GeForce GTX 1050 Ti and Radeon RX 470 are two very powerful graphics cards for 1080p gaming from Nvidia and AMD respectively. GeForce GTX 1050 Ti is a mid-range graphics card from Nvidia which is very popular because it has got the power to run latest games on high settings at 1080p and is quite affordable too. On the other hand, Radeon 470 is a higher mid-range graphics card that packs some extra power compared to GTX 1050 Ti but is also a bit expensive. So here in this post, I am going to compare both these graphics cards and will let you know which one is good for 1080p gaming and offers better value for money.
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti vs Radeon RX 470
Here is a comparison of GeForce GTX 1050 Ti and Radeon RX 470 graphics cards based on their specifications and gaming performance.
GPU Architecture
GTX 1050 Ti is based on the latest Pascal GPU architecture from Nvidia and comes with 768 CUDA Cores whereas Radeon RX 470 is built on the latest Polaris GPU architecture from AMD and comes with 2048 Cores. Both these graphics cards are manufactured on the 14nm fabrication process. Also, you must note that CUDA Cores and Stream Processors are different technologies and their working is also different.
Must Read: CUDA Cores vs Stream Processors Explained
Memory
GTX 1050 Ti comes with only 4GB GDDR5 video memory having a 128-bit interface whereas Radeon RX 470 comes in both 4GB and 8GB GDDR5 VRAM variants having memory interface of 256-bit. The memory bandwidth of RX 470 is almost double of GTX 1050 Ti because of its wider memory interface of 256-bits. The memory speed for these graphics cards may vary depending on the graphics card manufacturer.
Features
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti and Radeon RX 470 support all the latest graphics APIs that include DirectX 12, OpenGL 4.5, and Vulkan. GeForce GTX 1050 Ti does not support SLI multi-GPU setup but Radeon RX 470 can be run in a multi-GPU configuration known as CrossFire from AMD. This means you can run dual RX 470 cards on the same motherboard and double your gaming as well as graphics performance.
GTX 1050 Ti supports G-Sync and RX 470 supports FreeSync. G-Sync and FreeSync are variable refresh rate technologies from Nvidia and AMD respectively, and they prevent screen tearing in games and provide smooth gameplay without any stuttering. Technically these graphics cards are not VR Ready but Radeon RX 470 is powerful enough to provide you a good VR experience.
Gaming Performance
The gaming performance of Radeon RX 470 is certainly better than GeForce GTX 1050 Ti in almost all gaming benchmarks. At 1080p both these graphics cards can run latest games on high to very high graphics settings with respectable frame rates. The difference here is that the frame rates of Radeon RX 470 have better averages compared to that of GTX 1050 Ti. Also in Vulkan and DirectX 12 titles, the performance of RX 470 is way better than that of GTX 1050 Ti. The performance of RX 470 is slightly less than RX 480 and you can play older games on it at 1440p resolution also.
Some benchmarks of GeForce GTX 1050 Ti and Radeon RX 470
Very High / Ultra Settings @ 1080p | GeForce GTX 1050 Ti | Radeon RX 470 |
Dishonored 2 @ DX11 | 34 FPS | 46 FPS |
Doom (2016) @ Vulkan | 77 FPS | 131 FPS |
Sniper Elite 4 @ DX12 | 39 FPS | 68 FPS |
Resident Evil 7 @ DX11 | 44 FPS | 86 FPS |
GTA 5 @ DX11 | 65 FPS | 76 FPs |
Power Consumption
The power consumption of GTX 1050 Ti is considerably less compared to that of RX 470. GTX 1050 Ti has power consumption at around 75W and may or may not need a 6-pin PCI-Express power connector depending on the graphics card manufacturer and model. On the other hand, RX 470 does require a 6-pin or 8-pin PCI-E power connector for its working and has power consumption at around 120W.
Price
In terms of pricing GTX, 1050 Ti is way cheaper than Radeon RX 470. So here GeForce GTX 1050 Ti wins by a huge margin. You can check the prices of both these graphics cards from the link given below.
GTX 1050 Ti vs RX 470 Specifications
Specifications | GeForce GTX 1050 Ti | Radeon RX 470 |
CUDA Cores / Stream Processors | 768 | 2048 |
GPU Architecture | Pascal | Polaris |
Memory Size | 4GB GDDR5 | 4GB / 8GB GDDR5 |
Memory Interface | 128-bit | 256-bit |
Memory Bandwidth | 112 GB/s | 211 GB/s |
Bus Interface | PCI Express 3.0 | PCI Express 3.0 |
DirectX | 12 | 12 |
OpenGL | 4.5 | 4.5 |
Vulkan API | Yes | Yes |
SLI / CrossFire | No | Yes, CrossFire |
VR Ready | No | No |
G-Sync / FreeSync | G-Sync | FreeSync |
Power Consumption | 75W | 120W |
Recommended PSU | 300W – 400W | 400W – 450W |
See also:
Final Verdict
In the end, I would like to say that both these graphics cards are great for 1080p gaming. RX 470 is certainly faster than GTX 1050 Ti in terms of processing power, games, and benchmarks but GTX 1050 Ti is a lot cheaper and is powerful enough to play games on high settings at 1080p. So for mainstream users or users on a budget GTX, 1050 Ti is the card that I recommend but if you have a slightly higher budget then you can go for RX 470 also.
My Pick: GeForce GTX 1050 Ti if budget is the main concern otherwise Radeon RX 470 is certainly a better choice.
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