- NVIDIA has taken the wraps off its cheapest GPU, the RTX 5050.
- It has 2560 CUDA cores and 8GB of GDDR6 memory.
- The RTX 5050 costs $249 and will go on sale in the second half of July.
NVIDIA has finally taken the wraps off its cheapest graphics card, the RTX 5050 series. It is making a return to desktop PCs after three years. The last 50 series GPU was the RTX 3050, as NVIDIA skipped out on the RTX 4050 for desktop. Here’s everything you need to know about it.
NVIDIA RTX 5050 Specifications
NVIDIA’s RTX 5050 is the smallest GPU in the Blackwell lineup. Based on the new GB 207 die, it has 2560 CUDA cores with 5th generation Tensor and 4th generation RT cores. These are two-thirds CUDA cores of the RTX 5060.
The GPU has a clocked speed of 2.31 GHz and a boost speed of 2.57GHz. Just like the RTX 5060, you get 128-bit 8GB of VRAM, although it uses a slower GDDR6 memory. This makes it the only card in the RTX 5000 series to launch without GDDR7 support.
Furthermore, the RTX 5050 comes with all the advantages of the 5000 series card. This means you can get DLSS 4 frame generation to enjoy those fake frames and Reflex 2 to reduce the latency.
Also Read:
- How to Use Nvidia Share (ShadowPlay) to Record Desktop on Windows
- Nvidia Unveils Project Digits: A $3,000 AI Supercomputer That You Can Buy
Despite being the cheapest card in the lineup, NVIDIA claims it offers 60 percent faster rasterization performance than RTX 3050. Moreover, it also claims to offer similar performance to the RTX 4060.
When it comes to ports, you get 3x Display Port 2.1b and 1 HDMI 2.1b port. And if you are into video editing, the RTX 5050 comes with a 9th-generation NVENC encoder and a 6th-generation NVDEC decoder.
The best part? It only consumes 130W of power and has a single 8-pin connector. This means you can easily fit into mini ITX builds, and if you are upgrading, you can still get away with your old 550W GPU.
RTX 5050 Pricing And Availability
The RTX 5050 desktop will go on sale in the second half of July 2025, although don’t hold your breath for a founder’s edition. The affordable GPU will be available from board partners like ASUS, Colorful, Gainward, Galaxy, GIGABYTE, INNO3D, MSI, Palit, PNY, and ZOTAC.
If you are planning to buy an RTX 5050 laptop, then you won’t have to wait too long. You can get laptops with a mobile version of the GPU starting at just $999.
The next GeForce Game Ready Driver will support RTX 5050 GPUs for desktops, while laptops will have the drivers preinstalled. You will also be able to buy pre-built PCs with the graphics card from next month.
Is It Worth Buying Over The RTX 5060 And RX 9060XT?
If you are mostly into e-sports titles and play at 1080p, the RTX 5050 seems like a good choice for its asking price. It’s great to see an affordable GPU wth 4x multi-frame generation support. According to NVIDIA, it is best suited for students or those who wish to get a taste of RTX for the first time.
However, if you wanna crank up those graphical settings or play at a higher resolution, such as 1440p, the RTX 5050 isn’t for you. Its 8GB VRAM can be a major bottleneck, and it uses slower GDDR6 memory.
Since new games like Indiana Jones can consume 12GB of VRAM, opting for something like the RTX 5060TI or the RX 9060XT 16GB would be a safer choice. But if you have a tight budget and can’t spend those $100-$200, then the RTX 5050 is a decent choice.
