Nvidia makes RTX 5050 official, compares its next entry-level GPU to the 3050 and reveals the price tag
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There have been plenty of rumors circulating about Nvidia’s next graphics card, the RTX 5050. Even though we never got to see a desktop version of the 4050, Nvidia is indeed releasing an entry-level card for this tier in the 50 series. Recent rumors suggested that the GPU would be launching as soon as July 1st, but now official word from Nvidia places it in the “second-half of July”.
Along with the confirmed release window, we can now confirm that the RTX 5050 will retail “starting at $249” in the United States. Pricing for the UK is yet to be confirmed. There are some interesting details regarding the specs that we’ll get into just below – here’s everything we know about the card so far.
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RTX 5050 is coming in the second half of July
Sadly, no exact release date has been revealed, but it at least quashes the rumor that the new budget graphics card will be coming at the very beginning of next month. With those key details out of the way, here’s how the specs shape up compared to the RTX 3050.
| Specification | RTX 5050 | RTX 3050 (8GB) |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Blackwell | Ampere |
| CUDA Cores | 2,560 | 2,560 |
| DLSS support | DLSS 4 | DLSS 2 |
| Boost clock | 2.57 GHz | 1.78 GHz |
| Base clock | 2.31 GHz | 1.55 GHZ |
| Memory | 8 GB GDDR6 | 8 GB GDDR6 |
| Memory bus width | 128-bit | 128-bit |
| Tensor Cores (AI) | 5th Generation 421 AI TOPS | 3rd Generation |
| Ray Tracing Cores | 4th Generation 40 TFLOPS | 2nd Generation |
| TGP | 130W | 130W |
| Recommended PSU | 550W | 550W |
| Power connector | 1x 8-pin | 1x 8-pin |
Perhaps one of the most intriguing parts of the specs list is that the RTX 5050 is sticking to previous-gen GDDR6 RAM. This is in contrast to the rest of the RTX 50 series, which has been upgraded to the latest GDDR7 standard.
Looking back at the 30 series, the 3050 eventually got a 6GB VRAM model too, though we’re not sure if the 5050 will get the same treatment. Given the trend of higher VRAM usage in modern games and generally bigger demand for more VRAM from gamers, Nvidia may stay away from a 6GB model. We’ll have to wait and see.
Overall, the RTX 5050 looks just like an updated version of the RTX 3050, but featuring the newer generations of AI and ray tracing technology, and with higher clock speeds. As you’d expect, it comes with support for Nvidia’s latest DLSS 4 technology, which will make it the cheapest card on the market with access to Multi Frame Generation.
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