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Review and benchmarks of the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti: what can this legend do in 2025?
We review and benchmark the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti in 2025. Can this legendary budget graphics card still hold its own in today's games?
The GeForce GTX 1050 Ti is truly a legendary graphics card. Upon its release, it delivered excellent performance and power efficiency. This budget Pascal GPU nearly matched the power of past titans like the HD 7970, GTX 770, and GTX 960, yet consumed significantly less power.
During the peak of the crypto mining boom, this graphics card was a savior for many gamers, offering an affordable ticket into the world of modern games. In the post-mining era, the 'Ti' card did lose some ground, getting lost amidst the flood of more powerful GPUs hitting the market. Still, its compact form factor and low power consumption kept the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti relevant for a considerable period, right up until the GTX 1650 SUPER's release.
The graphics card
We got our hands on a ZOTAC graphics card, the GTX 1050 Ti OC Edition.
Cooling system
The ZOTAC GTX 1050 Ti OC Edition's cooling system features an aluminum heatsink with two heat pipes. While it might appear simple at first glance, don't be fooled. The GP107 GPU's TDP is a modest 50-75 watts, varying with the specific card implementation and whether it draws auxiliary power. For our unit, this cooling solution maintains the GPU below 45 degrees Celsius, which is an excellent result.
The same cannot be said for the video memory cooling; Zotac engineers didn't equip the GDDR5 chips with any heat dissipation elements. While the memory chips regrettably lack temperature monitoring, their nominal frequency suggests they likely don't hit critical thermal thresholds.
Graphics processor and memory
The ZOTAC GTX 1050 Ti OC Edition is powered by the GP107-400-A1 GPU, which includes 768 stream processors (CUDA cores), 48 texture units, and 32 ROPs.
⤢ ВІДКРИТИThe GP107 die is manufactured using Samsung's 14nm process, spans 132 mm², and contains 3.3 billion transistors.
⤢ ВІДКРИТИThe board is equipped with four 4-gigabit GDDR5 memory chips from MICRON, bearing the D9SXD marking. While these chips are nominally rated for 2000 MHz (8000 MHz effective), they operate at 1750 MHz (7000 MHz effective frequency) on the GTX 1050 Ti.
Theoretically, the GDDR5 memory's clock speed, underclocked relative to its nominal rating, could offer significant overclocking potential. Our experience with many other graphics cards equipped with D9SXD chips further suggests we can expect a substantial video memory overclock. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.
PCB analysis
The ZOTAC GTX 1050 Ti OC Edition features an extremely compact PCB. Although an auxiliary power connector is provisioned, it's not physically soldered on, which strictly limits power draw to 75 watts directly from the PCI-Express slot.
⤢ ВІДКРИТИThe ZOTAC GTX 1050 Ti OC Edition's power delivery system is based on a universal 3-phase uP9509S PWM controller. It most likely handles power for both the GPU and the GDDR5 video memory.
⤢ ВІДКРИТИBoth circuits utilize eight 60-amp SM4364A and SM4373 MOSFETs: six (two per phase) for GPU power, and two for GDDR5.
Test Bench:
⤢ ВІДКРИТИProcessor — Core i5-12400F;
Graphics card — ZOTAC GTX 1050 Ti OC Edition;
Motherboard — MSI PRO Z690-A DDR4 (MS-7D25);
RAM — two 8 GB Corsair Vengeance RGB PRO (CMW16GX4M2C3600C18) modules, for a total of 16 GB (Micron E-Die chips);
Solid-state drive — KINGSTON SUV400S37120G 120.0 GB (Windows 11), SAMSUNG 870 EVO 1 TB (Games);
Power supply — Chieftec GPS-1250C.
Software
Operating system: Windows 11 x64 with the latest updates as of February 2025;
Graphics card drivers: NVIDIA GeForce WHQL 572.42;
Additional software for FPS measurement: MSI Afterburner 4.6.7;
Games: testing was conducted on current game versions as of March 2025;
Benchmark results
Multiplayer / session-based / esports games
Call of Duty: Warzone
Minimum graphics preset, 1080p, FSR 3.0.
⤢ ВІДКРИТИTraditionally, our test suite kicks off with the popular battle royale Call of Duty: Warzone. Given the project's specifics, it's entirely expected that the GTX 1050 Ti delivers playable frame rates averaging 58 FPS, with rare dips to 44. It's also worth noting that, unlike the recently tested GTX 770, which suffered from numerous graphical artifacts, this budget Pascal card renders a perfect image.
Counter-Strike 2
Medium graphics preset, 1080p, MSAA – 2X. Dust 2 map.
⤢ ВІДКРИТИValve's updated shooter runs even better on the 1050 Ti. On medium graphics settings, you can expect around 150 FPS on average, with rare drops to 90.
Dota 2
Maximum graphics preset, 1080p.
Dota 2 performs slightly worse, especially noticeable in global 5v5 skirmishes, where FPS can sometimes drop to 47. However, these metrics were recorded at the highest possible graphics settings. An impressive result!
Marvel Rivals
Minimum graphics preset, 1080p, FSR (the version isn't specified, but given the presence of FSR Frame Generation, the game likely uses the third version of the upscaler) — Balanced.
⤢ ВІДКРИТИFor Marvel Rivals, the new rising star in the vast multiplayer gaming sky, the GTX 1050 Ti is quite capable of delivering acceptable FPS on minimum graphics settings. Unfortunately, these are the realities of modern games built on Unreal Engine.
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds
Medium graphics preset, 1080p DX11 Ench.
⤢ ВІДКРИТИPUBG runs noticeably better on the test graphics card, allowing for medium graphics settings and achieving around 60 frames per second.
World of Tanks
Maximum graphics preset, HD client, HD textures, 1080p. Replay on the 'Outpost' map.
