NVIDIA has silently launched the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB, an entry-level graphics card based on a trimmed-down version of the budget Ampere-architecture GA107 GPU. This new card, previously available only for OEMs, is now being made available to the retail market, adding to NVIDIA’s extensive product lineup. In addition to expanding the product range, the RTX 3050 6GB also delivers lower power consumption as it is designed for setups that do not require a powerful PCIe connector. Seizing the opportunity, Palit has wasted no time in releasing its first fanless KalmX board in years: the GeForce RTX 3050 KalmX 6GB. The GA107 graphics processor with 2304 CUDA cores powers the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB, coupled with 6GB of GDDR6 connected to a 96-bit bus (in contrast to the 128-bit on the RTX 3050 8GB). With a modest 1470 MHz additional clocks, the RTX 3050 6GB offers significantly lower performance than the RTX 3050, delivering 6.77 FP32 TFLOPS versus 9.1 FP32 TFLOPS. However, it does boast an undeniable advantage: it only consumes 70W of power. Palit is the first company to embrace the reduced power consumption of the GeForce RTX 3050 6 GB, launching a fully passive-cooled graphics card, the first of its kind in four years. The Palit GeForce RTX 3050 KalmX 6GB (NE63050018JE-1170H) features a printed circuit board (PCB) that provides modern outputs for DisplayPort 1.4a and HDMI 2.1, along with two DVI-D connections, a first for Ampere graphics cards.
Palit’s GeForce RTX 3050 KalmX 6GB stands out with its dual-slot passive cooling system and two heat pipes. Measuring 166.3 × 137 × 38.3 mm, the product is relatively large and may not fit in compact computers. However, the size is typical for fanless systems, so it doesn’t pose a limitation for the new KalmX device. Another advantage of the Palit’s GeForce RTX 3050 KalmX 6GB, compared to NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 3050 6GB, is that it can be entirely powered through a PCIe slot, eliminating the need for PCIe power connectors often absent in inexpensive systems from major OEMs. According to Wccftech, the official price of NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 6GB graphics cards is $169, and they are available in the market for $170 – $180. This competitive price point offers higher performance than AMD’s Radeon RX 6400 ($125) and Radeon RX 6500 XT ($140). However, the pricing for the exclusive Palit GeForce RTX 3050 KalmX 6GB is yet to be determined.
