Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3050 WINDFORCE 6GB GDDR6 Black
MAXSUN GeForce GT 730 4GB GDDR3
Buy the Gigabyte if you want actual 1080p gaming on a budget, especially in a pre-built or office PC since it runs entirely off the PCIe slot with no extra power cable needed.
Buy the MAXSUN only if you have an ancient system that just needs a video output for basic desktop use and you don't want to spend more than a tank of gas.
Key Differences
- The Gigabyte has 2,304 CUDA cores vs 96 on the MAXSUN. That's a 24x difference. The GT 730 is from 2014 and it shows.
- Memory bandwidth is 192 GB/s on the Gigabyte vs 25.6 GB/s on the MAXSUN. GDDR6 vs GDDR3. The MAXSUN would choke on anything beyond web browsing.
- The Gigabyte runs off the PCIe slot alone, no external power connector needed. Owners consistently mention this makes it a drop-in upgrade for office PCs and pre-builts with weak power supplies.
- The MAXSUN is passively cooled with zero fans, so it's silent, but that's because it barely generates heat. The Gigabyte has dual fans and stays quiet anyway according to user reviews.
- Real-world sentiment backs this up: Gigabyte owners give it 4.7/5 across 327 reviews and praise the easy install and 1080p performance. The MAXSUN has 4.1/5 but only 45 reviews, and most of those are probably just happy it displays a picture.
What Buyers Say
Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3050 WINDFORCE 6GB GDDR6 Black
This budget-friendly graphics card is a hit among users upgrading from older GPUs like the GTX 1050, offering a noticeable performance boost for everyday tasks and moderate gaming. It's praised for its easy installation, slot-powered design (no external power connector), and quiet operation, making it ideal for office PCs and pre-built systems. While it's not meant for high-end gaming, it handles 1080p gaming well and supports ray tracing, delivering solid value for the price.
Pros
- Easy installation
- No external power needed
- Quiet operation
- Good for office and general use
- Handles 1080p gaming well
Cons
- Not for high-end gaming
- Feels like a toy (simple design)
- Limited performance for demanding games
- May require PSU upgrade for some systems
MAXSUN GeForce GT 730 4GB GDDR3
No customer feedback yet
Scores
Specifications
| Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3050 WINDFORCE | MAXSUN GeForce GT 730 | |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset | ||
| GPU Chipset | GeForce RTX 3050 | GeForce GT 730 |
| Brand | NVIDIA | NVIDIA |
| Architecture | Ampere | Fermi |
| Class | consumer | consumer |
| Process | 8★ | 40 |
| Memory | ||
| VRAM | 6 GB★ | 4 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR6★ | GDDR3 |
| Memory Bus | 96★ | 64 |
| Bandwidth | ||
| Compute | ||
| CUDA Cores | ||
| Tensor Cores | 64★ | — |
| RT Cores | 16★ | — |
| Base Clock | ||
| Boost Clock | No data | |
| FP16 TFLOPS | 4.813000202178955★ | — |
| FP32 TFLOPS | 4.813000202178955★ | — |
| Performance | ||
| PassMark G3D | ||
| GPU Compute | No data | |
| Power & Cooling | ||
| TDP | 81 | 49★ |
| Recommended PSU | 300 | 200★ |
| Power Connectors | 8 pin*1 | — |
| Cooler | Dual Fan★ | Passive |
| Fans | 2★ | 0 |
| Connectivity | ||
| Interface | PCI Express 4.0 | PCI Express 2.0 X8 |
| DisplayPort | 2★ | 0 |
| HDMI | 2 | 4★ |
| USB-C | 0★ | — |
| Max Displays | 4 | 4 |
| Max Resolution | 7680 x 4320 | 3840 x 2160 |
| Physical | ||
| Length | 191★ | — |
| Slot Width | 2 | 1★ |
| Form Factor | ATX | ITX |
| Weight | 0.36 kg | 0.21 kg★ |
| Features | ||
| Ray Tracing | ✓★ | — |
| Upscaling | DLSS 3 | — |
| AV1 Encode | ✗ | — |
| DirectX | 12 Ultimate | 12 |
Pros & Cons
Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3050 WINDFORCE 6GB GDDR6 Black
- Strong social proof (96th percentile)96th %ile
- Strong efficiency (83rd percentile)83rd %ile
- Strong affordability (81st percentile)81st %ile
- Below average ai (18th percentile)18th %ile
- Below average compute (19th percentile)19th %ile
- Below average vram (23rd percentile)
- Below average raster (23rd percentile)
MAXSUN GeForce GT 730 4GB GDDR3
- Strong affordability (94th percentile)94th %ile
- Below average compute (2nd percentile)2nd %ile
- Below average vram (8th percentile)8th %ile
- Below average rt (9th percentile)9th %ile
- Below average raster (10th percentile)10th %ile
Pricing
Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3050 WINDFORCE 6GB GDDR6 Black
MAXSUN GeForce GT 730 4GB GDDR3
Verdict
Scores 47 overall, wins 8 of 8 usage categories and 20 of 37 specs.
