NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 and 1050 Ti, the most affordable Pascal-based graphics cards
After introducing the GTX 1060, 1070, 1080 and the most powerful Titan X graphics card, NVIDIA came up with a cheaper option — the GTX 1050. Will it get its AMD competition in trouble? And can it handle the latest games?
GeForce GTX 1050 — an ideal choice for demanding gamers
The GTX 1050 targets mainly less demanding gamers who can do with Full HD resolution and medium graphic details, without longing for new experiences in virtual reality. The card easily handles the popular MOBA games, team-based FSP Overwatch or CS:GO. Let's have a look at the official parameters.
GTX 1080, 1070, 1060 GTX, GTX 1050 Ti, GTX 1050 and GTX 950 — a comparison
| Compared feature | GeForce GTX 1080 | GeForce GTX 1070 | GeForce GTX 1060 | GeForce GTX 1050 Ti | GeForce GTX 1050 | GeForce GTX 950 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing process | 16 nm | 16 nm | 16 nm | 14 nm | 14 nm | 28 nm |
| CUDA cores | 2560 | 1920 | 1280 | 768 | 640 | 640 |
| Clock rate in MHz | 1607 | 1506 | 1506 | 1290 | 1354 | 1024 |
| Boost MHz | 1733 | 1683 | 1708 | 1382 | 1455 | 1188 |
| Clock speed in GHz | 10 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6.6 |
| Memory capacity | 8 GB | 8 GB | 6 GB | 4 GB | 2 GB | 2 GB |
Bandwidth | 256bit | 256bit | 256bit | 128bit | 128bit | 128bit |
| TFLOPS | 9 | 6.5 | 4.4 | 2.12 | 1.86 | 1.56 |
| TDP | 180 W | 150 W | 120 W | 75 W | 75 W | 90 W |
Note: The data in the table is based on the reference models of these graphics cards.
Surprisingly, the GP107 is manufactured by the 14nm processing technology. The process is under the supervision of Samsung. The result is a smaller, more energy efficient chip with lower clock rates.
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti — GTX 960 replacement
The table shows that there is a more powerful variation of the 1050 GTX — the GTX 1050 Ti. Its higher number of CUDA cores (stream processors) and texture mapping ensures a 14% higher performance. The GTX 1050 Ti boasts 4GB GDDR5, easily handling graphically demanding games and Full HD resolution.
The revolutionary 14nm processing technology allows for higher energy efficiency. TDP (Thermal Design Power — steady heat output) is only 75 W (by way of contrast, GTX 1080 requires 180 W). It seems that the GTX 1050 won't need an external 6-pin power supply.
Those 75 W are able to provide a PCI Express x16 slot. Such a low value entails additional pros, such as low cooling demands and less complicated cooler constructions. HTPC owners will appreciate that even passive cooling is possible.
