Folks still clinging to their 720p or perhaps even 480p displays should begin scrounging for their spare change as NVIDIA’s next GPU could arrive soon. Modern APUs and iGPUs are sure to be quaking in their sockets as unnamed (via VideoCardz) sources have claimed the budget card will be launched sometime in July. For those who thought 8 GB VRAM isn’t enough for modern gaming at 1080p, well, hold your breath because this GPU is also rumored to have a similar GDDR7 (previously rumored to be GDDR6) configuration as its GeForce RTX 5060 brethren on a 128-bit bus. Still, given its reportedly 2560 CUDA cores, most are unlikely to need more memory anyway.
It’s been a spell since Team Green launched its entry-level x50 class desktop cards, with the last being the GeForce RTX 3050 from 2022, which had succeeded the GTX 1650 from 2019. The RTX 3050 had an MSRP of $249 and also featured 2560 CUDA cores, albeit a much older generation Ampere GPU. If this desktop card does launch, it would continue the 3-year cadence cycle for the x50 class.
Specification Comparisons
| RTX 5060 | RTX 5050 (rumored) | RTX 3050 | |
| GPU | GB206 | GB207-300 | GA106/GA107 |
| CUDA Cores | 3840 | 2560 | 2560 |
| Tensor Cores | 120 (5th Gen) | ? | 80 (3rd Gen) |
| RT Cores | 30 (4th Gen) | ? | 20 (2nd Gen) |
| Memory | 8 GB GDDR7 @ 28 Gbps | 8 GD GDDR7 @ ? Gbps | 6GB/8GB GDDR6 @ 14 Gbps |
| Memory Bus | 128-bit | 128-bit | 128-bit |
| TDP | 145W | 130W | 130W |
| Price | $299.99 | ? | $249.99 |
A now very competitive space
Other similar specs between the two cards are the 128-bit bus and 130W TDP. MSRP for the RTX 3050 was originally $249.99, but NVIDIA will be hard pressed for success if it launches the RTX 5050 at that price, given the already fierce competition from AMD and Intel at just slightly over this tier level with the AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT at $349.99, a hundred dollars more but with massive gains over the RTX 3050 including 16 GB of memory, or the Arc B580 with its $249.99 MSRP that features 12 GB VRAM. While NVIDIA’s newer Blackwell architecture featuring technologies such as the latest gen RT and Tensor Cores, DLSS 4, and multi-frame generation are sure to bring things to the table separating the RTX 5050 from the rest of the pack, performance and pricing will be key for its success.
The GeForce RTX 5050 is also rumored to be launched for both desktops and mobile devices. On the mobile front, it is not yet known if that version will be a cut-down spec, but it’s possible both could have identical configurations. It’s not uncommon for NVIDIA to offer identical or nearly the same GPU configurations when it comes to its entry-level consumer product stacks. The aforementioned RTX 3050 launched at a time when NVIDIA released laptop GPUs with nearly the exact same configurations as their desktop counterparts, going all the way up to the RTX 3070.
How low can you go in 2025?
While the idea of a budget-friendly GPU is always one of high hopes for those with limited funds, the concept of how low one should go in terms of specs is becoming increasingly debatable as stronger APUs and iGPUs encroach on the same territory. The performance distance between the two has shrunk considerably over the last decade, making something like an x50 class a more specific use scenario than it used to be, but if priced competitively, it could still find its place in a modern gaming rig. It also remains unknown if hardware reviewers will have access to the RTX 5050 and a driver for it before launch day.