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Geforce GTX 1050 vs Radeon RX 580

Quick Verdict

The Radeon RX 580 pulls ahead here — in a different league, about 100% ahead of the Geforce GTX 1050. It also wins on performance-per-dollar, making it the cleaner choice when you can afford it.

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

VS
Price
€210
Performance
3/100
VRAM
2 GB GDDR5
Key Specs Advantage
+9% Boost Clock (1,455 MHz vs 1,340 MHz)
AMD Radeon
RX 580
Price
€148
Performance
6/100
VRAM
8 GB GDDR5
Key Specs Advantage
+260% Stream Processors (2,304 vs 640)
+129% Bandwidth (256 GB/s vs 112 GB/s)
+100% Memory Bus (256-bit vs 128-bit)

Radeon RX 580 vs Geforce GTX 1050: In-Depth Breakdown

Performance: Radeon RX 580 vs Geforce GTX 1050

The Radeon RX 580 is dramatically faster, around 100% ahead of the Geforce GTX 1050. Both cards sit in the same broad class, well suited to entry-level 1080p.

Price & Value

Pricing has the Radeon RX 580 at $50 EUR, $160 EUR under the Geforce GTX 1050's $210 EUR. Because it's both faster and competitively priced, the Radeon RX 580 wins on performance-per-dollar by about 740%. The Radeon RX 580 is trading below its $229 EUR MSRP — a genuine deal. The Geforce GTX 1050 still sits about $101 EUR above its $109 EUR MSRP.

Power & Efficiency

Power draw favors the Geforce GTX 1050 (75W vs 185W), and it's the more efficient card too, so it's the easy pick if thermals or a smaller PSU matter.

VRAM & Future-Proofing

The Radeon RX 580 carries 8GB versus 2GB on the Geforce GTX 1050. The extra 6GB helps at 4K, with high-resolution texture packs, and for content-creation or local-AI workloads that exhaust smaller buffers.

Features & Ecosystem

Beyond raw numbers, the Geforce GTX 1050 brings NVIDIA DLSS upscaling/frame generation and stronger ray tracing, while the Radeon RX 580 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 or Radeon RX 580?

The Radeon RX 580 is the all-round winner here — it's faster and the better value, so buy it if it fits your budget. Only consider the Geforce GTX 1050 if you find it at a steep discount.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Radeon RX 580 better than the Geforce GTX 1050?

The Radeon RX 580 is dramatically faster, roughly 100% ahead. If your budget allows, it's the stronger pick.

Which is better for 4K gaming, the Geforce GTX 1050 or the Radeon RX 580?

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 worth the extra $160 EUR over the Radeon RX 580?

Only if you need the extra performance or features; on pure value the Radeon RX 580 comes out ahead.

Does the Radeon RX 580 have enough VRAM advantage to matter?

Its 8GB (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 or Radeon RX 580?

The Radeon RX 580 is the all-round winner here — it's faster and the better value, so buy it if it fits your budget. Only consider the Geforce GTX 1050 if you find it at a steep discount.

Technical Specifications Comparison

Architecture & Cores

Architecture & Cores specifications comparison between Geforce GTX 1050 and Radeon RX 580
SpecificationGeforce GTX 1050Radeon RX 580
ArchitecturePascalGCN 4.0 (Polaris)
Process NodeSamsung 14nmGloFo 14nm
CUDA Cores (CUDA Cores / Stream Processors)6402,304

Clock Speeds

Clock Speeds specifications comparison between Geforce GTX 1050 and Radeon RX 580
SpecificationGeforce GTX 1050Radeon RX 580
Base Clock1,354 MHz1,257 MHz
Boost Clock1,455 MHz1,340 MHz

Memory

Memory specifications comparison between Geforce GTX 1050 and Radeon RX 580
SpecificationGeforce GTX 1050Radeon RX 580
VRAM Capacity2 GB8 GB
Memory TypeGDDR5GDDR5
Memory Bus128-bit256-bit
Memory Speed7 Gbps8 Gbps
Bandwidth112 GB/s256 GB/s

Connectivity & Power

Connectivity & Power specifications comparison between Geforce GTX 1050 and Radeon RX 580
SpecificationGeforce GTX 1050Radeon RX 580
InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16PCIe 3.0 x16
TDP75 W185 W
Power ConnectorsNone1x 8-pin
ReleasedOct 2016Apr 2017