AMD Radeon Vega 3 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Comparison

AMD Radeon Vega 3 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti occupy the same 25th percentile among all GPUs, yet their average benchmark scores tell a more nuanced story. The Vega 3 averages 4268 points, while the GTX 1050 Ti averages 4193 points, a nominal 1.8% gap that flatters the integrated part. However, the head-to-head results reveal a decisive split: the GTX 1050 Ti wins all three compared tests, with margins ranging from 37.7% to 78.1%. The data suggests these are not equivalent performers despite the similar percentile ranking.

The Verdict

The benchmark data is unambiguous: the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti is the superior GPU for any compute or graphics workload measured. In the three head-to-head tests, the GTX 1050 Ti delivers a 37.7% advantage in Geekbench Metal, a 60.4% advantage in Geekbench Vulkan, and a staggering 78.1% advantage in Geekbench OpenCL. The AMD Radeon Vega 3 wins zero comparisons. Users requiring consistent, high-throughput execution across different API environments should select the GTX 1050 Ti without hesitation. The Vega 3, being an integrated graphics processor with system-shared memory, is positioned for basic display output and light workloads; the data shows it trails the discrete card by a wide margin in every measured scenario. The GTX 1050 Ti also offers a dedicated 4 GB GDDR5 memory pool with 112.1 GB/s bandwidth, whereas the Vega 3’s memory performance is system dependent. For gaming, rendering, or general GPU compute, the choice is clear from the numbers. The GTX 1050 Ti’s launch MSRP is 139 USD.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural generations and process nodes. The AMD Radeon Vega 3 uses the GCN 5.0 architecture on a 12 nm process from GlobalFoundries, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti uses the Pascal architecture on a 14 nm process from Samsung. The Vega 3 is the integrated GPU in AMD's Picasso chip, which contains 4,940 million transistors on a 210 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 23.5M / mm². In contrast, the GTX 1050 Ti is a discrete chip (GP107) with 3,300 million transistors on a 132 mm² die, achieving a slightly higher density of 25.0M / mm². The Vega 3’s transistor count is higher, but its die is also larger, and the integration limits its clock speeds.

Clock speeds differ substantially. The Vega 3 has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 1100 MHz, while the GTX 1050 Ti runs at a base of 1291 MHz and a boost of 1392 MHz. Memory configurations are fundamentally different: the Vega 3 uses system-shared memory with bandwidth that is system dependent, whereas the GTX 1050 Ti has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus with 112.1 GB/s of bandwidth. The shading resources scale accordingly—the Vega 3 has 192 shading units, 12 texture mapping units, and 4 ROPs, while the GTX 1050 Ti has 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The pixel rate is 4.400 GPixel/s for the Vega 3 versus 44.54 GPixel/s for the GTX 1050 Ti, and texture rates are 13.20 GTexel/s versus 66.82 GTexel/s.

Compute throughput follows the same pattern. The Vega 3 delivers 422.4 GFLOPS of FP32 performance and 844.8 GFLOPS of FP16 (at a 2:1 ratio), while the GTX 1050 Ti delivers 2.138 TFLOPS of FP32 and only 33.41 GFLOPS of FP16 (at a 1:64 ratio). The NVIDIA part’s FP16 throughput is negligible, but its FP32 output is over five times higher. Power consumption reflects the discrete versus integrated split: the Vega 3 is rated at 15 W TDP with no power connectors, while the GTX 1050 Ti is rated at 75 W TDP and requires a 250 W suggested PSU. The GTX 1050 Ti is a dual-slot card measuring 145 mm in length and 111 mm in height, with display outputs including DVI, HDMI 2.0, and DisplayPort 1.4a; the Vega 3’s outputs are motherboard dependent. API support is similar—both support DirectX 12 (12_1) and OpenGL 4.6, but the GTX 1050 Ti supports Vulkan 1.4 while the Vega 3 supports Vulkan 1.3.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Geekbench Metal test shows the GTX 1050 Ti scoring 7834 against the Vega 3’s 4880, a 37.7% advantage for NVIDIA. This is the closest margin of the three, but still a decisive win. The Geekbench Vulkan test widens the gap: the GTX 1050 Ti scores 10001 versus 3961 for the Vega 3, a 60.4% difference. The largest disparity appears in Geekbench OpenCL, where the GTX 1050 Ti scores 18129 versus 3963, a 78.1% lead. The Vega 3’s OpenCL score is nearly identical to its Vulkan score (3963 vs 3961), suggesting consistent performance across these APIs, but the GTX 1050 Ti’s OpenCL result is 81% higher than its own Vulkan score, indicating the Pascal architecture is particularly strong in OpenCL workloads.

