NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Comparison

The GeForce GTX 1050 Ti and GeForce GTX 650 are separated by three GPU generations, and the benchmark data reflects a massive performance chasm. The GTX 1050 Ti, built on the Pascal architecture, delivers scores that are more than double those of the Kepler-based GTX 650 across every shared test, cementing its status as the significantly faster card in this comparison.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head data is entirely one-sided, with the GTX 1050 Ti claiming victory in all three shared benchmark tests. The largest margin appears in the Geekbench OpenCL test, where the GTX 1050 Ti scores 18,129 points against the GTX 650's 4,545 points. This translates to a delta of 298.9%, meaning the newer card is nearly four times faster in this compute-heavy workload. The OpenCL benchmark is particularly relevant for general-purpose GPU computing tasks, and the data shows the Pascal architecture's substantial advantage in raw throughput.

In the Geekbench Metal test, the GTX 1050 Ti again dominates with a score of 7,834 compared to the GTX 650's 2,400. This represents a 226.4% advantage for the 1050 Ti. Metal is Apple's graphics API, and while both cards are end-of-life products, the score difference highlights how much more capable the 1050 Ti is at handling modern graphics workloads on macOS systems. The GTX 650's Metal score of 2,400 places it far behind even entry-level integrated graphics solutions in the current benchmark database.

The closest margin between the two cards appears in the Geekbench Vulkan test, but it is still a decisive win for the GTX 1050 Ti. The 1050 Ti scores 10,001 points, while the GTX 650 manages 4,524 points, resulting in a 121.1% delta. Vulkan is a low-overhead API that scales well with hardware capabilities, and the 1050 Ti's superior shading units and memory bandwidth give it a clear edge. Even in this "closest" comparison, the GTX 1050 Ti is more than twice as fast.

The average benchmark score further underscores the gap. The GTX 1050 Ti holds an average score of 4,193, placing it in the 25th percentile of all GPUs. The GTX 650 averages 3,823, sitting in the 22nd percentile. While both cards are in the lower quartile of the overall GPU landscape, the 1050 Ti's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon R5 M330 (0.6% slower) and NVIDIA Quadro K2100M (1% slower), while the GTX 650's closest competitor is the NVIDIA GeForce MX110, which is just 0.3% faster. These percentile ranks confirm that neither card is a current performance leader, but the 1050 Ti occupies a noticeably higher performance tier.

Where Each One Wins

The GTX 1050 Ti wins in every measurable category from the FACT PACK, making the use-case split straightforward. For any workload that leverages compute APIs like OpenCL or Vulkan, the 1050 Ti is the only viable option between the two. Its FP32 performance of 2.138 TFLOPS dwarfs the GTX 650's 812.5 GFLOPS, meaning the 1050 Ti can handle physics simulations, video encoding, and other compute tasks without bottlenecking the system. The 1050 Ti also has a significant advantage in pixel rate (44.54 GPixel/s vs 8.464 GPixel/s) and texture rate (66.82 GTexel/s vs 33.86 GTexel/s), making it the clear choice for gaming at higher resolutions or with higher texture quality settings.

The GTX 650, by contrast, has no benchmark wins to point to. Its only advantage lies in its lower power draw of 65 W compared to the 1050 Ti's 75 W, which could matter in extremely constrained small-form-factor builds. It also uses a single-slot cooler, whereas the 1050 Ti is dual-slot. However, these physical characteristics do not translate into any performance benefits. For legacy DirectX 9 or DirectX 10 titles, the GTX 650 might still function, but the 1050 Ti's PassMark DirectX 9 score of 104 versus the GTX 650's lack of a comparable score in the pack suggests the newer card handles older APIs just as well. In every practical scenario—gaming, compute, or media playback—the GTX 1050 Ti is the superior choice.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two cards is generational. The GTX 1050 Ti uses the GP107 chip built on the Pascal architecture, manufactured on a 14 nm process at Samsung. This is a dramatic shrink from the GTX 650's GK106 chip, which uses the Kepler architecture on a 28 nm process from TSMC. The process node difference has profound implications: the 1050 Ti packs 3,300 million transistors into a 132 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 25.0M per mm². The GTX 650, by comparison, contains 2,540 million transistors spread across a much larger 221 mm² die, yielding a density of just 11.5M per mm².

