Nvidia Unveils RTX 5050 for $249, Bringing Blackwell Architecture to More Gamers

Nvidia has officially announced the launch of the RTX 5050, both in desktop and notebook configurations, after months of speculation and leaks. This entry-level Blackwell card is set to debut in the second half of July, starting at $249, and aims to compete as a viable option among the best graphics cards currently available. The RTX 5050 is equipped with 2,560 Blackwell CUDA cores, 8GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit wide interface, and a 130W TGP, requiring a supplementary 6-pin or 8-pin power connector. Its maximum boost clock speed is rated at 2,570MHz, though some partner models may come with factory overclocks, pushing the clock speeds even higher. The GPU also integrates 5th-generation tensor cores capable of up to 421 trillion operations per second (TOPS) for AI tasks and 40 teraflops (TFLOPs) from its ray tracing cores. This is Nvidia’s first xx50-class desktop card since the RTX 3050, skipping the RTX 4050 for desktop entirely. Despite the generational gap, the RTX 5050 maintains the same core specifications as the RTX 3050 8GB, such as the number of CUDA cores, 8GB memory capacity, and 130W TGP. However, Nvidia claims the RTX 5050 offers improved performance over the RTX 3050, largely due to the advancements in DLSS Multi-Frame Generation technology, which this card is the first to support in the xx50 series. For games that do not support DLSS Multi-Frame Generation, the performance gains from the newer Blackwell architecture and higher clock speeds will need to make up for the lack of significant improvements in other areas. The RTX 5050, however, represents a significant step down in compute power compared to the RTX 5060. The latter boasts 50% more CUDA cores and approximately 40% more memory bandwidth, thanks to its GDDR7 memory modules. In contrast, the RTX 5050 is the only Blackwell GPU to feature GDDR6 memory, likely a decision driven by cost savings. Even the mobile version of the RTX 5050 comes with GDDR7 memory. Priced at $249, the RTX 5050 faces tough competition. The RTX 5060, available for $299, offers substantial advantages with its higher CUDA core count and memory bandwidth. Similarly, the AMD RX 9060 8GB can be purchased for $299, and Intel's Arc B570 is currently selling for $279.99, with an additional 2GB of memory. It's worth noting that AMD has not released an entry-level GPU since the RX 6500 XT, though they prototyped an RX 7500 6GB that never saw the light of day. An AMD Radeon competitor to the RTX 5050 might be on the horizon. While the RTX 5050's $249 price tag is appealing, it may not offer the best value for money. Spending an additional $50 could get you the RTX 5060, which brings a 50% increase in CUDA cores and more memory bandwidth. To fully assess its value, we will need to conduct comprehensive testing and reviews. Stay tuned for our detailed performance analysis to see how the RTX 5050 stacks up against its competition.