Zotac Geforce Gtx 1050 Ti Mini 4gb Review
The Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 Mini ($109.99) seems to exist the type of video card that Nvidia—pardon the pun—envisioned when information technology created the GTX 1050 graphics processor (GPU). Nosotros say that because this is a tiny graphics card designed to run games at high settings at 1080p resolution without requiring whatsoever additional ability from a PCI Express power-supply connector.
That means you lot tin plug this card into any system that has a PCI Express slot, so long equally the instance likewise has room for full-width video cards. That should include almost traditional desktop towers built in the last five years or so, if not longer. In other words, with this bill of fare your dusty erstwhile Dell or HP business organization tower can be revivified with a overnice dollop of graphics horsepower, without having to buy a new machine or upgrade your power supply.
At least it probably tin. Equally always, you should consult your system specs closely before buying, and make sure at that place's plenty clearance for this card, because while its port plate only occupies a unmarried slot, the cooler attached to the card takes up the space of a second slot, as well.
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Of course, these types of cards accept existed previously, with the GeForce GTX 750 Ti ($155.43 at Amazon Canada) being the most notable case in contempo years. While that card was impressive when it launched in early 2014, it has now grown long in the silicon tooth, no longer packing plenty grunt to musculus through today'south games at high settings, much less the more-demanding DirectX 12 titles of the future. The GeForce GTX 950 ($155.43 at Amazon Canada) came after the GeForce 750 Ti, in mid-2015, merely it was a larger card that required a supplementary PCI Limited power connector, making it drop-in-compatible with fewer existing PCs. And that card was priced in the $150 range, taking information technology out of contention for "entry level" status.
While some GeForce GTX 1050 cards are larger and exercise crave a supplementary power connector for overclocking purposes, as you lot tin come across beneath, the Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 Mini has no power-connector plug. Information technology gets all the juice it needs from the PCIe x16 slot information technology drops into.
The start question we demand to examine in regards to this meaty card is exactly how small it is; is it worthy of its "Mini" championship? The Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 Mini measures v.seven inches long, which seems quite short, so allow's see how it compares to some of its competitors. Nosotros looked online to see the dimensions of a host of other GTX 1050 cards and some competing AMD Radeon RX 460 ($155.43 at Amazon Canada) cards, and the Zotac card does indeed clock in shorter than about in terms of length. The PNY GeForce GTX 1050, for example, is 7 inches long, though the EVGA GeForce GTX 1050 is also 5.7 inches long and looks similar the Zotac carte'southward non-so-long-lost brother, equally it has a very like blueprint. On the AMD Radeon front, the smallest Radeon RX 460 we could find was from MSI (specifically, the MSI Radeon RX 460 2G OC). It measured 6.8 inches, or about an inch longer than the Zotac Mini card. Based on our formal investigation, the Zotac card is indeed quite small, as gaming graphics cards go.
Zotac isn't the just company getting in on the mini-card game, though, as we've already reviewed a very pocket-sized GPU from MSI, the MSI GeForce GTX 1050 2G OC ($155.43 at Amazon Canada) , using the same chip, then these two cards are going to be straight competitors. These two GPUs are also priced exactly the same at $109, setting upward a caput-to-head clash the likes of which hasn't been witnessed since...well, since the terminal fourth dimension 2 affordable GPUs were compared to 1 another. Too, we demand to consider cards based on the AMD Radeon RX 460 ($155.43 at Amazon Canada) , equally they cost about the aforementioned, landing in the $100 to $110 range.
As far as the Zotac GTX 1050 Mini goes, this card is "stock" in every sense of the word, not diffusive from Nvidia's baseline specifications in any real way. Its base of operations clock is set at 1,354MHz, and its boost clock is listed at one,455MHz. As we've noted in previous Nvidia 10-serial reviews, though, information technology'south highly likely that the card's real-world boost speeds will exceed these bourgeois clock-speed estimates, so long equally Zotac's libation and fan practise their jobs as expected. The Zotac GTX 1050 Mini sports 2GB of memory, just like other GTX 1050 and RX 460 cards. In club to double that allocation to 4GB, you'll need to fork over betwixt $30 and $50 more than for the GTX 1050 Ti, a carte that is too ordinarily a trivial larger.
