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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. The Radeon R9 380, however, delivers more performance per dollar — $1,842 SEK cheaper.

Market Value Leader

Radeon R9 380 is the clear winner, offering 421.5% better value than GeForce GTX 1050 Ti.

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

VS
Price
SEK 2,151
Performance
4/100
VRAM
4 GB GDDR5
Key Specs Advantage
+44% Boost Clock (1,392 MHz vs 970 MHz)
AMD
Radeon R9 380
Price
SEK 309
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 $309 SEK against $2,151 SEK for the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti. Despite being slower, the Radeon R9 380 offers the better performance-per-dollar (~421% better value), so budget-focused buyers should weigh it carefully. The Radeon R9 380 still sits about $110 SEK above its $199 SEK MSRP. The GeForce GTX 1050 Ti still sits about $2,012 SEK above its $139 SEK MSRP.

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?

Choose the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti if you want the most performance and can absorb the higher price. If you're optimizing for value, the Radeon R9 380 stretches your money further for only slightly lower performance.

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. The Radeon R9 380 is still worth it if value matters more than top-end frames.

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 $1,842 SEK over the Radeon R9 380?

Only if you need the extra performance or features; on pure value the Radeon R9 380 comes out ahead.

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?

Choose the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti if you want the most performance and can absorb the higher price. If you're optimizing for value, the Radeon R9 380 stretches your money further for only slightly lower performance.

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