RTX 5050 desktop GPU price and tentative release date revealed by new leak

With the GeForce RTX 5070 launched (at least on paper), the only Nvidia GPUs left in this generation are the RTX 5060 and RTX 5060 Ti, if we go by Nvidia's previous launch schedule. However, an EEC listing told us about the existence of a GeForce RTX 5050, while HP shed light on its laptop counterpart. A new report from Wccftech now tells us more about the entry-level GPU.

It will use a PG162 SKU 25 board and launch with 8 GB of VRAM and a TBP of 135 Watts. Nvidia might show it off towards the end of April 2025. Whether it is GDDR6 or GDDR7 is unknown, but knowing Nvidia, it could be the latter to cut costs. The RTX 5050 could also launch as the RTX 5050 Ti. It makes little sense launching both together, unless one version has lower VRAM, like the RTX 3050 6 GB.

If true, the RTX 5050/RTX 5050 Ti will be the third Nvidia desktop GPU this generation with 8 GB VRAM, joining the ranks of the RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB and RTX 5060. Nvidia plans to position the RTX 5050 as an Arc B570/B580 competitor, with an MSRP of $200-$250. But, anyone with an extra $50 to spare can consider the RTX 5060 that should offer measurably better performance than a xx50 class card.

Either way, the return of a RTX 5050 to desktops will come as good news to budget PC builders. 8 GB of VRAM is decent for 1080p gaming, especially with Nvidia's software trickery thrown in the mix. For now, we don't know about any AMD SKUs in that price range, but if the RTX 5050 materializes, a corresponding RX 9050 shouldn't be too far off after the RX 9060 XT drops in Q2 this year.