MSI RTX 3050 VENTUS 2X 8G OC review

Nowadays, it’s a bit hard to call almost any GPU a budget one because the video card prices aren’t yet normalized at 100%. Still, the cost of most GeForce RTX 3050 graphics cards is on the low side by today’s standards. The RTX 3050 looks like it’s meant for 1080p gaming – it comes with an 8GB memory which is just fine even for 1440p gaming. For this review, we will test the MSI RTX 3050 VENTUS 2X 8G OC. As you may know, the Ventus lineup is a step-down compared to other MSI’s custom GPU designs like the Gaming or Trio.

For a not-so-power-hungry chip like the GA106, a two-fan cooler design seems more than enough for adequate cooling. The GPU is limited to PCIe 4.0 x8 but this kind of bus interface speed is fine given the raw power of the GA106. The I/O of the video card is what you’d expect from GPU released in 2022 – three Display Ports 1.4a and an HDMI 2.1. At least on paper, this graphics card should be powerful enough for 1080p gaming with greatly bumped visuals but we’ll see if this GPU is okay for playing games on 1440p and even on 4K with some compromises when it comes to visual quality.

You can check the current price of MSI RTX 3050 VENTUS 2X 8G OC here: Buy from Amazon.com (#CommissionsEarned)

Contents


Specs Sheet

 MSI RTX 3050 VENTUS 2X 8G OC
ArchitectureAmpere
GPU chipGA106
Shader units2560
ROPs32
TMUs80
Transistors12000M
Base Clock (MHz)1552
Boost clock (MHz)1807
Memory clock (MHz)1750
Memory size (MB)8192
Memory typeGDDR6
Memory bus width (bit)128
Default board power limit130W
Max board power limit130W
Power Connectors8-pin
Recommended PSU550W
Dimensions235 x 124 x 42 mm
Weight661g
I/O3x Display Port, HDMI 2.1
Max Resolution7680×4320
DirectX version12.2
Technology8nm
RTX capabilitiesYes
Release date01.2022

Test configuration

CPU: Intel Core i9-12900K
Motherboard: MSI MPG Z690 Carbon
RAM: 2x16GB DDR5 G.SKILL Trident Z5 6000MHz CL36
Power Supply: EVGA P+ 1300W
Cooling: COUGAR AQUA 360
Monitor: LG 43UN700-B
Case: Open test bench

Software

OS: Windows 11 x64 with the latest updates
Drivers: NVIDIA 516.59 drivers

Drivers

The GPU drivers for the MSI RTX 3050 VENTUS 2X 8G OC can be found in the following link:
https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/drivers/

What’s in the box?

The video card comes well-secured in a fairly compact box – the package weight is just 1070 grams. Inside, you’ll find only the essentials – protective foam, manuals, and the GPU itself.


Design and looks

As you can see, the video card is compact – it’s just 23.5 mm long and it features a two-fan setup. The video card takes 2.2 slots thanks to its backplate – without it, it’s a pure two-slot GPU. This means that the extra space is on the back of the video card and the graphics cards will not block additional PCIe slots on your motherboard.

Speaking of fans, the pair here is called TORX Fan 3.0 (and it has a similar look to the 2.0 variants). The fans aren’t that fancy-looking like the ones used in the more premium models (the 4.0 version) but in reality, this duo is a quality one and it’s silent (and effective as well) during load and that’s the thing that matters the most.

The backplate is made of plastic which is normal for such a graphics card – it protects the card from damage during installation or when you’re upgrading something inside of your PC. Still, the plastic isn’t dissipating the heat as well as the metal so a plastic backplate isn’t an optimal solution.

We can immediately spot the absence of the anti-bending strap that can be found in some other MSI GPUs but here it’s not a problem because we got a 23.5mm long GPU that weighs a bit over half a kilo – so sagging isn’t an issue at all.


Synthetic benchmarks, BIOS, and overclock

So, let’s test the GPUs’ raw performance with the aid of some popular benchmarks like 3DMark Fire Strike, 3DMark Time Spy, and Unigine Superposition. We’ll start with the stock results.

Now, let’s check the OC results.

3Dmark Fire Strike Graphics Score3Dmark Time Spy Graphics ScoreUnigine SuperpositionBlender
MSI RTX 3050 VENTUS 2X 8G OC Stock16335619334791628
MSI RTX 3050 VENTUS 2X 8G OC OC17700 (+8%)6760 (+9%)3818 (+10%)1821 (+12%)

The gain from overclocking this particular GPU is around 10% on average. Not a huge one but if you are familiar with overclocking (and you have some free time) why not?

