GeForce GTX 780M vs GeForce GTX 1050 with Max-Q Design

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 780M vs GeForce GTX 1050 with Max-Q Design 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 780M vs GeForce GTX 1050 with Max-Q Design: 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 780M

2013

Why buy it

✅6.7% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

❌2013 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌62.7% higher power demand at 122W vs 75W.

GeForce GTX 1050 with Max-Q Design

2018

Why buy it

✅GeForce GTX 780M is already obsolete for modern gaming, so GeForce GTX 1050 with Max-Q Design is the less risky modern option long term.
✅Draws 75W instead of 122W, a 47W reduction.
✅More future proof: Pascal (2016−2021) on 14nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 780M across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2018 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

GeForce GTX 780M is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 6.7% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward GeForce GTX 1050 with Max-Q Design instead at 3,925 vs 3,845, so for this question the real-game FPS result matters more than the synthetic split.

Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce GTX 1050 with Max-Q Design is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 14nm process instead of 28nm and a newer 2018 generation instead of 2013. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

GeForce GTX 1050 with Max-Q Design makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. GeForce GTX 780M still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce GTX 780M vs GeForce GTX 1050 with Max-Q Design Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GTX 780M

The GeForce GTX 780M is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 11 2013. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from 823 MHz to 797 MHz. It has 1536 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 122W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,845 points.

GeForce GTX 1050 with Max-Q Design

The GeForce GTX 1050 with Max-Q Design is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 3 2018. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 1152 MHz to 1417 MHz. It has 768 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,925 points.

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Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 780M scores 3,845 and the GeForce GTX 1050 with Max-Q Design reaches 3,925 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 780M is built on Kepler while the GeForce GTX 1050 with Max-Q Design uses Pascal, both on 28 nm vs 14 nm. Shader units: 1,536 (GeForce GTX 780M) vs 768 (GeForce GTX 1050 with Max-Q Design). Raw compute: 2.448 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 780M) vs 2.177 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1050 with Max-Q Design). Boost clocks: 797 MHz vs 1417 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 780M	GeForce GTX 1050 with Max-Q Design
G3D Mark Score	3,845	3,925+2%
Architecture	Kepler	Pascal
Process Node	28 nm	14 nm
Shading Units	1536+100%	768
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.448 TFLOPS+12%	2.177 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	797 MHz	1417 MHz+78%
ROPs	32	32
TMUs	128+167%	48
L1 Cache	128 KB	288 KB+125%
L2 Cache	0.5 MB	1 MB+100%

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	GeForce GTX 780M	GeForce GTX 1050 with Max-Q Design
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	Upscaling support
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	NVIDIA Reflex

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Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 4 GB of GDDR5. Memory bandwidth: 160 GB/s (GeForce GTX 780M) vs 80 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1050 with Max-Q Design) — a 100% advantage for the GeForce GTX 780M. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the GeForce GTX 780M and 128-bit on the GeForce GTX 1050 with Max-Q Design. L2 Cache: 0.5 MB (GeForce GTX 780M) vs 1 MB (GeForce GTX 1050 with Max-Q Design) — the GeForce GTX 1050 with Max-Q Design has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 780M	GeForce GTX 1050 with Max-Q Design
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	160 GB/s+100%	80 GB/s
Bus Width	256-bit+100%	128-bit
L2 Cache	0.5 MB	1 MB+100%

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Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (11_0) (GeForce GTX 780M) vs 12 (12_1) (GeForce GTX 1050 with Max-Q Design). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 780M	GeForce GTX 1050 with Max-Q Design
DirectX	12 (11_0)	12 (12_1)
Vulkan	1.2	1.3+8%
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	4

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Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: 1st Gen NVENC (Kepler) (GeForce GTX 780M) vs NVENC (6th Gen) (GeForce GTX 1050 with Max-Q Design). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP5 vs NVDEC (3rd Gen). Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (GeForce GTX 780M) vs H.264,H.265 (HEVC),VP9 (GeForce GTX 1050 with Max-Q Design).

Feature	GeForce GTX 780M	GeForce GTX 1050 with Max-Q Design
Encoder	1st Gen NVENC (Kepler)	NVENC (6th Gen)
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP5	NVDEC (3rd Gen)
Codecs	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2	H.264,H.265 (HEVC),VP9

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Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 780M draws 122W versus the GeForce GTX 1050 with Max-Q Design's 75W — a 47.7% difference. The GeForce GTX 1050 with Max-Q Design is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 780M) vs 350W (GeForce GTX 1050 with Max-Q Design). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 70°C.