nvidia geforce rtx 5050 review: Start and finish at bottom

There was a time when I was chaffed to bits to click on a new entry-level graphics card to PCIE home. Look back at the GTX 1050 Ti or Radeon RX 570. These were accessible so they were more than just GPUs, but they actually got the feeling of the gross bouncing off the circuit. Throw a small Chihuahua into a pack of mastiffs, just like they’re barking. You will see that they are not matching the bigger boys. But you love them because you are not compassionate.

The Nvidia GeForce RTX 5050 is not such a card. This is the most affordable of the RTX 50 series, covering the RTX 5060 at around 40 pounds/$50 and comes with the complete set of DLSS 4 tools, including Multi Frame Generation (MFG) support. Sadly, its performance is slower than the crude and isn’t that cheap. The price starts at around £220/$250 and this overclocked ZOTAC model I tested is £248/$270, making it the most expensive component in a budget PC build.

It’s not completely useless. For those with a specific taste of a lightweight, esports scented multiplayer game, the RTX 5050 does the trick at 1080p. However, there are other GPUs that are well equipped to deal with these tricky quality settings, even if you don’t have to spend more money on them due to the tougher fares.

Nvidia GeForce RTX 5050 Review: 1440p Benchmark

Naturally, the RTX 5050 is struggling to surpass the 1080p station, given that 8GB of VRAM runs at even thinner bandwidth than the RTX 5060. I climbed over 60fps only in the shadows of Assassin’s Creed Mirage and Grave Raider, almost 7 years old. In both cases, it is beaten on both 12GB Intel Arc B580. Although the previous generation of Nvidia did not include the XX50 desktop GPU, the RTX 5050 harbinger is repeatedly piped by the RTX 4060.

DLSS is always more suitable for higher resolutions to unfold upscalars without clearly cutting visuals. The CyberPunk 2077 certainly benefited, jumping from 48fps to a smooth 64fps using DLSS in quality mode. Unfortunately, others were still short. Horizon Forbidden West has had to say that most of the steep framerate drops experienced with the RTX 5060 have been cured, but the equivalent of the F1 24 only pressed to 47fps. There’s only one frame more than the b580 can do with Native Rez.

This level of frame webbing effectively yanks premium path tracing features from the table. The RTX5050 can apply standard ray tracing without having to cough completely, but you’re still seeing a big slowdown. The Metro Escape dropped from 59fps to 42fps, adding an Ultra RT effect, and Cyberpunk 2077 – brace itself with DLSS – only averaged 34fps on almost half of what I had previously pulled.

Nvidia GeForce RTX 5050 Review: 1080p Benchmark

Within the 1080p warm embrace, the RTX 5050 is much less chasing. Of my usual super-quality native resolution benchmark games, only the F1 24 averaged below 60fps, and that particular ultra preset included some raytracing effects. Even just adding high quality DLSS, I was able to get it at up to 61fps. Occasionally, the RTX 5050 can close the gap with the Arc B580, especially with Tomb Raider and Assassin’s Creed Mirage (the two games that probably hit the best at 1440p, perhaps prophetically).

Still, Intel’s GPU remains an overall fast Cheapo card, and the RTX 5050 is still haunted by the ghosts of the RTX 4060. Meanwhile, the RTX 5060 lands much earlier consistently.

Frame generation is at least 1440p to helper here. You need a healthy base of regular frames with tools like MFG (or FSR 3 or 4, or Intel’s Xess 2). Specifically, with the RTX 5050, it’s best to apply with a light touch. On the CyberPunk 2077, this GPU recorded an average of 48FPS with a combination of Ultra settings, high quality DLSS, and PsychoRT. This has risen to 89fps with MFG set to 2x. This was playable, potential and visibly smoother. Frame Gen success. Switching to 4x mode has significantly increased the lag to the point where Night City could be flooded with custard due to driving controls and all the responsiveness of camera movement. It wasn’t worth 113FPS. This is not close to what 4 x 48 actually has.

Alan Wake 2 had a similar problem, even without ray tracing. With a high quality DLSS, 48FPS was twice as high as MFG, 78FPS, more or less well-maintained. The 4x mode squeezed the juice to a rise of 144fps, but again, the extra delay made my sight floating and felt inaccurate. I think DLSS 4 is the best of the current upscaling/frame Gen combos, especially in frame-by-frame visual quality, but if this is dangerous beyond 2x mode, MFG doesn’t offer much of what DLSS 3 can’t. And this is a price-range RTX 40 GPU that is supported by a wider range of games than the MFG in DLSS 4, and is a price-point RTX 40 GPU like the 4060.

Don’t overdo the dog analogy, if you have the RTX 5050 It was Puppy, it is probably the kind that prefers to shorten the walks and will curl up on a discarded towel back home. In that true comfort zone, it begins to show a flash of being a loyal companion, and that zone overlaps neatly with the competitive shooter and moba field. Counter Strike 2? Most maps are very high and run over 100fps easily. Slap 2? All the matches, I averaged 114fps at my maximum setting. And Apex Legends had absolutely no problem filling in the 144fps limit at high prices. Essentially, desktop GPUs launched over the last three years will pull out more than similar numbers, but even discounting these purely excesses at 1080p, the RTX 5050 is cheaper than most.

However, outside of this multiplayer niche there are better options. The ARC B580 may lack the same level of frame Gen refinement, but its straightforward performance benefits make it less of a help need. It is generally suitable for advanced resolutions in case you upgrade to a 1440p or 1080p luxury screen. If you’re going to grow your budget a little more, you can also use the base price RTX 5060. This allows you to avoid missing DLSS 4 features faster than both.

Next is the RTX 4060. As I’ve grown up often, I don’t actually suggest this to readers participating from America via the RTX 5050. Meanwhile, fellow Brits should be able to find something new, between £250 and £260.

This review is based on retail samples provided by the manufacturer.