I Can't Stop You From Buying This... But I'll Try - GeForce RTX 5050 Gaming GPU Review

Summary

The Nvidia RTX 5050 falls short of expectations, performing poorly in comparison to older and similarly priced GPUs like the RTX 3060 and 4060. Despite having some new features like 24th-gen RT cores, it struggles in gaming and productivity benchmarks, often underperforming against its competitors. While it does offer decent value in some non-gaming tasks, its gaming performance and pricing make it a tough sell. Alternatives like the Intel Arc B580 and AMD’s 9060 XT offer better overall value and future-proofing. The RTX 5050 is ultimately recommended only if deeply discounted.

Takeaways

• 😀 The Nvidia RTX 5050 is considered a subpar choice for gamers, offering disappointing performance in comparison to both older and newer cards.
• 😀 At 1080p, the RTX 5050 performs similarly to the RTX 4060, but it struggles against the RTX 3060 and other competitors in demanding titles like 'The Last of Us Part One'.
• 😀 The RTX 5050's 8GB of VRAM is a limitation, particularly in VRAM-hungry games like 'The Last of Us Part One', making it fall behind in performance.
• 😀 Ray tracing performance is weak on the RTX 5050, with the RTX 4060 outperforming it despite having older RT cores.
• 😀 The RTX 5050 struggles significantly at 1440p, failing to keep up with the 4060 and even older cards like the 3060, especially in more graphically demanding games.
• 😀 The Nvidia RTX 5050 is priced poorly for its performance, and its value proposition is underwhelming compared to competitors like the AMD 9060 XT and Intel Arc B580.
• 😀 Frame generation can make up for some of the RTX 5050's performance shortcomings, but it introduces increased latency, which can affect gameplay in more demanding scenarios.
• 😀 Despite the presence of advanced features like Nvidia's frame generation, the RTX 5050 fails to provide meaningful value, often misleading consumers with unrepresentative benchmarks.
• 😀 The RTX 5050 is not a good choice for productivity tasks either, where it lags behind in performance compared to competitors like the Intel Arc B580, especially in tasks requiring more VRAM.
• 😀 The RTX 5050 is ultimately positioned as a product designed to make the RTX 5060 look good, and its poor performance and pricing make it a difficult product to recommend.

Q & A

What is the main criticism of the Nvidia RTX 5050 in this review?

The main criticism is that the Nvidia RTX 5050 offers poor performance for its price. It struggles in gaming tests, especially when compared to older or similarly priced competitors, and fails to deliver good value considering its specs and performance.

How does the RTX 5050 perform in comparison to the RTX 4060?

The RTX 5050 trades blows with the RTX 4060 at 1080p, but generally underperforms. While it sometimes beats the 4060, especially in F1 2024 and Cyberpunk 2077, it fails to maintain an edge in more demanding titles like The Last of Us Part One, where it struggles with VRAM limitations.

Why does the RTX 5050 struggle in games like The Last of Us Part One?

The RTX 5050 has only 8GB of VRAM, which is insufficient for VRAM-hungry games like The Last of Us Part One. In contrast, cards with 12GB of VRAM, like the RTX 3060, perform better in such games.

What role does ray tracing play in the RTX 5050’s performance?

Despite having 24th generation RT cores, the RTX 5050 fails to keep up with the 4060's 24 third-generation RT cores when ray tracing is enabled. It struggles in ray-traced games, leading to poorer performance compared to the RTX 4060.

What is the impact of Nvidia's Frame Generation on the RTX 5050’s performance?

Frame Generation can boost FPS, but it also introduces additional latency, which is noticeable when starting with lower frame rates, especially at 1440p. While it helps increase the FPS count, it doesn't solve the underlying performance issues of the RTX 5050.

How does the RTX 5050 compare in value to its competitors?

The RTX 5050 is priced at $265, but it doesn't offer competitive value. The RTX 5060, priced just $50 more, delivers better value with significantly better hardware and performance. Other competitors like the AMD 9060 XT and Intel Arc B580 also provide better value for similar or slightly higher prices.

What specific hardware differences make the RTX 5060 a better deal than the 5050?

The RTX 5060 offers 50% more hardware than the 5050, including more CUDA cores, texture processing clusters, RT cores, and other key components, all while being priced only $50 higher. This makes it a much better option for a small price increase.

What positive aspects, if any, are there about the RTX 5050?

The RTX 5050 performs decently in productivity tasks, such as rendering in Premiere Pro and other benchmarks, but it still lags behind the RTX 4060 and other options like the Arc B580 in certain tasks. Its AI performance is underwhelming, and it's not a standout in any category.

Why is the Intel Arc B580 mentioned as a competitor to the RTX 5050?

The Intel Arc B580 is highlighted as a strong competitor because it offers 12GB of VRAM for a similar price, outperforms the 5050 in certain benchmarks, and provides better future-proofing for games and productivity tasks.

What conclusion does the reviewer draw about the RTX 5050?

The reviewer concludes that the RTX 5050 is a poor product that only makes the RTX 5060 look good by comparison. They cannot recommend the card due to its subpar performance, high price, and the availability of better alternatives.