The GTX 1050 and GTX 1050 Ti have both launched.
This is not an “exciting” launch where a new $150 card beats last year’s $500 card, but it is a good launch nonetheless. NVIDIA has new $110 and $150 cards, and they both perform well for their respective price points.
- The $110 GTX 1050 beats the $100 AMD RX 460 by a small margin, and the price is higher by a small margin, too.
- The $140 GTX 1050 Ti replaces the GTX 960, and it is cheaper. Or, at least, cheaper for now!
It is not very easy to talk about relative performance, since different sites are benchmarking games in a different manner. Some sites focus more on new DX12 titles. Some mix old and new titles. Some sites conclusively show that the GTX 1050 Ti beats the GTX 960. Some show that it is roughly equal. We are going to go with TechPowerUp’s relative benches for now (see bottom of article for links).
The good news is that even if the benchmarks are quite varied, the cards are still logical purchases, as long as you get them for the suggested retail price. The GTX 1050 is a good purchase in the $110-$120 range, and the GTX 1050 Ti is a good purchase in the $140-$150 range.
We have newly-discounted AMD options that help a potential buyer make a logical decision:
- The RX 460 price has been reduced to $100. If the GTX 1050 is much more expensive than $110, it is no longer worth the price premium.
- The RX 470 is now $170. If the GTX 1050 Ti gets too close to that price, the RX 470 is the better purchase.
Pricing can be an issue, as we have seen with the launches this year. The RX 480/470 have been above suggested retail price for a long time, getting “discounted” to those prices only a few days ago. The GTX 1070 and 1080 have been above their suggested prices as well, and those two cards have no competition to help bring prices down. For the GTX 1050 and 1050 Ti, we hope that prices stay sane!
One sad bit of news: Due to the price cuts, the GTX 750 Ti is no longer a logical purchase. Its price needs to fall significantly below the RX 460. This was a good card, and has been in the Logical Increments guide for two and a half years! On behalf of budget-conscious gamers everywhere, we salute the GTX 750 Ti for its service. RIP.
In conclusion, here is what we are doing at Logical Increments, starting with the United States guide and continuing as the cards become available in other countries:
- The GTX 750 Ti has been removed from Modest tier, replaced with the RX 460.
- The GTX 1050 has been added to the Good tier, replacing the GTX 950 and R7 370.
- The GTX 1050 Ti has been added to the Very Good tier, replacing the GTX 960 and R9 380.
Sources: