Inno3D RTX 3050 Twin X2 OC Graphics Card Review

Since the debut of the new RTX 30 GPUs, gamers and enthusiasts have been eagerly waiting for the successor to the GTX 1050 Ti and GTX 1650 budget GPUs as owners of these GPUs are due for an upgrade. Fast forward almost two years later and Nvidia had finally announced the RTX 3050 alongside the new flagship RTX 3090 Ti. Flagship aside, the RTX 3050 is a very exciting GPU as it’s Nvidia’s cheapest 30 series graphics card that has dedicated RT and Tensor cores meaning it has support for Ray Tracing and DLSS. Like the RTX 3060, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 does not have a reference or Founder’s Edition variant so we’re taking a look at the Inno3D RTX 3050 Twin X2 OC graphics card for our RTX 3050 review.

Compared to the GeForce RTX 3060, the RTX 3050 features almost thirty percent fewer CUDA cores and GDDR6 memory but consumes twenty-four percent less power draw and is priced at $250 US(Php 12,847). The $250 price tag is relatively expensive for an x50 graphics card series considering the GTX 1650 and GTX 1650 super launched for $149 and $160 respectively.  The Php $100 premium for 80 Tensor Cores and 20 RT Cores may not be that worth it for those who don’t care about Ray Tracing or DLSS. Though it’s worth noting that it has almost triple the CUDA cores, 7 Gbps more memory bus, and double the memory size compared to the GeForce GTX 1650.

A Closer Look

Unlike most brands, Inno3D has only one variant of the RTX 3050 GPU in the form of the Twin X2 OC model. Inno3D usually has an iChill X3 or X4 model with the Twin variant being the entry-level model. Packaging is pretty standard with the usual Twin series design. The back shows the standard specs and Ampere architecture highlights.

The packaging contains only the box and the standard manual and warranty card. Similar to what we saw in the Inno3D RTX 3080 Ti iChill X4, the RTX 3050 Twin X2’s anti-static bag has a warning sticker saying that the GPU is not intended for crypto mining. It’s nice to see Inno3D sticking to this practice which supports gamers.

Inno3D has gone for a gunmetal shroud design of its RTX 3050 Twin X2 graphics card with no RGB lighting or flashy highlights. While we’re used to seeing three to four fans on Inno3D iChill graphics cards, the Twin X2 as the name suggests only has two fans which are more than enough to cool the RTX 3050 GPU.

It’s surprising to see a backplate on a budget graphics card let alone a budget variant. The metal backplate also acts as a passive heatsink for the GPU all while making the card look premium.

The Inno3D RTX 3050 Twin X2 is a two-slot card that’s 240mm long. Its size will fit all PC cases with the exception of some ITX requiring only 1-slot GPUs. The Inno3D RTX 3050 Twin X2

PCB does not extend all the way to the backplate and cooling shroud of the card leaving a blank space in between. Inno3D decided to make use of the space without covering that much with the backplate acting as a pseudo-flow through cooler which we’ve seen in RTX founders edition GPUs. Ports selection on the Inno3D RTX 3050 Twin X2 is pretty standard with three DisplayPort 1.4aa ports and one HDMI 2.1 port.

One 8-pin PCI-E connector is needed to power the Inno3D RTX 3050 Twin X2 as it’s rated at a TGP of 130W. Inno3D recommends at least a 450W PSU to run the RTX 3050.

Test Bench Setup and Benchmark Methodology

Gadget Pilipinas’ testing philosophy is to provide detail-oriented results as accurately as possible that our readers can replicate our tests given that these conditions are met. Different benchmarking apps and sequences are used depending on the component or device being tested.

We use CapFrameX 1.6.6 as our primary FPS capture and analysis tool for all our gaming benchmarks. The latest build versions of Windows 10, Windows 11, and WHQL certified drivers are used for our benchmarks. Readings such as temperatures and power draw are recorded using HWINFO64, and other relevant software for cross-checking.

Inno3D RTX 3050 Twin X2 Gaming Benchmarks

COUNTER-STRIKE: GLOBAL OFFENSIVE

Counter-Strike Strike: Global Offensive aka CSGO is a 10-year old first-person shooter title that’s still widely popular despite its old Source Engine. CS:GO is a great game to test out CPU performance as the game is heavily CPU-dependent like any other FPS title. Our CS:GO benchmark process uses ULLETICAL’s FPS Benchmark workshop mod to measure the hardware’s performance.

DOTA 2

Most gamers play at least one of the following free-to-play titles: League of Legends, CS: GO, Dota 2, and/or Fortnite. Dota 2 is a good representation of the F2P titles as it is the most demanding game in the spectrum. The benchmark will give you an idea of the graphic card’s relative performance on other lesser demanding titles. Our benchmark sequence is based on a replay of OG vs. Liquid in the TI9 grand finals from the team fight that happened from 28:30 to 29:30.

