what/llm/can/i/run
compare/rtx-3060-8gb vs rtx-3050-8gb

RTX 3060 8GBvsRTX 3050 8GB

If you already own a RTX 3060 8GB → wait. Buying new → RTX 3050 8GB.RTX 3050 8GB has +0 GB VRAM, -7% more bandwidth.

Side by side

Contender
RTX 3060 8GB
NVIDIA · Ampere · sm_86
Street$249
vram
8 GB
bandwidth
240 GB/s
tdp
170 W
released
2021-10-26
vs
Contender · winner
RTX 3050 8GB
NVIDIA · Ampere · sm_86
Street$219
vram
8 GB
bandwidth
224 GB/s
tdp
130 W
released
2022-01-27

Spec diff

specrtx-3060-8gbrtx-3050-8gbdelta
vram8 GB8 GB+0 GB · 0%
bandwidth240 GB/s224 GB/s-16 · -7%
tdp170 W130 W+-40 W
street price$249$219$30 · -12%
arch maturity2021-10-262022-01-27newer = less stable

What changes with the upgrade

▸ Unlocked by RTX 3050 8GB0 models
No additional models unlocked.
▸ Speed deltas on shared modelstop 5
Gemma 3 4B5148 t/s -6%
Gemma 2 2b5148 t/s -6%
Gemma 2 9B3230 t/s -6%
Gemma 3 12B3533 t/s -6%
Meta Llama 3.1 8B3533 t/s -6%

Value verdict

▸ Should you buy/upgrade?

RTX 3050 8GB adds 0 GB VRAM for the same price. The real question is whether your workflow needs models that RTX 3060 8GBcan't run.

$ recommend → If you own a RTX 3060 8GB: wait. Prices drop, refresh cycles continue. If buying new: get the RTX 3050 8GB IF your budget allows AND you need the extra headroom.