GeForce GTX 1050 3 GB vs GT 520M

Aggregate performance score

We've compared GeForce GT 520M with GeForce GTX 1050 3 GB, including specs and performance data.

GT 520M
2011
1 GB DDR3, 12 Watt
0.72

GTX 1050 3 GB outperforms GT 520M by a whopping 1656% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.

Place in the ranking1170393
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation0.01no data
Power efficiency4.3112.10
ArchitectureFermi (2010−2014)Pascal (2016−2021)
GPU code nameGF108GP107
Market segmentLaptopDesktop
Release date5 January 2011 (14 years ago)21 May 2018 (6 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$59.99 no data

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

The higher the performance-to-price ratio, the better. We use the manufacturer's recommended prices for comparison.

no data

Detailed specifications

General parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.

Pipelines / CUDA cores48768
Core clock speed600 MHz1392 MHz
Boost clock speedno data1518 MHz
Number of transistors585 million3,300 million
Manufacturing process technology40 nm14 nm
Power consumption (TDP)12 Watt75 Watt
Texture fill rate4.80072.86
Floating-point processing power0.1152 TFLOPS2.332 TFLOPS
ROPs424
TMUs848

Form factor & compatibility

Information on compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For desktop graphics cards it's interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility).

InterfacePCIe 2.0 x16PCIe 3.0 x16
Lengthno data145 mm
Widthno data2-slot
Supplementary power connectorsNoneNone

VRAM capacity and type

Parameters of VRAM installed: its type, size, bus, clock and resulting bandwidth. Integrated GPUs have no dedicated video RAM and use a shared part of system RAM.

Memory typeDDR3GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount1 GB3 GB
Memory bus width64 Bit96 Bit
Memory clock speed800 MHz1752 MHz
Memory bandwidth12.8 GB/s84.1 GB/s
Shared memory--

Connectivity and outputs

Types and number of video connectors present on the reviewed GPUs. As a rule, data in this section is precise only for desktop reference ones (so-called Founders Edition for NVIDIA chips). OEM manufacturers may change the number and type of output ports, while for notebook cards availability of certain video outputs ports depends on the laptop model rather than on the card itself.

Display ConnectorsPortable Device Dependent1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort
HDMI-+

Supported technologies

Supported technological solutions. This information will prove useful if you need some particular technology for your purposes.

Optimus+-

API and SDK compatibility

List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.

DirectX12 API12 (12_1)
Shader Model5.16.4
OpenGL4.54.6
OpenCL1.11.2
VulkanN/A1.2.131
CUDA+6.1

Synthetic benchmark performance

Non-gaming benchmark results comparison. The combined score is measured on a 0-100 point scale.


Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark score.

GT 520M 0.72
GTX 1050 3 GB 12.64
+1656%

Passmark

This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark. It gives the graphics card a thorough evaluation under various types of load, providing four separate benchmarks for Direct3D versions 9, 10, 11 and 12 (the last being done in 4K resolution if possible), and few more tests engaging DirectCompute capabilities.

GT 520M 287
GTX 1050 3 GB 5062
+1664%

Gaming performance

Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS.

Average FPS across all PC games

Here are the average frames per second in a large set of popular games across different resolutions:

900p8
−1650%
140−150
+1650%
Full HD12
−1650%
210−220
+1650%
1200p7
−1614%
120−130
+1614%

Cost per frame, $

1080p5.00no data

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Counter-Strike 2 6−7
−1567%
100−105
+1567%
Cyberpunk 2077 3−4
−1567%
50−55
+1567%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Counter-Strike 2 6−7
−1567%
100−105
+1567%
Cyberpunk 2077 3−4
−1567%
50−55
+1567%
Forza Horizon 4 5−6
−1600%
85−90
+1600%
Red Dead Redemption 2 5−6
−1600%
85−90
+1600%

Full HD
High Preset

Counter-Strike 2 6−7
−1567%
100−105
+1567%
Cyberpunk 2077 3−4
−1567%
50−55
+1567%
Far Cry 5 9−10
−1567%
150−160
+1567%
Fortnite 2−3
−1650%
35−40
+1650%
Forza Horizon 4 5−6
−1600%
85−90
+1600%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 10−11
−1600%
170−180
+1600%
Red Dead Redemption 2 5−6
−1600%
85−90
+1600%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 6−7
−1567%
100−105
+1567%
World of Tanks 18−20
−1479%
300−310
+1479%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Counter-Strike 2 6−7
−1567%
100−105
+1567%
Cyberpunk 2077 3−4
−1567%
50−55
+1567%
Far Cry 5 9−10
−1567%
150−160
+1567%
Forza Horizon 4 5−6
−1600%
85−90
+1600%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 10−11
−1600%
170−180
+1600%

1440p
High Preset

PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 4−5
−1650%
70−75
+1650%
World of Tanks 3−4
−1567%
50−55
+1567%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Cyberpunk 2077 3−4
−1567%
50−55
+1567%
Far Cry 5 4−5
−1650%
70−75
+1650%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 4−5
−1650%
70−75
+1650%
Valorant 5−6
−1600%
85−90
+1600%

4K
High Preset

Dota 2 14−16
−1633%
260−270
+1633%
Grand Theft Auto V 14−16
−1633%
260−270
+1633%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 2−3
−1650%
35−40
+1650%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 14−16
−1633%
260−270
+1633%

4K
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5 1−2
−1500%
16−18
+1500%
Cyberpunk 2077 2−3
−1650%
35−40
+1650%
Dota 2 14−16
−1633%
260−270
+1633%
Valorant 1−2
−1500%
16−18
+1500%

This is how GT 520M and GTX 1050 3 GB compete in popular games:

  • GTX 1050 3 GB is 1650% faster in 900p
  • GTX 1050 3 GB is 1650% faster in 1080p
  • GTX 1050 3 GB is 1614% faster in 1200p

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 0.72 12.64
Recency 5 January 2011 21 May 2018
Maximum RAM amount 1 GB 3 GB
Chip lithography 40 nm 14 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 12 Watt 75 Watt

GT 520M has 525% lower power consumption.

GTX 1050 3 GB, on the other hand, has a 1655.6% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 7 years, a 200% higher maximum VRAM amount, and a 185.7% more advanced lithography process.

The GeForce GTX 1050 3 GB is our recommended choice as it beats the GeForce GT 520M in performance tests.

Be aware that GeForce GT 520M is a notebook card while GeForce GTX 1050 3 GB is a desktop one.

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NVIDIA GeForce GT 520M
GeForce GT 520M
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 3 GB
GeForce GTX 1050 3 GB

Other comparisons

We selected several comparisons of graphics cards with performance close to those reviewed, providing you with more options to consider.

Community ratings

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