As noted earlier, the Zotac GTX 1050 Mini is double-wide in terms of its libation, only the port plate occupies but a single slot position. Equally a result, the card has just three video outs: a DVI, an HDMI, and a DisplayPort.
Zotac also sells a version of this carte du jour with the GeForce GTX 1060 chip (the Zotac GeForce GTX 1060 Mini, which nosotros've also reviewed), so if you're looking for a VR-capable GPU in a like (though slightly larger) course factor, yous should definitely check out that one instead. Annotation, though, that the GTX 1060 version requires a six-pin PCI Express power connector, and uses a bit more than twice as much power as this card. So you may demand a power-supply upgrade to run that card in your existing arrangement.
The Zotac GTX 1050 Mini includes a fairly standard two-year warranty (although Founders Edition cards sold by Nvidia are covered for three years), and is arranged with the company'southward Firestorm software.
Almost Our Tests
As we've mentioned in our other contempo card reviews, things are in flux these days when it comes to testing cards, because two emerging technologies that many current-gen cards are congenital for are proving difficult to test in these early days.
The first of these is DirectX 12 (DX12), which is just now coming on the scene. There are very few real-world benchmarks for information technology. Still, DX12 will likely be the standard graphics API in the future, and this card was designed to concluding for a few years, if not longer. Then it's important to know if a card tin handle DX12 well before buying. Nosotros tested the Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 Mini with the newest DX12-capable games we had on hand: Hitman (the 2016 edition), Ascent of the Tomb Raider, and Ashes of the Singularity, as well as Futuremark's 3DMark DX12 benchmark, Time Spy. We tested a load of games using DirectX xi, also, because that API volition still exist in broad use for at least another year, and probably much longer.
The other angle is virtual reality (VR) support, or lack thereof. VR is getting lots of press and consumer gaming interest these days, only the GTX 1050 is non powerful plenty to earn an acceptable rating past the powers that exist at Oculus or HTC. So, if VR is your aim, you lot'll desire to pace up to the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 or AMD Radeon RX 480.
And and then, on to the benchmarks. Since this specific Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 Mini card costs $109, we'll compare it to the similarly priced and specced MSI GTX 1050 2G OC, equally well equally the $99-to-$110 AMD Radeon RX 460. It'll be quite interesting to see how these cards match upwardly. (We tested a PowerColor version of the RX 460, the Red Dragon Radeon RX 460, which was selling for $99 at this writing, downward from $109 when we reviewed it.) We'll likewise exist keeping an centre on how the GTX 1050 cards compare to their more than powerful GTX 1050 Ti counterparts, as well as other cards in the under-$200 range.
All of the recent-generation cards nosotros've tested in the $100-to-$200 range take too been added to the benchmark charts below, with a few college-end cards, such equally the GeForce GTX 1060 and Radeon RX 480, thrown in for good measure out. We besides dropped in the short-board AMD Radeon R9 Nano for an idea of what kind of operation yous can get in a very meaty menu if money is no object. (At this writing, it was nearly 4 times the price of a typical GTX 1050!)
3DMark Burn down Strike
We started off our testing with Futuremark's 2013 version of 3DMark, specifically the suite's Fire Strike subtest. Fire Strike is a synthetic exam designed to mensurate overall gaming performance.
In this synthetic benchmark, nosotros tin can see the two GTX 1050 cards from Zotac and MSI are extremely shut to i some other, which is non a surprise. The MSI card is a smidge faster, but the two are close plenty to be within the margin of testing error, substantially. The march of technology is clear to see, though, as the trivial GTX 1050 GPUs are basically tied in operation with the much larger GTX 950 from the previous generation.
Tomb Raider (2013)
Permit's start with some older games. Here, we fired upwards the 2013 reboot of the classic title Tomb Raider, testing at the Ultimate detail preset and 3 resolutions.
