The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 marks the 7th entry in the Blackwell GeForce RTX 50 lineup and comes next to the GeForce RTX 5060. The GPU has been launched since mid of 2025, and has been the entry-level solution for gamers.
GeForce RTX 5050: Smooth 1080p Performance on a Budget
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The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 is a 50-class card that succeeds the RTX 4050. While the RTX 4050 wasn't released for desktops, it exists as a laptop SKU. The last time NVIDIA launched a 50-class card for the desktop was in 2022. It was the GeForce RTX 3050, based on the Ampere architecture.
Before that, NVIDIA launched the GTX 1650 and the GTX 1650 Super in the Turing lineup. After skipping the 50-class card in the Ada series, NVIDIA is expected to release the GeForce RTX 5050 for the entry-level segment. It is expected to replace the RTX 3050 on the desktop and RTX 4050 on the laptop, positioning itself as a new budget GPU for 1080p gaming.
GeForce RTX 5050 Specifications - Entry-Level Blackwell For Gamers
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 graphics card is based on the Blackwell GB207 GPU (GB207-300-A1). This is the smallest die in the Blackwell lineup, with a die size of 149mm2 and 16.9 billion transistors based on the TSMC 5nm (4N) process technology.
The GeForce RTX 5050 boasts 2560 CUDA Cores and 8 GB GDDR6 VRAM. The memory bus width is 128-bit, and the total memory bandwidth is 320 GB/s, which means the GDDR6 memory on the card runs at 20 Gbps. This aligns with previous reports, which indicated that the memory on the RTX 5050 will run faster than the memory on the GeForce RTX 3050 and RTX 4050.
What's interesting is that NVIDIA has used GDDR7 on the RTX 5050 laptop variant, while GDDR6 is the go-to choice for the desktop variant. NVIDIA explained that the use of GDDR7 memory for the laptop variant is due to higher efficiency, which matters on notebooks, while GDDR6 is the best choice for desktop GPUs in this price segment.
Theoretically, if the RTX 5050 got GDDR7 memory, the GPU would be naturally faster with a 28 Gbps memory speed, bringing roughly 448 GB/s of memory bandwidth. Since it is shipped with GDDR6 memory, running at 20 Gbps, which is noticeably higher than the GDDR6 memory found on RTX 40 series cards, the memory bandwidth is 320 GB/s.
It should be noted that NVIDIA hasn't added more VRAM capacity since the RTX 3050, but thankfully, the laptop version is also getting 8 GB VRAM, which is 2 GB higher than the RTX 4050. Hence, the memory bus on both will be 128-bit, as NVIDIA hasn't officially started adopting the 3 GB GDDR7 modules.
The RTX 5050 brings the 5th-gen Tensor Cores and 4th Gen Ray Tracing cores and can deliver up to 421 TOPs of AI performance. This is almost six times higher than the GeForce RTX 3050. The total graphics power is 130W, and NVIDIA recommends using a 550W power supply. The RTX 5050, therefore, carries a single 8-pin PCIe connector.
As far as the reference edition is concerned, it will feature 2.31 GHz of base and 2.57 GHz of boost clock. The RTX 5050 brings the 5th-gen Tensor Cores and 4th Gen Ray Tracing cores and can deliver up to 421 TOPs of AI performance. This is almost six times higher than the GeForce RTX 3050. The total graphics power is 130W, and NVIDIA recommends using a 550W power supply. The RTX 5050, therefore, carries a single 8-pin PCIe connector. As far as the reference edition is concerned, it will feature 2.31 GHz of base and 2.57 GHz of boost clock.
RTX 5050 vs RTX 3050 Specs Comparison
When compared to the RTX 3050, the RTX 5050 is a smaller die with the same number of cores and the same amount of memory. But the cores are based on the newer Blackwell architecture, there are also new RT and Tensor cores, and the Core itself clocks much higher than the Ampere GPU. The RTX 3050 launched with DLSS 2, and currently supports the new DLSS 4.5 model, but doesn't feature MFG (Multi-Frame Gen) support. So, on a high level, the differences between the RTX 5050 and RTX 4050 are as follows:
- Blackwell Architecture vs Ampere Architecture
- Same 2560 CUDA Cores
- Faster RT & AI Cores
- Same 8 GB Memory
- 20 Gbps vs 14 Gbps GDDR6 Memory (+43%)
- 320 GB/s vs 224 GB/s Bandwidth (+43%)
- Same 128-bit Bus Interface
- Same 130W TDP
- Same $249 US MSRP
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 vs RTX 3050 Specs:
| Graphics Card Name | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 |
|---|---|---|
| GPU Name | Blackwell GB207-300 | Ampere GA106-150 |
| GPU SMs | 20 | 20 |
| GPU Cores | 2560 | 2560 |
| Clock Speeds | 2317 MHz (Base) 2572 MHz (Boost) | 1552 MHz (Base) 1777 MHz (Boost) |
| Memory Capacity | 8 GB GDDR6 | 8 GB GDDR6 |
| Memory Bus | 128-bit | 128-bit |
| Memory Speed | 20 Gbps | 14 Gbps |
| Bandwidth | 320 GB/s | 224 GB/s |
| Power Interface | 8-Pin | 8-Pin |
| Launch | 1st July, 2025 | 27th Jan, 2022 |
| TBP | 130W | 130W |
| Price | $249 | $249 |
NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 5050 - Performance & Review
GeForce RTX 5050 is just slightly closer to the RTX 4060 in performance and should be noticeably better compared to the RTX 4050. In gaming, the RTX 5050 ends up almost twice as fast as the RTX 3050, while the difference between the RTX 4060 is barely noticeable.
