Best Budget GPUs: Nvidia GTX1050 To Your Rescue

Nvidia is taking bigger leaps with each GPU that hits the market. Their 10-series GPUs were a total game-changer and nearly blew AMD’s Radeon series out of water. Nvidia’s GTX 1080 Ti is an amazing GPU for flawless gaming experience and what not but is still an expensive bet. 

The same goes for most of the GPUs that are available in the market. This is actually a hard truth- GPUs are expensive!

So what do you have to do if you don’t a $3000 budget but are still into gaming? Nvidia GTX 1050 and GTX 1050 Ti are exactly for this job. These two entry-level GPUs may be old, given that they came out way back in 2016 but they still pack some serious punches.

The Price

GTX 1050 is priced around $150 for 2GB while the 4GB GTX 1050 Ti costs around $199. These two cards have mostly the same features, like support Nvidia Ansel and they will both supply tear-free gaming to a connected G-Sync display. 

The two GPUs don’t share the underlying technology as the other GTX 10 series. The 10-series GTX 1080, GTX 1070, and GTX 1060 are manufactured by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company using the 16nm manufacturing process with Nvidia’s “Pascal” GPU architecture. On the other hand, the GTX 1050’s “GP107” graphic processor is built with the 14nm process at a “secret” location.

The Tests

During testing, both the cards failed to hit 1,500MHz base clocks or 1,700MHz boost clocks, unlike their big brothers. 

Even with these results GTX 1050 proves to be a decent GPU for an average level of gaming. When playing games like Gears of War 4 and Dirt Rally on a high setting, GTX 1050 managed to sometimes cross 60FPS. While in most cases, it comfortably exceeded 30FPS that is far better than a console. The GTX 1050 Ti would only do better than that.

For gamers who are fans of the “esports” title, GTX 1050 is to go for. Games like League of Legends, Dota 2, CS: GO and Rocket League can be played on low-end hardware, and since GTX 1050 runs on low frame rate, its the perfect combination.

So if you are a fan of CS: GO, GTX 1050 should help you it a high frame rate with no lags or other problems. In case you go for the 4GB 1050 Ti, you’ll be able to play heavier games like Gears of War 4 with average graphic settings and tonnes of fun.

Conclusion

Nvidia GTX 1050 and GTX 1050 Ti are amazing for gaming but do have their limitations. They are the entry-level GPUs which punch above their weights. But if you are into heavy gaming and high frame rates then you should look at other 10-series.

If you’re into GPUs, you should check out Gpumag.com. They have everything on GPUs and tech that will leave you wanting for more. From latest Nvidia 10-series to the rival AMD Radeon and which one is best for you. Find every question you’ve ever had about GPUs and their underlying architecture answered here.