Both GTX 1050 cards were able to achieve a very respectable 58fps on this demanding game at 1080p resolution, making them both excellent choices for 1080p gaming with older titles. The RX 460 was unable to compete, though, delivering a decent, but not competitive, 40fps.
Sleeping Dogs
Adjacent, nosotros rolled out the very enervating real-earth gaming criterion test built into the championship Sleeping Dogs.
Despite the GTX 1050'southward marketing language well-nigh it being great for 60fps gaming, that is not true for every game, as we run into with Sleeping Dogs. Both GTX 1050s were but able to reach 46fps, which is certainly playable but non quite as fast equally nosotros would take liked to see. Still, information technology'southward a heck of a lot better than what the RX 460 was capable of. It was able to deliver only 28fps, which is borderline unplayable. Both GTX 1050 cards were faster than the previous-generation GTX 950 here, equally well, and pulled nigh even with the GTX 960.
Bioshock Infinite
The popular title Bioshock Space isn't overly enervating, but it's a popular one with stellar good looks. In its built-in benchmark programme, we set the graphics level to the highest preset (Ultra+DDOF)...
In Bioshock, the GTX 1050 Ti didn't perform much ameliorate than the GTX 1050, which really strengthens the lesser cards' value suggestion. Both GTX 1050 cards were able to roar along at 73fps or 74fps at 1080p resolution, which makes for a superb gaming experience. That was also a bit faster than what the GTX 950 was capable of. The insufficiently outgunned RX 460 limped along at 52fps.
Hitman: Absolution
Next up was Hitman: Absolution, which is an aging game but notwithstanding pretty hard on a video carte.
Nosotros run this test with 8x MSAA enabled, which makes things extra tough. Both the GTX 1050 cards landed inside one frame per second of each other at 1080p, then there's not much to report on with regard to that rivalry. Also, again, the GTX 1050 Ti version of this carte du jour failed to justify its higher price, running just a few frames per second faster overall. Amazingly, the roughly $l-pricier Radeon RX 470 was just a few frames per second faster than the 1050 cards. Conspicuously, the GTX 1050 lives in a pretty sugariness spot in terms of functioning and cost.
Far Weep Fundamental
Next, we moved to a more contempo game, released in 2016. Ubisoft'southward latest open-world kickoff-person hunting game is one of the most demanding titles nosotros use, thanks to its lush leafage, detailed shadows, and otherwise incredible environments.
Once more, we run into the GTX 1050 cards just dancing on the edge of 60fps, which is outstanding given the fact that this is a very recent game, bristling with the latest technology. Both cards delivered a gaming experience here equally smooth as soft-serve ice cream. The GTX 1060 got shut to triple-digit operation in this title at 1080p, merely, then again, that carte du jour is twice the toll.
Grand Theft Auto V
One of the most popular game franchises on the planet, Grand Theft Auto needs no introduction. Version V took a lot longer than many expected to land on the PC. But when it finally did, in early 2015, it brought a number of graphical improvements and tweakable visual settings that pushed the game far across its console roots.
Note that some of the cards below have no bars; they would non run GTA 5 at our examination settings. That's a quirk of this game: It volition automatically bounce down settings if the game perceives it will not run passably at a given mix of resolution and detail settings.
This is another game that actually makes the GTX 1050 Ti seem marginal, as it was just well-nigh 2fps faster overall than the GTX 1050 cards, which cost effectually $30 less. Both GTX 1050 cards ran at very good frame rates in this examination, as well, surpassing 60fps.
Rise of the Tomb Raider
Lara Croft rises once over again in the early on-2016 iteration of Square Enix's long-running action franchise. As our hero works to unfold an aboriginal mystery (and reveal the underground to immortality) ahead of the aboriginal and deadly Order of Trinity, she traipses through a slew of detailed, atmospheric environments, from arid tombs to the frigid Siberian wilderness. A dynamic weather system, and the complexities of Lara'due south air current-tousled pilus, add to the game's visual complexity.