These results correlate with the hardware specifications. The GTX 1050 Ti’s 4x shading units, 4x TMUs, and 8x ROPs yield proportionally higher raw throughput. The memory bandwidth difference—112.1 GB/s versus system-dependent shared memory—likely contributes to the widening margins in compute-heavy tests. The GTX 1050 Ti’s boost clock of 1392 MHz is 26.5% higher than the Vega 3’s 1100 MHz boost, and its base clock of 1291 MHz is over 4x the Vega 3’s 300 MHz base. The 78.1% OpenCL margin is the single largest win, and it underscores the GTX 1050 Ti’s suitability for general-purpose GPU compute tasks where the Vega 3’s integrated design struggles.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon Vega 3 has an average benchmark score of 4268, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti averages 4193. The Vega 3 leads by 1.8%, but this aggregate figure masks the GTX 1050 Ti’s dominance in head-to-head tests.

Q: Does the GTX 1050 Ti win in all compared benchmarks?

A: Yes. The GTX 1050 Ti wins all three head-to-head tests: Geekbench Metal (7834 vs 4880), Geekbench Vulkan (10001 vs 3961), and Geekbench OpenCL (18129 vs 3963).

Q: What is the biggest performance gap between the two?

A: The largest margin is in Geekbench OpenCL, where the GTX 1050 Ti leads by 78.1%. The GTX 1050 Ti’s score of 18129 is over 4.5 times the Vega 3’s 3963.

Q: How do the memory configurations differ?

A: The Vega 3 uses system-shared memory with system-dependent bandwidth, while the GTX 1050 Ti has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus with 112.1 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has higher FP32 compute performance?

A: The GTX 1050 Ti delivers 2.138 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, compared to the Vega 3’s 422.4 GFLOPS. The NVIDIA part is over 5 times faster in this metric.

Q: Are both GPUs end-of-life products?

A: Yes, both are marked as end-of-life. The Vega 3 was released on 2019-11-19, and the GTX 1050 Ti was released on 2016-10-24.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti wins across every benchmark category in the head-to-head comparison. Its advantages are most pronounced in Geekbench OpenCL, where the 78.1% lead indicates strong general compute performance. The GTX 1050 Ti also excels in Geekbench Vulkan with a 60.4% lead, suggesting better graphics API performance for modern workloads. The Geekbench Metal result, though the closest at 37.7%, still shows a substantial edge. The GTX 1050 Ti’s dedicated 4 GB GDDR5 memory and 112.1 GB/s bandwidth provide a clear foundation for these wins, especially compared to the Vega 3’s system-shared memory.

The AMD Radeon Vega 3’s only statistical advantage is its 1.8% higher average benchmark score (4268 vs 4193), which is driven by its slightly better standing among nearest rivals. The Vega 3’s nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GDDR6, scores 4335 with a delta of -1.5%, while the GTX 1050 Ti’s closest rival, the AMD Radeon R5 M330, scores 4170 with a delta of 0.6%. However, this aggregate metric does not translate into any direct benchmark wins. The Vega 3’s 15 W TDP and IGP form factor make it suitable for systems where a discrete card is not feasible, and its FP16 performance of 844.8 GFLOPS is higher than the GTX 1050 Ti’s 33.41 GFLOPS, though the NVIDIA part’s FP16 ratio (1:64) suggests it is not optimized for that workload. For users prioritizing raw performance in Metal, Vulkan, or OpenCL applications, the GTX 1050 Ti is the only rational choice based on the data. The Vega 3 remains a viable option only for basic integrated graphics duties where the GTX 1050 Ti cannot be physically installed, but its benchmark results do not support any performance-oriented use case.