Nvidia's RTX 5050 benchmark results demonstrate a close competition with the RTX 4060, with the budget card surprising in certain tests by outperforming its predecessor.
The Nvidia RTX 5050 and Intel Arc B580, both priced at $249, are the latest additions to the entry-level to mainstream gaming market, targeting 1080p performance. In a head-to-head comparison, the Intel Arc B580 exhibits a slight edge in performance, outperforming the RTX 5050 by approximately 2.6% in gaming benchmarks across 15 titles tested at 1080p.
The RTX 5050, however, shows strong competitive performance, surpassing older GPUs such as the RTX 3060 and RTX 2070 SUPER, and closely matching the RTX 4060 in terms of frame rates. Nvidia's RTX 5050 benefits from the newer Blackwell architecture and Multi Frame Generation technology, which boosts effective frame rates in supported titles.
In terms of VRAM, the Intel Arc B580 comes with 12GB of faster GDDR6 VRAM, 50% more than the RTX 5050's 8GB of GDDR6 VRAM. The Arc B580's memory configuration offers higher speed and bandwidth, giving it an advantage in memory-intensive tasks.
Both GPUs support notable gaming features, but the RTX 5050's newer architecture and technology provide an edge in certain games. For instance, games like Apex Legends and Counter-Strike 2 see substantial frame rate gains on the RTX 5050 compared to its predecessor, but ray-tracing performance is less impressive in some titles like Fortnite.
In summary, the Intel Arc B580 offers better memory and slightly higher frame rates at the same price point, thanks to its larger VRAM and likely wider, higher-speed memory bus. The RTX 5050, on the other hand, presents a solid choice with competitive efficiency and modern Nvidia features, but is limited by its smaller VRAM and slightly lower performance.
| Feature | Nvidia RTX 5050 | Intel Arc B580 | |-----------------|-------------------------------|----------------------------| | Price | $249 | $249 | | VRAM | 8GB GDDR6 | 12GB faster GDDR6 | | Memory Bus | 128-bit | (Likely wider, higher speed)| | Performance | Slightly slower (2.6% less) | Slightly faster | | Architecture | RTX Blackwell with Multi Frame Generation | Battlemage series | | Gaming Focus | Competitive 1080p with frame generation tech | Strong 1080p performance, more VRAM |
It's recommended to wait for in-depth reviews before making a purchase, and to consider factors such as availability and potential premiums on RTX 5060 variants. The RTX 5050 is an attractive option for budget gamers running older GTX 10-series or 16-series GPUs, or entry-level RTX 20-series graphics cards.
Gadget enthusiasts might be intrigued by the competition between the newest technology offerings, such as the Nvidia RTX 5050 and Intel Arc B580, both of which are gadgets that cater to the entry-level to mainstream gaming market. The Arc B580, with its larger VRAM and memory bandwidth, performs slightly better in terms of frame rates compared to the RTX 5050, which benefits from newer architecture and technology such as Multi Frame Generation.
