MSI GeForce RTX 5050 SHADOW 2X OC 8GB GDDR6 Black
XFX Radeon RX 9070 XT Mercury 16GB GDDR6 Black
Grab the MSI Shadow RTX 5050 if you're on a tight budget and sticking to 1080p gaming in a smaller case, since it's efficient, quiet, and only needs a 550W PSU.
Pick the XFX Mercury RX-97TRGBBB9 if you want high-refresh 1440p or entry 4K gaming and don't mind the chonky size and 800W PSU requirement.
Key Differences
- VRAM is 8GB on the MSI vs 16GB on the XFX, and the memory bus is 128-bit vs 256-bit. That's a huge gap for texture-heavy games and future titles.
- Raw performance is night and day: PassMark G3D score of 16,985 vs 26,910, and the XFX hits a 3,100 MHz boost clock vs 2,617 MHz on the MSI.
- Power draw is 130W on the MSI vs 304W on the XFX, so the MSI runs on a 550W PSU while the XFX wants 800W. Your electricity bill will notice the difference.
- The XFX has a triple-fan cooler and stays under 54°C under load according to owners, while the MSI's dual-fan setup is compact and quiet but won't handle heavy overclocking.
- Both cards sit at 4.7/5 stars, but the MSI has 193 reviews vs 166 for the XFX. The MSI's sentiment is stronger on value for money, while the XFX wins on thermal performance and raw speed.
What Buyers Say
MSI GeForce RTX 5050 SHADOW 2X OC 8GB GDDR6 Black
The MSI RTX 5050 Shadow 2X is widely praised as a solid budget GPU for 1080p gaming, with many users noting it outperforms initial reviews and handles modern titles well after driver updates. It's seen as a great value for entry-level builds, though some mention the price could be lower. A few users highlight its efficiency, quiet operation, and compact size, making it a good choice for smaller systems.
Pros
- Great for 1080p gaming
- Good value for budget builds
- Efficient and quiet
- Compact size for small builds
- Performs well after driver updates
Cons
- Price could be lower
- Not for 4K gaming
- Limited VRAM for future titles
XFX Radeon RX 9070 XT Mercury 16GB GDDR6 Black
The XFX Mercury Radeon RX 9070 XT OC is highly praised for its excellent thermal performance, staying below 54°C under load, and its impressive out-of-the-box boost clock. Users highlight the great price-to-performance ratio, sleek design with customizable ARGB lighting, and the added benefit of a 3-year warranty. The only minor drawbacks mentioned are the large physical size ("chonky") and the short included support bracket extender.
Pros
- Excellent thermal performance
- Great price-to-performance ratio
- Sleek design with ARGB lighting
- 3-year warranty
- Out-of-box boost clock
Cons
- Large physical size
- Short support bracket extender
Scores
Specifications
| MSI GeForce RTX 5050 SHADOW 2X OC | XFX Radeon RX 9070 XT Mercury | |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset | ||
| GPU Chipset | GeForce RTX 5050 | Radeon RX 9070 XT |
| Brand | NVIDIA | AMD |
| Architecture | Blackwell | RDNA 4 |
| Class | consumer | consumer |
| Process | 5★ | — |
| Memory | ||
| VRAM | 8 GB | 16 GB★ |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR6 |
| Memory Bus | ||
| Bandwidth | ||
| Compute | ||
| CUDA Cores | No data | |
| Stream Processors | No data | |
| Tensor Cores | 80★ | — |
| RT Cores | 20 | 64★ |
| Base Clock | ||
| Boost Clock | ||
| FP16 TFLOPS | 13.170000076293945★ | — |
| FP32 TFLOPS | 13.170000076293945★ | — |
| Performance | ||
| PassMark G3D | ||
| GPU Compute | ||
| Power & Cooling | ||
| TDP | 130★ | 304 |
| Recommended PSU | 550★ | 800 |
| Power Connectors | 8-Pin | 3 x 8-Pin |
| Cooler | Dual Fan | Triple Fan★ |
| Fans | 2 | 3★ |
| Connectivity | ||
| Interface | PCI Express 5.0 | PCI Express 5.0 x16 |
| DisplayPort | 3 | 3 |
| HDMI | 1 | 1 |
| Max Displays | 4 | 4 |
| Max Resolution | 7680 x 4320 | 7680 x 4320 |
| Physical | ||
| Length | 197★ | 360 |
| Slot Width | 2.5★ | 3.5 |
| Form Factor | Full Height | ATX |
| Weight | 0.48 kg★ | 1.81 kg |
| Features | ||
| Ray Tracing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Upscaling | DLSS 4 | AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution 4 |
| AV1 Encode | ✓ | ✓ |
| VR Ready | — | ✓★ |
| DirectX | 12 Ultimate | 12 Ultimate |
| RGB | ✗ | ✓★ |
Pros & Cons
MSI GeForce RTX 5050 SHADOW 2X OC 8GB GDDR6 Black
- Strong social proof (96th percentile)96th %ile
- Strong connectivity (94th percentile)94th %ile
- Strong efficiency (88th percentile)88th %ile
- Strong feature (72nd percentile)
- Below average ai (30th percentile)
- Below average compute (32nd percentile)
XFX Radeon RX 9070 XT Mercury 16GB GDDR6 Black
- Strong feature (96th percentile)96th %ile
- Strong user sentiment (96th percentile)96th %ile
- Strong social proof (96th percentile)96th %ile
- Strong connectivity (94th percentile)94th %ile
Pricing
MSI GeForce RTX 5050 SHADOW 2X OC 8GB GDDR6 Black
XFX Radeon RX 9070 XT Mercury 16GB GDDR6 Black
No current pricing available
Verdict
Scores 89 overall, wins 7 of 8 usage categories and 12 of 39 specs.
