A lot of PC experts would tell you the RTX 3050 isn't worth investing in this year. Nvidia is launching its 50 Series GPUs, which means the extremely popular pandemic GPUs of the RTX 30 series will soon become two generations old. I think the budget 3050 has a lot still left in the tank though, especially as a budget option for first-time gaming PC converts.
The problem is that a lot of RTX 3050 builds will be affordable, but they're set on DR4 motherboards that don't offer you much futureproofing for your money. This Acer Nitro 50 gaming PC at Newegg is really appealing to me though, because it's flipping that trend on its head. It's down to $699.99 at the moment, but it sports a 14th Gen Intel processor and DDR5 RAM that'll give you a platform to upgrade from for years to come.
Admittedly, if you were shopping for one of the best gaming PCs over the last week you'd have found this PC in a Presidents' Day discount down to $670, but I'd still argue this its worthy of your money. It's the same price as a PS5 Pro, and with a more up-to-date CPU and the potential to upgrade your GPU, RAM, and storage space, you won't need to fork out for the inevitable PS6 in a few years to get better performance.
Should you buy an RTX 3050 gaming PC?
If you're converting to PC gaming for the first time, I think the RTX 3050 is underrated in terms of what it can offer you. For a budget graphics card from 2020, it's capable of great frame rates in 1080p and even 1440p. Arguably, with only 8GB of VRAM, it's not going to be ideal for 4K gaming, but thanks to DLSS you'll get better results at that resolution than you might think. I've used this GPU to test the best RAM for gaming over the last few years, and I'm always shocked at its ability to get triple-digit frame rates at 1440p in games like Apex Legends, Hunt: Showdown, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider.
Combine it with DLSS, 16GB of DDR5 RAM, and an up-to-date Intel Core i5-14400F CPU, and you'll have a gaming PC that'll easily play today's games with no bother. Granted, for some of the most demanding ones you may need to lean on DLSS, but depending on what sort of games you play, that might be ok for you. Particularly as a first crack at PC gaming, you'll be pleasantly surprised with what this combination of parts can offer you.
Regardless, the true value of a gaming PC like this is in its futureproofing. Upgrading parts as you go is one of, if not the best things about PC gaming. You don't need to fork out a premium cost to get access to the next generation of games or hardware, you can upgrade individual parts as you feel you need them, and split up the cost over years when it suits you.
Because this PC's motherboard is DDR5-compatible, you'll be able to upgrade its processor with any Intel CPU from the 14th generation. The i5-14400F is the entry-level option in its family, so if you spot a deal on the 14700K at some point down the line, you could slot it into this PC and see a performance uplift.
To get a bit more of an idea of PC components, check out the best CPUs for gaming, and the best SSD for gaming. To upgrade your setup, read about the best computer speakers.