Past this indicate, there aren't whatsoever more surprises in store, as both GTX 1050 cards performed the same, and again merely a few fps shy of what the GTX 1050 Ti was capable of achieving. This is by now a well-established pattern, making us question what the point of the GTX 1050 Ti is, really, at its current cost level. Also unsurprising was the fact that the Radeon RX 460 lagged more than 10fps behind the GTX 1050 competition, again.
Hitman (2016)
The newest game in the Hitman franchise finds Agent 47 turning over a new leaf, and embarking on a journey of self-discovery as a instructor at a schoolhouse for underprivileged children. Just kidding, of grade; he kills loads of people in this ane, simply like the rest. It does offer gorgeous graphics in both DX11 and DX12 varieties, though. We'll tackle the former (DX11) first.
This title seems to heavily favor AMD, equally the Radeon RX 460 is nipping at the heels of the GTX 1050 cards, more or less for the first time, and surprisingly the GTX 1050 Ti was much faster than its GTX 1050 siblings. These results are a big change from what we've seen in other tests, which makes it seem like this Hitman examination is an outlier. Another example of that: The GTX 1050 Ti was just as fast as the RX 480 at 1080p, despite the fact that the AMD menu costs about $70 more. For what it's worth, both GTX 1050 cards were able to evangelize over 60fps here, if merely barely.
It'due south tough to go whatsoever rock-solid sense of DirectX 12 operation at this point. When we wrote this in early 2017, only a handful of major titles were available with DirectX 12 back up. And running these games, anecdotally we saw no graphical differences between the titles running at DX11 versus DX12 settings. In some instances, titles running under DX12 offered performance gains, only elsewhere we saw bottom performance.
In other words, don't depict whatsoever set-in-stone conclusions from the DX12 results below. DirectX 12 is still in its early stages, and those developers who have implemented it have yet to smoothen over the cracks. We'll accept to wait some months to say for sure how much of an reward DX12 offers, and whether information technology sways things in favor of AMD or Nvidia in whatsoever substantive way. Nevertheless, because this is a new card and DX12 is cut-edge tech, information technology's worth taking a look at what the GTX 1050 and its competition tin can do with Microsoft's latest gaming API today. (Spolier: The AMD RX 460'south story gets better hither.)
Rising of the Tomb Raider (DX12)
This sequel to 2013's Tomb Raider was one of the outset AAA titles to offer DirectX 12 support. We used the preset labeled Medium for testing.
The RX 460 seriously airtight the gap to the GTX 1050 cards in this test, but was notwithstanding an appreciable amount slower. Both GTX 1050 cards ran this game using DX12 at a respectable 52fps or 53fps, while the GTX 1050 Ti finally proved its value past hit 59fps.
Hitman (2016, DX12)
The newest Hitman championship too offers upwardly a DX12 graphics option in its criterion that, like Ascent of the Tomb Raider, looked identical to our eyes to the DX11 version. We used the Medium setting here.
This test also showed varying results that didn't gel with previous games, which makes us think in that location are even so some kinks to work out in terms of DX12 implementation hither. The Radeon RX 460 performed very well, ringing upward close to the GTX 1050 cards at 1080p. What'due south surprising is that the GTX 1050 Ti achieved an almost impossible-to-believe 30fps reward over the GTX 1050 cards that it barely outpaced in so many previous tests. This result may well be an anomaly, but at the very least we did see both GTX 1050 cards running quite close to one another, which is in line with what we'd expect.
Ashes of the Singularity (DX12)
The strategy title Ashes of the Singularity was amidst the offset to offering DirectX 12 support, even when it was still in beta.
The results of this benchmark show things have returned to normal somewhat, which is odd since this is one of those benchmarks that most often gives us outlier numbers. We encounter both GTX 1050 cards performing similarly again, and the GTX 1050 Ti was incapable of distancing itself from those cards this fourth dimension, running just a scattering of frames per second faster than the GTX 1050 cards. The RX 460 as well made a strong showing, but it nonetheless couldn't grab the GTX 1050 cards.
