If the RTX 3050 and RTX 3050 Ti rumors are true, it would put an end to the semi-staged "GTX" generation first introduced in the 16 series along with the RTX 20 series. If so, the cards will get a facelift, but perhaps more importantly, Nvidia's AI supersampling technology, DLSS, will be included where it matters most: on the entry-level cards. [The RTX 3050 and RTX 3050 Ti have only been roughly outlined at this point, but if early leaks are any indication, these cards are at least in the plans. [The GTX 1080 was released in May 2016, while the GTX 1050 did not see the light of day until October of the same year. By that logic, the RTX 3050 and RTX 3050 Ti will not be available for a long time yet.

Perhaps that is why we only saw these cards glancingly mentioned today. The most concrete information comes from leaker Kopite7kimi, who recently tweeted potential RTX 3050 specs. The card uses a GA107-300 GPU, 2,304 FP32 units, 90W TGP. [The RTX 3070 is rumored to use the GA104 GPU and the GA106 is rumored to be on the RTX 3060.

We will admit that one tweet purportedly showing RTX 3050 specifications is not so specific. Also, if recent speculation is true, Nvidia could soon tear up the blueprints for a future Ampere SKU as well.

Still, this is not so much a story confirming that such a card exists (although we are hearing more and more about it as the days go by) as it is a story about what we can expect the RTX 3050 to offer at the entry level. The key here is the potential "RTX" designation.

Whereas the 16 series was the old "GTX" branding, indicating the absence of the ray-tracing RT core and the AI inference-busting Tensor core, the RTX 3050 seems to bear the family name for now. This implies at least some RTX functionality. [This means quite a bit more than just ray tracing for RTX graphics cards today, and in fact, it is not the ray tracing potential that is really of interest in entry-level RTX graphics cards.

While the Ampere generation greatly increases the potential for ray tracing, it remains to be seen how it will scale further down the stack. How well more affordable GPUs will perform under ray-tracing workloads is yet to be determined, but one cannot expect more than a nod to the "Holy Grail" of rendering technology on a budget card.

What might make a difference is the capability of the onboard inference engine, the tensor core, which allows DLSS support on lower, much more accessible bandwidth graphics cards.

DLSS is most often touted as an effort to negate the effects of ray tracing and high-resolution textures on the highest performing cards. For example, it is key to the RTX 3090's 8K promise. However, when ray tracing is removed from the equation, DLSS is likewise the key to unlocking serious performance in supported games with little to no downside.

DLSS is a supersampling technique, if you have not already experienced it. What sets it apart from other techniques we have experienced is that it leverages AI training and inference to improve image quality without placing a significant load on the GPU's traditional rendering silicon; AI is also better at mimicking resolution-faithful images, which is a key factor in the development of DLSS.

The ability to go beyond 1080p and leak to 1440p and expect great results may be a bit optimistic, but playing with DLSS and the new Ampere entry level certainly doesn't take it out of the equation. RTX 3050 is perfect for this type of experimentation, and the higher performance RTX 3050 Ti is an even better fit.