Pascal brought several architectural improvements over Kepler that are evident in the specifications. The 1050 Ti features 768 shading units, while the GTX 650 has only 384. The texture mapping units (TMUs) also double, from 32 on the GTX 650 to 48 on the 1050 Ti, and the render output units (ROPs) double from 16 to 32. These raw resource increases directly explain the 1050 Ti's superior pixel and texture fill rates. The 1050 Ti also supports a higher DirectX feature level of 12_1, whereas the GTX 650 is limited to 12 (11_0). Vulkan support is also more mature on the 1050 Ti, which reports version 1.4 compared to the GTX 650's 1.2.175.

Another key architectural difference is FP16 support. The 1050 Ti has a stated FP16 performance of 33.41 GFLOPS at a 1:64 ratio, while the GTX 650 has no listed FP16 capability. This indicates that the Pascal card has some provision for half-precision compute, even if it is not a strength. The memory subsystem also differs architecturally: the 1050 Ti operates its GDDR5 memory at 1752 MHz (7 Gbps effective), while the GTX 650 runs at 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective). Combined with the same 128-bit bus width, the 1050 Ti achieves 112.1 GB/s of bandwidth versus the GTX 650's 80.00 GB/s.

Specification Differences

The most obvious specification difference is memory capacity. The GTX 1050 Ti ships with 4 GB of GDDR5 memory, while the GTX 650 has only 1024 MB. This 4x difference is critical for modern games that exceed 2 GB of VRAM usage, making the 1050 Ti far more future-proof for texture-heavy workloads. Memory bandwidth also favors the 1050 Ti at 112.1 GB/s versus 80.00 GB/s, a 40% advantage that reduces stuttering in high-resolution scenarios.

Clock speeds are another clear differentiator, though the GTX 650 does not list base or boost clocks in the data. The 1050 Ti runs at a base clock of 1291 MHz with a boost clock of 1392 MHz. The GTX 650's memory clock is lower at 1250 MHz, and its shading unit count is half that of the 1050 Ti. The power delivery systems also differ: the 1050 Ti draws no additional power connectors (relying solely on the PCIe slot, with a 75 W TDP), while the GTX 650 requires a single 6-pin connector despite its lower 65 W TDP. Both cards suggest a 250 W power supply.

Physical dimensions differ slightly, with the 1050 Ti measuring 145 mm in length and the GTX 650 at 147 mm. The 1050 Ti is dual-slot, while the GTX 650 is single-slot. Display outputs also vary: the 1050 Ti offers 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, and 1x DisplayPort 1.4a, whereas the GTX 650 provides 1x DVI and 2x DisplayPort 1.2. The 1050 Ti's HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort 1.4a support newer display standards. The release dates are separated by about three years, with the GTX 650 launching in late 2013 and the 1050 Ti in late 2016. The 1050 Ti had a launch MSRP of 139 USD. The GTX 650 has no listed launch MSRP.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the GTX 1050 Ti in OpenCL compute workloads?

A: The GTX 1050 Ti scores 18,129 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 298.9% higher than the GTX 650's score of 4,545.

Q: Which card has more VRAM, and why does it matter?

A: The GTX 1050 Ti has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory, four times the 1024 MB on the GTX 650. This difference allows the 1050 Ti to handle larger textures and higher resolution assets without running out of memory.

Q: Does the GTX 650 beat the 1050 Ti in any shared benchmark?

A: No. The GTX 1050 Ti wins all three head-to-head benchmark tests (Geekbench Metal, OpenCL, and Vulkan), with deltas ranging from 121.1% to 298.9%.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The GTX 1050 Ti has a 75 W TDP and requires no additional power connectors, while the GTX 650 has a 65 W TDP but needs one 6-pin power connector. Both cards recommend a 250 W power supply.

Q: Which card supports newer display outputs?

A: The GTX 1050 Ti supports HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort 1.4a, while the GTX 650 is limited to DisplayPort 1.2 and DVI. This makes the 1050 Ti compatible with higher refresh rate monitors and newer display features.

Q: How do the two cards compare in overall GPU percentile ranking?

A: The GTX 1050 Ti sits in the 25th percentile of all GPUs, while the GTX 650 is in the 22nd percentile. Their average benchmark scores are 4,193 and 3,823, respectively.