Far Cry 5 & Far Cry 6

FarCry 5 is an FPS game published by Ubisoft and uses the Dunia engine. It heavily relies on and takes advantage of DirectX 11 to render a realistic environment that makes it taxing to both the CPU and GPU. Far Cry 6 is the latest installment in the franchise which utilizes DirectX 12 to run the virtual world of Yara.

Rainbow Six Siege

Rainbow Six Seige is one of the few popular AAA games that’s still popular in 2021 due to its competitive gameplay mechanics. R6S uses the AnvilNext game engine, which the game’s publisher, Ubisoft, developed. As of writing, Rainbow Six Siege is currently the most popular Tom Clancy title beating out Wildlands, Breakpoint, and even Division 2.

Cyberpunk 2077

Cyberpunk 2077 is arguably the most hyped game of 2020. Developed by CD Projekt Red, the dystopian open-world, action-adventure RPG sports is one of the most demanding titles to date. Cyberpunk 2077 also supports three Ray Tracing settings as well as DLSS which makes the game a great tool to measure Ray tracing performance for both AMD and Nvidia graphics cards.

Shadow of The Tomb Raider

Shadow of The Tomb Raider or SOTR is the latest installment of the Lara Croft Tomb Raider franchise. Developed by Square Enix, SOTR uses the Foundation engine and is further enhanced by Eidos Montreal. SOTR is also one of the first games to come out with Ray Tracing and DLSS support.

Metro Exodus

Metro Exodus is the third Metro game trilogy based on Dmitry Glukhovsky’s novels. The game is a first-person shooter with survival horror and stealth elements. The post-apocalyptic game uses 4A Engine by 4A games. Released last 2019, Metro Exodus remains to be one of the most graphically pleasing and demanding games that’s popular to date.

Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is the latest franchise installment from Ubisoft. It’s by far the most popular and stable Assassin’s Creed title since AC IV: Black Flag. It uses the AnvilNext 2.0 game engine, an updated version of Rainbow Six Siege’s game engine, and uses the DirectX 12 API.

F1 2020

F1 2020 is the official video game of the 2020 Formula 1 and Formula 2 championships developed by Codemasters. F1 2020 is the twelfth installment in the franchise and uses the Ego Engine 3.0. F1 2020 is a good representation of racing games thanks to its realistic graphics and fairly demanding spec requirements.

HORIZON ZERO DAWN

Horizon Zero Dawn is one of the most popular console-port RPG developed by Guerilla Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Horizon Zero Dawn is a multi-award-winning action RPG, and its popularity resulted in an exclusive Complete Edition game bundle in Steam.

RTX 3050 Temps and Power Draw

The Inno3D RTX 3050 Twin X2 is a relatively cool GPU given its compact 2-slot, dual fan design which manages to peak at 69.5°C compared to beefier GPUs peaking over 70°c during our testing.

Power draw on the Inno3D RTX 3050 Twin X2 is well within the reference spec of 130 watts compared to the custom PCB ROG Strix RTX 3050 at 149.67 Watts.

Conclusion

Don’t let its size fool you as the Inno3D RTX 3050 Twin X2 packs a punch despite its compact form factor. Moreover, much attention is placed on the graphics card’s build quality with a gunmetal shroud and backplate which you rarely see in budget GPUs. It is 2-slot cooler is more than enough to cool the GA106 chip as well as keep up with custom PCB models such as the ROG Strix. Priced at Php 17,250 for the non-OC variant and Php 19,995 for the OC variant, the Twin X2 is the cheapest RTX 3050 GPU available locally and with that, there’s really not much to complete with regards to the cards overall performance and build quality. Despite the RTX 3050’s high commanding price over its predecessors, the Inno3D RTX 3050 Twin X2 gives it value by providing a no-fuss, no gimmick GPU that squeezes as much performance possible to maximize your framerates and your budget. Frankly, the lack of RGB is the only thing we can say about the card but I’d take that trade-off any day for a reliable build and stable performance as seen on our benchmarks. Overall, if you’re looking for something cheap to power your budget PC build to play the latest E-Sports titles and even AAA games on mixed settings, then the Inno3D RTX 3050 Twin X2 will give you the most value thanks to its competitive price backed with superb build quality that’s rarely found in budget GPUs.

Grant Soriano

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Grant is a Financial Management graduate from UST. His passion for gadgets and tech crossed him over in the industry where he could apply his knowledge as an enthusiast and in-depth analytic skills as a Finance Major. His passion allows him to earn at the same time help Gadget Pilipinas' readers in making smart, value-based decisions and purchases with his reviews and guides.