NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Breakdown and $1200 Build Guide

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NVIDIA's back with their first graphics card launch of the year, optimized for getting the most power out of your budget build, including the second generation of Ray Tracing technology and DLSS support.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Breakdown

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Specs

• RAM: 8GB GDDR6
• PCIe support: 4.0
• Architecture: NVIDIA Ampere
• NVIDIA CUDA Core Count: 2560
• Boost clock speed: 1.78GHz
• Fan Count: 1 to 3, depending on model
• Slot size: Dual Slot
• RTX Ray Tracing Second Generation Support
• DLSS Support

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Build

One of the easiest ways to save money on a budget build is to keep it simple. So rather than put together an RGB-filled rig that'll keep your neighbors awake with its lights, we're going for a minimal black build. No lights, no frills, just efficiency.

Processor: Intel Core i5-12600K Alder Lake 3.7GHz Ten-Core LGA 1700 Boxed Processor

Even when you're building on a budget, you should be sure to future-proof your build. Intel's brand-new 12th Gen Processors are the perfect way to make sure your computer stays ahead of the curve for years to come, and the i5-12600k is the budget-friendly way to do it.

Be sure to grab a cooler too! The be quiet PURE ROCK SLIM 2 is a killer budget cooler, with high-power, low-volume cooling capabilities.

Motherboard: ASUS Z690-P Prime WiFi DDR4 Intel LGA 1700 ATX Motherboard

There aren't a lot of Intel 12th Gen motherboards out there yet, but that doesn't mean our options are limited. The ASUS Z690 Prime is not only a fantastic motherboard for this build, it's budget-conscious and comes WiFi ready, so you won't have to pick up a WiFi adaptor. Doubly budget-conscious!

Graphics Card: EVGA NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 XC Gaming Dual Fan 8GB GDDR6 PCIe 4.0 Graphics Card

NVIDIA's brand new GeForce RTX 3050 is a card designed for power on a budget. With second-gen, 60+ FPS Ray Tracing capabilities, 3rd-gen DLSS and AI support, and 8GB of GDDR6 RAM, the GeForce RTX 3050 is here to make sure you're not sacrificing visuals for frames.

RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws V 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3600 PC4-28800 CL18 Dual Channel Desktop Memory Kit F4-3600C18D-16GVK - Black

We've said it time and time again, and we'll say it until it's no longer true: don't settle for less than 16GB of RAM. If you're worried about price, skip the RGB and ultra-high speeds. 3200GHz is plenty fast for a budget build, and G.Skill can make a stellar stick of RAM, even without all the fluff.

Hard Drive(s): Samsung 870 EVO 500GB SSD and WD Blue Mainstream 2TB 5400RPM SATA III

If you don't want two separate hard drives, we get it. But don't skip an SSD in favor of a less expensive traditional HDD. The speed difference is staggering, and you'll definitely feel it when your friends are already in a match and you're still booting up. Get an SSD for your OS and an HDD for storage. Or just a bigger SSD.

Power Supply: Corsair CX750M 750 Watt 80 Plus Bronze ATX Semi-Modular Power Supply

We're springing for a semi-modular power supply for our build, as it'll keep costs down and won't leave too much of a cable mess in an ATX build. But, if you like optimizing your cable management, spring for a full-modular PSU, or if you want to save even more money and aren't worried about extraneous cables, go for a non-modular. Either way, you'll have a working PC!

Case: Corsair 110R Tempered Glass ATX Mid-Tower Computer Case - Black

Finally, rather than spring for anything showy or glowy, we went sleek, black, and minimal with Corsair's 110R Tempered Glass case. But don't worry: you can still show off your internals with the side window!

The full parts list can be found on our Custom PC Builder:

https://www.microcenter.com/site/content/custom-pc-builder.aspx?load=edeefdcd-4e67-4289-a573-22c8652147da

Please see our Limited Availability Product Launch FAQ for more information.

Wrath

No way anyone should ever buy this slow GPU for this price, this GPU should be $150 max. I enjoy Microcenter and their low prices, but I can’t protect the manufacturers and their ridiculous markups taking advantage of the market due to mining. Stick with your current build and don’t buy any GPU’s until prices come down.