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Nvidia released the RTX 5060 and RTX 5060 Ti over the past two months. Both are budget-friendly options in the RTX 50-series lineup and arrived a bit later than the more powerful models in the range. We reviewed the Ti variant and gave it a four out of five rating for its solid performance. However, the standard version lagged behind the RTX 3070 in some gaming benchmarks.
While both cards are budget options, some people are looking forward to an even cheaper alternative: enter the RTX 5050. While the RTX 4050 was a mobile GPU for laptops, Nvidia has announced a desktop version of the RTX 5050. We’ll be going over everything you need to know about the card, including its release date, specs, and price.
RTX 5050 release date
Nvidia has confirmed that the RTX 5050 will be released in the second half of July 2025. No exact release date is given, but we’ll most likely hear more soon. A recent rumor claimed that the company is planning to launch it on July 1st, but that turned out to be inaccurate. In any case, RTX 5050 would be released six months after the RTX 5090. Its launch would complete the entire lineup, at least until Nvidia decides to introduce Super or Ti variants of some cards.
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RTX 5050 specs
Nvidia has also confirmed the specifications of the RTX 5050. Previous rumors claimed that the upcoming budget GPU would utilize GDDR6 memory, unlike the rest of the series, which uses GDDR7. This disappointed many fans, especially those planning to build a budget system with the RTX 5050. It seems like the rumors were true after all, as the official specifications have confirmed the GDDR6 memory of the 5050.
Here are the confirmed specifications of the RTX 5050. We’ll also mention the specifications of the RTX 5060 and 5060 Ti so you can see how it compares to them.
| RTX 5050 | RTX 5060 | RTX 5060 Ti | |
| Board | PG152 SKU 50 | PG162 SKU 25 | PG152 SKU 10 (8GB model) PG152 SKY 15 (16GB model) |
| VRAM | 8GB | 8GB | 8GB/16GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR7 | GDDR7 |
| CUDA Cores | 2,560 | 3,840 | 4,608 |
| Base Clock | 2.31 GHz | 2.28 GHz | 2.40 GHz |
| Boos Clock | 2.57 GHz | 2.49 GHz | 2.57 GHz |
| Memory Bus | 128-bit | 128-bit | 128-bit |
| TDP | 130W | 145W | 180W |
As you can see, the specs place the RTX 5050 significantly behind the 5060 and 5060 Ti in terms of CUDA cores. On top of that, it also offers a slower memory type, which is pretty disappointing to see. Overall, the RTX 5050 doesn’t appear to be a strong contender, even for budget-conscious PC builders. After seeing these specs, many users might not consider upgrading.
RTX 5050 price
Nvidia has confirmed that the RTX 5050 will launch with a starting price of $249. For those who don’t know, the 3050 was also launched with the same price tag. In any case, do keep in mind that third-party models always enter the market with higher price tags due to better cooling and other features. So expect to spend over $300 on a third-party model.
Will I need to upgrade my PSU for the RTX 5050?
The RTX 5050 has a TDP of only 130W, meaning you won’t need to upgrade your power supply unit (PSU) if you currently have one of at least 550W. However, keep in mind that this will also depend on the TDP of your other components.. For budget builds, a 550W PSU is more than enough in most cases. Even Nvidia recommends the same for the 5050.
Will the RTX 5050 be enough for 1080p gaming?
The RTX 5050 appears to be a suitable card for 1080p gaming. However, video games are becoming increasingly demanding, and 8GB of VRAM, paired with a low CUDA core count, may soon struggle to keep up. So, if you’re looking for something more future-proof, it would be better to invest in a card that offers at least 16GB of VRAM.
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