Product description
From top to bottom, the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3050 has been designed to push performance boundaries. A fresh design and more metal surrounds a grouping of Axial-tech fans that leverage a rotation scheme. Below the blades, a larger, more impressive heatsink is ready for the demanding thermal loads. The PCB has some tricks up its sleeves, and even the backplate has received some performance-boosting changes.
Product features
- Axial-tech fan design
Three fans feature a smaller hub that facilitates longer blades and a barrier ring to increase downward air pressure. - Directions
The two side fans spin counterclockwise to reduce turbulence. And to eliminate unnecessary noise, a stop mode halts all fans when the GPU temp falls below 42 degrees and power consumption is low. - MaxContact
To get heat up off the die and into the heatsink array to benefit from the fan design requires special attention. ASUS uses a manufacturing process that polishes the surface of the heat spreader to improve smoothness at the microscopic level. The extra flatness allows for better contact with the die for improved thermal transfer. - 2.7-slot design
The heat spreader draws heat up into heatpipes that carry it through a fin stack that fills most of the card's large, 2.7-slot footprint. - Fresh shroud
In addition to under-the-hood design changes, the ROG Strix features a face with metal accents that mirror the design aesthetic of ROG and ROG Strix motherboards. Textured accents in a greyscale colorway blend seamlessly into subtle builds or make a striking impact while the card is vertically mounted and lit by chassis LEDs. - It's cooler out back
Flipping the card around reveals more design improvements. For enhanced heat dissipation, a wide backplate vent and shortened PCB allow hot air to escape towards chassis exhaust fans instead of being recycled back into the cooler. The I/O bracket is made from stainless steel to protect ports and provide a more secure mount. A conveniently placed Dual BIOS switch allows quick selection between "performance" and "quiet" mode for basic customization of the card's default behavior without software. To top it off, an ROG logo with addressable RGB backlighting adds flair. - Functional front
To fulfill the power demands of the GeForce RTX 3050, an 8-pin power connector is present, along with an onboard circuit that monitors PSU rail voltage. The circuit is fast enough to catch any transients that result in the rail voltage dropping too low. If that happens, a red LED will light up to indicate a power supply issue.
