RTX 5050 desktop GPU slyly unveiled with 8 GB GDDR6 VRAM

Nvidia has unceremoniously announced its first budget graphics card in a while: the GeForce RTX 5050. Its laptop variant got shown off earlier and now, we get a look at its desktop counterpart. Its existence wasn't exactly a secret, with numerous leaks ruining Nvidia's party well ahead of launch.

The RTX 5050 desktop comes with a paltry 2,506 CUDA cores. Nvidia's official spec sheet doesn't mention a GPU, but it is likely a GB206 or a GB 207. Contrary to earlier leaks, it comes with 8 GB of GDDR6 (not GDDR7 as predicted by some) VRAM on a 128-bit bus, giving us a total memory bandwidth of 320 GB/s. Other RTX 5050 specs include a base/boost clock of 2.31/2.57 GHz and a TGP of 130 Watts. Nvidia recommends a 550 Watt PSU for the RTX 5050, but 450 Watts should be just fine.

Nvidia has also posted some benchmark data, highlighting how the GPU fares against the two-generation-old RTX 3050. Unsurprisingly, the Blackwell GPU has a lead thanks to its newer architecture and objectively better TSMC N4P node (versus Samsung N8 on the RX 3050).

Interestingly, Nvidia's own graphs show the RTX 5050 is slower than the last-gen RTX 4060 in raw performance. All of its gains come from DLSS and frame generation tech. And the worst part is that the RTX 5050 will start at $249, only $50 cheaper than the RTX 5060. This is unlikely to get a Founder's Edition, so the only option is AIB variants that will almost certainly be priced higher.