Zotac 3050 6GB

[Guru]

Am I right in thinking that this card is only PCI-E x8? It shows like this in GPU-Z.

Trying to find a good GPU To put in an MSI B450i that doesn't require external power.

 

[Guru]

It's to go in my gf's Thermaltake Core V1.

She’s running a small‑form‑factor system in a Thermaltake VCore 1 case, and we’re trying to figure out the best upgrade path. She recently bought an RTX 3050, but we’re considering returning it and looking at other options. Since this touches both GPU and CPU choices, I’m cross‑posting to get broader input.

Here are her current specs:

• Case: Thermaltake VCore 1
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600
• Motherboard: MSI B450I Gaming Plus Max WiFi (Mini‑ITX)
• RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB DDR4‑2400 (CMK16GX4M1A2400C14), single stick
• Storage: Samsung 860 EVO 500GB + Crucial BX500 1TB
• Current GPU: GT 1030
• New GPU (possibly returning): RTX 3050
• PSU: Technimax TMX00500B (no PCIe power cables for GPUs)

The 3050 fits the case and works, but the performance hasn’t been great, and the PSU doesn’t have any 6/8‑pin PCIe connectors, so a GPU upgrade probably means replacing the PSU as well. Before we commit to returning the 3050, we want to understand what realistic upgrade options make sense for this case and motherboard.

We’re trying to figure out:

1. What GPUs are worth considering if we return the 3050, keeping in mind the VCore 1’s size and airflow.
2. Whether the Ryzen 5 3600 is still fine for modern GPUs or if upgrading the CPU (5600, 5700X, etc.) would be worthwhile.
3. What PSU models are recommended for small‑form‑factor builds that actually include proper GPU power cables.

GPUs we’ve looked at include the RTX 3060, 3060 Ti, 4060, RX 6600/6600 XT, and RX 7600, but we’re open to other suggestions as long as they fit and don’t run into PCIe limitations on this board.

Given her current hardware, what would be the best upgrade path from the GT 1030 if we return the 3050? And what CPU/PSU combinations would make the most sense for this build?

Thanks for any advice.

 

[TrojanWhore]

Yes, it's a PCIe 4.0 x8 card - although that board is only 3.0, so half the bandwidth again I wouldn't have thought it'd be too much of a problem with a card in that range, but 6GB isn't really enough these days anyway. (so might be having to swap textures out often, which will put a strain on bandwidth!)
If the PCIe configuration isn't causing an additional bottleneck, then the 3050 should be around 4x as fast the 1030, at least according to TPU's database.

Current PSU is junk tier, so personally I'd be replacing that either way! The case supports full size ATX PSUs up to 180mm so you shouldn't be too limited - plenty of models all the way up to 1200W that will fit

CPU - a 5000 series CPU could give you a bit of a boost, but there are some to avoid as they have half the cache. Something X3D would be the best, but I would have thought a 3600 would still be fine unless you go much bigger on the GPU.

GPU up to 285mm and 2 slots, so not all that restrictive, although a lot of cards are longer and especially thicker than that these days. - There are options at least as far up as a 5070, and probably a few harder to find models a little higher up the stack

What games (or types of games) does she want to play, and what's the overall budget?

 

[Tetras]

The 3050 fits the case and works, but the performance hasn’t been great, and the PSU doesn’t have any 6/8‑pin PCIe connectors, so a GPU upgrade probably means replacing the PSU as well. Before we commit to returning the 3050, we want to understand what realistic upgrade options make sense for this case and motherboard.

We’re trying to figure out:

1. What GPUs are worth considering if we return the 3050, keeping in mind the VCore 1’s size and airflow.

The market of cards without a power connector is very poor, they just don't bother with it anymore.

The performance of the 3050 was not great even when new and the 6GB version is cut down even further.

GPUs we’ve looked at include the RTX 3060, 3060 Ti, 4060, RX 6600/6600 XT, and RX 7600, but we’re open to other suggestions as long as they fit and don’t run into PCIe limitations on this board.

Given her current hardware, what would be the best upgrade path from the GT 1030 if we return the 3050? And what CPU/PSU combinations would make the most sense for this build?

Any of those are a good upgrade on the 1030, so it would come down to price.

