NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile 3 GB

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile 3 GB is an end-of-life mobile graphics solution built on the 14 nm Pascal architecture and the GP107 chip, featuring 768 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 ROPs. With a base clock of 1366 MHz and a boost clock of 1442 MHz, the card delivers 2.215 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, 69.22 GTexel/s of texture fill, and 34.61 GPixel/s of pixel throughput, placing it in the 50th percentile of all GPUs in the database.

Benchmark Performance

The GTX 1050 Mobile 3 GB occupies the median position in the database, sitting at the 50th percentile among all GPUs. This is a decidedly mid-pack result, indicating that the card delivers roughly average performance relative to the entire spectrum of graphics hardware, from entry-level integrated solutions to flagship discrete cards. The benchmark data shows no specific synthetic scores for this part, so its ranking must be interpreted through its hardware configuration and architectural traits rather than direct measured outputs.

The card’s FP32 throughput of 2.215 TFLOPS is the primary driver of its rasterization performance. In practical terms, this level of compute power is sufficient for 1080p gaming at medium to high settings in most titles from its era, though it will struggle with maximum detail presets or more demanding modern releases. The pixel rate of 34.61 GPixel/s and texture rate of 69.22 GTexel/s are consistent with a 768-shader-part design operating at modest clocks, and these figures dictate that the card is better suited to resolutions at or below 1080p rather than 1440p or higher.

The absence of nearest rival data in the fact pack means no direct percentage deltas can be cited against specific competing models. However, the 50th percentile ranking implies that the GTX 1050 Mobile 3 GB sits squarely between the lower-tier and upper-tier segments of the mobile GPU market. Compared to the preceding GeForce 900M series, this card benefits from the Pascal architecture’s improved clock-for-clock efficiency, but it lacks the hardware resources of its successor, the GeForce 20 Mobile series, which introduced new features and higher compute densities.

How It Compares

The fact pack does not list any nearest rivals for this GPU, so no direct comparative analysis against specific alternative models can be provided. The card’s position in the database, however, places it in a competitive zone where it would typically face other 14 nm or similar-generation mobile parts with comparable shader counts and memory configurations. Without explicit rival scores or deltaPct values, the assessment must rely on the card’s own specifications and its percentile standing.

Given the 50th percentile rank, the GTX 1050 Mobile 3 GB is neither a standout performer nor a laggard. It represents a balanced midpoint in the performance spectrum, likely aligning with other mid-range mobile GPUs of its generation. The Pascal architecture’s efficiency advantage over the older GeForce 900M series is evident in the 14 nm process node and the 3,300 million transistor count within a 132 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 25.0M per mm². These figures indicate a mature, well-optimized design that delivers consistent performance without excessive power draw.

The card’s 75 W TDP is a critical factor in its mobile deployment, as it allows for thinner laptop designs while still providing reasonable gaming capability. This power envelope is modest by modern standards, and it constrains the card’s ability to sustain high boost clocks under heavy load, though the 1442 MHz boost specification is respectable for the class. The lack of power connectors further underscores its low-power design, drawing all its energy from the PCIe slot and motherboard.

Ray Tracing and Feature Set

The GTX 1050 Mobile 3 GB does not include dedicated ray tracing cores or tensor cores, as indicated by the null values in the fact pack for these hardware units. This is consistent with its Pascal architecture, which predates the introduction of hardware-accelerated ray tracing in the GeForce 20 series. Consequently, any ray tracing workloads on this card would be handled through compute shaders or software fallbacks, resulting in significantly reduced performance compared to dedicated RT hardware.

The card’s API support includes DirectX 12 with feature level 12_1, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. This feature set provides broad compatibility with modern games and applications, though the absence of hardware RT and tensor cores means that features like DLSS and advanced ray-traced effects are not available. The DirectX 12_1 feature level supports conservative rasterization and rasterizer-ordered views, but it lacks the mesh shaders and variable rate shading found in later API revisions.

The 96-bit memory bus and 3 GB of GDDR5 memory operating at 1752 MHz (7 Gbps effective) yield a bandwidth of 84.10 GB/s. This memory bandwidth is a limiting factor for high-resolution textures and heavy post-processing effects, as the card’s compute capability can outpace its ability to feed data from VRAM. For the feature set, the card supports standard display outputs that are portable device dependent, meaning the actual ports vary by laptop manufacturer.

Who Should Consider It

The GTX 1050 Mobile 3 GB is best suited for gamers who prioritize 1080p resolution with medium to high settings in esports titles and older AAA games. The card’s 2.215 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 84.10 GB/s of memory bandwidth are adequate for maintaining playable frame rates in these scenarios, but the 3 GB VRAM capacity will require texture quality reductions in games that exceed this limit. At 1440p resolution, the card will likely deliver sub-60 FPS performance in most demanding titles, making it less suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors at that resolution.

For users targeting 720p gaming or less demanding eSports titles like Counter-Strike or Overwatch, the GTX 1050 Mobile 3 GB provides headroom for high or ultra settings with smooth frame rates. The 50th percentile ranking suggests that it outperforms the bottom half of the GPU market, making it a viable option for budget-conscious laptop buyers who need reliable 1080p gaming without sacrificing portability. The 75 W TDP is conducive to thinner and lighter chassis, which is a significant advantage for users who travel frequently.

However, the lack of ray tracing cores and tensor cores limits the card’s future-proofing. As more games adopt hardware-accelerated ray tracing and DLSS, the GTX 1050 Mobile 3 GB will increasingly rely on lower graphical presets to maintain performance. Users who anticipate playing upcoming titles with advanced visual features should consider a GPU from the GeForce 20 Mobile series or later, which offer these capabilities.

Memory Subsystem

The GTX 1050 Mobile 3 GB is equipped with 3 GB of GDDR5 memory arranged across a 96-bit bus, running at 1752 MHz with an effective data rate of 7 Gbps. This configuration yields a total memory bandwidth of 84.10 GB/s, which is a crucial metric for determining performance at higher resolutions and with texture-heavy workloads. The 96-bit bus is narrower than what is found on higher-tier GPUs, limiting the amount of data that can be transferred between the memory and the GPU core each clock cycle.

At 1080p resolution, 3 GB of VRAM is generally sufficient for most games from the card’s generation, though some titles with high-resolution texture packs may exceed this capacity, causing the card to fall back to slower system memory. The 84.10 GB/s bandwidth is adequate for the card’s compute capabilities, but it will become a bottleneck in scenarios where the GPU is processing large amounts of texture data, such as in open-world games with expansive environments. The memory clock of 1752 MHz is standard for GDDR5, and the effective 7 Gbps rate is typical for mid-range GPUs of this era.

For high-resolution gaming beyond 1080p, the memory subsystem is the primary constraint. The combination of 3 GB capacity and 84.10 GB/s bandwidth means that 1440p gaming will require reduced texture quality and potentially lower shadow settings to avoid stuttering and frame drops. The card’s pixel rate of 34.61 GPixel/s and texture rate of 69.22 GTexel/s further indicate that it is not designed to handle the fill rate demands of 1440p or 4K resolutions. Users seeking higher-resolution performance would need to look at GPUs with larger memory buses and higher bandwidth figures.