MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Ti GAMING X 4G Review @ [H]

FrgMstr

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MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Ti GAMING X 4G Review - NVIDIA is launching the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti and GeForce GTX 1050 today. These lower-end GPUs are priced for those on a budget, but still pack quite a punch. We test the MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Ti GAMING X, overclock it, and see how it compares to the competition in the latest games.
 
That was a complete and total annihilation of the competition! But with that said at $165 it is in RX 470 / GTX 1060 3GB pricing. The RX 470 is supposed to be $170 now right?
 
"The AMD Radeon RX 470, even at the cheapest, is way outside the pricing range of the GTX 1050 Ti."

Gigabyte and XFX 470 4gb just $5 dollars more ...hardly 'way outside'.
Radeon RX 400 Series, Desktop Graphics Cards, Video Cards & Video Devices, Components - Newegg.com

Might want to check the prices on the 1050ti, without rebate they are still 10 bucks less than with rebate on the rx470's you just pointed too. So differential is still 20 bucks man.

gtx 1050ti - Newegg.com


The 1060 6 gb is the same price with the same coupon and master pass checkout as the the rx480 you just pointed too.
 
Nice review. But I think for 30 dollars more I'll get the RX 470 4GB. I'M it's the better choice.
 
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On the topic of pricing

At the onset of the evaluation these prices were not like they are today, it seems today specifically some great deals have occurred. Of course one cannot predict when good deals happen, and how long they will last. It is important to note that the MSRP of 1050 Ti is $139 which did match the MSRP of RX 460 4GB when the evaluation was started. The decision to use that card for comparison was based off of the similar pricing. In fact, the XFX RX 460 4GB card we used was even more expensive, at $149, and still is. When you compare that price to the MSI card they are only $15 apart, which was a lot closer in price than the RX 470 used to be compared to the 1050 Ti.

Even with the price drop from AMD this week on the RX 470 now at $169, it is still $40 from the price point of GTX 1050 Ti at $139. Technically the specific custom retail video card we used for comparison is closer in price at a $15 difference, which stands. It is also factory overclocked. So price-to-price, they are comparable, even with these great deals on RX 470 which have just happened today.

We have an odd situation where pricing is in extreme flux, from day to day, it seems to be changing and prices are not stagnant. We cannot of course predict when great deals happen like this, in regards to the RX 470. I would certainly amend my opinion that if you can get an RX 470 for one of these deals below $170, it is a good value. That still however does not dismiss the high level of gamaplay experience an overclocked GTX 1050 Ti does have to offer in games. The MSI GTX 1050 Ti GAMING X we evaluated, yes it has a price premium, but it earns it by producing a very high in-game frequency while gaming (1747MHz (and a high base and boost clock) and overclockable easily to 1911MHz/8GHz which does stand on its own performance wise. The performance level at $165 is impressive and should not be dismissed. I would also think cheaper 1050 Ti's, closer to $139 may also overclock quite high, performing well.

Sorry for the confusion, please understand such things happen sometimes, we've certainly seen big price drops right after a new card launch before, sometimes they are hard to predict and well that just happens. But in the end, it is ALL good for the gamer looking for new hardware! So get get yourself some good deals out there and enjoy!
 
I wish you had included the RX470 as it recently dropped in price and is well worth the extra cash IMO.

BTW as fas as I can tell, OC didn't get you better IQ. Is that right?
 
I wish you had included the RX470 as it recently dropped in price and is well worth the extra cash IMO.

BTW as fas as I can tell, OC didn't get you better IQ. Is that right?

Emphasis on recently. Read my post above yours :)

On the topic of IQ, I think with the overclock I could have raised a setting or two in Deus Ex, I think I would go for turning Parallax Mapping back up a notch and it would be ok with that with the overclocking., or texture quality. Most the games though were just a smoother experience when overclocked.
 
Waiting for the price to drop to 170 at Jet for the 470 to use additional 15 percent code :)
 
Brent_Justice I love price wars! This is the best thing that's happened to the video card market in years!

