NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 vs NVIDIA N1 20SM Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The recorded data draws a clear split between these two NVIDIA parts. The GeForce RTX 5050 is a fully benchmarked discrete graphics card with ten recorded test scores, while the N1 20SM is an integrated graphics processor with no recorded benchmark results at all. That single fact dictates the use-case separation.

The RTX 5050 wins every scenario where measurable graphics performance matters. It posts a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2502, a Geekbench OpenCL score of 90334, and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 89381. Its Passmark suite results include a G3D score of 17326, a GPU Compute score of 9184, and older API scores ranging from 66 in DirectX 12 to 186 in DirectX 9. The N1 20SM has no comparable numbers, so in any application that requires rendering, compute, or gaming, the RTX 5050 is the only option with evidence behind it.

The N1 20SM wins in system integration scenarios. It is an IGP with no power connectors, uses a PCIe 5.0 x16 interface, and pairs with 128 GB of LPDDR5X memory on a 256-bit bus. The RTX 5050 requires a dual-slot cooler, a single 8-pin power connector, and a suggested 300 W power supply. For a compact build with no discrete graphics slot or for a system that needs unified memory capacity, the N1 20SM is the practical choice, but only because the database contains no benchmark results to challenge that positioning.

Architecture Differences

Both chips share the Blackwell 2.0 architecture and are manufactured on a 5 nm process at TSMC. The similarities end at the chip level. The RTX 5050 uses the GB207 die with 16,900 million transistors on a 149 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 113.4M per mm². The N1 20SM uses the GB20B die with a larger 382 mm² die size, but the database lists its transistor count as unknown, so no density figure can be calculated.

The shading unit count is identical at 2560, and both parts carry 20 RT cores and 80 tensor cores. The texture and pixel pipelines diverge. The N1 20SM has 160 TMUs versus 80 on the RTX 5050, which gives it a texture rate of 375.4 GTexel/s against 205.8 GTexel/s. The RTX 5050 has 32 ROPs versus 24 on the N1 20SM, producing 82.30 GPixel/s versus 56.30 GPixel/s. The FP32 throughput is close, 13.17 TFLOPS for the RTX 5050 and 12.01 TFLOPS for the N1 20SM, both with 1:1 FP16 ratios.

Clock behavior differs substantially. The RTX 5050 runs at a 2317 MHz base and 2572 MHz boost. The N1 20SM has a low 741 MHz base but boosts to 2346 MHz. The N1 20SM's base clock is roughly a third of the RTX 5050's, yet its boost clock comes within 226 MHz. Memory architecture is a major separator. The RTX 5050 uses 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus at 2500 MHz, delivering 20 Gbps effective and 320.0 GB/s bandwidth. The N1 20SM uses 128 GB of LPDDR5X on a 256-bit bus at 1067 MHz, delivering 8.5 Gbps effective and 273.2 GB/s bandwidth.

API support also splits the pair. The RTX 5050 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The N1 20SM lists N/A for DirectX, OpenGL, and Vulkan. Display outputs differ as well: the RTX 5050 has one HDMI 2.1b and three DisplayPort 2.1b connectors, while the N1 20SM has a single HDMI output.

The Verdict

The data supports one clear choice for any performance-sensitive workload: the GeForce RTX 5050. It has a 66th percentile ranking across all GPUs, an average benchmark score of 21035, and ten recorded test results. The N1 20SM sits at the 50th percentile with an average benchmark score of 0 and no recorded tests. The RTX 5050 also carries a launch MSRP of 249 USD, which the database confirms as its only listed price.

The N1 20SM is appropriate only for integrated use cases where the 128 GB LPDDR5X memory pool and 256-bit bus matter more than raw graphics throughput, and where the absence of API support is acceptable. The RTX 5050's nearest rivals confirm its positioning: it sits 0.6% behind the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL, 1% behind the AMD Radeon HD 8970M, 1.6% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT, and 1.6% behind the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile. Those deltas are small, indicating a tightly contested segment.

For a builder who needs a discrete card with proven DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan support, the RTX 5050 is the only defensible pick from these two. For a system designer who needs an IGP with massive memory capacity and no external power, the N1 20SM fills that niche, but without benchmark evidence to validate its performance.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher raw FP32 throughput?

A: The RTX 5050 delivers 13.17 TFLOPS FP32, while the N1 20SM delivers 12.01 TFLOPS FP32. Both run FP16 at a 1:1 ratio with FP32.

Q: How much memory does each GPU have?

A: The RTX 5050 has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus. The N1 20SM has 128 GB of LPDDR5X on a 256-bit bus.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The RTX 5050 reaches 320.0 GB/s with 20 Gbps effective memory speed. The N1 20SM reaches 273.2 GB/s with 8.5 Gbps effective speed.

Q: Which GPU has more texture mapping units?

A: The N1 20SM has 160 TMUs, double the 80 TMUs on the RTX 5050. Its texture rate is 375.4 GTexel/s versus 205.8 GTexel/s.

Q: Does the N1 20SM support DirectX 12 or Vulkan?

A: The database lists N/A for DirectX, OpenGL, and Vulkan on the N1 20SM. The RTX 5050 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Q: What are the power requirements for each?

A: The RTX 5050 has a 130 W TDP, uses a dual-slot cooler with one 8-pin connector, and suggests a 300 W power supply. The N1 20SM has an unknown TDP, an IGP slot width, and no power connectors.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records no direct head-to-head benchmark comparisons between the RTX 5050 and the N1 20SM. The head-to-head list is empty, and neither winsA nor winsB registers a single entry. However, the RTX 5050's individual benchmark scores provide the only measurable performance data available.

In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, the RTX 5050 scores 2502. This is a modern DirectX 12 workload that stresses ray tracing and mesh shading, and the N1 20SM has no comparable result. The RTX 5050's Geekbench OpenCL score of 90334 and Vulkan score of 89381 show strong compute and graphics API performance. Its Passmark G3D score of 17326 places it in a competitive range, and its GPU Compute score of 9184 indicates general-purpose compute capability.

The RTX 5050's Passmark legacy scores reveal its API scaling. DirectX 9 produces 186, DirectX 11 produces 150, DirectX 10 produces 103, and DirectX 12 produces 66. The G2D score of 1113 is the highest Passmark subtest, reflecting 2D desktop performance. The N1 20SM has zero recorded scores across all these tests, so any comparison must rely solely on the RTX 5050's numbers.

The RTX 5050's nearest rival data provides context. Its average benchmark score of 21035 sits 0.6% below the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL at 21153, 1% below the AMD Radeon HD 8970M at 21237, 1.6% above the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT at 20713, and 1.6% below the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile at 21379. These deltas indicate the RTX 5050 operates within a narrow performance band, roughly 1.6% below its closest competitors and 1.6% above its nearest lower rival.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every measurable specification. The RTX 5050 is a discrete card from the GeForce 50-series, while the N1 20SM is a Blackwell IGP from the N1x generation.

Die size separates them clearly: the RTX 5050 uses a 149 mm² GB207 die with 16,900 million transistors, and the N1 20SM uses a 382 mm² GB20B die with unknown transistor count. The RTX 5050's transistor density is 113.4M per mm², while the N1 20SM has no listed density.

Clocks diverge significantly. The RTX 5050 runs at 2317 MHz base and 2572 MHz boost. The N1 20SM runs at 741 MHz base and 2346 MHz boost. Memory clocks also differ: 2500 MHz with 20 Gbps effective for the RTX 5050, versus 1067 MHz with 8.5 Gbps effective for the N1 20SM.

Memory configuration is the largest gap. The RTX 5050 has 8 GB GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus with 320.0 GB/s bandwidth. The N1 20SM has 128 GB LPDDR5X on a 256-bit bus with 273.2 GB/s bandwidth. The N1 20SM carries 16 times the memory capacity but 15% less bandwidth.

The render output pipeline differs. The RTX 5050 has 32 ROPs and a pixel rate of 82.30 GPixel/s. The N1 20SM has 24 ROPs and a pixel rate of 56.30 GPixel/s. The texture pipeline reverses the trend: the RTX 5050 has 80 TMUs and a 205.8 GTexel/s texture rate, while the N1 20SM has 160 TMUs and a 375.4 GTexel/s texture rate.

Both parts share 2560 shading units, 20 RT cores, and 80 tensor cores. The FP32 and FP16 outputs are 13.17 TFLOPS for the RTX 5050 and 12.01 TFLOPS for the N1 20SM.

Power and physical specifications differ completely. The RTX 5050 has a 130 W TDP, a dual-slot cooler, one 8-pin power connector, and a suggested 300 W PSU. The N1 20SM has an unknown TDP, an IGP slot width, and no power connectors. The bus interface differs: PCIe 5.0 x8 for the RTX 5050 versus PCIe 5.0 x16 for the N1 20SM.

Display outputs are limited on the N1 20SM to a single HDMI port, while the RTX 5050 offers one HDMI 2.1b and three DisplayPort 2.1b outputs. API support is complete on the RTX 5050 with DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, but the N1 20SM lists N/A for all three.

Release timing also differs: the RTX 5050 launched on 2025-06-30 with a 249 USD MSRP, while the N1 20SM launched on 2026-05-31 with no MSRP listed. The RTX 5050 has a predecessor in GeForce 40 and a successor in GeForce 60, while the N1 20SM lists neither.