Nvidia has officially revealed the GeForce RTX 5050 GPUs for desktops and laptops, starting at just $249. The new graphics cards come with support for ray tracing, DLSS 4, and multi-frame generation, targeting budget-conscious gamers.
The desktop RTX 5050 features:
- 8GB of last-gen GDDR6 VRAM
- 2,560 Blackwell CUDA cores
- Power draw of up to 130W
- Launch through partners like Asus, MSI, Gigabyte, and Zotac
- Availability starting late July
While the use of GDDR6 may seem dated, Nvidia claims the 5050 still delivers smooth gameplay in demanding titles like Cyberpunk 2077 at high settings—especially when DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation is enabled.
The laptop version of the 5050, on the other hand, gets
- 8GB of newer, more power-efficient GDDR7 VRAM
- Same 2,560 CUDA cores
- 35W to 100W power draw
- Prices starting at $999
- Some models available immediately
Despite the upgraded memory on the laptop version, the desktop card is expected to outperform it due to higher power limits.
According to Nvidia’s own benchmarks, the RTX 5050 achieves over 150 fps in select single-player games with DLSS 4 enabled, though those numbers were paired with a $479 AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D at 1080p.
The RTX 5050 replaces the popular RTX 3050, which remains a top choice on Steam. Notably, Nvidia skipped a desktop RTX 4050, making this the long-awaited successor for entry-level PC gamers.
