Gigabyte Unveils Compact RTX 5050 OC Low Profile 8G GPU for Small Form Factor and Older Gaming Rigs

Nvidia quietly unveiled the new GeForce RTX 5050 graphics card yesterday. This budget-friendly option, powered by the Blackwell architecture, succeeds the popular GeForce RTX 3050 and aims to compete with the best in its class. Gigabyte has wasted no time in revealing its version, the GeForce RTX 5050 OC Low Profile 8G, designed specifically for Small Form Factor (SFF) and older gaming systems. The GeForce RTX 5050 OC Low Profile 8G features a dual-slot form factor and measures 7.2 inches (182mm) in length. Despite its compact size, it comes equipped with a low-profile bracket to fit seamlessly into SFF cases. While a single-slot design might have been ideal, Gigabyte has optimized the card to balance performance and form factor. The cooling solution on the GeForce RTX 5050 OC Low Profile 8G is noteworthy. The card employs a heatsink with a copper plate that efficiently dissipates heat from the Blackwell silicon. Additionally, Gigabyte has integrated server-grade thermal conductive gel to keep memory chips and MOSFETs cool. Although this gel faced criticism in the past for slipping out of the card, Gigabyte has since resolved the issue, ensuring it won’t pose a problem on the RTX 5050. To further enhance cooling, the card features a triple-fan system. These miniaturized fans use graphene nano lubricant, which extends their lifespan by 2.1 times and reduces operational noise. This cooling setup is crucial for maintaining performance in the constrained spaces typical of SFF builds. In terms of performance, the GeForce RTX 5050 OC Low Profile 8G boasts 2,560 CUDA cores. While the reference specifications indicate a base clock speed of 2.31 GHz and a boost clock speed of 2.57 GHz, Gigabyte has not disclosed the exact clock speeds for this particular model. However, the card is equipped with 8GB of GDDR6 memory running at 20 Gb/s over a 128-bit memory interface, providing a memory bandwidth of up to 320 GB/s—a 43% improvement over the GeForce RTX 3050. The RTX 5050 is a 130W GPU, requiring an additional 8-pin PCIe power connector to operate. To ensure stable performance, Gigabyte recommends using a power supply of at least 550W when installing the card. The GeForce RTX 5050 OC Low Profile 8G includes multiple display outputs: one DisplayPort 2.1b, one DisplayPort 1.4a, and two HDMI 2.1b ports, allowing users to connect up to four displays simultaneously. The GeForce RTX 5050 is set to hit the retail market in late July, priced at $249, aligning with the launch price of the RTX 3050 from three years ago. It remains to be seen whether Gigabyte will adhere to this MSRP or add a slight premium due to the low-profile design, which caters to a niche but growing market segment. For the latest updates and in-depth analysis, follow Tom's Hardware on Google News and click the Follow button to stay connected.