GPU Showdown

GeForce GTX 1050 3 GBvsGeForce RTX 4090

The GeForce GTX 1050 with 3GB is an old, low-power card for basic gaming and office PCs, while the RTX 4090 is a top-tier monster for 4K gaming and heavy creative work.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 3 GB
3 GB · 75W
VS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090
24 GB · 450W
NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 1050 3 GB

Pascal · TSMC 14 nm · 2018

12score
3.5/ 5
0 votes
VRAM
3 GB
TDP
75W
CUDA Cores
768
Boost Clock
1518 MHz

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NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 4090

Ada Lovelace · TSMC 5 nm · 2022

92score
3.8/ 5
0 votes
VRAM
24 GB
TDP
450W
Shaders
16,384
Boost Clock
2520 MHz

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Aggregate Performance

Overall Performance Score

A unified score from combined synthetic and real-world benchmarks. 100 represents the fastest consumer GPU available.

GTX 1050 3 GB
12
RTX 4090Winner
92
RTX 4090 leads by 666.7% in aggregate performance.
Where they rank overall
#2RTX 509094
#3RTX 409092
#4RTX 508086
#117Arc A31013
#118GTX 1050 3 GB12
#119GTX 105012
Technical Specifications

Side-by-Side Specs

Every detail compared. Highlighted cells indicate the leading value for that metric.

SpecsGTX 1050 3 GBRTX 4090
General
ArchitecturePascalAda Lovelace
Process Node14 nm5 nm
Memory
VRAM3 GB24 GB
Memory TypeGDDR5GDDR6X
Memory Bus96-bit384-bit
Bandwidth84.1 GB/s1010 GB/s
Compute
CUDA Cores76816,384
TMUs48512
ROPs24176
Boost Clock1518 MHz2520 MHz
FP322.332 TF82.58 TF
Power
TDP75450
Power Connectors1x 16-pin
Display
Max Resolution7680×43207680×4320
Display Outputs1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a
Verdict

Which should you buy?

Winner overall

The GeForce RTX 4090 wins overall for anyone needing top-tier graphics performance, leaving the GTX 1050 far behind.

Best value

For budget buyers, the GeForce GTX 1050 3 GB is the smarter pick due to its much lower cost and modest power needs.

When the other wins

The GeForce GTX 1050 3 GB is the right choice for a basic office PC where only simple display output is needed.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Is the GTX 1050 3 GB better than the RTX 4090?

Overall the RTX 4090 is the stronger graphics card: it ranks higher in our aggregate performance score (92 vs 12 out of 100), so it leads the GTX 1050 3 GB in most workloads.

How much faster is the RTX 4090 than the GTX 1050 3 GB?

Based on our aggregated benchmark scores the RTX 4090 is roughly 667% faster than the GTX 1050 3 GB overall. The real-world gap varies by game, resolution and settings.

Which should you buy, the GTX 1050 3 GB or the RTX 4090?

If you want the most performance, pick the RTX 4090. If the GTX 1050 3 GB is meaningfully cheaper where you shop, it can be the better value for similar real-world results — check current prices and the full spec comparison above before deciding.