If you're looking for some tips on the newly released Nvidia RTX 3050, we have you covered.

For the average PC gamer, it's been a rough couple of years for those looking to upgrade their system.

A lack of graphics cards has been compounded by scalpers and bots taking what little stock exists, and ramping up the price to around 250% MSRP. But you probably know all about that. It's been hard to ignore.

The RTX 3050 could provide salvation for those clamouring for a new budget GPU, and with the massively underwhelming release of the AMD 6500XT the door is wide open for Nvidia to score some serious kudos in their long-standing rivalry against Team Red.

Here is our best advice for obtaining the new graphics card on its release day when it hits the shelves on January 27 at 6 am PT / 9 am ET / 2 pm GMT with a starting MSRP of $249 / £239.

Beating the Scalpers

In order to get an RTX3050 on release day, you will have to overcome a barrage of scalpers and bots. Preparation is key!

The first method I recommend is to find a Discord channel that posts live updates on the availability of stock. I use the one that's run by stock-checker.com and have found it to work well. It alerted me of the AMD 6500XT stock around 25 minutes before they sold out, which would have given me enough time to purchase one.

All The Browser Windows

Get all of your favourite online tech stores open in separate tabs on your browser. More importantly, create an account for each site if you don't already have one, and log in. You may have a very small window of opportunity to get your purchase in, so it's crucial not to waste time going through an extended guest checkout process if possible.

For me personally, being a UK resident, I will have Overclockers, Amazon, Scan, and Currys PC World open and ready to go.

The EVGA 3.0 Queue

EVGA has taken a different approach to selling graphics cards in these testing times, and for those that are a little more patient, this could be the solution for you.

When EVGA announces that pre-orders are available for the RTX3050, you can simply sign up with your email address and EVGA account, and then... wait. The smart queue will let you know when you reach the front of the line, and you'll be given 12 hours to checkout and purchase a card.

The downside? People have been known to be sitting in the EVGA queue for certain GPUs such as the 3060ti for over a year. However, the new 3.0 iteration of the queue is said to prioritise those who do not yet have an EVGA graphics card, which may help.

Hopping The EVGA Queue

A nice loophole that benefits both EVGA and customers alike, is that EVGA Elite members will have 24 hour VIP access to the pre-order queue before everyone else.

If you have an existing EVGA product, be it a power supply, keyboard, streaming hub etc. Simply register it on the EVGA website, and in most cases, you'll receive Elite tier access automatically. This could be your golden ticket to a new GPU. The list of eligible products to receive Elite access from is here. From what I could tell, it was every product released by EVGA in the last couple of years.

Queuing like it's 1999

If all else fails, some stores around the globe will hold a small amount of physical stock of the RTX3050. A trip to your local store such as BestBuy at opening time is a sure way to not bump into a bot (I hope!). Just bear in mind that physical stock can still be bought up by online purchases.

Best of luck to all that will be attempting to buy an Nvidia RTX 3050. I will be amongst the crowd, attempting to replace my ancient Nvidia GTX770.