After a long time, the entry-level RTX 50 series GPU made its debut on the Steam Hardware Survey charts.
All NVIDIA RTX 50 GPUs Appear on Steam Hardware Survey With RTX 5050 As the Latest Entry; 16 GB VRAM GPUs Now Closer in Popularity to 8 GB GPUs
The previous Steam Hardware Surveys recorded almost all NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50 series GPUs, but the RTX 5050 always remained missing. Despite launching mid-2025, there was no sign of the GeForce RTX 5050 until now, when the card suddenly appeared on the Steam database. Both laptop and desktop variants are now available on the Steam Hardware Survey list, but the laptop variant already made its debut two months ago.
The RTX 5050 laptop is still more popular on Steam than the desktop variant. As most users prefer faster budget GPUs like the GeForce RTX 5060 and RTX 5060 Ti, the RTX 5050 has consistently had a low market share. This is due to its poor pricing at $249, while the much faster RTX 5060 has kept selling close to $300 and even lower until now, when the RAMpocalypse worsenedavailability.
As of now, the RTX 5070 remains the most popular RTX 50 series GPU on Steam with a share of nearly 3%. RTX 5050 is far behind other RTX 50 cards with a share of just 0.17%. However, it may soon overtake AMD's powerful mid-range options like the Radeon RX 9070, which appears to be the only RDNA 4 GPU that is visible on the Steam database. The GPU enjoys just 0.18% of the total share at the moment, but its XT variant, as well as the RX 9060 series, remain absent from the list.
The popularity of higher VRAM GPUs is also increasing day by day. It's obvious that in 2026, gamers prefer higher VRAM GPUs, and we could soon see the 16 GB VRAM GPUs taking over the 8 GB GPUs. According to the latest Steam survey, the 16 GB GPUs stand next to 8 GB GPUs with a share of around 23.51%, while 8 GB GPUs are still the most popular options with 26.76% share.
News Source: Steam
About the author: Sarfraz Khan is a hardware reporter with a focus on PC components and the builder community. With years of experience writing about PC hardware and laptops, his work has been featured on several reputable technology publications. Sarfraz's hands-on experience is demonstrated through his first-person accounts of using and comparing different hardware configurations, providing practical and relatable insights for everyday users. His technical analysis is respected by peers in the enthusiast community and has been cited by specialized hardware sites such as Germany's Igor's Lab.
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