Last year, we saw Nvidia secure trademarks for future GPUs with the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC), and the registered names suggested not only planned RTX 60-series GPUs but also the RTX 5050. Fast forward to today, and another similar listing has been spotted on the EEC, this time by one of NVIDIA’s major board partners, ZOTAC. While the registered GPUs include upcoming 70-class cards and rumored ones like the RTX 5060 and 5060 Ti, it’s the reappearance of the RTX 5050 that is raising eyebrows.

The last mention of an RTX 5050 was back in November of last year, and since then, there have been no rumors or evidence suggesting this could be true. But now that board partners are bringing the RTX 5050 into the spotlight, it seems we might eventually see an RTX 5050 filling the entry-level gap in Nvidia’s RTX 50 series lineup.

There are currently no sub-$300 GPUs in Nvidia’s latest generation

This ECC listing registration date is February 12, 2025. Every SKU on this list, including the RTX 5090, 5080, 5070 Ti, and 5070, is confirmed. We’ve already seen the first two, and the remaining two are confirmed to arrive on February 20th and March 5th, respectively.

While Nvidia hasn’t officially confirmed anything, rumors strongly suggest that the RTX 5060 and 5060 Ti will be coming very soon. However, nothing solid has pointed to the RTX 5050 yet, but it now seems the GPU might indeed arrive a few weeks or months after the GeForce RTX 5060 series cards are launched.

Nvidia currently has nothing to compete with Intel’s Battlemage Arc B580 and B570 in the current generation, so a sub-$300 or sub-$250 card with at least 8GB of VRAM could help fill this gap. Rumors suggest that Nvidia plans to stick with 8GB of VRAM for the RTX 5060, which has drawn some criticism, especially since Intel understands the need for more VRAM. The RTX 4060 launched at $299, and we expect the 50 series equivalent to stick close to that price tag.

Considering that, Nvidia will need to adopt a new strategy with their RTX 5050 GPUs if they want to make a strong entry into the entry-level market with their latest generation. While the RTX 4050 was only designated for laptop GPUs, Nvidia did indeed release an RTX 3050. This came in 6GB and 8GB VRAM models with $169 and $249 MSRPs respectively.

Let's focus on the RTX 5070 series GPUs for now

That said, ECC listings are not always a guarantee of release, and in the past, we’ve seen models that never made it to the market – the listing is either a placeholder or just to secure the trademark. The reappearance of the RTX 5050 might tilt the odds a little more in its favor, but for now, nothing is confirmed. It’s better to wait for further updates that can confirm the GPU’s presence.

At the moment, all we know is that the next GPU in the RTX 50 series lineup is the RTX 5070 Ti, which, if you’re lucky, you might be able to get at MSRP. The card launches on February 20th with partner cards hitting shelves; there will be no Founders Edition.

About the Author

Hassam Nasir

Hassam boasts over seven years of professional experience as a dedicated PC hardware reviewer and writer.