⤢ ВІДКРИТИWargaming continues to use its proprietary engine, allowing WoT to deliver a surprisingly good visual experience even in 2025, all while running adequately on virtually any hardware. The GTX 1050 Ti is no exception, averaging 68 FPS with rare dips to 50, even on the highest graphics settings.
Single-player games
Alan Wake 2
Minimum graphics preset, 1080p, FSR 2.0 - Ultra Performance.
⤢ ВІДКРИТИUnfortunately, the second installment of writer Alan Wake's paranormal adventures is completely unplayable on the GTX 1050 Ti.
Baldur's Gate III
Minimum graphics preset, Vulkan, 1080p, FSR 2.2 – Quality. Testing was conducted in the city of Baldur's Gate.
⤢ ВІДКРИТИBaldur's Gate III, however, is a different story. Even in its most demanding location, the city of Baldur's Gate, the game manages 45 frames per second, which is more than sufficient for a turn-based RPG.
Cyberpunk 2077 [patch 2.21]
Minimum graphics preset, 1080p, FSR 2.1 - Balanced. Testing was conducted in the benchmark and on the ring road near Arasaka Tower.
The GTX 1050 Ti delivers acceptable performance in Cyberpunk 2077, both in benchmarks and during free-roaming in Night City. Its 4GB VRAM also allows for playing with medium textures.
Dragon's Dogma 2
Minimum graphics preset, 1080p, FSR 3 - Ultra Performance.
⤢ ВІДКРИТИAs was evident with Alan Wake 2, the budget Pascal GPU simply can't handle Dragon's Dogma 2. Beyond its abysmal framerates, the game is also riddled with micro-stutters.
Elden Ring
Medium graphics preset, 1080p.
⤢ ВІДКРИТИElden Ring, the latest creation from Japanese game designer Hidetaka Miyazaki, runs tolerably on the GTX 1050 Ti. However, there's a slight catch: occasional micro-stutters occur, though they don't significantly impede gameplay.
To be fair, similar game behavior can be observed on much more powerful graphics cards.
Hogwarts Legacy
Minimum graphics preset, 1080p, FSR 2.1 - Balanced.
⤢ ВІДКРИТИSurprisingly, the 1050 Ti handles Hogwarts Legacy quite well. You can explore the castle and its surroundings with an average FPS of 52, experiencing rare drops to 38.
Tekken 8
Minimum graphics preset, 1080p, FSR 2.1 - Balanced.
⤢ ВІДКРИТИFighting games typically don't demand powerful graphics cards, even when built on less-than-optimized engines. Fortunately, Tekken 8 is no exception and runs excellently on the GTX 1050 Ti.
STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl
Minimum graphics preset, 1080p, FSR 3.1 - Ultra Performance.
⤢ ВІДКРИТИConversely, the long-awaited STALKER sequel performs abominably on this budget graphics card. We couldn't even get Shadow of Chernobyl to hit 30 FPS on the 1050 Ti. Even in FSR Ultra Performance mode, frame rates didn't exceed 22. While enabling frame generation managed to push the FPS to 30, controlling the character became literally impossible with such low frame rates.
Perhaps fully disabling Lumen global illumination could help, but that requires specific console commands — something, obviously, not everyone will bother with.
Starfield
Minimum graphics settings preset, 1080p, FSR 3.
⤢ ВІДКРИТИStarfield shows similar performance to STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl. While playing at a cinematic 25 FPS is possible, it's extremely unpleasant.
The Witcher 3 Next-Gen Update [patch 4.04]
Minimum graphics preset, DirectX 12, FSR 2 - Balanced. City run in Novigrad.
⤢ ВІДКРИТИThe updated Witcher 3 pleased us: the Next-Gen Update is quite playable on the GTX 1050 Ti.
Overclocking (Undervolting)
Due to strict power consumption limits, overclocking any version of the GTX 1050 Ti that lacks an auxiliary power connector is largely pointless. However, that doesn't mean we can't boost clock speeds at all. This is where undervolting (reducing GPU voltage) comes in handy.
⤢ ВІДКРИТИAs you can see from the Superposition benchmark screenshots above, the GPU voltage of our test graphics card is at 1.000-1.050 volts at stock, with frequencies fluctuating between 1750-1800 MHz. By setting the voltage-frequency curve so the GPU operates at 1900 MHz at 0.950 volts, you can gain a modest ~100 MHz, and more importantly, achieve stable frequencies and slightly reduced power consumption.
⤢ ВІДКРИТИIt's clear that your specific chip's frequency-to-voltage curve may differ, as silicon is always a lottery. However, now you know what to do.
As for the memory, it predictably impressed: we managed to raise the GDDR5 chip frequency from 1750 to 2250 MHz (9000 MHz effective), which is a fairly typical result for MICRON modules from that era.
The same can't be said for the performance uplift from all these tweaks.
In the Superposition benchmark, it amounted to about 7%.
In Cyberpunk 2077, it was an even more modest 6%. To say this is weak would be an understatement. But even here, everything was predictable: unfortunately, the GTX 1050 Ti's weak chip simply can't utilize the significantly increased video memory bandwidth after overclocking.
Summary
Our research indicates that the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti can still satisfy its owner even in 2025. Most, if not all, multiplayer games run quite spryly on this aging legend. However, for single-player titles, things aren't as smooth. Almost all recently released projects (Starfield, STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl, Dragon’s Dogma 2, and Alan Wake 2) perform abominably when paired with the GTX 1050 Ti.
Still, it's not all bad news. Games like Baldur’s Gate III, Cyberpunk 2077, Elden Ring, Hogwarts Legacy, Tekken 8, and The Witcher 3 Next-Gen Update are all quite playable on our old card.