Indeed it is, it's great for consumers (not so much for reviewers! :p ) These reviews don't get made overnight :p

That said, maybe we can do a follow-up comparing with RX 470 to answer the question now that the price has dropped. All your bases, will be covered (and belong to us) Had to get that in there :p
 
lol, a China brand import block has been made for the Colorful brand. 1050ti block anyone? So nutty but cool. They've been copying major brands for a few years now and have really got that ek look down pat now.

Bykski Releases Full-Coverage Water Blocks for GeForce GTX 1050 Ti and GTX 1050

115e.jpg
 
Seems like the overclock should have yielded a bit more performance, I guess that's just not where it's limited. I think spending up to the 470 is the way to go, but the 1050 seems to absolutely nails the 460. Awesome review, and definitely correct on the pricing thing, everything is so fluid right now. Can't wait for Vega so we can get competition at the $300+ bracket like this!
 
Someone will do it. Some people put water blocks on 480s even though they could have just bought better GPUs for the cost of the 480 + block hardware.

It's more about the hobby and tweaking than the price point. Some like myself would block anything we buy so if it were a 1070, it'd be blocked too so it would really be comparative, ie. whatever card + block. In my case even at 1.3k + block, same deal.
 
Someone will do it. Some people put water blocks on 480s even though they could have just bought better GPUs for the cost of the 480 + block hardware.

I have a waterblock on my RX 480. What's wrong with that? Huh? Huh? Huh? :) :) :)

Ha ha ha! But seriously think about the waterblock as an extension of your case fans. A couple of those expensive but near silent fans would have run me the same price as my $66 RX 480 block. A WC completely silent HTPC with an overclock on the video card is possible. I have a 220w CPU that is OC'd and a RX 480 OC'd and peaking out ~55c on a bad day.
 
I have a waterblock on my RX 480. What's wrong with that? Huh? Huh? Huh? :) :) :)

Ha ha ha! But seriously think about the waterblock as an extension of your case fans. A couple of those expensive but near silent fans would have run me the same price as my $66 RX 480 block. A WC completely silent HTPC with an overclock on the video card is possible. I have a 220w CPU that is OC'd and a RX 480 OC'd and peaking out ~55c on a bad day.

Nothing is wrong with it. Water cooling is a hobby, hobbies cost money :D
 
Nothing is wrong with it. Water cooling is a hobby, hobbies cost money :D

It's gotten a ton cheaper nowadays. All you need is that Alphacool expandable system that was reviewed here a couple of months ago and a block or two. The Alphacool was no more expensive than a closed Corsair AIO water cooler and expandable to boot. Think about how many fans you may install to get your temps just right in an air cooled only case. Then think about the price of a generic GPU block. It's relatively the same pricing.

It's when you want the big toys that the hobby gets expensive. ;)
 
On the topic of pricing

At the onset of the evaluation these prices were not like they are today, it seems today specifically some great deals have occurred. Of course one cannot predict when good deals happen, and how long they will last. It is important to note that the MSRP of 1050 Ti is $139 which did match the MSRP of RX 460 4GB when the evaluation was started. The decision to use that card for comparison was based off of the similar pricing. In fact, the XFX RX 460 4GB card we used was even more expensive, at $149, and still is. When you compare that price to the MSI card they are only $15 apart, which was a lot closer in price than the RX 470 used to be compared to the 1050 Ti.

Even with the price drop from AMD this week on the RX 470 now at $169, it is still $40 from the price point of GTX 1050 Ti at $139. Technically the specific custom retail video card we used for comparison is closer in price at a $15 difference, which stands. It is also factory overclocked. So price-to-price, they are comparable, even with these great deals on RX 470 which have just happened today.

