The release of Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 and 1050 Ti graphics cards, although relatively late, has shaken up the budget graphics card market.
Previously, AMD’s Radeon RX 460 and RX 470 were the only new-generation graphics cards in the market segment.
Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 1050 and 1050 Ti graphics cards are focussed on power efficiency and value over raw performance, and offer budget gamers a decent 1080p gaming experience.
We’ve selected the latest generation of graphics cards for comparison, as they offer the best performance per Rand out of any graphics card series.
Specifications and Performance
We selected the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 and 1050 Ti along with AMD’s Radeon RX 460 and RX 470 graphics cards.
Below are the specifications and FireStrike scores of the graphics cards selected for comparison.
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Specifications
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Base Clock | Boost Clock | Memory | Interface | TDP |
FireStrike
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GeForce GTX 1050 Ti | 1,290MHz | 1,392MHz | 4GB GDDR5 | 128-bit | 75W | 7,449 |
| GeForce GTX 1050 | 1,354MHz | 1,455MHz | 2GB GDDR5 | 128-bit | 75W | 6,643 |
| Radeon RX 470 | 926MHz | 1,206MHz | 4/8GB GDDR5 | 256-bit | 120W | 9,740 |
| Radeon RX 460 | 1,090MHz | 1,200MHz | 2/4GB GDDR5 | 128-bit | 75W | 5,526 |
Performance per Rand
Using the performance per Rand data we compiled using FireStrike benchmarks and stable pricing data, we can compare the rough value of each budget-oriented graphics card.
Check out the performance per rand comparison results below:
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Graphics Card
|
Performance per Rand
|
|---|---|
| GeForce GTX 1050 Ti | 2.24 |
| GeForce GTX 1050 | 2.33 |
| Radeon RX 470 | 2.21 |
| Radeon RX 460 | 1.98 |
Verdict
While the Radeon RX 460 is AMD’s value-oriented graphics card, it seems to be easily beaten by the Nvidia budget graphics cards in terms of performance and value.
The Radeon RX 470 puts up more of a fight however, and competes heavily with Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 1050 and 1050 Ti cards, losing out slightly in terms of value but surpassing both in performance.
With its 8GB of memory, the Radeon RX 470 remains a solid choice for budget gamers looking for the best performance.
The GeForce GTX 1050 and GTX 1050 Ti deliver great performance at a competitive price, allowing budget gamers to get a decent performance upgrade while remaining in the same hardware pricing bracket.
The margin of error is slightly greater when comparing the GTX 1050 graphics cards to others, as they are Asus Expedition cards, and not available in a Strix design.
All of these graphics cards will be able to handle 1080p gaming, granting budget PC gamers better graphics and smoother gameplay than ever before.
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