BIOS 

You can have a look at the BIOS of the GPU and its stock clocks. In idle, you can’t hear the graphics card because fans aren’t spinning while the core temperature is a bit below 40°C.

It’s quite disappointing that the power limit of the GPU can’t be increased even by a small margin. All you got is 130W TGP so if you want to squeeze more performance you have to undervolt the video card and then you can try some core and memory overclocking.

Overclock
We’re using Unigine Heaven 4.0 in 4K for monitoring the stock and OC frequencies while testing for stability. Let’s check the stock frequencies. We got around 1942 MHz@65°C for the core and the memory is set to 1750MHz (7000MHz effective). The good news is the fans’ rotating speed is below 1400 RPM – neat. It’s hard to hear them even in games like Cyberpunk 2077.

Overclocking the GPU isn’t complicated at all. With the MSI Afterburner’s Voltage/Curve frequency editor we set the core voltage to exactly 1V and the core clock to 2107MHz – this is the maximum core frequency without experiencing any throttling caused by the modest power limit in heavy games. Actually, this kind of core frequency isn’t bad at all. The Hynix memory is a bit of a pleasant surprise – it’s stable at +1000MHz (8000MHz effective clock) which isn’t as good as some other GPUs with Samsung memory chips but at the end of the day, this kind of memory clock is just enough. We’re using fans in auto mode and we can see that the GPU is even cooler and more quieter despite the fact that it’s overclocked. Because of the core undervolt (from 1.08V to 1.0V) the fans are spinning at 1138 RPM and the core temperature is 63°C – that’s 2°C cooler compared to the stock clocks. So, we got 10% more performance from the OC and the video card become even cooler and quieter – nice.

Gaming tests


 

StrayHigh (Check settings)
1080p137 fps
1440p86 fps
4K41 fps


Far Cry 6Ultra (Check settings)
1080p73 fps
1440p52 fps
4K28 fps


Diablo ImmortalV.High (Check settings)
1080p253 fps

God Of WarUltra (Check settings)
1080p57 fps
1440p44 fps
4K26 fps

Forza Horizon 5Extreme (Check settings)
1080p55 fps
1440p47 fps
4K33 fps


 

Days GoneVery High (Check settings)
1080p81 fps
1440p55 fps
4K28 fps


Death StrandingV.High (Check settings)
1080p100 fps
1440p71 fps
4K38 fps

 

Call Of Duty Warzone (Caldera)Ultra (Check settings)
1080p90 fps
1440p64 fps
4K35 fps


 

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon BreakpointUltra (Check settings)
1080p77 fps
1440p60 fps
4K36 fps


 

FIFA 22Ultra (Check settings)
1080p334 fps
1440p259 fps
4K147 fps


 

Resident Evil VillageMax (Check settings)
1080p148 fps
1440p97 fps
4K48 fps


 

Cyberpunk 2077Ultra (Check settings)
1080p50 fps
1440p30 fps
4K9 fps


 

Cyberpunk 2077 BenchmarkUltra (Check settings)
1080p49 fps
1440p30 fps
4K9 fps


 

 

Assassin’s Creed ValhallaUltra (Check settings)
1080p57 fps
1440p43 fps


 

eFootball PES 2021High (Check settings)
1080p173 fps
1440p111 fps
4K54 fps


cs-go-benchmarks

 

CS:GOMAX (Check settings)
1080p384 fps
1440p246 fps
4K125 fps


 

 

DOTA 2Ultra (Check settings)
1080p189 fps
1440p158 fps
4K80 fps


GTA-V-benchmarks

 

Grand Theft Auto V (GTA 5)Ultra (Check settings)
1080p49 fps
1440p33 fps
4K17 fps


 

For HonorExtreme (Check settings)
1080p117 fps
1440p77 fps
4K39 fps

 

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six SiegeUltra (Check settings)
1080p300 fps
1440p201 fps
4K102 fps


 

 

Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018)Highest (Check settings)
1080p63 fps
1440p40 fps
4K20 fps

 

Doom EternalU.Nightmare (Check settings)
1080p145 fps
1440p107 fps
4K57 fps


 

 

Red Dead Redemption 2MAX (Check settings)
1080p19 fps
1440p14 fps


 

