Geforce GTX 1050 vs Radeon RX 550
Performance-wise the Geforce GTX 1050 is out front, dramatically faster, roughly 200% up on the Radeon RX 550. 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 RX 550: In-Depth Breakdown
Performance: Geforce GTX 1050 vs Radeon RX 550
The Geforce GTX 1050 is dramatically faster, around 200% ahead of the Radeon RX 550. Both cards sit in the same broad class, well suited to entry-level 1080p.
Price & Value
Right now the Radeon RX 550 starts at $50 USD against $65 USD for the Geforce GTX 1050. Because it's both faster and competitively priced, the Geforce GTX 1050 wins on performance-per-dollar by about 131%. The Radeon RX 550 is trading below its $79 USD MSRP — a genuine deal. The Geforce GTX 1050 is trading below its $109 USD MSRP — a genuine deal.
Power & Efficiency
The Radeon RX 550 is the lighter draw at 50W against the Geforce GTX 1050's 75W, making it the easier card to power and cool. The Geforce GTX 1050 draws more in absolute terms but squeezes out more performance per watt, so budget for a beefier PSU if you go that route.
Features & Ecosystem
Beyond raw numbers, the Geforce GTX 1050 brings NVIDIA DLSS upscaling/frame generation and stronger ray tracing, while the Radeon RX 550 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 550?
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 RX 550 if you find it at a steep discount.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Geforce GTX 1050 better than the Radeon RX 550?
Which is better for 4K gaming, the Geforce GTX 1050 or the Radeon RX 550?
Is the Geforce GTX 1050 worth the extra $15 USD over the Radeon RX 550?
Which should you buy: Geforce GTX 1050 or Radeon RX 550?
Technical Specifications Comparison
Architecture & Cores
| Specification | Geforce GTX 1050 | Radeon RX 550 |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Pascal | GCN 4.0 (Polaris) |
| Process Node | Samsung 14nm | GloFo 14nm |
| CUDA Cores (CUDA Cores / Stream Processors) | 640 | 640 |
Clock Speeds
| Specification | Geforce GTX 1050 | Radeon RX 550 |
|---|---|---|
| Base Clock | 1,354 MHz✓ | 1,019 MHz |
| Boost Clock | 1,455 MHz✓ | 1,183 MHz |
Memory
| Specification | Geforce GTX 1050 | Radeon RX 550 |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 2 GB | 2 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bus | 128-bit | 128-bit |
| Memory Speed | 7 Gbps✓ | 6 Gbps |
| Bandwidth | 112 GB/s✓ | 96 GB/s |
Connectivity & Power
| Specification | Geforce GTX 1050 | Radeon RX 550 |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x8 |
| TDP | 75 W | 50 W✓ |
| Power Connectors | None | None |
| Released | Oct 2016 | Apr 2017 |