Disclosure: This unit is provided by Gigabyte VGA
I have the Gigabyte G1 Gaming GTX 1050 Ti and MSI GTX 1050 OC graphic card. These variants do not have a Founders edition available in retail. The reference specs are nothing more than a minimum paper specification. Nvidia’s AIB partners will have its own versions with variable cooling, PCB designs and variable factory clock settings.
About the GTX 1050 Ti/ GTX 1050
![gp107-block-diagram]()
Graphics Processing Clusters 2 Streaming Multiprocessors 5 CUDA Cores (single precision) 640 Texture Units 40 ROP Units 32 Base Clock 1354 MHz Boost Clock 1455 MHz Memory Clock 3504 MHz Memory Data Rate 7 Gbps L2 Cache Size 1024K Total Video Memory 2048 MB GDDR5 Memory Interface 128-bit Total Memory Bandwidth 112 GB/s Texture Rate (Bilinear) 54.2 GigaTexels/sec Fabrication Process 14 nm Transistor Count 3.3 Billion Connectors 1x DisplayPort
1x HDMI
1x Dual-Link DVIForm Factor Dual Slot Power Connectors None Recommended Power Supply 300 Watts Thermal Design Power (TDP) 75 Watts Thermal Threshold 97° C Graphics Processing Clusters 2 Streaming Multiprocessors 6 CUDA Cores (single precision) 768 Texture Units 48 ROP Units 32 Base Clock 1290 MHz Boost Clock 1392 MHz Memory Clock 3504 MHz Memory Data Rate 7 Gbps L2 Cache Size 1024K Total Video Memory 4096 MB GDDR5 Memory Interface 128-bit Total Memory Bandwidth 112 GB/s Texture Rate (Bilinear) 61.9 GigaTexels/sec Fabrication Process 14 nm Transistor Count 3.3 Billion Connectors 1x DisplayPort 1x HDMI
1x Dual-Link DVI
Form Factor Dual Slot Power Connectors None Recommended Power Supply 300 Watts Thermal Design Power (TDP) 75 Watts Thermal Threshold 97° C
Both the GTX 1050 and GTX 1050 Ti use GP107 core, of which the former has some reduced paper specifications. In exchange, the GTX 1050 doesn’t require additional auxiliary power from any PCIe power connectors or may not need to step up from a low-cost power supply.
As you would expect, both Pascal cards use GP107 core and it replaces the long-running GeForce GTX 750 Ti Maxwell 2.0 cards. Looking that its paper spec comparison, the GTX 1050 Ti’s TDP is 15 watts higher. Apart from the architecture, there’s an increase in its clock speed, texture units, texel-fill-rate, memory clock, bandwidth, ROPs and transistors. The L2 Cache size is also reduced from 2048 KB to 1024 KB.
Who would buy the GTX 1050 Ti?
Nvidia’s reason for GTX xx50 series is obvious. Its for people who have older GPUs or still running on integrated graphics wanting for light gaming. Many Nvidia labeled gaming cafes have adopted GTX 1060 units. The GTX 1050 Ti is probably made keeping in mind to provide enough power for strictly 1080p with medium-ish gameplay setting or high/ultra setting for older DX11 titles like GTA V or Shadow of Mordor.
Who would buy the GTX 1050?
Nvidia compares its discrete card against on-chip graphics performance with Haswell and Skylake. Yes, it doesn’t make sense. But that’s the only way you can start an argument for it. Even for those who are upgrading current-generation consoles, they would be looking out to GTX 1060, a graphic card that will let you enjoy a majority of new titles with a good amount of comfort. Do note that GTX 1050 only has a 2GB GDDR5 memory. While the Ti variant is 4 GB GDDR5. Most high/ultra in-game settings throw in a warning. And the only way to make this card work with Hitman’s highest setting was to turn off its memory override.
There is the massive crowd that plays esports titles such as the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, League of Legends, DOTA2 and Overwatch whose promotion is heavily done by Nvidia.
Packaging
People might expect some cost cutting in packaging for the lower-cost graphic cards. With Gigabyte, it doesn’t seem to be the case as it has two layered packaging. The only cost cutting you’ll see is the absence of a PCIe power adapter which nobody will miss. According to the packaging, you can see it uses dual 90 mm fan blower-style cooling and two heatpipe design with direct contact over the core. The packaging also lists out the video output options and its position on the rear I/O.
Specification
| Graphics Processing | GeForce® GTX 1050 Ti |
| Core Clock | Boost: 1506 MHz/ Base: 1392 MHz in OC Mode Boost: 1480 MHz/ Base: 1366 MHz in Gaming |
| Memory Clock | 7008 MHz |
| Memory Size | 4 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bus | 128 bit |
| Card Bus | PCI-E 3.0 x 16 |
| Output | Dual-link DVI-D *1 HDMI-2.0b*3 (Max Resolution: 4096×2160 @60 Hz) Display Port-1.4 *1 (Max Resolution: 7680×4320 @60 Hz) |
| Digital max resolution | 7680×4320 |
| Multi-view | 4 |
| Card size | H=40 L=219 W=118 mm |
| PCB Form | ATX |
| DirectX | 12 |
| OpenGL | 4.5 |
| Recommended PSU | 300W |
| Power Connectors | 6 pin*1 |
GPU Design
The card’s design is relatively simple and it does follow similar design typically with G1 Gaming series. Black shroud and backplate with orange accents and fancy blade design with a promise of higher air flow. The card is a dual-slot form factor with an 8.62 inch in length. Both the backplate and the shroud is plastic. But you can easily mistake the backplate as metal even in touch. The card has all the protection caps for the PCIe x16 interface and the video outputs.
Video Outputs
The card has the standard connectors typically following the reference standard- 1 dual-link DVI-D, 3x HDMI 2.0b and A DisplayPort 1.4. The HDMI ports provide a maximum output of 4K resolution while 8K via DP, both at 60 Hz. The card supports maximum four display.
Power and light!
Yes, this graphic card has LED effects fan start/stop indicator. Be advised that fans in modern GPUs typically turn on after crossing a certain temperature or load. The Gigabyte G1 Gaming GTX 1050 Ti is rated for minimum 300-watt power supplies and takes additional power via a six-pin PCIe. There is no indicator for proper PCIe connection.
Cooling System
The card uses dual 90mm fans to blow through the heatsink within and therefore helps to blow out the excess heat. Though in all fairness, for such a card, dual fans would seem like an overkill.
Ease of Maintenance
The card can be dismantled by removing the spring load screws around the GPU core and pry out the cooler, disconnect three cables (two for fans and third for LED), then remove two screws from the backplate to remove the sink on the inside and then three screws from the inner PCB area to remove the backplate. There is a thermal pad for the VRM soldered points. The GPU cooling unit has two copper heatpipes with direct contact with the GPU core. The thermal pads on the metal base are for the GDDR5 VRMs.
Closer Look
This graphic card is a 4+1 phase design PCB with four Samsung GDDR5 chips surrounding the core.
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