GeForce RTX 3050 8 GB vs MX230

Place in performance ranking	609	159
Place by popularity	not in top-100	14
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	1.62	24.46
Architecture	Pascal (2016−2021)	Ampere (2020−2022)
GPU code name	N17S-G0	GA106
Market segment	Laptop	Desktop
Release date	20 February 2019 (5 years ago)	4 January 2022 (2 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	no data	$249
Current price	$1221	$385 (1.5x MSRP)

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

RTX 3050 8 GB has 1410% better value for money than GeForce MX230.

Detailed specifications

General performance parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. These parameters indirectly speak of performance, but for precise assessment you have to consider their benchmark and gaming test results. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.

Pipelines / CUDA cores	256	2560
Core clock speed	1519 MHz	no data
Boost clock speed	1531 MHz	1777 MHz
Number of transistors	1,800 million	12,000 million
Manufacturing process technology	14 nm	8 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	10 Watt	130 Watt
Texture fill rate	25.31	142.2

Form factor & compatibility

Information on GeForce MX230 and GeForce RTX 3050 8 GB compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For desktop video cards it's interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility). For notebook video cards it's notebook size, connection slot and bus, if the video card is inserted into a slot instead of being soldered to the notebook motherboard.

Laptop size	medium sized	no data
Interface	PCIe 3.0 x16	PCIe 4.0 x8
Length	no data	242 mm
Width	no data	2-slot
Supplementary power connectors	None	1x 8-pin

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	4 GB	8 GB
Memory bus width	64 Bit	128 Bit
Memory clock speed	7000 MHz	14 GB/s
Memory bandwidth	48.06 GB/s	224.0 GB/s
Shared memory	-	no data

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	No outputs	1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a
HDMI	no data	+

Supported technologies

Supported technological solutions. This information will prove useful if you need some particular technology for your purposes.

Optimus

no data

API compatibility

List of supported graphics and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.

DirectX	12 (12_1)	12 Ultimate (12_2)
Shader Model	6.4	6.6
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
OpenCL	1.2	3.0
Vulkan	1.2.131	1.3
CUDA	+	8.6

Synthetic benchmark performance

Non-gaming benchmark performance comparison. The combined score is measured on a 0-100 point scale.

Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark performance score. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

GeForce MX230 4.75

RTX 3050 8 GB 32.59
+586%

RTX 3050 8 GB outperforms MX230 by 586% based on our aggregated benchmark results.

Passmark

This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark, part of Passmark PerformanceTest suite. It gives the graphics card a thorough evaluation under various types of load, providing four separate benchmarks for Direct3D versions 9, 10, 11 and 12 (the last being done in 4K resolution if possible), and few more tests engaging DirectCompute capabilities.

Benchmark coverage: 25%

GeForce MX230 1838

RTX 3050 8 GB 12612
+586%

RTX 3050 8 GB outperforms MX230 by 586% in Passmark.

Gaming performance

Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS.

Average FPS across all PC games

Here are the average frames per second in a large set of popular games across different resolutions:

Full HD

−567%

140−150
+567%

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Cyberpunk 2077

8−9
−525%

50−55

+525%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	13 −554%	85−90 +554%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	4−5 −575%	27−30 +575%
Battlefield 5	20 −550%	130−140 +550%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	16−18 −525%	100−105 +525%
Cyberpunk 2077	8−9 −525%	50−55 +525%
Far Cry 5	15 −567%	100−105 +567%
Far Cry New Dawn	15 −567%	100−105 +567%
Forza Horizon 4	21 −567%	140−150 +567%
Hitman 3	10−11 −550%	65−70 +550%
Horizon Zero Dawn	9−10 −567%	60−65 +567%
Red Dead Redemption 2	9−10 −567%	60−65 +567%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	10 −550%	65−70 +550%
Watch Dogs: Legion	6−7 −567%	40−45 +567%

Full HD
High Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	10 −550%	65−70 +550%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	4−5 −575%	27−30 +575%
Battlefield 5	16 −525%	100−105 +525%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	16−18 −525%	100−105 +525%
Cyberpunk 2077	8−9 −525%	50−55 +525%
Far Cry 5	13 −554%	85−90 +554%
Far Cry New Dawn	13 −554%	85−90 +554%
Forza Horizon 4	16 −525%	100−105 +525%
Hitman 3	10−11 −550%	65−70 +550%
Horizon Zero Dawn	9−10 −567%	60−65 +567%
Metro Exodus	4 −575%	27−30 +575%
Red Dead Redemption 2	9−10 −567%	60−65 +567%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	9 −567%	60−65 +567%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	15 −567%	100−105 +567%
Watch Dogs: Legion	6−7 −567%	40−45 +567%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	6 −567%	40−45 +567%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	4−5 −575%	27−30 +575%
Battlefield 5	12 −567%	80−85 +567%
Cyberpunk 2077	8−9 −525%	50−55 +525%
Far Cry 5	12 −567%	80−85 +567%
Far Cry New Dawn	12 −567%	80−85 +567%
Forza Horizon 4	12 −567%	80−85 +567%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	9 −567%	60−65 +567%
Watch Dogs: Legion	6−7 −567%	40−45 +567%

1440p
High Preset

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	7−8 −543%	45−50 +543%
Hitman 3	8−9 −525%	50−55 +525%
Horizon Zero Dawn	10−12 −582%	75−80 +582%
Metro Exodus	3−4 −500%	18−20 +500%
Red Dead Redemption 2	3−4 −500%	18−20 +500%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	8−9 −525%	50−55 +525%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	3−4 −500%	18−20 +500%
Cyberpunk 2077	2−3 −500%	12−14 +500%
Far Cry 5	7−8 −543%	45−50 +543%
Far Cry New Dawn	4−5 −575%	27−30 +575%
Forza Horizon 4	6−7 −567%	40−45 +567%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	4−5 −575%	27−30 +575%
Watch Dogs: Legion	0−1	0−1

4K
High Preset

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	3−4 −500%	18−20 +500%
Hitman 3	4−5 −575%	27−30 +575%
Horizon Zero Dawn	7−8 −543%	45−50 +543%
Red Dead Redemption 2	2−3 −500%	12−14 +500%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	1−2 −500%	6−7 +500%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	1−2 −500%	6−7 +500%

4K
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	2−3 −500%	12−14 +500%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	2−3 −500%	12−14 +500%
Cyberpunk 2077	0−1	0−1
Far Cry 5	5−6 −500%	30−33 +500%
Far Cry New Dawn	7−8 −543%	45−50 +543%
Forza Horizon 4	3−4 −500%	18−20 +500%
Watch Dogs: Legion	0−1	0−1

This is how GeForce MX230 and RTX 3050 8 GB compete in popular games:

RTX 3050 8 GB is 567% faster in 1080p

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	4.75	32.59
Recency	20 February 2019	4 January 2022
Maximum RAM amount	4 GB	8 GB
Chip lithography	14 nm	8 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	10 Watt	130 Watt