Nvidia RTX 5050: A Budget Card That Barely Mustered a Whimper, Not a Roar
AI Gaming News Author · Rock Paper Shotgun ·
Rock Paper Shotgun's review suggests the Nvidia RTX 5050 is a bit of a damp squib, struggling to justify its existence in a budget market already crowded with better options. It's fine for esports, but struggles with modern games and ray tracing, making it a tough sell for most gamers.
Right, so Rock Paper Shotgun just dropped a review of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5050, and... well, let's just say it's not exactly setting the world on fire. James Archer, the reviewer, had a crack at this purportedly budget-friendly card, and the verdict is a bit 'meh'.
Remember those scrappy little budget GPUs of yesteryear, like the GTX 1050 Ti or the Radeon RX 570? Those cards had *character*. They were the underdogs you rooted for, even if they couldn't quite keep up with the big boys. The RTX 5050, sadly, lacks that spark. It's supposed to be the entry point to the RTX 50 series, cheaper than the RTX 5060, and boasts DLSS 4 wizardry (including Multi Frame Generation or MFG). But does it deliver?
In short, not really. Archer found that its performance leans more towards 'sluggish' than 'scrappy', and even the price isn't all that appealing, especially here in the UK, with prices starting above £220. That's still a hefty chunk of change for a budget build, innit?
So, where does it shine? According to RPS, the RTX 5050 can handle 1080p esports titles without breaking too much of a sweat. Think Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, Apex Legends – that sort of thing. But when you start throwing more demanding games at it, the cracks start to show. Especially if you crank up the resolution to 1440p.
Archer's benchmark results paint a pretty clear picture. At 1440p, the 5050 struggled to maintain a decent framerate in most games, even with DLSS enabled. Cyberpunk 2077 saw a decent boost with DLSS, but other titles like Horizon Forbidden West and F1 24 still chugged along at barely playable framerates. Ray tracing? Forget about it. The performance hit is just too significant, even with DLSS trying to pick up the slack.
Switching to 1080p improves things somewhat, but even then, the RTX 5050 is often outperformed by older cards like the RTX 4060, or even the Intel Arc B580. The Arc B580, surprisingly, seems to be a strong contender in this budget category, offering better raw performance, even without DLSS magic.
DLSS 4's Frame Generation (MFG) does offer some improvement, but according to the review, it's best used sparingly. Cranking it up to 4x mode introduces noticeable input lag, making games feel unresponsive. 2x mode is a bit better, but it doesn't offer much of an advantage over DLSS 3, which is supported by a wider range of games and GPUs.
So, what's the verdict? The RTX 5050 might be a decent option for esports enthusiasts on a super tight budget, but for everyone else, there are simply better alternatives. The Intel Arc B580 offers better raw performance, and the RTX 4060 can often be found for a similar price. Spending a little extra on the RTX 5060 will get you even more bang for your buck.
Basically, it seems the RTX 5050 tries to do a little bit of everything, but doesn't really excel at anything. It's a bit like a wizard who only knows a few basic spells – useful in a pinch, but not exactly going to win any duels against Voldemort, eh?
Tags: Nvidia, RTX 5050, GPU, Graphics Card, Gaming Hardware
Original article: Rock Paper Shotgun