RTX 3050 Laptop: Gaming Performance, FPS and Specs

Short answer: the RTX 3050 Laptop is a basic gaming GPU that performs roughly like a desktop GTX 1660 at its full power limit. With a Core i5-12500H it averages about 37 FPS at 1080p and 22 FPS at 1440p on High in demanding games, so it is best suited to 1080p on medium settings gaming. Its 4 GB of video memory is the main limit: some new games need lower textures, especially above 1080p.

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RTX 3050 Laptop: specifications

Spec	RTX 3050 Laptop
Architecture	Ampere
Video memory	4 GB GDDR6
Power limit (TGP)	35–80 W
Released	2021
Similar desktop card	GTX 1660
Upscaling	DLSS upscaling (no DLSS Frame Generation)

NVIDIA and AMD specifications. Laptop makers choose the power limit inside the range, so two laptops with the same GPU can perform differently. “Similar desktop card” compares the full-power version in our model.

RTX 3050 Laptop: why the power limit (TGP) matters

Laptop GPUs share a name with a range of power limits. A thin laptop running the RTX 3050 Laptop near the bottom of its 35–80 W range will be noticeably slower than a thick gaming laptop at the top. Before you buy, look for the “TGP” or “maximum graphics power” in the laptop’s spec sheet; the numbers on this page assume a high power limit.

RTX 3050 Laptop FPS in popular games

Game	1080p High	1440p High	1080p Medium
Counter-Strike 2	154 (120 low)	110 (86 low)	193
Valorant	211 (164 low)	150 (117 low)	263
Fortnite	66 (51 low)	38 (21 low) ⚠	82
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7	28 (16 low) ⚠	20 (11 low) ⚠	36
Battlefield 6	32 (17 low) ⚠	23 (12 low) ⚠	53
ARC Raiders	46 (25 low) ⚠	25 (14 low) ⚠	58
Marvel Rivals	33 (18 low) ⚠	18 (10 low) ⚠	41
Cyberpunk 2077	28 (15 low) ⚠	20 (11 low) ⚠	46
Black Myth: Wukong	25 (14 low) ⚠	13 (7 low) ⚠	31
Hogwarts Legacy	26 (14 low) ⚠	19 (10 low) ⚠	33
Baldur's Gate 3	46 (25 low) ⚠	25 (14 low) ⚠	58
Elden Ring	36 (20 low) ⚠	26 (14 low) ⚠	56

Average FPS and 1% lows from our FPS model with a Core i5-12500H and a high power limit. ⚠ = the game wants more video memory than this GPU has at that setting. Expect real laptops within about ±15%, depending on TGP and cooling.

With DLSS or FSR set to Quality, add roughly 20–30% to these numbers in games that support it.

RTX 3050 Laptop: how it compares with other laptop GPUs

Laptop GPU	Speed vs RTX 3050 Laptop	VRAM	1440p High avg FPS
RTX 3060 Laptop	+46%	6 GB	41
RX 6600M	+46%	8 GB	49
RTX 2060 Laptop	+8%	6 GB	30
RTX 3050 Laptop	–	4 GB	22
GTX 1660 Ti Laptop	-8%	6 GB	26
GTX 1650 Laptop	-42%	4 GB	13

Relative speed from our model at full power. See the full laptop GPU ranking.

RTX 3050 Laptop: does the laptop CPU hold it back?

Laptop processor	1080p bottleneck	1440p bottleneck	1080p avg FPS
Core i5-12500H	15% GPU	29% GPU	37
Core i7-13620H	20% GPU	32% GPU	37
Ryzen 7 7840HS	22% GPU	34% GPU	37
Core i9-14900HX	31% GPU	40% GPU	37

From our bottleneck calculator. Up to 10% is balanced; a GPU limit is normal.

RTX 3050 Laptop: frequently asked questions

Is the RTX 3050 Laptop good for gaming?

Yes for 1080p on medium settings. It averages about 37 FPS at 1080p High in demanding new games, and much more in esports titles.

What desktop GPU is the RTX 3050 Laptop equal to?

At a high power limit it performs roughly like a desktop GTX 1660 in our model. Low-power versions in thin laptops are slower.

Can the RTX 3050 Laptop run games at 1440p?

Only lighter games, or with Medium settings and upscaling: about 22 FPS on High in demanding titles.

Is 4 GB of VRAM enough?

It is the main limit. Many new games need lower textures even at 1080p.

What TGP should I look for?

As close to the top of the 35–80 W range as you can. The model name alone does not tell you the power limit.

Sources: Notebookcheck RTX 5070 Ti / 5070 Laptop review, Notebookcheck RTX 5060 Laptop preview, NVIDIA and AMD laptop GPU specifications. FPS and bottleneck figures come from our FPS and bottleneck models.