low	243 FPS	293 FPS
medium	210 FPS	252 FPS
high	171 FPS	210 FPS
ultra	144 FPS	163 FPS
1440p
low	185 FPS	217 FPS
medium	166 FPS	192 FPS
high	131 FPS	154 FPS
ultra	109 FPS	118 FPS
4K
low	104 FPS	120 FPS
medium	87 FPS	96 FPS
high	69 FPS	80 FPS
ultra	55 FPS	61 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3050 6GB Open Tesla M40

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 3050 6GB and Tesla M40

GeForce RTX 3050 6GB

The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in February 2 2024. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1042 MHz to 1470 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 70W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 18 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 10,749 points. Launch price was $179.

Tesla M40

The Tesla M40 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in November 10 2015. It features the Maxwell 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 948 MHz to 1112 MHz. It has 3072 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 250W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 10,220 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB scores 10,749 versus the Tesla M40's 10,220 — the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB leads by 5.2%. The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is built on Ampere while the Tesla M40 uses Maxwell 2.0, both on 8 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 2,304 (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 3,072 (Tesla M40). Raw compute: 6.774 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 6.832 TFLOPS (Tesla M40). Boost clocks: 1470 MHz vs 1112 MHz.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3050 6GB	Tesla M40
G3D Mark Score	10,749+5%	10,220
Architecture	Ampere	Maxwell 2.0
Process Node	8 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	2304	3072+33%
Compute (TFLOPS)	6.774 TFLOPS	6.832 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1470 MHz+32%	1112 MHz
ROPs	32	96+200%
TMUs	72	192+167%
L1 Cache	2.3 MB+109%	1.1 MB
L2 Cache	2 MB	3 MB+50%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Tesla M40 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3050 6GB	Tesla M40
Upscaling Tech	DLSS 2 Super Resolution	Upscaling support
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	Standard

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB comes with 6 GB of VRAM, while the Tesla M40 has 8 GB. The Tesla M40 offers 33.3% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 96-bit vs 256-bit. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 3 MB (Tesla M40) — the Tesla M40 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3050 6GB	Tesla M40
VRAM Capacity	6 GB	8 GB+33%
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR6
Bus Width	96-bit	256-bit+167%
L2 Cache	2 MB	3 MB+50%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 12.0 (Tesla M40). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.1. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.5. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 0.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3050 6GB	Tesla M40
DirectX	12 Ultimate	12.0
Vulkan	1.3+18%	1.1
OpenGL	4.6+2%	4.5
Max Displays	4	0

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (5th Gen) (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs NVENC 2.0 (2x) (Tesla M40). Decoder: NVDEC (7th Gen) vs PureVideo HD VP6. Supported codecs: H.264,HEVC,AV1 (Decode Only) (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (Tesla M40).

Feature	GeForce RTX 3050 6GB	Tesla M40
Encoder	NVENC (5th Gen)	NVENC 2.0 (2x)
Decoder	NVDEC (7th Gen)	PureVideo HD VP6
Codecs	H.264,HEVC,AV1 (Decode Only)	MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB draws 70W versus the Tesla M40's 250W — a 112.5% difference. The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 300W (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 500W (Tesla M40). Power connectors: None vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 160mm vs 267mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 85°C.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3050 6GB	Tesla M40
TDP	70W-72%	250W
Recommended PSU	300W-40%	500W
Power Connector	None	PCIe-powered
Length	160mm	267mm
Height	—	111mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	75°C-12%	85°C
Perf/Watt	153.6+276%	40.9

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB launched at $169 MSRP, while the Tesla M40 launched at $2500. The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB costs 93.2% less ($2331 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 63.6 (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 4.1 (Tesla M40) — the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB offers 1451.2% better value. The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is the newer GPU (2024 vs 2015).