Is your NVIDIA GTX 1050 graphics card starting to show its age while gaming? As an experienced tech specialist and avid gamer myself, I totally get the frustration of lowered framerates and having to tweak your favorite game‘s settings just to get smooth gameplay.
But older budget cards like the GTX 1050 are seriously outdated in 2023 and can really dampen your experience in newer titles. The good news is there are plenty of affordable upgraded options now available that deliver way better 1080p gaming performance.
In this guide, I‘ll showcase 5 of the best GTX 1050 alternatives suitable for PC builds in 2023. I‘ve assessed the latest benchmark results and real-world gaming data to pick GPUs that give you substantially more power.
You‘ll discover options from NVIDIA and AMD with upgraded specs that translate to higher framerates, improved visuals, and a much smoother overall gaming experience compared to your aging GTX 1050. Many also come packed with cool features like ray tracing and DLSS.
Let‘s first recap why it‘s time to upgrade your GPU…
Why The GTX 1050 No Longer Cuts It for Modern Gaming
The Pascal-based GTX 1050 originally launched way back in 2016. At the time, its specs were reasonably capable for smooth 1080p gaming:
- 2GB GDDR5 video memory
- 128-bit memory interface
- 1,354MHz base clock speed
- DX12 support
However, games have advanced rapidly since then. Hot new titles like Cyberpunk 2077, Dying Light 2 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 push graphics processors much harder with intense visuals.
Trying to run these sorts of games on a GTX 1050 leads to disappointing results:
- Framerates tank well below 30 FPS on higher settings
- You‘re forced to use Low/Medium graphic presets
- Latest rendering techniques aren‘t supported
Clearly it‘s time for an upgrade!
The good news is you‘ve got excellent options to choose from in 2023. NVIDIA and AMD now offer very solid GPUs at reasonable mid-range pricing that deliver a big jump up from the GTX 1050.
I‘ve picked 5 graphics cards that give you way better performance for playing today‘s top games while keeping within budget. Let‘s check them out…
GTX 1050 Alternatives For Smoother 1080p Gaming Experiences
I‘ll compare specs and real-world gaming benchmarks for 5 cards that outperform the NVIDIA GTX 1050 easily in 2023. For less money, these selections let you max out settings comfortably and take advantage of latest features missing from the GTX 1050.
Some key areas I‘m assessing for each recommended GPU alternative are:
- VRAM – More memory such as 6GB+ enables greater texture quality
- Memory interface – Wider bus improves data speeds/bandwidth
- Clock speeds – Frequencies show architectural gains over GTX 1050
- Resolution/FPS targets – Aims to hit 60+ FPS smoothly at 1920 x 1080
- New feature support – Ray tracing, DLSS boost visuals/FPS
- Relative value – Price increase over GTX 1050 justified by performance
Time to reveal my picks for upgrading from that old NVIDIA card!
1. NVIDIA GTX 1660 – Fantastic Value 1080p Gaming
The GTX 1660 represents a superb mid-range choice that runs popular competitive titles easily at over 60 FPS with maxed settings.
Armed with upgraded Turing architecture, it beats down the GTX 1050 through advantages like:
| Specs | NVIDIA GTX 1050 | Zotac GTX 1660 |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM | 2GB GDDR5 | 6GB GDDR5 |
| Interface | 128-bit | 192-bit |
| Core Clock | 1,354MHz | 1,530MHz |
| 1080p Game FPS Avg | 30-50 FPS | 60-100+ FPS |
As the benchmarks show, you‘re looking at double the average FPS across top games by upgrading to the GTX 1660. That translates to super smooth gameplay with graphics turned up.
The GTX 1660 manages great framerates for eSports titles like Fortnite, Rocket League and Apex Legends, while also tackling demanding AAA games like Red Dead Redemption 2 and Assassin‘s Creed Valhalla at 60+ FPS.
It‘s fantastic proof you don‘t need to break the bank for a luxury GPU to maximize settings in all the latest games. For under $250, the GTX 1660 leaves that old 1050 in the dust for 1080p gaming.
2. NVIDIA RTX 2060 – Ray Tracing and 1440p Gaming
If you want to enable immersive ray traced visuals and higher 1440p resolution, the RTX 2060 brings performance close to the newest consoles.
It beats the GTX 1050 handily across the board:
| Specs | NVIDIA GTX 1050 | Gigabyte RTX 2060 |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM | 2GB GDDR5 | 6GB GDDR6 |
| Interface | 128-bit | 192-bit |
| Core Clock | 1,354MHz | 1,680MHz |
| 1080p/1440p | 30FPS / Unplayable | 100+ FPS / 60FPS |
| Ray Tracing | ❌ | ✔️ |
You‘ll really see and feel the difference with ray tracing enabled in supported games like Control, Cyberpunk 2077 and Fortnite. Plus higher resolution support means greater immersion potential.
