Zotac GTX 1050 TI Review

The budget GPU market isn’t such a bad place to shop anymore. With the recent release of the GTX 1050 Ti, Nvidia has finally given consumers the 750ti successor they have been asking for.

With a TDP of 75W and dimensions of 5.7″x4.37″, the diminutive card sits at the bottom end of Nvidia’s Pascal lineup. However that doesn’t mean it is a slouch when it comes to performance.

Design & Features

The 1050 Ti features a very basic, no frills design that reflects its $150 dollar price tag. There are no LED’s, or copper heat pipes to be found on this compact card. It has very basic styling, but I still found it relatively attractive.

What you will notice immediately about the card is how short it is. It gives you the impression that they could easily make a single slot or half height 1050 Ti if they want to. The back panel obviously doesn’t have a back-plate, but the card does have a black PCB. It is light and small, but doesn’t feel cheap.

The Zotac version of the 1050 Ti has 1 HDMi 2.0 port, 1 Display Port, and 1 DVI connector. Unlike the models from other manufacturers that I have seen so far, the I/O only takes up one slot. The early models of the 1050 Ti only have three display outs on them, but Nvidia has said that the card can support up to four. We may see updated versions in the future.

The 1050 Ti doesn’t support SLI, so if you were thinking you could add another one later, much like GTX 1060 owners you are out of luck.

Benchmarks & Performance

The original 750Ti achieved almost legendary status for its ability to offer rock solid performance for under $150, and I am happy to report that the 1050 Ti is no different. Check the chart below for the full benchmarks.

So as you can see from the benchmarks, the 1050 Ti performs admirably when gaming at 1080p. Most of the games ran at medium to high settings with no problem.

Overclocking

I was concerned that this card would not be able to handle a decent overclock due to the 75W TDP. I was surprised to see that the 1050 Ti can comfortably handle GPU overclocks from 1800-1900MHz. This gives you around an 8% boost in performance.

I found that pushing the clock rate past 1900MHz resulted in instability and crashes. I will be curious to see what speeds can be achieved by the versions of this card with 6-pin external power connectors.

Fan Noise

Fan noise is a problem that plagues a lot of graphics cards. Fortunately the 75W TDP helps limit the amount of heat this card produces. I found that the 90mm fan rarely had to ramp up, and when it did it was still very quiet. The semi-open design of the shroud helps with this a bit. The Zotac GTX 1050 Ti is one of the quietest cards at load I’ve ever tested, and is also whisper quiet at idle.

System Building With The 1050 Ti

The Zotac GTX 1050 Ti is the easiest card to build with I have ever encountered. It’s solid build quality and tiny dimensions allow it to fit into even the tighest of cases. I deal with primarily small form factor mini-ITX systems, and this card is perfect for that type of system.

Conclusion

The GTX 1050 Ti is a fantastic little card. If you can snag one for around $150 you will not be disappointed. I would stay away from the version with 6-pin connectors as they tend to be priced up around $179. At that price point you could grab an RX 470 or GTX 1060 3GB, which will give you significantly better performance for your dollar.

If you are looking to build a 4K gaming rig, or a VR box. I would look elsewhere. That is not what this card was designed to do. However if you are a MOBA player, or an E Sports gamer this card should suit you just fine.

More Info
For additional info you can check out the video review above, then comment on the site or YouTube if you have any questions.