Skip to main content

Nvidia’s new GPUs include gaming monster RTX 3090 Ti and budget RTX 3050

Nvidia has just announced the upcoming release of two new graphics cards: The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 Ti and the RTX 3050.

The announcement was made during Nvidia’s CES 2022 keynote. We now know more about the specifications of the insanely high-end RTX 3090 Ti and the budget RTX 3050.

Recommended Videos

RTX 3090 Ti

The new RTX 3090 Ti graphics card.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The upcoming RTX 3090 Ti will likely be the shining star of the Ampere generation of Nvidia cards, though the provided details were sparse. Even more powerful than its predecessor, the RTX 3090, this is a GPU aimed at enthusiasts and professionals who are willing to accept the price tag and simply want the best possible performance the current technology can offer.

Get your weekly teardown of the tech behind PC gaming
Check your inbox!

Here’s what Nvidia confirmed about the highly rumored RTX 3090 Ti: It will feature a whopping 24GB of 21Gb/s GDDR6X memory, as well as bandwidth of 1TB/s. Nvidia also mentioned that the card will have 320 Tensor cores, 40 shader cores, and 78 ray tracing (RT) cores. Those were all the certain details provided by Nvidia, and what follows is based on previous rumors.

Numerous leaks in the past months have revealed extra information about the card, such as its CUDA core count, clock speed, and price.

But even just based on the minimal confirmed specifications alone, there is no doubt that the new RTX 3090 Ti has every chance to find itself atop the list of the best graphics cards.

RTX 3050

Various versions of the RTX 3050 graphics card.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The upcoming RTX 3050 is about as far from the RTX 3090 Ti as a card within the same generation can possibly be. This is an affordable GPU aimed at less-demanding gamers on a tighter budget. Even still, don’t be fooled by the (confirmed) $250 price tag — this card will undoubtedly be a step up for many gamers currently in need of a GPU.

Nvidia mentioned the popularity of the old GTX 1050, which the company claimed could play games at the time at 60 frames per second.

So, where’s the need for an upgrade? Well, according to Nvidia, modern games are more demanding, citing the GTX 1050’s inability to handle titles like Control and Guardians of the Galaxy.

That’s where the RTX 3050 comes in. It has 8GB of GDDR6 memory, second-generation RT cores, and third-generation tensor cores. Nvidia promises that the card will support ray tracing and DLSS.

Much like with the RTX 3090 Ti, there’s still a lot that Nvidia hasn’t disclosed about this GPU. Previous leaks suggest that the unit will also have a 128-bit memory bus and 2,560 CUDA cores, but we’ll have to wait and see for more information from Nvidia.

Nvidia’s new releases are certain to fill some gaping holes in the market caused by the ongoing GPU shortage. While the price tag for the RTX 3090 Ti is likely to be extremely steep, the card may still cost less at retail than an RTX 3080 Ti costs at scalper prices. As for the RTX 3050, although it may seem lacking in comparison to the beastly RTX 3090 Ti, this card should still prove to be an upgrade to countless people who have been unable to upgrade from the GTX generations of cards.

The RTX 3050 has been confirmed to release on January 27 to a variety of retailers, but Nvidia hasn’t said when the RTX 3090 Ti will be up for sale, although Nvidia promised more information later in January. Regardless of the release date, the question is how many people are going to be able to snap them up when they first hit the shelves.

Monica J. White
Monica is a computing writer at Digital Trends, focusing on PC hardware. Since joining the team in 2021, Monica has written…
Nvidia’s new GPUs could be right around the corner
Nvidia's RTX 4070 graphics cards over a pink background.

Is Nvidia really about to add to its lineup of top GPUs? All signs point to yes, and now, we have an official Nvidia keynote on the horizon that tells us when we might hear more about the rumored RTX 40 Super. Nvidia revealed that it's going to deliver a special address on January 8 as part of CES 2024. Although the company hasn't confirmed what it's planning to cover, the rumor mill has been buzzing with information about three new desktop GPUs. But will they really be worth the upgrade?

Several reputable leakers have weighed in on the matter of the RTX 40-series refresh, and we've been getting updates about the range for a few weeks now. Nvidia doesn't need to specifically state that it'll talk about these graphics cards, as that is going to be the expectation anyway. The three GPUs in question are the RTX 4080 Super, RTX 4070 Ti Super, and the RTX 4070 Super.

Read more
Nvidia may launch three new Super GPUs to fight back AMD
Three RTX 4080 cards sitting on a pink background.

Nvidia may be readying three new GPUs -- the RTX 4080 Super, RTX 4070 Ti Super, and the RTX 4070 Super. We haven't seen Super cards since Nvidia's RTX 20-series, but if this leak turns out to be true, they're coming back. Will they be worthwhile enough to rank high among the best graphics cards? It's hard to say, but they could help it compete against AMD's recent GPUs.

The information comes from hongxing2020, a frequent leaker in the GPU space. Nvidia already has a decent spread of GPUs between the RTX 4080, RTX 4070 Ti, and the RTX 4070. However, if a refresh to the Ada lineup is reportedly on the way, we might see some notable changes, but only if Nvidia decides to shake things up and use a different chip for at least two out of those three GPUs.

Read more
Asus’ new RTX 4090 shattered GPU overclocking records, and you’ll be able to buy it soon
Asus ROG Matrix RTX 4090 graphics card.

If you thought that the RTX 4090 was already the best we'll see in this generation, Asus is here to prove you wrong. Nearly a year after the initial launch of Nvidia's top graphics card, Asus is about to release the ROG Matrix GeForce RTX 4090 -- a one-of-a-kind GPU that already has a new world record under its belt.

ROG Matrix GeForce RTX 4090 Graphics Card

Read more