GeForce GTX 680 vs GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile)

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 680

2012Core: 1006 MHzBoost: 1058 MHz
VS
NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile)

2020Core: 1350 MHzBoost: 1485 MHz

GeForce GTX 680 vs GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile) Performance Spectrum

About G3D Mark

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.

GeForce GTX 680 vs GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile) FPS Benchmarks

Predicted gaming performance across popular games. Tested paired with Ryzen 7 9800X3D to isolate GPU performance.

Search any supported game below to compare 1080p FPS for both components.

GeForce GTX 680 vs GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile): Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each GPU makes more sense in practice: raw FPS, VRAM, features, power draw, pricing, and long-term headroom.

GeForce GTX 680

2012

Why buy it

  • Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 11.2 vs 0 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile) across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 2012 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 290% higher power demand at 195W vs 50W.

GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile)

2020

Why buy it

  • 26.8% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • GeForce GTX 680 is already obsolete for modern gaming, so GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile) is the less risky modern option long term.
  • Draws 50W instead of 195W, a 145W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Older hardware, 4 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in newer AAA releases.
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 11.2 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $499 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile) is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 26.8% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 5.5% in PassMark G3D (5,918 vs 5,609), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile) is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 12nm process instead of 28nm and a newer 2020 generation instead of 2012. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce GTX 680 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, GeForce GTX 680 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile) has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 680 vs GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile) Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 680

The GeForce GTX 680 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 22 2012. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from 1006 MHz to 1058 MHz. It has 1536 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 195W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,609 points. Launch price was $499.

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile)

The GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile) is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in April 23 2020. It features the Turing architecture. The core clock ranges from 1350 MHz to 1485 MHz. It has 1024 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,918 points.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 680 scores 5,609 versus the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile)'s 5,918 — the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile) leads by 5.5%. The GeForce GTX 680 is built on Kepler while the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile) uses Turing, both on 28 nm vs 12 nm. Shader units: 1,536 (GeForce GTX 680) vs 1,024 (GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile)). Raw compute: 3.25 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 680) vs 3.041 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile)). Boost clocks: 1058 MHz vs 1485 MHz.

FeatureGeForce GTX 680GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile)
G3D Mark Score
5,609
5,918+6%
Architecture
Kepler
Turing
Process Node
28 nm
12 nm
Shading Units
1536+50%
1024
Compute (TFLOPS)
3.25 TFLOPS+7%
3.041 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
1058 MHz
1485 MHz+40%
ROPs
32
32
TMUs
128+100%
64
L1 Cache
0.13 MB
1 MB+669%
L2 Cache
0.5 MB
1 MB+100%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureGeForce GTX 680GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile)
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
Upscaling support
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
NVIDIA Reflex
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 4 GB of GDDR5. Memory bandwidth: 192.2 GB/s (GeForce GTX 680) vs 112 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile)) — a 71.6% advantage for the GeForce GTX 680. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the GeForce GTX 680 and 128-bit on the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile). L2 Cache: 0.5 MB (GeForce GTX 680) vs 1 MB (GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile)) — the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile) has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GTX 680GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile)
VRAM Capacity
4 GB
4 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
192.2 GB/s+72%
112 GB/s
Bus Width
256-bit+100%
128-bit
L2 Cache
0.5 MB
1 MB+100%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (FL 11_0) (GeForce GTX 680) vs 12 (12_1) (GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile)). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce GTX 680GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile)
DirectX
12 (FL 11_0)
12 (12_1)
Vulkan
1.1
1.3+18%
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
4
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 1st gen (GeForce GTX 680) vs NVENC (6th Gen) (GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile)). Decoder: PureVideo VP5 vs NVDEC (3rd Gen). Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (GeForce GTX 680) vs H.264,H.265 (HEVC),VP9 (GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile)).

FeatureGeForce GTX 680GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile)
Encoder
NVENC 1st gen
NVENC (6th Gen)
Decoder
PureVideo VP5
NVDEC (3rd Gen)
Codecs
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2
H.264,H.265 (HEVC),VP9
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 680 draws 195W versus the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile)'s 50W — a 118.4% difference. The GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile) is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce GTX 680) vs 350W (GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile)). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Typical load temperature: 98°C vs 75°C.

FeatureGeForce GTX 680GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile)
TDP
195W
50W-74%
Recommended PSU
550W
350W-36%
Power Connector
2x 6-pin
PCIe-powered
Length
256mm
Height
111mm
Slots
2
0-100%
Temp (Load)
98°C
75°C-23%
Perf/Watt
28.8
118.4+311%
💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile) (2020 vs 2012).

FeatureGeForce GTX 680GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile)
MSRP
$499
Codename
GK104
TU116
Release
March 22 2012
April 23 2020
Ranking
#410
#324

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