G3D Mark is a standard benchmark that measures graphics performance in real-world gaming scenarios. It simplifies comparing cards from different brands, where higher scores directly correlate with better fps and smoother gaming experiences.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

GeForce GTX 1050 3GB

2018

Why buy it

✅Costs $321 less on MSRP ($129 MSRP vs $450 MSRP).
✅Delivers 256.9% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 39.7 vs 11.1 G3D/$ ($129 MSRP vs $450 MSRP).
✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (3 GB vs 2 GB).
✅Less risky long-term buy than Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition: it remains the more sensible modern option while Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition is already obsolete for modern gaming.
✅Draws 75W instead of 250W, a 175W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2018-era hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.

Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition

2014

Why buy it

✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 3 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
248.8% HIGHER MSRP
$450 MSRPvs$129 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 11.1 vs 39.7 G3D/$ ($450 MSRP vs $129 MSRP).
❌233.3% higher power demand at 250W vs 75W.

GeForce GTX 1050 3GB

2018

Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition

2014

Why buy it

✅Costs $321 less on MSRP ($129 MSRP vs $450 MSRP).
✅Delivers 256.9% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 39.7 vs 11.1 G3D/$ ($129 MSRP vs $450 MSRP).
✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (3 GB vs 2 GB).
✅Less risky long-term buy than Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition: it remains the more sensible modern option while Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition is already obsolete for modern gaming.
✅Draws 75W instead of 250W, a 175W reduction.

Why buy it

✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2018-era hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 3 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
248.8% HIGHER MSRP
$450 MSRPvs$129 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 11.1 vs 39.7 G3D/$ ($450 MSRP vs $129 MSRP).
❌233.3% higher power demand at 250W vs 75W.

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce GTX 1050 3GB better than Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition?

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 5,116 vs 5,000 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer GeForce GTX 1050 3GB is the overall package: you are getting a newer generation, no meaningful modern upscaling stack, plus much lower power draw (75W vs 250W).

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce GTX 1050 3GB is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2018 generation instead of 2014, more VRAM at 3 GB instead of 2 GB, the stronger feature stack with no meaningful modern upscaling stack instead of FSR upscaling, and a 14nm process instead of 28nm. That extra memory headroom makes it the safer pick for newer games, heavier textures, and higher settings over time.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

GeForce GTX 1050 3GB can still make sense if you find it at the right price, especially around $129 MSRP. GeForce GTX 1050 3GB is still the smarter buy for most people, though, because the raw performance is close while the overall package is cleaner. GeForce GTX 1050 3GB is about $321 cheaper on MSRP at $129 MSRP versus $450 MSRP, and you are getting 2.3% higher G3D Mark. Moving to $129 MSRP gets you newer hardware, lower power draw (75W vs 250W), and no meaningful modern upscaling stack.

Is Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition is still a strong gaming card in 2026: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. Price is really the swing factor here. If you find it at or below $450 MSRP, it remains a very sensible buy. GeForce GTX 1050 3GB is still the safer recommendation for most fresh builds because it offers a cleaner overall package with newer hardware and no meaningful modern upscaling stack.

Games Benchmarks

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 9800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