3DMark (Time Spy)
We haven't tested all of the cards we outline here on the 3DMark Time Spy benchmark notwithstanding; information technology's a test from the Futuremark suite that was but relatively recently finalized. Merely we did run it on the Zotac GTX 1050 carte du jour nosotros're reviewing here, as well every bit the MSI GTX 1050 Ti 4G, and PowerColor's Red Dragon Radeon RX 460.
These results are interesting, in that the PowerColor Crimson Dragon RX 460 lags backside the Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 Mini, despite the fact that the AMD card did ameliorate on our existent-globe DirectX 12 benchmarks than elsewhere. And the MSI GTX 1050 Ti has almost a 23 percent edge on the Zotac GTX 1050 Mini in the Graphics Subscore, which is in-betwixt the results we saw on our DirectX 12 Hitman and Ashes of the Singularity tests.
This more or less reiterates what we've been proverb all along: DirectX 12 just isn't mature enough however to get a solid sense of where things stand up. In a broad sense, AMD'due south latest cards seem to get more of a heave from bachelor DirectX 12 titles than Nvidia's competing cards exercise. Simply the Nvidia cards tend to practice better overall, peculiarly on DirectX xi titles.
Very Compact with Decent 1080p Gaming Performance
The Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 Mini is a bill of fare that doesn't offer up any surprises if you know what to look from a GTX 1050. But it certainly delivers on its promise of very competent 1080p gaming performance in an extremely small form cistron.
The card doesn't require any additional ability connectors, drawing all it needs from the PCI Express x16 slot. So information technology tin be plugged in to many existing machines that are currently making do with integrated graphics or an older, weaker dedicated graphics menu. That makes this Zotac offering a superb upgrade selection for a ton of older desktops that take been sick-equipped on the gaming front for years.
Plus, at $109, the Zotac card is priced in line with competing offerings like the MSI GTX 1050 2G OC. This makes sense, as those ii cards are almost identical in terms of performance, but with the MSI card being about an inch longer. That besides makes the Zotac menu a better fit (literally) for folks with pocket-size grade factor (SFF) builds—it ways you can finally upgrade your GPU to ane that not just fits in your instance simply will too deliver extremely expert 1080p gaming.
That said, if your existing desktop lives in a narrow case that tin can accommodate only half-height cards, y'all'll still have to await elsewhere, as this card uses a standard full-peak bracket and board, which won't fit in such systems. If that's what you're dealing with, y'all will before long take options on that front end equally well. Gigabyte recently announced half-height or "depression profile" versions of both the GeForce GTX 1050 and the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti. So shine 1080p gaming should at present be a relatively easy (and adequately inexpensive) upgrade option for almost anyone with a desktop equipped with a PCI Limited x16 slot (and a CPU and RAM that tin can proceed up). That'southward great news, because the GeForce GTX 750 Ti, which has been the get-to depression-contour-menu option for these situations for a few years at present, actually tin can't deliver the goods with today's virtually enervating games at high settings. The GTX 1050 is a much better option for those who want their games to look as expert as possible at 1080p.
Overall, the Zotac GeForce GTX Mini is a very solid contender in the entry-level GPU section. It is small, performs as expected, and offers up very good gaming results at 1080p, without costing much more $100. We can't actually recommend the Zotac bill of fare unequivocally over the MSI GTX 1050 2G OC that we also tested, as the two performed pretty much the same (and were priced the same, also, when we wrote this). So flip a coin if you have to. Only if you lot're upgrading or edifice a PC in a very tight chassis, and are worried that the extra inch on the MSI carte might crusade clearance bug, residual easy knowing the Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 Mini has got your cramped case'southward gaming aims covered.
Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 Mini
The Lesser Line
The Zotac GTX 1050 Mini offers up very serviceable 1080p gaming in a parcel that's impressively meaty. It's no faster than other GTX 1050 cards, but it doesn't cost more, either.
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Source: https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/zotac-geforce-gtx-1050-mini
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