PROS
- Handles all games at Full HD
- Ridiculously low power consumption
- Quiet design
CONS
- Some games need to be dropped to Medium settings
- KEY FEATURES
- 768 CUDA cores
- 4GB GDDR5 memory
- Base clock speed: 1,290MHz
- Boost clock speed: 1,392MHz
- DisplayPort 1.4, HDMI 2.0, DVI
- 75W TDP (Powered through PCI-E slot)
- Manufacturer: Nvidia
- Review Price: £139.00
WHAT IS THE NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1050 TI?
The GTX 1050 Ti is the spiritual successor to the popular GTX 750 Ti from 2014. There are certain traits that make these cards so attractive: small form factors; low power consumption; and the ability to play the latest games at Full HD resolution. The 1050 Ti ticks all of these boxes.
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1050 TI – SPECS AND TECHNOLOGY
The model on test here is MSI’s Afterburner edition. Rival card manufacturers will all use roughly the same form factor, creating single-slot, PCI-Express-powered cards that will fit into compact and low-cost builds. Perhaps more importantly, the 1050 Ti is also pitched perfectly at gamers who are using a desktop PC with no graphics card at all. As long as there’s room in the case and a PCI-E slot on the motherboard, you’re good to go.
The 1050 Ti chip is based on Nvidia’s Pascal GPU design, a recipe that’s already created a potent 2016 lineup for Nvidia that includes the GTX 1080, 1070 and 1060. It’s the first card in Nvidia’s 2016 range that doesn’t support VR gameplay; you’ll need the GTX 1060 to do this.
You get 768 CUDA cores alongside a base clock speed of 1,290MHz and a maximum boost clock of 1,392MHz. There’s a full 4GB of GDDR5 memoryrunning at 7,000MHz and a 128-bit memory bus.
The GTX 1050 Ti uses the same GP107 chip as the base-level GTX 1050, but the two are configured differently. The 1050 has fewer CUDA cores, but they’re tuned to a higher clock speed. The 1050 is also limited to 2GB of memory and comes in at £115. I haven’t been sent a 1050 for review, so I can’t comment on its performance. As soon as I receive one I’ll get to benchmarking.
The 1050 Ti has a maximum thermal design power (TDP) of 75W; there won’t be room for any extra, because there’s no PCI-E power connector on the card drawing power from the PSU. All the power the GTX 1050 Ti requires can be drawn directly from the PCI-E slot.
In the current GPU landscape, the 1050 Ti is set a long way apart from key rival AMD, both in terms of pricing and expected performance.
It’s between £30 and £40 less expensive than a base model AMD Radeon RX 470, which can be as cheap as £164.99 – if you snag a special offer. It’s between £30 and £40 more expensive than the RX 460, which is targeted firmly at twitchy, lower-end games such as Overwatch and DoTA played at Full HD resolution. I’ve yet to conduct a full review of the RX 460, but on the following page I’ve included preliminary benchmarks for comparison.
The 1050 Ti sits by itself in the market and is best viewed as the budget option for AAA games played at Full HD. Whether or not you’ll be able to max out your graphics settings depends on how low you like your frame rates, but there’s no game on the market right now that the 1050 Ti won’t cater for.
On the rear of the card on review you get a single HDMI, DisplayPort and DVI connector.
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1050 TI – PERFORMANCE AND BENCHMARKS
I tested the GTX 1050 Ti in our in-house test rig. It represents a fairly typical gaming PC and consists of the following components:
- Motherboard: Asus Z170-Deluxe
- Processor: Intel Core i5-6600K (not overclocked)
- RAM: Corsair Vengeance 2,666MHz, 16GB DDR4
- Cooler: Corsair H60 liquid cooler
- PSU: Corsair CX750M
- SSD: Samsung 850 EVO
- OS: Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
The results graphs show comparison benchmarks between the closest-priced rivals: the RX 470 and 460. This will prove useful if the GTX 1050 Ti receives a discount or the price increases. But right now, since the three are priced so differently, it’s really just proof that paying more gets you better performance.
DIRT RALLY
As always, TrustedReviews’ easiest benchmark is Dirt Rally. Even at maximum settings, this is a relatively simple rendering task thanks to there being only one vehicle on-screen at any one time. There are fast-moving objects and textures and a stream of lighting and particle effects, but Dirt Rally represents simpler gaming titles that won’t tax modern hardware.
In my tests, the GTX 1050 Ti managed 65.5fps at Ultra settings and Full HD resolution. That puts it slap-bang in the middle of the RX 470 and 460, and is a very playable frame rate. Dropping the presets by a notch would guarantee a stable 60+fps, but this is only for those who prioritise frame rates above all else.
MIDDLE-EARTH: SHADOW OF MORDOR
Shadow of Mordor is a tough cookie at its maximum settings and Full HD resolution. This short benchmark chucks explosion effects, weather and plenty of NPCs at our test system.
Our standard test is run at maximum settings and the GTX 1050 Ti managed an average output of 58.3fps, which is playable without having to make any changes to graphics settings.
HITMAN
Hitman has always been an odd duck in our suite of benchmarks. It’s a tough test with lots of detailed NPCs milling around. What’s most frustrating about the test is how massively it favours AMD graphics cards, which can really skew the numbers when running benchmarks. Nowhere more clearly can this be seen than with the GTX 1050 Ti.
Managing a result of 43fps is perfectly respectable, but compared to the much cheaper AMD Radeon RX 460 it was just 3fps ahead. The RX 470 stretches its lead even further with a huge 67.1fps.
Hitman is always the exception, but if you’re an avid assassin then this might play into your buying decision. Dropping settings to Very High improved things significantly to 65.2fps.
RISE OF THE TOMB RAIDER
Our final benchmark in this review is Rise of the Tomb Raider. It’s a very pretty game and its varied benchmark has lots of lighting and weather effects with which to contend.
In this test, the 1050 Ti managed a playable 40.5fps, which isn’t as smooth as many would like. Dropping down to Medium settings improved performance to 58fps, which makes for a much more consistent experience.
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1050 TI – HEAT, NOISE AND POWER CONSUMPTION
Drawing power only from the PCI-E connector, it isn’t surprising to see that the 1050 Ti is the least power-hungry GPU we’ve tested so far this year. Measuring its peak power consumption during the Hitman benchmark, it drew – at most – 140W.
This is reflected in its heat and noise stats, too. I didn’t see it go beyond 50oC during my testing, and the single fan on the MSI unit under review spun quietly throughout my testing.
SHOULD I BUY THE NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1050 TI?
The 1050 Ti is a triumph of gaming grunt and power consumption. You won’t find a more powerful card that’s smaller and quieter. It will handle the latest games at Full HD resolutions at Medium and High settings, and with 4GB of memory on board it’s unlikely that you’ll bump up against its capacity when playing in Full HD.
As ever, you should always buy the most expensive GPU you can afford, and for just £24 extra – at the time of writing – you can get your hands on the more powerful AMD Radeon RX 470, which comfortably handles our benchmark games at maximum settings at around 60fps. How long that special offer lasts remains to be seen, however, so you should remain vigilant when price checking both cards.
The only reservation I have is future games. While most GPUs typically have a pretty long shelf life, the less you spend, the shorter that life will be. Two years from now, you might think about replacing your 1050 Ti with whatever comes next to ensure your Full HD gaming experience remains top-notch.
VERDICT
A great-value card for budget HD gaming builds.
Sourse: trustedreviews.com