NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050: A New Entry-Level GPU at $249
NVIDIA has officially announced the GeForce RTX 5050 desktop graphics card, marking the latest addition to its RTX 50 series lineup. The RTX 5050 is set to launch in mid-July, with a price tag of $249, positioning it as an entry-level offering in the gaming and graphics market.
The RTX 5050 is the seventh model in the Blackwell-based GeForce RTX 50 family, following the earlier release of the laptop variant. Originally expected to launch at the end of July, NVIDIA has expedited the release and unveiled the card ahead of schedule. The card is now available for preview on the official NVIDIA website, where the full specifications and pricing details are listed.
At the heart of the RTX 5050 is the GB207 die, equipped with 2560 CUDA cores and 8 GB of GDDR6 VRAM. Contrary to earlier speculations, the card does not feature the newer GDDR7 memory, although the laptop version boasts faster GDDR7 memory. With a memory bus width of 128-bit and a bandwidth of 320 GB/s, the GDDR6 memory operates at a speed of 20 Gbps, delivering a notable performance boost over its predecessors, such as the RTX 3050 and RTX 4050.
In terms of AI and ray tracing performance, the RTX 5050 features 5th-gen Tensor cores and 4th-gen Ray Tracing cores, capable of delivering up to 421 TOPs (Tera Operations Per Second) of AI performance, almost six times the performance of the RTX 3050. The total graphics power is rated at 130W, and NVIDIA recommends pairing the card with a 550W power supply. The RTX 5050 uses a single 8-pin PCIe connector, simplifying the power setup.
The card will be available in various custom variants from AIB (Add-in Board) partners, although NVIDIA will not release a Founders Edition model. Expect most reference designs to feature a 5-phase VRM layout. The RTX 5050’s base clock is set at 2.31 GHz, with a boost clock reaching 2.57 GHz.
Comparing the RTX 5050 to the RTX 3050, we see several key improvements:
- Architecture: Blackwell vs Ampere
- CUDA Cores: 2560 (same as RTX 3050)
- Memory: 8 GB GDDR6 (same size, faster memory speed)
- Memory Bandwidth: 320 GB/s vs 224 GB/s (+43%)
- AI & Ray Tracing Cores: Faster and more efficient
- Power Consumption: 130W (same as RTX 3050)
- Price: $249 (same as RTX 3050)
The GeForce RTX 5050 faces competition from other entry-level cards like Intel’s Arc B580 and B570 GPUs, priced similarly at $219 and $249, respectively. Despite its low cost, the RTX 5050 offers significant performance improvements over previous models, making it an appealing choice for gamers on a budget.
With the official launch slated for mid-July, the RTX 5050 is expected to be a popular option for budget-conscious gamers and those seeking a cost-effective upgrade without compromising on essential features like AI and ray tracing performance.