The only dream graphics card of this CES 2022 was the GeForce RTX 3090 Ti, from Nvidia, a big 3D computing monster that should sell for $ 1,490 in official retail price … Finally, before scalpers, speculation, and the passage of cryptominers!
But the “real” interesting charts swim in other waters. They are called RTX 3050 at Nvidia, Radeon RX 6500 XT at AMD, and ARC “something” at Intel. Three entry-level GPU models ranging between $ 200 and $ 300.
Why are you talking about such inexpensive cards? Simply because these are the graphics cards that you are really buying. Even in normal times, although everyone salivates on high-end GPUs, the bulk of GPUs sold are below $ 300. This is understandable, since we are even talking about a quarter of the minimum wage here! Here is a little anatomy of the three GPUs that could find a place in your inexpensive gaming PCs this year.
The champion of the champion: Nvidia Geforce RTX 3050
Announced from 279 euros with availability at the end of the month, the most anticipated card is signed Nvidia and is called GeForce RTX 3050. Based on the Ampere architecture of its big sisters of the RTX 3000 generation, it is still engraved in 8 nm by Samsung, but is more modest in terms of specifications: 2560 Cuda Cores (3584 for the 3060), 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128 bit memory bus.
With its 130 W TDP, it will be one of the most energy-efficient solutions to take advantage of ray tracing from Nvidia, since it still integrates 20 RT Cores (28 for the 3060) and 80 Tensor Cores (112 for the 3060 ). On the performance side, Nvidia promises that its card will offer double the power of the GTX 1650.
The double question that burns lips is obviously that of real availability and above all, real availability at that price. A question that affects all manufacturers. Including Nvidia’s main rival in the graphics segment: AMD.
The eternal rival: AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT
More or less modeled on Intel for the nomenclature of its CPUs, AMD often does the same with Nvidia for its GPUs: the “5” in its name indicates that the RX 6500 XT faces, more or less, the RTX 3500. Announced at 199 dollars or $ 50 less (excluding taxes) than its competitor (for prices expressed in dollars, editor’s note), it benefits from a better engraving fineness of 6 nm which results in a lower TDP, of only 107 W.
It integrates half the GDDR6 memory – only 4 GB – than its competitor, and benefits from 16 computing units and 16 ray tracing units. Direct comparisons between GPU technologies are quite difficult, but one should expect it to be below Nvidia’s card (logical: it will be cheaper).
But AMD is still committing to interesting results with, depending on the processor that accompanies it, good performance: in Full HD (1080p) in high settings, the brand promises “up to” 104 fps under Fortnite, 91 fps under Apex Legend, and 61 fps under Call of Duty: Vanguard.
Newcomer: Intel Arc
No one yet knows the real names and real specifications, nor the prices, of the GPUs of the first commercial generation of Intel gaming cards.
Understand here that if some leaks – here gleaned from the knowledgeable guys of Videocardz – guide us a little on the range effect side, we cannot draw any conclusions, especially in terms of the balance of power or the quality / price ratio.
Also read: Intel announces Arc, its first GPU dedicated to gamers
We know that Intel’s GPUs manage hardware ray tracing, that the chip and its derivatives have been with game publishers since the release of DG-1, that Intel is developing technologies that compete with DLSS, and others.
But apart from a nice spot of thirty seconds to wait, we do not know anything about the Intel Arc, whose supposed references sound like tributes to the Airbus (A350 and A380?).
If the performance / price ratio will be critical for Intel, which takes on the role of real challenger in the segment, another element will be extremely important: availability.
The winner will be … whoever has cards to sell!
In the context of a semiconductor shortage and with GPU “predators” (scalping, cryptominers, etc.), graphics cards of any kind are often simply not found at a decent price.
And if we add Samsung’s fairly mediocre 8nm performance and the fact that AMD has firm, but limited access to TSMC’s 7nm production lines, we understand that the factory output volume is not as important that players hope.
Although Intel is now a competitor to TSMC with its Intel Foundries program, at the same time, it calls on TSMC to burn some of its chips – or bits of chips, as with Ponte Vecchio, its professional high-performance GPU. .
However, Intel has money, a lot of money. If the American has managed to secure enough production lines and if the other two players are still struggling to supply the circuits of retailers who sell graphics cards individually, Intel could do well by being the only truly purchasable brand.
Also to discover in video:
Also to discover in video:
We will have to wait for the real availability of the three cards, scheduled to hit shelves in the first quarter of 2022, to draw conclusions not only on the performance reports, but also on the real availability of the GPUs. Because unless you are ready to buy a new PC assembled by a manufacturer, it has been almost impossible for two years to change your graphics card without breaking the bank.
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