The Odin Hardware team explored how two budget Nvidia graphics cards, the GeForce RTX 2060 and the RTX 3050, perform in current titles at 1440p. The findings were shared by Ferra and provide insights for PC builders in Canada and the United States looking for solid 2K gaming performance without breaking the bank.
In apex legends, running on high settings, the RTX 2060 averaged 91 frames per second while the RTX 3050 averaged 79 fps. This demonstrates the 2060’s edge in fast, competitive shooters at 2K when tuned for high fidelity visuals without sacrificing responsiveness. The results are particularly relevant for gamers who value smooth action and short latency in popular titles common to US and Canadian gaming rigs. In Assassin’s Creed Odyssey at Very High settings, the RTX 2060 held steady at around 60 fps, with the RTX 3050 close behind at 55 fps, indicating that both cards can deliver solid 2K experiences in open world adventures that demand sustained frame rates across large, detailed environments.
Cyberpunk 2077 with high settings and ray tracing enabled presented a starker contrast. The RTX 2060 averaged about 35 fps, while the RTX 3050 hovered near 31 fps. For players who crave ray traced lighting and more realistic reflections, these figures illustrate the tradeoffs at 1440p on budget tiers, and they underscore the importance of balancing resolution, ray tracing quality, and frame pacing for a smooth experience. In Doom Eternal set to Ultra, the RTX 2060 reached an impressive 99 fps and the RTX 3050 delivered 88 fps, showing that fast shooters with well optimized engines still benefit from even less expensive GPUs at 2K resolution.
When the visuals are pushed to Very High Details in Grand Theft Auto V, the RTX 2060 produced 60 fps while the RTX 3050 delivered 51 fps. Reducing texture or shadow detail is another option for players aiming to keep higher frame rates in sprawling, city-driven environments. In Red Dead Redemption 2, at ultra settings, the RTX 2060 managed 38 fps and the RTX 3050 came in at 33 fps, illustrating how this genre’s expansive landscapes and atmospheric effects can strain budget GPUs at 2K resolution. These benchmarks offer a practical view for mainstream builds in North America, where 2K monitors are increasingly common and gamers seek playable, visually rich experiences without sacrificing too much frame stability.
Across 11 tested games, the RTX 2060 generally edged out the RTX 3050, but the average performance difference stood around 9 percent. The RTX 2060 averaged roughly 68 frames per second while the RTX 3050 averaged about 58 fps in the same tests, marking a meaningful, yet not overwhelming, gap. The test setup included a high-performance processor, pairing the graphics cards with modern mid-to-high end components for a balanced system. In this instance, a Ryzen 9 5900X processor combined with 32 GB of DDR4 RAM at 3600 MHz formed the core, reflecting a typical North American gaming rig designed to minimize bottlenecks and maximize the capabilities of midrange GPUs during 2K gameplay.
These results are useful guidance for shoppers in the United States and Canada evaluating value versus peak performance. The RTX 2060 demonstrates steadier performance in a wider range of titles at 2K, while the RTX 3050 remains a strong choice for budget builds that still want to enjoy modern titles with respectable frame rates and reasonable detail levels. The practical takeaway is that both GPUs can deliver satisfying 1440p experiences in many popular games, with differences that may influence decisions based on preferred genres and specific titles. Consumers should factor in system balance, driver maturity, and personal tolerance for frame rate vs visual quality when selecting a GPU at this price point. The test also illustrates how varying settings and game engines influence how each card performs, highlighting the importance of tuning to achieve the best possible 2K experience on a budget-friendly platform. For those curious about future-proofing, newer titles and ongoing driver improvements are likely to narrow performance gaps over time, especially as software optimizations continue to mature across popular engines. The noted configuration also shows that an AMD-based high-end CPU can harmonize well with both Nvidia options, providing a robust baseline for steady, playable frame rates in demanding workloads.
In a separate note, MSI recently announced the RTX 4070 Super graphics card to celebrate a major World of Warcraft milestone, signaling continued momentum in Nvidia’s lineup and the ongoing interest in affordable yet capable 2K gaming hardware. This context helps readers in North America understand how the market values emerging middle-tier GPUs and how new releases might shift price-performance considerations for budget builds over time. Ferra
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