The compact size is perfect for mini-ITX builds as well. At just $100 or so more than a GTX 1050, it‘s pretty amazing value for the modern graphical features and power delivered.
3. NVIDIA RTX 3050 – New Budget Card Great For Pre-Builds
As part of NVIDIA‘s latest Ampere architecture GPUs, the RTX 3050 brings upgraded specs in an affordable package, without requiring extra power connectors.
Benefits over the aging GTX 1050 design include:
| Specs | NVIDIA GTX 1050 | PNY RTX 3050 |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM | 2GB GDDR5 | 8GB GDDR6 |
| Interface | 128-bit | 128-bit |
| Boost Clock | 1,392MHz | 1,777MHz |
| 1080p FPS | 30-40 FPS | 60-100+ FPS |
| DLSS / Ray Tracing | ❌ | ✔️ |
You‘re getting 4X more video memory – a huge upgrade for texture quality and future proofing. Clock speeds have also increased by around 25% over the GTX 1050.
Most importantly, framerates are boosted massively, hitting well over 60FPS on high settings for popular competitive games like Apex Legends, Valorant and Destiny 2. You also gain access to FPS boosting DLSS technology in supported titles.
If you want great 1080p performance with some ray tracing capability enabled out of the box, the RTX 3050 is a stellar value choice over trying to cope with the extremely outdated GTX 1050.
4. AMD Radeon RX 6600 – Top Pick For Esports Gaming
On the AMD side, the Radeon RX 6600 and 6600 XT deliver fantastic 1080p frame rates in fast paced competitive games. These new RDNA 2 cards beat even NVIDIA‘s RTX 3060 in many eSports titles.
Let‘s see how the RX 6600 improves over the GTX 1050:
| Specs | NVIDIA GTX 1050 | XFX RX 6600 |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM | 2GB GDDR5 | 8GB GDDR6 |
| Interface | 128-bit | 128-bit |
| Game Clock | 1,493MHz | 2,044MHz |
| 1080p FPS Avg | 30-50 FPS | 100-240 FPS |
That‘s a massive generational jump in gaming performance with the RX 6600. You‘ll smash through triple digit framerates in Apex Legends, Fortnite, Rainbow Six Siege while streaming smoothly.
These new Radeon cards continue driver support and optimization for years too. Considering the RX 6600 over a GTX 1050 costs just an extra $100 or so, it‘s an incredible value upgrade.
5. AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT – Killer 1080p frames
If you want to max out graphics settings at 1080p resolution, the RX 6600 XT leaves even premium GPUs like NVIDIA‘s RTX 3060 behind in numerous titles.
Benefitting from AMD‘s refined RDNA 2 architecture and impressive overclocking potential, it absolutely smashes thedeprecated GTX 1050:
| Specs | NVIDIA GTX 1050 | XFX RX 6600 XT |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM | 2GB GDDR5 | 8GB GDDR6 |
| Interface | 128-bit | 128-bit |
| Boost Clock | 1,392MHz | 2,589MHz |
| 1080p FPS Avg | 30-50 FPS | 100-130 FPS |
Performance is around 2-3X faster across the board, even hitting 140+ FPS for esports. You‘ll achieve buttery smooth gameplay with every setting turned right up.
If you want an uncompromised 1080p gaming experience, the RX 6600 XT is incredibly good value at just over $50 more than an entry-level GTX 1050.
Any More Questions About Upgrading From The GTX 1050?
Hopefully I‘ve clearly explained why it‘s definitely time to upgrade if you‘ve still been soldiering on with the NVIDIA GTX 1050 in 2023!
I‘ve provided 5 excellent modern GPU recommendations from NVIDIA and AMD that offer way faster 1080p gaming speeds. You‘ll be able to turn up graphics settings fully and some choices like the RTX 2060 and RX 6600 XT can also handle higher 1440p resolution nicely.
Here are answers to some common questions around moving on from the GTX 1050:
- Is the GTX 1050 still decent for retro/classic games? – Yes absolutely! The GTX 1050 is still fine for playing older titles from 5+ years ago. It can easily handle calmer, less visually complex games. Just don‘t expect good performance in newer releases.
- Can I play VR games properly with these GPU recommendations? – You‘ll be able to have a solid VR gaming experience with the RTX 2060, RX 6600 XT and faster cards here. The GTX 1050 definitely does not meet minimum spec for good VR anymore.
- Do any recommendations also stream well? – Yes, the RX 6600 and 6600 XT deliver excellent 1080p encoding performance for game streaming thanks to AV1 codec acceleration. You‘ll have a great quality stream output.
- What about 4K gaming? – My main aim was recommending solid 1080p performers at good value over the GTX 1050. But cards like the RTX 2060 can handle entry-level 4K gaming, while the RX 6600 XT manages great 1440p speeds.
Let me know if you have any other questions about saying goodbye to your GTX 1050 and upgrading! I‘m always happy to share my tech and gaming knowledge to help select the perfect modern GPU alternative.
