MSI GeForce RTX 3050 LP OC 6GB GDDR6 Black

The MSI RTX 3050 LP 6G OC is a low-profile, 70W card built for small cases, not max settings. Efficiency is best-in-class, but raster performance and VRAM are weak spots. Worth it only if you need the half-height form factor, and even then, shop around because prices swing by USD 58 in the US.

The 3050 LP handles esports titles and older games at 1080p without breaking a sweat, but newer AAA games will need DLSS or lowered settings to stay smooth. PassMark G3D comes in at 9498, which puts it well below average for modern GPUs. The 192 GB/s memory bandwidth is the bottleneck here, and that 96-bit bus chokes at higher resolutions. Ray tracing exists on paper, but with only 16 RT cores, you won't be cranking Cyberpunk's RT settings. Efficiency is the bright spot, this card is one of the best on the market for performance per watt.

Stacked against the ASUS PRIME RTX 5070, the XFX Mercury RX 9070 XT, or the Gigabyte Gaming RX 9070 XT, this card isn't even in the same conversation for raw performance. Those cards are in a completely different league. But they also won't fit in a Dell OptiPlex or a slim HTPC case. The Sapphire PULSE and ZOTAC Solid OC are similarly out of reach for low-profile builds. If you need a half-height card, your options are limited, and the 3050 LP is one of the better ones available. If you don't need low-profile, buy almost anything else.

Pricing is all over the place. In the US, you'll see this card listed anywhere from USD 259 to USD 317 depending on the store, and that USD 58 spread is worth paying attention to. Newegg tends to have the sharper end of that range. In Canada, the gap is even wider at CAD 307 to CAD 405. At the low end, this is a reasonable buy for a low-profile build. At the high end, you're paying too much for what you get. Shop around before you commit.

The MSI RTX 3050 LP 6G OC is a low-profile card aimed at small form factor builds and office PCs that occasionally game. It sips power at 70W and doesn't need external power connectors, which is the whole point of this thing. You get 6GB of GDDR6, 2304 CUDA cores, and a boost clock of 1492MHz in a 174mm package.

But let's be real about what this card is. The 96-bit memory bus and 6GB VRAM put it firmly in 1080p budget territory, and our database shows it landing in the bottom quarter for raster performance and compute. It's a niche card that makes sense for a specific buyer, not a general recommendation.

Skip this if you have a normal-sized case and a power supply with PCIe cables. You're paying a premium for the low-profile form factor, and that money buys significantly more performance elsewhere. Also skip it if you want to play modern AAA games at high settings, the 6GB VRAM and narrow memory bus will frustrate you within a year or two.

This card is for people with small cases and modest gaming expectations. If you're building a compact HTPC, upgrading an office PC, or putting together a tiny emulation box, the 3050 LP makes sense. It's quiet, efficient, and fits where other GPUs physically cannot. If you have a standard ATX case and a real power supply, skip this and get something with more VRAM and a wider memory bus.