Even though the RTX 5050 brings fewer cores than the RTX 4060, the architectural improvement and faster VRAM should contribute to its faster performance. Since both GPUs have 8 GB VRAM capacity in common, the RTX 5050 won't be ideal for 1440p resolution. Nonetheless, both the desktop and laptop RTX 5050 SKUs are targeted for 1080p resolution, and the laptop variant should be a nice jump from RTX 4050, which only brings 6 GB VRAM capacity.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Pricing
The official MSRP of GeForce RTX 5050 is $249, which we expected going by the previous launches. At this price tag and performance somewhat close to RTX 4060, the RTX 5050 may be on par with the latter in value for price. However, a price tag of around $200 suits the RTX 5050 more, particularly when the RTX 5050 already has 50% fewer cores than the RTX 5060 and is equipped with slower GDDR6 VRAM.
NVIDIA GeForce GPU Segment/Tier Prices
| Graphics Segment | 2025 | 2023-2024 | 2022-2023 | 2021-2022 | 2020-2021 | 2019-2020 | 2018-2019 | 2017-2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Titan Tier | GeForce RTX 5090 | GeForce RTX 4090 | GeForce RTX 4090 | GeForce RTX 3090 Ti GeForce RTX 3090 | GeForce RTX 3090 | Titan RTX (Turing) | Titan V (Volta) | Titan Xp (Pascal) |
| Price | $1999 US | $1599 US | $1599 US | $1999 US $1499 US | $1499 US | $2499 US | $2999 US | $1199 US |
| Ultra Enthusiast Tier | GeForce RTX 5080 | GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER | GeForce RTX 4080 | GeForce RTX 3080 Ti | GeForce RTX 3080 Ti | GeForce RTX 2080 Ti | GeForce RTX 2080 Ti | GeForce GTX 1080 Ti |
| Price | $999 US | $999 US | $1199 US | $1199 US | $1199 US | $999 US | $999 US | $699 US |
| Enthusiast Tier | GeForce RTX 5070 Ti | GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER | GeForce RTX 4070 Ti | GeForce RTX 3080 12 GB | GeForce RTX 3080 10 GB | GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER | GeForce RTX 2080 | GeForce GTX 1080 |
| Price | $749 US | $799 US | $799 US | $799 US | $699 US | $699 US | $699 US | $549 US |
| High-End Tier | GeForce RTX 5070 | GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER GeForce RTX 4070 | GeForce RTX 4070 GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 16 GB | GeForce RTX 3070 Ti GeForce RTX 3070 | GeForce RTX 3070 Ti GeForce RTX 3070 | GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER | GeForce RTX 2070 | GeForce GTX 1070 |
| Price | $549 US | $599 $549 | $599 US $499 US | $599 $499 | $599 $499 | $499 US | $499 US | $379 US |
| Mainstream Tier | GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB | GeForce RTX 4060 Ti GeForce RTX 4060 | GeForce RTX 4060 Ti GeForce RTX 4060 | GeForce RTX 3060 Ti GeForce RTX 3060 12 GB | GeForce RTX 3060 Ti GeForce RTX 3060 12 GB | GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER GeForce RTX 2060 GeForce GTX 1660 Ti GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER GeForce GTX 1660 | GeForce GTX 1060 | GeForce GTX 1060 |
| Price | $429 US $379 US | $449 $299 | $399 US $299 US | $399 US $329 US | $399 US $329 US | $399 US $349 US $279 US $229 US $219 US | $249 US | $249 US |
| Entry Tier | GeForce RTX 5060 | RTX 3050 8 GB RTX 3050 6 GB | RTX 3050 | RTX 3050 | GTX 1650 SUPER GTX 1650 | GTX 1650 SUPER GTX 1650 | GTX 1050 Ti GTX 1050 | GTX 1050 Ti GTX 1050 |
| Price | $299 | $229 $179 | $249 US | $249 US | $159 US $149 US | $159 US $149 US | $139 US $109 US | $139 US $109 US |
NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 5050 - Release Date & Availability
The GeForce RTX 5050 was announced on 24th June 2025, for both laptops and desktops. NVIDIA initially planned to launch the card in late July, but released the laptop variant on the 24th of June. As for the desktop variant, the card hit retail shelves in July of the same year.
You can buy the GeForce RTX 5050 on NVIDIA's official marketplace or through these retailers:
FAQ
What CPU is best to pair with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 graphics card?
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 is an entry-level graphics card that should be fine to run with an entry-level CPU. We would recommend anything above the 10th Gen Intel and 2nd Gen AMD Ryzen CPUs as a good companion for this budget graphics card. You can check out our recommended processors here.
Does the RTX 5050 Lack Features due to its entry-level positioning compared to higher-end RTX 50 GPUs?
No, the RTX 5050, while slower than the higher-end RTX 50 series graphics cards, retains all the features and support for technologies as the rest of the Blackwell lineup. The RTX 5050 comes with DLSS 4.5, MFG 6x, Neural Shaders, and other innovations that were introduced in this generation of GPUs.
When are RTX 5050 prices going to return to normal?
As of right now, we are in the midst of a serious DRAM shortage, and reports suggest these will last until 2027. So there's no telling when the pricing returns to normal levels, but it is best to check your local retail sites for the best deals on the RTX 5050.
