Desktop GeForce RTX 5050 8GB GPU on track for a July 1 launch

New reports indicate that NVIDIA is moving up the launch date for its new entry-level desktop graphics card, the GeForce RTX 5050 8GB, to July 1. Known insider MEGAsizeGPU has taken to social media to confirm that the original launch window of late July has been brought forward, with NVIDIA notifying its partners of the new date.

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The GeForce RTX 5050 8GB GPU is set to be positioned as an entry-level option for PC gaming. It is the first desktop 50-Class GPU release since the GeForce RTX 3050 8GB from 2022, and will feature 2560 CUDA Cores, which is 33% fewer than the RTX 5060 and 16% fewer than the RTX 4060. Interestingly, it's the exact CUDA Core count as the GeForce RTX 3050.

Other specs confirmed by multiple sources are that the GPU will ship with 8GB of GDDR6 memory in desktop form, not the newer and faster GDDR7 memory found in the rest of the GeForce RTX 50 Series line-up. The good news is that the GDDR6 memory will be clocked faster, delivering 320 GB/sec of memory bandwidth.

• Read more: GeForce RTX 5050 to use faster 20 Gbps GDDR6 memory, same as RDNA 4

Interestingly, MEGAsizeGPU adds that "no card can be shipped on July 1," which points to the new date being more of a paper launch with actual GPUs not making their way to retail shelves until later. This probably means there won't be any day one reviews, ala the GeForce RTX 5060.

Although the GeForce RTX 5050 8GB will be the slowest or weakest card in the RTX Blackwell line-up, that doesn't mean that it won't be any good. If NVIDIA and its partners target a price point of around $199, it could prove to be a decent entry-level option, seeing as current brand-new sub-$200 GPUs being sold are older cards like the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB models and Radeon RX 6650 XT.

We will try to get our hands on a GeForce RTX 5050 as soon as possible, to compare its performance to the GeForce RTX 3050, RTX 3060, and RTX 4060 - so stay tuned for that.