Nvidia defends its use of GDDR6 memory on its desktop RTX 5050 GPU
Nvidia claims that its GDDR6 is the “best choice” for its desktop RTX 5050, despite GDDR7’s increased bandwidth and efficiency
Earlier this week, Nvidia unveiled its RTX 5050 graphics card. On laptops, this GPU will utilise GDDR7 memory, whereas on desktops, it will use slower GDDR6 memory. Now, Nvidia’s Ben Berraonda has stepped into the conversation to tell us why. Simply put, gamers are not impressed with his answers.
Why does the laptop variant of Nvidia’s RTX 5050 use GDDR7 memory? The answer is power efficiency and lowered thermals. This allows Nvidia’s laptop RTX 5050 to have a smaller power budget, simplifies cooling solutions, and allows it to dedicate more of its limited power budget to GPU compute. So why isn’t GDDR7 used with Nvidia’s desktop RTX 5050 GPUs? No real answers were given, just that GDDR6 was the “best choice” for desktop.
The RTX 5050 notebook GPU has been optimized for the best power efficiency for portable laptops with great battery life. Therefore G6 is the best choice for desktops and the more power efficient G7 is the best choice for laptops.
— Ben Berraondo (@MrBenB) June 25, 2025
So why does Nvidia’s RTX 5050 GPU use GDDR6 memory? The simple answer is cost. Why else would Nvidia not use the newer, faster, and more power-efficient GDDR7 memory? After all, desktop GPUs could benefit from the same thermal and power consumption benefits of GDDR7 memory. Yes, these benefits are less impactful on desktop products, with their grid power and larger cooling solutions. Regardless, GDDR7 is better than GDDR6.
In this case benefits of G7 are for thermals and battery life, crucial for our OEM partners and hopefully you’ll see some great laptop options
— Ben Berraondo (@MrBenB) June 25, 2025
Nvidia’s RTX 5050 desktop GPU is launching next month with an MSRP of $249. To us, it is clear that Nvidia’s use of GDDR6 memory on their desktop variant is to lower costs. For laptops, using GDDR7 memory has advantages for Nvidia’s OEM partners. While this means that Nvidia’s desktop RTX 5050 models will have nerfed memory performance, these downgrades should have a minimal impact on such a low-end graphics card.
You can join the discussion on Nvidia’s defending its use of GDDR6 memory on its RTX 5050 graphics card on the OC3D Forums.
