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GeForce GTX 1050 Ti vs Radeon R9 380

Quick Verdict

The GeForce GTX 1050 Ti is significantly faster than the Radeon R9 380, leading by roughly 33% in our performance index. It is also the stronger value pick here, so it's the easy recommendation if your budget allows.

Market Value Leader

GeForce GTX 1050 Ti is the clear winner, offering 29.6% better value than Radeon R9 380.

Maximum Capacity Reached. Remove a model to add another. (2/2)

VS
AMD
Radeon R9 380
Price
€20
Performance
3/100
VRAM
2 GB GDDR5
Key Specs Advantage
+133% Stream Processors (1,792 vs 768)
+100% Memory Bus (256-bit vs 128-bit)
+57% Bandwidth (176 GB/s vs 112 GB/s)

GeForce GTX 1050 Ti vs Radeon R9 380: In-Depth Breakdown

Performance: GeForce GTX 1050 Ti vs Radeon R9 380

The GeForce GTX 1050 Ti is significantly faster, around 33% ahead of the Radeon R9 380. Both cards sit in the same broad class, well suited to entry-level 1080p.

Price & Value

Right now the Radeon R9 380 starts at $20 EUR against $21 EUR for the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti. Because it's both faster and competitively priced, the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti wins on performance-per-dollar by about 30%. The Radeon R9 380 is trading below its $199 EUR MSRP — a genuine deal. The GeForce GTX 1050 Ti is trading below its $139 EUR MSRP — a genuine deal.

Power & Efficiency

The GeForce GTX 1050 Ti draws just 75W versus 190W for the Radeon R9 380, and it also delivers more performance per watt — so it runs cooler and quieter and needs less PSU headroom. Its more modern Pascal architecture on a Samsung 14nm process is part of why it does more with each watt.

VRAM & Future-Proofing

With 4GB against 2GB, the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti has more headroom for 4K textures and memory-hungry creative/AI tasks where the Radeon R9 380's 2GB can fall short.

Features & Ecosystem

Beyond raw numbers, the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti brings NVIDIA DLSS upscaling/frame generation and stronger ray tracing, while the Radeon R9 380 offers AMD FSR upscaling and strong rasterization value. If you lean on upscaling or ray tracing, that ecosystem difference can matter as much as the frame-rate gap.

Which should you buy: GeForce GTX 1050 Ti or Radeon R9 380?

The GeForce GTX 1050 Ti is the all-round winner here — it's faster and the better value, so buy it if it fits your budget. Only consider the Radeon R9 380 if you find it at a steep discount.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti better than the Radeon R9 380?

The GeForce GTX 1050 Ti is significantly faster, roughly 33% ahead. If your budget allows, it's the stronger pick.

Which is better for 4K gaming, the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti or the Radeon R9 380?

Neither is a dedicated 4K card; both are best at entry-level 1080p. For 4K you'd want a faster GPU, or lean on upscaling.

Is the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti worth the extra $1 EUR over the Radeon R9 380?

Often yes — despite the higher price the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti delivers better performance-per-dollar here.

Does the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti have enough VRAM advantage to matter?

Its 4GB (vs 2GB) gives real headroom for 4K, heavy texture mods, and creative/AI work. At 1080p the gap matters less.

Which should you buy: GeForce GTX 1050 Ti or Radeon R9 380?

The GeForce GTX 1050 Ti is the all-round winner here — it's faster and the better value, so buy it if it fits your budget. Only consider the Radeon R9 380 if you find it at a steep discount.

Technical Specifications Comparison

Architecture & Cores

Architecture & Cores specifications comparison between GeForce GTX 1050 Ti and Radeon R9 380
SpecificationGeForce GTX 1050 TiRadeon R9 380
ArchitecturePascalGCN 3.0
Process NodeSamsung 14nmTSMC 28nm
CUDA Cores (CUDA Cores / Stream Processors)7681,792

Clock Speeds

Clock Speeds specifications comparison between GeForce GTX 1050 Ti and Radeon R9 380
SpecificationGeForce GTX 1050 TiRadeon R9 380
Base Clock1,290 MHz970 MHz
Boost Clock1,392 MHz970 MHz

Memory

Memory specifications comparison between GeForce GTX 1050 Ti and Radeon R9 380
SpecificationGeForce GTX 1050 TiRadeon R9 380
VRAM Capacity4 GB2 GB
Memory TypeGDDR5GDDR5
Memory Bus128-bit256-bit
Memory Speed7 Gbps5.5 Gbps
Bandwidth112 GB/s176 GB/s

Connectivity & Power

Connectivity & Power specifications comparison between GeForce GTX 1050 Ti and Radeon R9 380
SpecificationGeForce GTX 1050 TiRadeon R9 380
InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16PCIe 3.0 x16
TDP75 W190 W
Power ConnectorsNone2x 6-pin
ReleasedOct 2016Jun 2015