NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 is an end-of-life Pascal architecture GPU built on Samsung's 14 nm process, featuring 3,300 million transistors on a 132 mm² die. It is positioned in the low-end segment of the GeForce 10-series, with an average benchmark score of 4449 placing it at the 24th percentile of all GPUs. The card operates with a base clock of 1354 MHz and a boost clock of 1455 MHz, paired with 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 112.1 GB/s of bandwidth.

Benchmark Performance

The benchmark data shows the GTX 1050 performing within a tight cluster of low-end competitors, with its average score of 4449 separating it by margins of less than four percent from all nearest rivals. In the PassMark G3D test, the card scores 5028, while its compute workload result is 2091, reflecting a modest compute-to-graphics ratio. The Geekbench OpenCL score reaches 17471, with Vulkan at 15782 and Metal at 7823, indicating that the card's compute performance varies significantly across different API implementations.

DirectX performance shows notable variance across feature levels. The PassMark DirectX 11 score of 38 is nearly double the DirectX 12 score of 20, while DirectX 9 achieves 83 and DirectX 10 bottoms out at 24. This pattern suggests the architecture handles legacy APIs more efficiently than modern ones. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 result of 122 is particularly low, reinforcing the card's weakness in current-generation API workloads. The 2D performance score of 457 indicates basic desktop acceleration capability.

The FP32 compute throughput is 1.862 TFLOPS, with FP16 performance drastically reduced to 29.10 GFLOPS at a 1:64 ratio, which is negligible for general purpose computing tasks. Pixel fill rate stands at 46.56 GPixel/s and texture fill rate at 58.20 GTexel/s, figures consistent with its 640 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 32 render output units. These raw throughput numbers place the GTX 1050 firmly in entry-level territory, where it competes primarily with integrated graphics and older low-end mobile parts.

Ray Tracing and Feature Set

The GTX 1050 has no dedicated ray tracing cores and no tensor cores, as these hardware features were introduced in the subsequent GeForce 20 series. The card relies entirely on the Pascal architecture's standard shader pipeline for rendering, which means it has no hardware-accelerated ray tracing capability whatsoever. Software-based ray tracing would be impractical given the 1.862 TFLOPS FP32 throughput, which is insufficient for real-time ray tracing workloads.

The feature set is defined by its API support rather than specialized hardware. The card supports DirectX 12 with feature level 12_1, which includes conservative rasterization and rasterizer-ordered views but excludes DirectX Raytracing. OpenGL 4.6 is supported, as is Vulkan 1.4, providing access to modern graphics APIs for those willing to work within the card's performance envelope. Display output includes one DVI port, one HDMI 2.0 connector, and one DisplayPort 1.4a, allowing for standard multi-monitor setups, though the 2 GB memory capacity limits high-resolution textures.

The lack of tensor cores also means no hardware acceleration for AI-based features such as deep learning super sampling or neural network processing. The 14 nm process node and 3,300 million transistor count are architectural facts that determine the card's efficiency, but the feature set is fundamentally that of a mid-2010s mainstream GPU, focused on traditional rasterization rather than emerging rendering techniques.

How It Compares

Against the AMD Radeon R7 Graphics, the GTX 1050 trails by 0.1 percent in average benchmark score (4449 vs 4453). This effectively places the two cards at parity, with the discrete NVIDIA part offering no meaningful performance advantage over the integrated AMD solution. The delta is within measurement noise, making this a statistical tie.

The AMD FirePro W4190M is 0.8 percent slower than the GTX 1050, scoring 4413 against 4449. This professional mobile part is essentially matched by the consumer desktop card, though the FirePro's workstation drivers and certification may justify its existence in professional environments. For gaming purposes, the GTX 1050 holds a slight edge that is unlikely to be perceptible in real-world use.

The AMD Radeon R5 M230, with a score of 4596, is 3.2 percent faster than the GTX 1050. This is the only rival in the nearest group that beats the NVIDIA card, though the margin remains small. The R5 M230's advantage in average score does not translate to a significant gaming lead, as both cards struggle with modern titles at playable settings.

The AMD FirePro W2100 scores 4295, which is 3.6 percent behind the GTX 1050. This represents the largest performance gap in the rival group, yet still places the FirePro within the same performance tier. The GTX 1050's advantage here is the most pronounced among its nearest competitors, but all four rivals sit within a 7 percent performance band centered on the GTX 1050.

Power and Cooling

The GTX 1050 has a thermal design power of 75 W, which is low enough to eliminate the need for external power connectors — the card draws all its power from the PCIe 3.0 x16 slot. The recommended power supply is 250 W, a figure that accommodates the card's modest draw while leaving headroom for a typical entry-level system. The dual-slot cooler design, measuring 145 mm in length and 111 mm in height, dissipates the 75 W thermal load with a simple passive or low-speed fan solution.

The absence of power connectors simplifies installation in pre-built systems and small form factor cases, as no additional power cabling is required. The 75 W TDP also means the card produces minimal heat, which can be managed by the dual-slot heatsink without aggressive fan curves. The 14 nm process from Samsung contributes to this efficiency, though the specific thermal characteristics are implied by the TDP rather than measured directly.

The PCIe 3.0 x16 interface provides sufficient bandwidth for the card's 112.1 GB/s memory throughput, and the 2 GB GDDR5 frame buffer operates at 1752 MHz with 7 Gbps effective speed. The 250 W PSU recommendation is conservative, allowing the card to run in systems with modest power supplies that might struggle with higher-end GPUs. The slot width of dual-slot is standard for this performance class, ensuring compatibility with most chassis designs.

Who Should Consider It

The GTX 1050 is appropriate for users targeting 1080p resolution at low to medium settings in older or less demanding games, based on its PassMark scores and the 24th percentile standing among all GPUs. The DirectX 9 score of 83 suggests reasonable performance in legacy titles, while the DirectX 11 score of 38 indicates playable frame rates in games from the early 2010s era. Modern DirectX 12 titles will be challenging, as the score of 20 and the Steel Nomad result of 122 demonstrate significant performance degradation.

Users with a 250 W power supply or those building in small form factor systems without PCIe power connectors will find the GTX 1050 fits their constraints, as the 75 W TDP and connector-free design remove common installation barriers. The 2 GB memory capacity is suitable for 1080p textures at low settings, but will become a bottleneck with high-resolution texture packs or games exceeding this capacity. The card's end-of-life production status means it is only available through used or clearance channels, which prospective buyers should factor into their decisions.

For productivity tasks, the Geekbench OpenCL score of 17471 and Vulkan score of 15782 indicate basic compute capability for light workloads, though the 1:64 FP16 ratio makes it unsuitable for machine learning or scientific computing. The FirePro W2100's proximity in performance suggests that the GTX 1050 can handle entry-level CAD or office applications, but professional certifications are absent. Gamers on a strict 1080p budget with older titles or esports games will find the GTX 1050 adequate, while those expecting to play recent AAA releases at high settings should look to substantially faster cards, as the data clearly shows this GPU sits at the bottom quartile of overall performance.