Geforce GTX 1050 vs Radeon R9 380X
On performance, the Geforce GTX 1050 and Radeon R9 380X are effectively a dead heat — under a few percent apart. It is also the stronger value pick here, so it's the easy recommendation if your budget allows.
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Geforce GTX 1050 vs Radeon R9 380X: In-Depth Breakdown
Performance: Geforce GTX 1050 vs Radeon R9 380X
The Geforce GTX 1050 and Radeon R9 380X post nearly the same score in our performance index, so neither holds a meaningful raw-speed advantage. Both are best suited to entry-level 1080p gaming.
Price & Value
Right now the Geforce GTX 1050 starts at $65 USD against $349 USD for the Radeon R9 380X. Because it's both faster and competitively priced, the Geforce GTX 1050 wins on performance-per-dollar by about 437%. The Geforce GTX 1050 is trading below its $109 USD MSRP — a genuine deal. The Radeon R9 380X still sits about $120 USD above its $229 USD MSRP.
Power & Efficiency
The Geforce GTX 1050 sips power at 75W next to the Radeon R9 380X's 190W, and still leads on performance-per-watt — quieter, cooler, and gentler on your PSU. Its more modern Pascal architecture on a Samsung 14nm process is part of why it does more with each watt.
VRAM & Future-Proofing
The Radeon R9 380X's 4GB (vs 2GB on the Geforce GTX 1050) gives it more room for 4K textures and memory-hungry creative or AI workloads.
Features & Ecosystem
Beyond raw numbers, the Geforce GTX 1050 brings NVIDIA DLSS upscaling/frame generation and stronger ray tracing, while the Radeon R9 380X 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 R9 380X?
The Geforce GTX 1050 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 380X if you find it at a steep discount.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Geforce GTX 1050 better than the Radeon R9 380X?
Which is better for 4K gaming, the Geforce GTX 1050 or the Radeon R9 380X?
Is the Radeon R9 380X worth the extra $284 USD over the Geforce GTX 1050?
Does the Radeon R9 380X have enough VRAM advantage to matter?
Which should you buy: Geforce GTX 1050 or Radeon R9 380X?
Technical Specifications Comparison
Architecture & Cores
| Specification | Geforce GTX 1050 | Radeon R9 380X |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Pascal | GCN 3.0 |
| Process Node | Samsung 14nm | TSMC 28nm |
| CUDA Cores (CUDA Cores / Stream Processors) | 640 | 2,048✓ |
Clock Speeds
| Specification | Geforce GTX 1050 | Radeon R9 380X |
|---|---|---|
| Base Clock | 1,354 MHz✓ | 970 MHz |
| Boost Clock | 1,455 MHz✓ | 970 MHz |
Memory
| Specification | Geforce GTX 1050 | Radeon R9 380X |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 2 GB | 4 GB✓ |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bus | 128-bit | 256-bit✓ |
| Memory Speed | 7 Gbps✓ | 5.7 Gbps |
| Bandwidth | 112 GB/s | 182.4 GB/s✓ |
Connectivity & Power
| Specification | Geforce GTX 1050 | Radeon R9 380X |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |
| TDP | 75 W✓ | 190 W |
| Power Connectors | None | 2x 6-pin |
| Released | Oct 2016 | Nov 2015 |