Is the NVIDIA RTX 5050 worth your money?
September 28, 2025 – Back in July NVIDIA released the most budget-friendly entry of its 50-Series GPUs, the GeForce RTX 5050. This graphics card brings all the technological innovations of the new Blackwell architecture, such as advanced Ray Tracing, Multi-Frame Generation, Super Resolution, and Reflex 2 technology for reduced latency.
Like the other models in the 50-Series, the RTX 5050 has been released for both desktops and laptops, debuting on the market with very competitive pricing. This made the RTX 5050 especially enticing for gamers on a budget, offering an entry-level option capable of running modern games with improved performance over older GPUs.
Let’s have a closer look at the main technical specifications of both the desktop and laptop versions of the RTX 5050, compared to the older NVIDIA models it competes with in terms of price and performance: the RTX 4050 (laptops only) and RTX 4060 (both desktops and laptops).
| GPU | DLSS | # CUDA Cores | Boost Clock (GHz) | AI TOPs | Memory (VRAM) | Memory Bandwidth | TGP  | Price* |
| RTX 5050 (D) | DLSS4 | 2560 | 2.57 | 421 | 8 GB GDDR6 | 320 GB/s | 130 | $249 |
| RTX 4060 (D) | DLSS3 | 3072 | 2.46 | 242 | 8 GB GDDR6 | 272 GB/s | 115 | $299 |
| GPU | DLSS | # CUDA Cores | Boost Clock (GHz) | AI TOPs | Memory (VRAM) | Memory Bandwidth | TGP |
| RTX 5050 (L) | DLSS4 | 2560 | 2.66 | 440 | 8 GB GDDR7 | 384 GB/s | 100 |
| RTX 4060 (L) | DLSS3 | 3072 | 2.37 | 233 | 8 GB GDDR6 | 272 GB/s | 115 |
| RTX 4050 (L) | DLSS3 | 2560 | 2.37 | 194 | 6 GB GDDR6 | 216 GB/s | 115 |
As we can see in the desktop GPU comparison, the RTX 5050 not only offers DLSS 4, but also comes with a higher number of CUDA cores, a higher boost clock frequency, more AI TOPs, and greater memory bandwith. However, the amount and type of dedicated memory (8 GB GDDR6) remain the same. While total graphics power consumption has increased slightly, the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) is actually lower than that of the RTX 4060.
With regard to the laptop GPUs, the RTX 5050 retains the same number of CUDA cores as the RTX 4050—fewer than what we see in the RTX 4060—but it noticeably improves boost clock frequency, AI TOPs, and memory bandwidth compared to both RTX 4050 and RTX 4060. While VRAM capacity is the same across all three models, the RTX 5050 uses GDDR7 memory instead of GDDR6, making it more energy-efficient (lower TGP) and reducing heat output, which is ideal for thin and light laptops.
Although NVIDIA did not provide a retail price for laptop versions of its GPUs, laptops differing only in their GPU and sold on Dell’s US website indicate the RTX 5050 is $100 more expensive than the RTX 4050 (e.g. Dell Alienware 16 Aurora). Unfortunately, a similar direct comparison cannot be made between RTX 5050 and RTX 4060. However, based on the pricing of very similar laptop models sold by Dream Machines (RG5050-15NA27 and RG4060-15NA52), it’s apparent that the RTX 4060 is still more expensive than the RTX 5050.
Benchmarking Results
Desktop GPUs: RTX 5050 vs RTX 4060
PC Support & Gaming Test compared the RTX 5050 and RTX 4060 in a series of graphically demanding games at 1080p resolution, max settings, and with frame generation disabled.
Their results show that these two GPUs are evenly matched, with very small differences in average frame rates. The largest gap appeared in Ghost of Tsushima, where the RTX 4060 slightly outperformed the RTX 5050 by about 10% in average FPS. In most other cases differences were negligible, with one GPU occasionally edging out the other depending on the game.
However, in terms of power consumption, the RTX 4060 is the clear winner, consistently proving more efficient that the newer RTX 5050 (8%–17% lower power usage).
Laptop GPUs: RTX 5050 vs RTX 4050
Fps Vn tested the RTX 5050 against its predecessor, the RTX 4050, using two otherwise identical ASUS Gaming V16 laptops. Both GPUs were benchmarked in graphically demanding games at 1080p, max settings, and with frame generation disabled.
Results show that the RTX 5050 consistently outperforms the older RTX 4050 in all tested games, with 4-9% higher average FPS. Power consumption, however, was nearly identical, averaging 48 W for both GPUs.
Laptop GPUs: RTX 5050 vs RTX 4060
Fps Vn also compared the RTX 5050 to the RTX 4060 under the same conditions. Here, the RTX 4060 almost consistently outperformed the RTX 5050, but only by a small margin: average FPS values were just 1–6% higher. In Spider-Man 2, the two GPUs were evenly matched.
When it comes to power consumption, however, the RTX 5050 comes out ahead, consistently drawing 10–11% less power.
Conclusions
NVIDIA’s latest addition to its affordable GPU lineup, the RTX 5050, does not disappoint. It holds its own in both desktop and laptop form factors against its predecessors, the RTX 4060 and RTX 4050 (laptops only).
In particular, the desktop RTX 5050 performs nearly on par with the RTX 4060 in FPS output. Although it’s less energy efficient, its lower retail price offsets that drawback to some extent. Considering the added capabilities of the 50-Series—advanced Ray Tracing, Multi-Frame Generation, Super Resolution, and Reflex 2—the RTX 5050 makes a strong case for itself. It’s no surprise that gaming laptops featuring the RTX 4060 are no longer being offered by some major manufacturers such as Dell or ASUS.
For laptops, the RTX 5050 outperforms the RTX 4050 in all tested games despite identical power consumption. Against the RTX 4060 it’s a closer match: while the 4060 generally pulls ahead, the difference is minimal (no more than 6 FPS), and the RTX 5050 offers noticeably better power efficiency.
Overall, the RTX 5050 performs very close to its predecessors, but with the added benefits of the new Blackwell architecture and advanced features, all at competitive pricing. For new buyers, PCs featuring this GPU are a smarter choice than older models with the RTX 4060 or RTX 4050.
That said, if you’re already using an RTX 4050 or RTX 4060, upgrading to a 5050 isn’t worth it. The differences in raw performance or efficiency are too small to justify the expense—unless you specifically want the extra features like Multi-Frame Generation or improved Ray Tracing.
Gaming PC Advice 