NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Comparison

FAQ

Q: How does the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 compare to the GTX 1050 Ti in the recorded OpenCL benchmark?

A: The data shows a decisive win for the GTX 1050 Ti. It scored 18,129 points in Geekbench OpenCL, while the GTS 450 managed 4,893 points. This translates to a delta of -73% for the older card, meaning the GTX 1050 Ti is roughly 3.7 times faster in this specific test.

Q: Which GPU has a higher transistor density, and what does that indicate?

A: The GTX 1050 Ti has a significantly higher transistor density at 25.0M per mm², compared to the GTS 450's 4.9M per mm². This is a direct consequence of the manufacturing process: the GTX 1050 Ti uses a 14 nm node, while the GTS 450 uses a 40 nm node. The smaller node allows for much tighter packing of transistors.

Q: What are the memory specifications for each card?

A: The GTS 450 comes with 1024 MB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 57.73 GB/s. The GTX 1050 Ti features 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on the same 128-bit bus width, but its bandwidth is nearly double at 112.1 GB/s, thanks to a higher memory clock.

Q: Is there a difference in their power requirements?

A: Yes, the GTS 450 has a TDP of 106 W and requires a 1x 6-pin power connector, with a suggested PSU of 300 W. The GTX 1050 Ti is more power-efficient, with a TDP of 75 W, no power connector required, and a suggested PSU of 250 W.

Q: Which API support levels differ between the two cards?

A: The GTS 450 supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but has no Vulkan support listed. The GTX 1050 Ti supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. This makes the GTX 1050 Ti more future-proof for modern titles that rely on Vulkan.

Q: What is the percentile ranking for each card compared to all GPUs in the database?

A: The GTS 450 sits at the 28th percentile, while the GTX 1050 Ti is at the 25th percentile. This indicates that despite the GTX 1050 Ti's much higher absolute benchmark score, both cards are positioned in a similar lower tier relative to the entire database population.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two NVIDIA cards spans two distinct generations. The GTS 450 is built on the Fermi architecture with the GF106 chip, fabricated on a 40 nm process at TSMC. In contrast, the GTX 1050 Ti uses the Pascal architecture with the GP107 chip, produced on a 14 nm process at Samsung. This process shrink is fundamental: the GTX 1050 Ti packs 3,300 million transistors into a 132 mm² die, while the GTS 450 has just 1,170 million transistors on a larger 238 mm² die.

The transistor density figures highlight the efficiency gain. The GTX 1050 Ti achieves 25.0M transistors per mm², compared to the GTS 450's 4.9M per mm². This is a fivefold improvement in packing density, which directly enables the higher clock speeds and increased shader count in the newer card.

The compute configurations differ substantially. The GTS 450 has 192 shading units, 32 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 16 render output units (ROPs). The GTX 1050 Ti scales this up to 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. This fourfold increase in shading units is the primary driver behind the GTX 1050 Ti's superior raw compute performance.

Memory architecture also evolved. Both cards use GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, but the GTX 1050 Ti's memory runs at 1752 MHz (7 Gbps effective), delivering 112.1 GB/s of bandwidth. The GTS 450's memory runs at 902 MHz (3.6 Gbps effective), yielding only 57.73 GB/s. The GTX 1050 Ti also offers 4 GB of memory versus 1 GB, a significant advantage for modern workloads.

The bus interface has been updated as well: the GTS 450 uses PCIe 2.0 x16, while the GTX 1050 Ti uses PCIe 3.0 x16. Display outputs have also modernized, with the GTX 1050 Ti offering HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort 1.4a, while the GTS 450 has DVI and mini-HDMI 1.3a.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only directly comparable benchmark in the database is the Geekbench OpenCL test. The results are unambiguous: the GTX 1050 Ti scores 18,129 points, while the GTS 450 scores 4,893 points. This represents a delta of -73% for the GTS 450, meaning the GTX 1050 Ti delivers roughly 3.7 times the performance in this workload.

This single data point is telling. The OpenCL benchmark exercises general-purpose compute on the GPU, including memory bandwidth and shader throughput. The GTX 1050 Ti's advantages in shading units (768 vs. 192), texture rate (66.82 GTexel/s vs. 25.06 GTexel/s), and pixel rate (44.54 GPixel/s vs. 6.264 GPixel/s) all contribute to this massive gap.

The GTX 1050 Ti also has a much higher FP32 peak: 2.138 TFLOPS compared to 601.3 GFLOPS for the GTS 450. This is a direct measure of single-precision floating-point throughput, and it aligns with the observed benchmark delta. The GTX 1050 Ti is over 3.5 times faster in raw FP32 compute, and the benchmark result confirms this theoretical advantage.