Metro ExodusExtreme (Check settings)
1080p26 fps
1440p20 fps
4K11 fps

 

Gears 5Ultra (Check settings)
1080p79 fps
1440p56 fps
4K29 fps

 

Assassin’s Creed OdysseyUltra High (Check settings)
1080p57 fps
1440p45 fps
4K28 fps


HearthstoneHigh (Check settings)
1080p1194 fps
1440p789 fps
4K434 fps

 

World Of Tanks EncoreUltra (Check settings)
1080p146 fps
1440p94 fps
4K47 fps


 

MinecraftMaximum (Check settings)
1080p239 fps
1440p237 fps
4K240 fps

 

League Of LegendsV.High (Check settings)
1080p769 fps
1440p718 fps
4K372 fps


Rocket LeagueH.Quality (Check settings)
1080p338 fps
1440p231 fps
4K120 fps


OverwatchEpic (Check settings)
1080p197 fps
1440p136 fps
4K56 fps




PUBGUltra (Check settings)
1080p112 fps
1440p73 fps
4K45 fps


Borderlands 3Badass (Check settings)
1080p58 fps
1440p41 fps
4K22 fps


Team Fortress 2MAX (Check settings)
1080p281 fps
1440p253 fps
4K138 fps


 

Far Cry New DawnUltra (Check settings)
1080p95 fps
1440p69 fps
4K37 fps

 

The Witcher 3Ultra (Check settings)
1080p82 fps
1440p58 fps
4K34 fps


 

Need For Speed HeatUltra (Check settings)
1080p88 fps
1440p63 fps
4K35 fps


 

Apex LegendsMAX (Check settings)
1080p191 fps
1440p95 fps
4K53 fps


Battlefield VUltra (Check settings)
1080p115 fps
1440p85 fps
4K47 fps


 

ARK: Survival EvolvedEpic (Check settings)
1080p43 fps
1440p27 fps
4K14 fps

 

WarframeHigh (Check settings)
1080p224 fps
1440p151 fps
4K74 fps


Temperatures and comfort

In this test we use 100% on the GPU, monitoring its frequencies and chip temperature.

30 min Cyberpunk 2077 on 4K Ultra detailsClockCore TemperatureGPU Hot Sport TemperaturePowerFAN RPM
MSI RTX 3050 VENTUS 2X 8G OC1934 Mhz67°C77°C129.4W1548 RPM


Gaming on 4K is always more extreme compared to 1080p and 1440p. Especially when using heavy games – in our case that’s Cyberpunk 2077 on Ultra details. On the other hand, the MSI RTX 3050 VENTUS 2X 8G OC is still cool and quiet even in this scenario – 67°C and ~1550 RPM for the fans is a great result. Compared to the 1080p tests, the core is reaching 1934 MHz which isn’t too far away from the 1942MHz mark that we saw when gaming and testing on Full HD. So, yes, everything looks in check.

Verdict

The MSI RTX 3050 VENTUS 2X 8G OC is GPU that is definitely good for 1080p gaming and even for 1440p with some compromises. In this case, DLSS can boost the FPS higher which will be good for people playing frequently online shooters or other fast-paced games. The build quality of the video card is just okay, actually, the cooler is a bit of an overkill because all the time it’s hard to hear the video card if it’s in a decent case that provides good airflow. The only thing that we don’t like regarding this graphics card is the plastic backplate which is too cheap-ish on the touch.

We already moaned a bit about the small power limit, but in reality, a 130W TGP is just okay for this kind of video card and as you can see, with some undervolting to 1V, the core can go above 2100 MHz (at least our GPU is capable of doing this). Believe it or not, 4K gaming is possible but expectedly, you have to reduce the visual quality and probably you can use DLSS in Performance or Ultra Performance mode. Sure, not every game can be played on 4K with this GPU but light and popular games like CS:GO, Rocket League, Dota 2, Team Fortress 2, World Of Tanks, etc can be played on 4K without a hassle and these titles look better because of the higher resolution.

You can check the current price of MSI RTX 3050 VENTUS 2X 8G OC here: Buy from Amazon.com (#CommissionsEarned)

Pros

  • Nearly silent under load
  • Compact
  • Has a backplate
  • Cool during gaming
  • Idle fan stop
  • Comes with goodies like HDMI 2.1, PCI-Express 4.0, DLSS, and ray tracing
  • 8nm tech process


Cons

  • 130W TGP is a bit too low
  • Plastic backplate

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