The 4060 and 6600 are good on power (around 130 watts), but the 4060 is more efficient because it is faster.

Whether the Ryzen 5 3600 is still fine for modern GPUs or if upgrading the CPU (5600, 5700X, etc.) would be worthwhile.

3600 is fine. You can pair it with something far better than a 1030 or 3050 6GB. Obviously the games played and at what res/settings do matter, so YMMV.

What PSU models are recommended for small‑form‑factor builds that actually include proper GPU power cables.

From what I can see in the specs, that case will accept regular PSUs, up to 180mm. Is that correct?

 

[Guru]

Oh I thought the case had to have a smaller PSU, I’ll have to check, I’ve been organising this mostly over video call because I split my time between here and Spain, I’ve managed to find a ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 3060 Twin Edge 12gb in the MM so il so so happy about that.

Budget was £500 is and I’ve spent £255 on the GPU and 32gb of 3600 DDR4 RAM

 

[Guru]

Okay so this is what I got now:

• Ryzen 5 5600 — 6‑core Zen 3 CPU with Wraith Stealth cooler.
• Zotac RTX 3060 Twin Edge — Compact dual‑fan 12GB GPU.
• 32GB DDR4 RAM — 3600
• MSI MAG A750GLS PSU — 750W fully modular ATX 3.1 power supply.
• Thermal paste (MX‑6/MX‑7)

I hope it will be a big improvement for her.

450 total

 

[TrojanWhore]

Oh I thought the case had to have a smaller PSU, I’ll have to check, I’ve been organising this mostly over video call because I split my time between here and Spain, I’ve managed to find a ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 3060 Twin Edge 12gb in the MM so il so so happy about that.

Budget was £500 is and I’ve spent £255 on the GPU and 32gb of 3600 DDR4 RAM

If you've secured the GPU and RAM for £255, that's very good going in the current climate! Leaves plenty of budget for a decent PSU.

Realistically that system isn't going to pull much over 400W ever (probably not even that - CPU and GPU TDP is around 235W, but then add in motherboard, RAM, fans, SSDs etc. etc. ....)
But price scaling on PSUs is pretty good now, and if you wanted to leave room for potentially more powerful components in the future I'd just go with a decent brand 750-850W now - in addition to giving you headroom for upgrades, most PSUs are at their most efficient somewhere around the 50-60% load mark, also a lot of them won't even need to turn the fans on below that load, so will be essentially silent.

Pre-edit: You replied while I was typing! Looks like it will be a great improvement
I don't know anything about that PSU, but a quick (30s) search suggest it's not bad - not sure if there are better options around the same money

MSI MAG A750GLS PCIE5 ATX v3.1 PSU Review - Page 11 of 11 - Hardware Busters

MSI MAG A750GLS PCIe 5 ATX v3.1 review: Huntkey-built, with measured efficiency, ripple, transient response and noise versus the older A750GL.

hwbusters.com

 

[TrojanWhore]

• Ryzen 5 5600 — 6‑core Zen 3 CPU with Wraith Stealth cooler.

Make sure you update the BIOS (or check the one installed is new enough) before swapping the CPU!

I'd also put a better cooler on it, but with only 140mm clearance on that case I wouldn't know what to recommend... probably something 'top-down'

 

[heatonpkmassive]

Power supply will be totally fine for the build you've put together, you've done well with that given the current situation.

 

[Guru]

Make sure you update the BIOS (or check the one installed is new enough) before swapping the CPU!

I'd also put a better cooler on it, but with only 140mm clearance on that case I wouldn't know what to recommend... probably something 'top-down'

I was planning to clean up the Wraith Spire that's on the 3600 and pop it on the new one as it's larger, quieter, thicker and presumably the better of the two heatsinks

I've updated the BIOS to one that was released just this month when we realised the 3050 was running like poop because we thought it would help but it didn't, hence returning it and going this route instead

 

[tamzzy]

The performance of the 3050 was not great even when new and the 6GB version is cut down even further.

Totally this.
@Guru To put it into simple comparison, the 3050 8gb is the performance tier of the gtx 1070...
However Nvidia being Nvidia, the 3050 6gb is the performance of the gtx 1060.
Its a whole tier apart, meant to scam unsuspecting buyers...