The GTS 450's only listed benchmark score is 4,893, which places it at the 28th percentile. The GTX 1050 Ti has a broader benchmark profile, with scores including 18,129 in Geekbench OpenCL, 10,001 in Geekbench Vulkan, 7,834 in Geekbench Metal, and 6,340 in Passmark G3D. Its average benchmark score across all tests is 4,193, which is lower than its OpenCL score due to the inclusion of DX9, DX10, and DX11 tests that yield lower numbers.

The nearest rivals for each card further contextualize their standing. The GTS 450's closest competitor is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB, with a delta of -0.2%, meaning they are nearly identical in average score. The AMD FirePro W5130M and AMD Radeon R6 M255DX are also within a percentage point. The GTX 1050 Ti's nearest rival is the AMD Radeon R5 M330, with a delta of 0.6%, and the NVIDIA Quadro K2100M at 1%. This indicates that the GTX 1050 Ti, despite its higher absolute scores, is grouped with older mobile and entry-level parts in the database's ranking scheme.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every major specification category. The process node drops from 40 nm to 14 nm, and the foundry changes from TSMC to Samsung. The GTS 450 uses the GF106 chip, while the GTX 1050 Ti uses GP107. Transistor count rises from 1,170 million to 3,300 million, while die size shrinks from 238 mm² to 132 mm².

Clock speeds tell a similar story. The GTS 450 has no listed base or boost clock, only a memory clock of 902 MHz (3.6 Gbps effective). The GTX 1050 Ti has a base clock of 1291 MHz and a boost clock of 1392 MHz, with a memory clock of 1752 MHz (7 Gbps effective). This higher operating frequency, combined with the architectural improvements, drives the performance gap.

Memory capacity quadruples from 1024 MB to 4 GB, while bandwidth nearly doubles from 57.73 GB/s to 112.1 GB/s. Both retain a 128-bit bus, but the GTX 1050 Ti extracts more throughput from the same bus width.

The compute units scale up: shading units go from 192 to 768, TMUs from 32 to 48, and ROPs from 16 to 32. Pixel rate jumps from 6.264 GPixel/s to 44.54 GPixel/s, and texture rate from 25.06 GTexel/s to 66.82 GTexel/s. FP32 performance rises from 601.3 GFLOPS to 2.138 TFLOPS, and the GTX 1050 Ti adds an FP16 rating of 33.41 GFLOPS (1:64), which the GTS 450 lacks entirely.

Power characteristics reverse direction: TDP drops from 106 W to 75 W, the power connector goes from 1x 6-pin to none, and the suggested PSU falls from 300 W to 250 W. This makes the GTX 1050 Ti both faster and more efficient.

Physical dimensions change as well. The GTS 450 is 210 mm long (8.3 inches), while the GTX 1050 Ti is 145 mm long (5.7 inches). Both are dual-slot cards with a height of 111 mm (4.4 inches). The bus interface upgrades from PCIe 2.0 x16 to PCIe 3.0 x16.

API support diverges on DirectX and Vulkan. The GTS 450 supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but no Vulkan. The GTX 1050 Ti supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. Display outputs also differ: the GTS 450 has 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a, while the GTX 1050 Ti has 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, and 1x DisplayPort 1.4a.

The Verdict

The data points to one clear conclusion: the GTX 1050 Ti is the superior GPU in nearly every measurable way. Its OpenCL score of 18,129 versus the GTS 450's 4,893 is a 73% margin, and its compute, memory, and API capabilities are all generations ahead.

For users running modern applications, the GTX 1050 Ti is the obvious choice. It offers 4 GB of memory, Vulkan support, and a much higher FP32 throughput of 2.138 TFLOPS. Its lower TDP of 75 W also means it can be installed in systems without additional power connectors, making it a more flexible option.

The GTS 450 retains one narrow advantage: its percentile ranking of 28 versus the GTX 1050 Ti's 25. This suggests that in the database's overall distribution, the GTS 450 sits slightly higher relative to all GPUs. However, this is a ranking artifact driven by the GTX 1050 Ti's inclusion of lower-scoring legacy benchmarks, not a reflection of real-world capability.

The GTS 450 is suitable only for legacy systems or very light workloads where its 106 W TDP and 1 GB memory are sufficient. Its lack of Vulkan support and older DirectX 12 (11_0) feature level limit its compatibility with contemporary games and compute applications.

The GTX 1050 Ti, by contrast, is the card for anyone needing a balance of performance, efficiency, and modern feature support. Its 112.1 GB/s bandwidth and 768 shading units provide a solid foundation for 1080p gaming and general compute tasks. The recorded data leaves no ambiguity: the GTX 1050 Ti is the definitive pick between these two.