NVIDIA Introduces RTX 5050 — The Most Affordable GPU of the Blackwell Generation

NVIDIA officially unveiled the GeForce RTX 5050 — the entry-level model of the new generation Blackwell graphics cards, aimed at budget gaming builds. This is the first truly affordable solution from NVIDIA in the last three years, as the RTX 40 lineup did not have a similar model.

Key specifications of the RTX 5050:

• 2560 CUDA cores — the same amount as the RTX 3050.

• 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, while higher-end models of the generation use GDDR7.

• Clock speed: 2.31 GHz (up to 2.57 GHz in Boost mode).

• TDP — 130 W, powered by a single 8-pin connector.

Gaming performance:
NVIDIA demonstrated the RTX 5050 test results in several popular games:

• Avowed (1080p, DLSS, RT) — up to 160 FPS (with Multi-Frame Generation).

• Fortnite with RT — about 80 FPS.

• Marvel Rivals — up to 250 FPS.

• Apex Legends — minimal performance gain; the test was conducted without frame generation.

Context and nuances:
Despite using modern technologies like DLSS 3.5 and frame generation, the RTX 5050 falls behind even the RTX 5060 due to a cut-down graphics chip and older memory. However, the performance improvement compared to the RTX 3050 is still noticeable. It is important to understand that all tests were conducted on the Ryzen 7 9800X3D — a top-tier gaming processor. In real budget builds, performance may be lower.

Price and release date:
The recommended price is $249. The release is expected in the second half of July 2025.