GeForce RTX 3050 Max-Q Refresh 4 GB vs GTX 950 LP
Primary details
GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.
| Place in the ranking | not rated | not rated |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Architecture | Maxwell 2.0 (2015−2019) | Ampere (2020−2024) |
| GPU code name | GM206 | GA107 |
| Market segment | Desktop | Laptop |
| Release date | 1 March 2016 (8 years ago) | 6 July 2022 (2 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $159 | no data |
Detailed specifications
General parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.
| Pipelines / CUDA cores | 768 | 2048 |
| Core clock speed | 1024 MHz | no data |
| Boost clock speed | 1188 MHz | 1125 MHz |
| Number of transistors | 2,940 million | 8,700 million |
| Manufacturing process technology | 28 nm | 8 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 75 Watt | 35 Watt |
| Texture fill rate | 57.02 | 72.00 |
Form factor & compatibility
Information on compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For desktop graphics cards it's interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility).
| Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x8 |
| Length | 202 mm | no data |
| Width | 2-slot | no data |
| Supplementary power connectors | None | None |
VRAM capacity and type
Parameters of VRAM installed: its type, size, bus, clock and resulting bandwidth. Integrated GPUs have no dedicated video RAM and use a shared part of system RAM.
| Memory type | GDDR5 | GDDR6 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 2 GB | 4 GB |
| Memory bus width | 128 Bit | 128 Bit |
| Memory clock speed | 6612 MHz | 11 GB/s |
| Memory bandwidth | 105.8 GB/s | 176.0 GB/s |
Connectivity and outputs
Types and number of video connectors present on the reviewed GPUs. As a rule, data in this section is precise only for desktop reference ones (so-called Founders Edition for NVIDIA chips). OEM manufacturers may change the number and type of output ports, while for notebook cards availability of certain video outputs ports depends on the laptop model rather than on the card itself.
| Display Connectors | 1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPort | Portable Device Dependent |
| HDMI | + | - |
API compatibility
List of supported graphics and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.
| DirectX | 12.0 | 12 Ultimate (12_2) |
| Shader Model | 5.0 | 6.7 |
| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.6 |
| OpenCL | 1.2 | 3.0 |
| Vulkan | - | 1.3 |
| CUDA | 5.2 | 8.6 |
Pros & cons summary
| Recency | 1 March 2016 | 6 July 2022 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 2 GB | 4 GB |
| Chip lithography | 28 nm | 8 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 75 Watt | 35 Watt |
RTX 3050 Max-Q Refresh 4 GB has an age advantage of 6 years, a 100% higher maximum VRAM amount, a 250% more advanced lithography process, and 114.3% lower power consumption.
We couldn't decide between GeForce GTX 950 LP and GeForce RTX 3050 Max-Q Refresh 4 GB. We've got no test results to judge.
Be aware that GeForce GTX 950 LP is a desktop card while GeForce RTX 3050 Max-Q Refresh 4 GB is a notebook one.
Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
Comparisons with similar GPUs
We selected several comparisons of graphics cards with performance close to those reviewed, providing you with more options to consider.