We have an odd situation where pricing is in extreme flux, from day to day, it seems to be changing and prices are not stagnant. We cannot of course predict when great deals happen like this, in regards to the RX 470. I would certainly amend my opinion that if you can get an RX 470 for one of these deals below $170, it is a good value. That still however does not dismiss the high level of gamaplay experience an overclocked GTX 1050 Ti does have to offer in games. The MSI GTX 1050 Ti GAMING X we evaluated, yes it has a price premium, but it earns it by producing a very high in-game frequency while gaming (1747MHz (and a high base and boost clock) and overclockable easily to 1911MHz/8GHz which does stand on its own performance wise. The performance level at $165 is impressive and should not be dismissed. I would also think cheaper 1050 Ti's, closer to $139 may also overclock quite high, performing well.

Sorry for the confusion, please understand such things happen sometimes, we've certainly seen big price drops right after a new card launch before, sometimes they are hard to predict and well that just happens. But in the end, it is ALL good for the gamer looking for new hardware! So get get yourself some good deals out there and enjoy!


Hey Brent:

I feel that you must take into consideration the collapsed market we're dealing with here. Every $5-10 extra is a big deal when playing around with a total of $50 spread. If MSI launched that card at $149 you would have a good argument defending your value conclusion. However, at $164.99 I just cannot see how you can defend your statements with a straight face.

The RX 470 deals did not drop today, or this week. They've been ongoing since October 12. Only reason I know is that I picked one up for 184.00 (+tax local because I could not find any online). This was back on September 28, and have been watching the prices decline steadily since then. AMD dropped the suggested price $10 just recently, but third parties have been chipping away at the price of radeon stock before that. Namely MSI and Sapphire.

That aside, when asking your readers to consider your evaluation on value in such a tight market you have to consider the sacrifice such a premium affords when $5-10 is a big deal let alone $26 in a market war of only $50. You might as well be posting an addendum in the review to consider cards in the $180 price range. Cards which have been available all month long. The $200+ radeons disappeared about two weeks ago. I am sure that a little edit to the article was warranted given that the price flux was ongoing during this review process. Just saying.
 
That was a complete and total annihilation of the competition! But with that said at $165 it is in RX 470 / GTX 1060 3GB pricing. The RX 470 is supposed to be $170 now right?

At 120-140w, since nearly every card is factory-overclocked. "120w TDP" my ass :(

power_average.png


The card [H] reviewed has a 6-pin, but you can get that same level of performance from bus-powered 1050 Ti cards. You just can't overclock to the outrageous level [H] did without that 6-pin :D

You can see that the power consumption between the RX 460 and the MSI GTX 1050 Ti are the same, and that XFX card is bus-powered.
 
Might want to check the prices on the 1050ti, without rebate they are still 10 bucks less than with rebate on the rx470's you just pointed too. So differential is still 20 bucks man.

gtx 1050ti - Newegg.com



The 1060 6 gb is the same price with the same coupon and master pass checkout as the the rx480 you just pointed too.

Differential? ...really!!?? I've got $170 burning a hole in my pocket and a choice between this MSI ti and the XFX 470 [offering xx% more performance] ...for $5 more. Differential, pifferential!

Brent Those two cards would be my suggestion for a face off.
 
Differential? ...really!!?? I've got $170 burning a hole in my pocket and a choice between this MSI ti and the XFX 470 [offering xx% more performance] ...for $5 more. Differential, pifferential!

Brent Those two cards would be my suggestion for a face off.


If you got 170 to burn why would even look at a 1050? you are in the 470 price range... you can also get 1060's at the price range after rebates, damn I wouldn't even consider a 1050 for that much money.
 
If you got 170 to burn why would even look at a 1050? you are in the 470 price range... you can also get 1060's at the price range after rebates, damn I wouldn't even consider a 1050 for that much money.

I agree.

I am a bang per buck budget gamer, and if $10 gets me more than 10% more performance I would figure a way out to get that extra $10. For a couple months I just could not justify the $209.99 price for a 4GB RX 470. Now? Man the market is ripe with competition. $170 seems to be the sweet spot to start a bidding war between manufacturers selling you their product. If people are finding 1060 3GB for the $170 option man even better.
 
Civ VI numbers anyone? Wife's bday is in two weeks. Been eyeing this for her, but need to make sure it will run it with a bit of eye candy at 1080, smoothly. She's sensitive to low frame rates
 
I agree.

