Nvidia's GeForce RTX 3050 delivers great 1080p gaming performance with modern features, including capable ray tracing chops and DLSS. It has plenty of memory and doesn't make any unusual technical compromises, unlike AMD's rival Radeon RX 6500 XT, but that potentially makes it a target for GPU miners--which could mean bad things for price and availability. A year and a half into the latest generation of graphics cards--one plagued by chip shortages, logistics woes, tariffs, crypto demand, and scalpers--we're finally starting to see the first GPUs for PC gamers on a tighter budget. And as the GeForce RTX 3050 we're reviewing today shows, Nvidia and AMD couldn't be going about it any more differently. AMD landed the first strike. The Radeon RX 6500 XT arrived just last week, and AMD made some hard compromises to hit its low $199 price point.

The Sapphire Pulse delivers a whisper-quiet spin on AMD's affordable Radeon RX 6500 XT, with the company's Trixx Boost software giving performance a helping hand. It's a good option for newcomers to PC gaming as long as you operate within limits imposed by the unusual technical configuration of AMD's GPU. AMD's Radeon RX 6500 XT is a humble graphics card built to bring 1080p gaming to the masses at a time when the masses haven't had an affordable GPU option for years. Sapphire's popular "Pulse" brand relentlessly focuses on delivering solid gaming experiences without cost-adding frills you may not want. On paper, it sounds like a peanut butter and jelly-type situation. But does the Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 6500 XT, which retails for AMD's $199 suggested price, hold up in practice?