Nvidia RTX 5050 vs RTX 4060: Which is better for gaming?

The Nvidia RTX 5050 and RTX 4060 are some of the cheapest graphics cards from Team Green. While the new 50-class offering comes with a $249 price tag, the 4060 has been discounted handsomely after being replaced by newer alternatives. These days, you can spot it for $200-220, making it a worthy alternative to the newly launched 5050.

However, which among these GPUs is the better buy? In this article, we dissect the cards from several standpoints: performance, on-paper specs, and pricing. Read on to find out which is the best bang for the buck.

---

The Nvidia RTX 5050 and RTX 4060 are capable 1080p gaming graphics cards

The Nvidia RTX 5050 is designed to target the sub-$250 entry-level market (Image via Nvidia)

The RTX 5050 is based on the newer Blackwell architecture. However, a few interesting design choices make it feel like an outsider to the new generation. Let's go through the on-paper specs of both GPUs to understand where their differences lie.

Specs comparison

Based on the newer TSMC 4nm node-based architecture, the 5050 cuts core counts further to deliver better performance based on gen-on-gen IPC improvements. We are looking at 2,560 CUDA cores on the new GPU against the 3,072 on the older GPU.

The VRAM specifications remain the same: 8 GB GDDR6. This is a departure from the remainder of the 50 series lineup, which has received much faster GDDR7 upgrades.

However, the video memory on the newer card is slightly faster, resulting in a 20% improvement in overall bandwidth.

Despite these improvements, the 5050 is a 130W GPU, making it worse than the 4060 in terms of power efficiency. Here's a side-by-side specs comparison:

Specification	RTX 5050	RTX 4060
Architecture / Process	Blackwell (TSMC 4N)	Ada Lovelace
CUDA Cores	2,560	3,072
Boost Clock	~2.57 GHz	~2.46 GHz
FP32 Performance	~13.16 TFLOPS (peak)	~15.11 TFLOPS
Memory (VRAM)	8 GB GDDR6, 128-bit, ~320 GB/s	8 GB GDDR6, 128-bit, ~272 GB/s
TDP / Power	~130 W	~115 W
Tensor Cores (AI)	5th Gen Tensor Cores; ~421 TOPS	4th Gen Tensor Cores; ~242 AI TOPS
RT Cores / RT Power	4th Gen RT Cores; ~40 TFLOPS	3rd Gen RT Cores; ~35 TFLOPS (RT)
Upscaling Tech	DLSS 4 with Multi-Frame Generation; Reflex 2, PCIe 5.0, NVENC 9	DLSS 3; PCIe 4.0
Bus Interface	PCIe 5.0 x8	PCIe 4.0 x8 or x16 (varies by board)
MSRP (Launch Price)	~$249	~$299

The RTX 5050 has been introduced at $249, while the 4060 debuted at $299 in the last generation. While most 5050 models are priced in the $260-270 range, the 60-class GPU is around $220-230 these days, making it slightly cheaper. Even better deals can be spotted on eBay.

---

Performance comparison

The Nvidia RTX 4060 is a capable 1080p gaming GPU despite being a generation old (Image via MSI)

In terms of theoretical performance, the 4060 slightly edges the 5050 with 15.11 TFLOPs of peak FP32 performance (the 50-class card does 13.2 TFLOPs). However, real-world gaming FPS differs significantly from mathematical estimates.

Here's a comparison of the two cards in terms of framerates achieved in some of the latest titles. We have gathered this data from the YouTube channel, Testing Games.

	RTX 5050	RTX 4060
DOOM: The Dark Ages	53 FPS	56 FPS
Cyberpunk 2077	55 FPS	61 FPS
Horizon: Forbidden West	67 FPS	70 FPS
Forza Horizon 5	95 FPS	100 FPS
God of War: Ragnarok	83 FPS	86 FPS
The Last of Us Part II	72 FPS	79 FPS
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024	52 FPS	54 FPS
Red Dead Redemption 2	75 FPS	80 FPS
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2	50 FPS	51 FPS
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33	59 FPS	60 FPS
Ghost of Tsushima	62 FPS	70 FPS
Oblivion Remastered	56 FPS	62 FPS

On average, the RTX 4060 is 6.46% faster than the RTX 5050 across the games listed. Although this difference isn't substantial and both cards hit about 1080p 60 FPS, the 4060 is the better deal given the slashed pricing.

However, you'll have to factor in DLSS 4 multi-frame generation, a privilege the 4060 misses out on. In supported games, the 5050 will take a massive lead, making playing games with DLAA possible. This, in turn, ensures better output image quality while also delivering higher FPS.

---

Overall, we recommend opting for the RTX 5050, given that performance is nearly identical, and the 4060 offers no realistic VRAM advantage. We make this recommendation primarily with availability, DLSS 4 support, and longer driver support in mind.