I am a bang per buck budget gamer, and if $10 gets me more than 10% more performance I would figure a way out to get that extra $10. For a couple months I just could not justify the $209.99 price for a 4GB RX 470. Now? Man the market is ripe with competition. $170 seems to be the sweet spot to start a bidding war between manufacturers selling you their product. If people are finding 1060 3GB for the $170 option man even better.


MSI GeForce GTX 1060 Gaming X 3GB GDDR5 Video Card $165 w/ Masterpass Checkout + $20 Rebate

Here ya go. Deal seems to be still active so don't know why they put deal isn't active, the masterpass checkout seems to be still available.
 
Honestly I think the pricing debate going on here highlights why it might be worth doing some of these reviews with more cards included, or larger generational surveys of these things. I know these reviews are a shit load of work for Brent and I really respect that, but you've picked two cards on the basis of price, or which cards are the logical head-to-head matchups due to relative stack positioning, then days later the landscape changes and the comparison isn't as relevant as it could be. With so many different brand new models crammed into a $100-ish price range ($139-$250) we're talking about $10-15 separating cards that we haven't seen compared directly, which makes it very difficult to make buying decisions. I'd love to see a series of apples to apples comparisons of all the different models in that range (1050-1060 and 460-480 8GB). I think that would go such a long way into clearing up where they all perform relatively, then when the price changes we can see if the value proposition has changed
 
Civ VI numbers anyone? Wife's bday is in two weeks. Been eyeing this for her, but need to make sure it will run it with a bit of eye candy at 1080, smoothly. She's sensitive to low frame rates

It should be fine with Civ 6. It doesn't seem like you need something really strong for that game.
 
Non 6 pin models from other reviews OC like crap seems to be consensus

460(4GB) for $119 So the whole MSRP comparison seems kinda like a crap shoot now. $20 more for the 1050ti without a 6 PIN and hardly any OC headroom(curious about 460OC vs $139 1050Ti model) or go to $160-170 range where 470 is clear winner


Wonder how these perform in DX9 titles eg. MWO which 1070 runs like crap on due to piss poor engine. Tried F.E.A.R Extraction Point as well which had horrible FPS and a good chunk of steam library are old titles I have for kids to mess around on thanks to humble bundle.
 
Honestly I think the pricing debate going on here highlights why it might be worth doing some of these reviews with more cards included, or larger generational surveys of these things. I know these reviews are a shit load of work for Brent and I really respect that, but you've picked two cards on the basis of price, or which cards are the logical head-to-head matchups due to relative stack positioning, then days later the landscape changes and the comparison isn't as relevant as it could be. With so many different brand new models crammed into a $100-ish price range ($139-$250) we're talking about $10-15 separating cards that we haven't seen compared directly, which makes it very difficult to make buying decisions. I'd love to see a series of apples to apples comparisons of all the different models in that range (1050-1060 and 460-480 8GB). I think that would go such a long way into clearing up where they all perform relatively, then when the price changes we can see if the value proposition has changed

Agreed. I wouldn't mind the next card up (and down if its not a bottom tier card) be included in reviews for perspective.
 
This one is too big but Zotac and EVGA seem to have the right idea with models no longer than the port itself. Looks like a great HTPC upgrade.
 
RX 460 is an embarrassment in my opinion. If I were AMD I would be slipping in an RX 465 because there is way to much of a gap in performance. Oh and the RX 460 should be in the $80 price bracket now too.

1050ti is a nice performer indeed.
 
RX 460 is an embarrassment in my opinion. If I were AMD I would be slipping in an RX 465 because there is way to much of a gap in performance. Oh and the RX 460 should be in the $80 price bracket now too.

1050ti is a nice performer indeed.

They did launch the RX 470D.

For china.
 
doing a limited launch for a region most likely means they were getting a certain number of GPU's that were having some issues with having more shader units activated so they sell those to that specific region because they don't have the volume to do it for everywhere and if they do make the GPU and cut down parts of fully functional chips they will cut down margins to the point its not worth selling......
 
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