GeForce GTX 1050 3GB Benchmark Check

Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1050 3GB	Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition
1080p
low	43 FPS	102 FPS
medium	28 FPS	84 FPS
high	21 FPS	66 FPS
ultra	14 FPS	39 FPS
1440p
low	30 FPS	85 FPS
medium	19 FPS	71 FPS
high	11 FPS	50 FPS
ultra	8 FPS	29 FPS
4K
low	15 FPS	28 FPS
medium	10 FPS	26 FPS
high	6 FPS	17 FPS
ultra	4 FPS	15 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1050 3GB Open Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1050 3GB	Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition
1080p
low	78 FPS	145 FPS
medium	48 FPS	116 FPS
high	36 FPS	95 FPS
ultra	22 FPS	68 FPS
1440p
low	33 FPS	86 FPS
medium	23 FPS	63 FPS
high	15 FPS	47 FPS
ultra	11 FPS	34 FPS
4K
low	10 FPS	33 FPS
medium	7 FPS	24 FPS
high	6 FPS	19 FPS
ultra	4 FPS	13 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1050 3GB Open Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 1050 3GB	Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition
1080p
low	230 FPS	225 FPS
medium	184 FPS	180 FPS
high	153 FPS	150 FPS
ultra	115 FPS	112 FPS
1440p
low	173 FPS	169 FPS
medium	138 FPS	135 FPS
high	115 FPS	112 FPS
ultra	86 FPS	84 FPS
4K
low	115 FPS	112 FPS
medium	92 FPS	90 FPS
high	77 FPS	75 FPS
ultra	50 FPS	56 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1050 3GB Open Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 1050 3GB	Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition
1080p
low	230 FPS	172 FPS
medium	175 FPS	141 FPS
high	153 FPS	125 FPS
ultra	115 FPS	98 FPS
1440p
low	173 FPS	123 FPS
medium	136 FPS	103 FPS
high	115 FPS	91 FPS
ultra	86 FPS	66 FPS
4K
low	95 FPS	72 FPS
medium	71 FPS	56 FPS
high	62 FPS	45 FPS
ultra	47 FPS	30 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1050 3GB Open Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 1050 3GB and Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition

GeForce GTX 1050 3GB

The GeForce GTX 1050 3GB is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 21 2018. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 1392 MHz to 1518 MHz. It has 768 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,116 points.

Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition

The Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition is manufactured by AMD. It was released in November 23 2014. It features the GCN 3.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 850 MHz. It has 2048 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 250W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,000 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 1050 3GB scores 5,116 and the Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition reaches 5,000 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 1050 3GB is built on Pascal while the Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition uses GCN 3.0, both on 14 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 768 (GeForce GTX 1050 3GB) vs 2,048 (Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition). Raw compute: 2.332 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1050 3GB) vs 3.482 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1050 3GB	Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition
G3D Mark Score	5,116+2%	5,000
Architecture	Pascal	GCN 3.0
Process Node	14 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	768	2048+167%
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.332 TFLOPS	3.482 TFLOPS+49%
ROPs	24	32+33%
TMUs	48	128+167%
L1 Cache	288 KB	512 KB+78%
L2 Cache	768 KB+50%	512 KB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 1050 3GB gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1050 3GB	Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 1050 3GB comes with 3 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition has 2 GB. The GeForce GTX 1050 3GB offers 50% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 84 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1050 3GB) vs 174 GB/s (Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition) — a 107.1% advantage for the Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition. Bus width: 96-bit vs 256-bit. L2 Cache: 768 KB (GeForce GTX 1050 3GB) vs 512 KB (Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition) — the GeForce GTX 1050 3GB has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1050 3GB	Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition
VRAM Capacity	3 GB+50%	2 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	84 GB/s	174 GB/s+107%
Bus Width	96-bit	256-bit+167%
L2 Cache	768 KB+50%	512 KB

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1050 3GB draws 75W versus the Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition's 250W — a 107.7% difference. The GeForce GTX 1050 3GB is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 300W (GeForce GTX 1050 3GB) vs 350W (Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition). Power connectors: None vs Mobile.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1050 3GB	Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition
TDP	75W-70%	250W
Recommended PSU	300W-14%	350W
Power Connector	None	Mobile
Length	145mm	—
Height	111mm	—
Slots	2	—
Temp (Load)	65	—
Perf/Watt	68.2+241%	20.0

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 1050 3GB launched at $129 MSRP, while the Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition launched at $450. The GeForce GTX 1050 3GB costs 71.3% less ($321 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 39.7 (GeForce GTX 1050 3GB) vs 11.1 (Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition) — the GeForce GTX 1050 3GB offers 257.7% better value. The GeForce GTX 1050 3GB is the newer GPU (2018 vs 2014).