GeForce RTX 2050 vs Radeon RX 780

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 2050

2018Core: 1515 MHzBoost: 1710 MHz
RTX family
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VS
AMD

Radeon RX 780

2024Core: 1295 MHzBoost: 2335 MHz
Similar parts
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GeForce RTX 2050 vs Radeon RX 780 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 RTX 2050 vs Radeon RX 780 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 RTX 2050 vs Radeon RX 780: 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 RTX 2050

2018

Why buy it

  • Costs $349 less on MSRP ($150 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
  • Delivers 235.1% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 51.4 vs 15.3 G3D/$ ($150 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
  • Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon RX 780 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
  • Older hardware, 4 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in newer AAA releases.
  • 19.4% higher power demand at 215W vs 180W.

Radeon RX 780

2024

Why buy it

  • 5.8% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
  • Better long-term bet: RDNA 3.0 (2022−2026) on 5nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
  • Draws 180W instead of 215W, a 35W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • No DLSS support; it relies on FSR 3 (2023) instead.
  • 232.7% HIGHER MSRP
    $499 MSRPvs$150 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 15.3 vs 51.4 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs $150 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon RX 780 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 5.8% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward GeForce RTX 2050 instead at 7,714 vs 7,658, 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?
Radeon RX 780 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: the newer feature stack, with FSR 3 (2023) and FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023), while GeForce RTX 2050 is limited to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) and no comparable frame-generation support, a 5nm process instead of 12nm, 60 vs 46 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2024 generation instead of 2018. That gives it the more rounded hardware package for newer games.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce RTX 2050 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $349 cheaper on MSRP at $150 vs $499, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 235.1% (51.4 vs 15.3), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, GeForce RTX 2050 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Radeon RX 780 has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce RTX 2050 vs Radeon RX 780 Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 2050

The GeForce RTX 2050 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in September 20 2018. It features the Turing architecture. The core clock ranges from 1515 MHz to 1710 MHz. It has 2944 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 215W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. It features 46 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 7,714 points. Launch price was $699.

AMD

Radeon RX 780

The Radeon RX 780 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in September 11 2024. It features the RDNA 3.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1295 MHz to 2335 MHz. It has 3840 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 180W. Manufactured using 5 nm process technology. It features 60 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 7,658 points.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce RTX 2050 scores 7,714 and the Radeon RX 780 reaches 7,658 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce RTX 2050 is built on Turing while the Radeon RX 780 uses RDNA 3.0, both on 12 nm vs 5 nm. Shader units: 2,944 (GeForce RTX 2050) vs 3,840 (Radeon RX 780). Raw compute: 10.07 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 2050) vs 35.87 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 780). Boost clocks: 1710 MHz vs 2335 MHz. Ray tracing: 46 RT cores (GeForce RTX 2050) vs 60 (Radeon RX 780) with 368 Tensor cores.

FeatureGeForce RTX 2050Radeon RX 780
G3D Mark Score
7,714
7,658
Architecture
Turing
RDNA 3.0
Process Node
12 nm
5 nm
Shading Units
2944
3840+30%
Compute (TFLOPS)
10.07 TFLOPS
35.87 TFLOPS+256%
Boost Clock
1710 MHz
2335 MHz+37%
ROPs
64
96+50%
TMUs
184
240+30%
L1 Cache
2.9 MB+287%
0.75 MB
L2 Cache
4 MB
4 MB
Ray Tracing Cores
46
60+30%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The clearest feature edge for the Radeon RX 780 is support for FSR Frame Generation + AFMF. In games that support it, that can smooth out motion and lift perceived FPS. The GeForce RTX 2050 does not have comparable native support in the same tier.The GeForce RTX 2050 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon RX 780 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce RTX 2050Radeon RX 780
Upscaling Tech
DLSS 2 Super Resolution
FSR 3
Frame Generation
Not Supported
FSR Frame Generation + AFMF
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
AMD Anti-Lag
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 4 GB of video memory. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the GeForce RTX 2050 and System on the Radeon RX 780.

FeatureGeForce RTX 2050Radeon RX 780
VRAM Capacity
4 GB
4 GB
Memory Type
GDDR6
Shared
Memory Bandwidth
112 GB/s
System
Bus Width
64-bit
System
L2 Cache
4 MB
4 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.2 (GeForce RTX 2050) vs 12 (12_2) (Radeon RX 780). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce RTX 2050Radeon RX 780
DirectX
12.2+2%
12 (12_2)
Vulkan
1.3
1.4+8%
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
4
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 8.0 (GeForce RTX 2050) vs RDNA 3 Dual Media Engine (Radeon RX 780). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP11 vs VCN 4.0. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (Decode) (GeForce RTX 2050) vs H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (Radeon RX 780).

FeatureGeForce RTX 2050Radeon RX 780
Encoder
NVENC 8.0
RDNA 3 Dual Media Engine
Decoder
PureVideo HD VP11
VCN 4.0
Codecs
MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (Decode)
H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 2050 draws 215W versus the Radeon RX 780's 180W — a 17.7% difference. The Radeon RX 780 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 300W (GeForce RTX 2050) vs 350W (Radeon RX 780). Power connectors: 6-pin vs PCIe-powered.

FeatureGeForce RTX 2050Radeon RX 780
TDP
215W
180W-16%
Recommended PSU
300W-14%
350W
Power Connector
6-pin
PCIe-powered
Length
0mm
Height
0mm
Slots
0
0
Temp (Load)
85°C
Perf/Watt
35.9
42.5+18%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce RTX 2050 came in at $150, while the Radeon RX 780 launched at $499. On MSRP, GeForce RTX 2050 was 69.9% cheaper ($349 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 51.4 (GeForce RTX 2050) vs 15.3 (Radeon RX 780) — the GeForce RTX 2050 offers 235.9% better value. The newer card here is Radeon RX 780 (2024 vs 2018).

FeatureGeForce RTX 2050Radeon RX 780
MSRP
$150-70%
$499
Performance per Dollar
51.4+236%
15.3
Codename
TU104
Navi 32
Release
September 20 2018
September 11 2024
Ranking
#94
#131

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