According to reports, the big names in laptops like ASUS and MSI, as well as Lenovo, are preparing their machines with the yet-to-be-officially-announced GeForce RTX 5050 GPU from NVIDIA. A whole list of these new devices has surfaced on websites like Newegg, the ASUS Store, and even a German retailer named Kiebel.
Here is where the intrigue lies. This is one question whose answers have continued to puzzle fans regarding the kind of Video RAM (VRAM) the RTX 5050 will use. It was rumoured early on that desktop kinds would stick to GDDR6, while most sources considered the new enhanced speed option, GDDR7, for the laptop-kind. Both GDDR6 and GDDR7, however, have popped up in recent leaks of listings.
Was all this just a case of misinformed speculation, or perhaps NVIDIA is planning two separate versions of mobile RTX 5050. Who knows, really. One would expect NVIDIA to have narrowed it down by this point, especially since laptop manufacturers already have models with these RTX 5050 GPUs the plot thickens.
There seem to be quite a few laptop manufacturers well-prepared to roll out their new RTX 5050 budget models targeting most budget gamers' needs.
ASUS Vietnam, for instance, has a page dedicated to an AI ROG Strix G16 (model G615JHR-S5069W) proudly claiming the GPU of GeForce RTX 5050. The page claims it has 8GB of VRAM but is keeping the type close to the chest for now. This particular Strix G16 sports an Intel Core i7 14650HX processor, a huge 32GB of DDR5 RAM, and a 1TB NVMe SSD. Price is listed in Vietnamese Dong and likely as a placeholder, so it is best not to read too much into it just yet.
Meanwhile, Kiebel in Germany is carrying MSI's Helix 13 laptop. This unit having a lively screen of 16 inches brings together RTX 5050 with Core i9 13900HX and 16GB of DDR5 RAM with 1TB SSD. Kiebel's price for the display goes at 1,429 Euros (around $1,632 USD with VAT, or $1,360 without). Strangely, they list as adding to the cart with deliveries promised in 3-7 days. Some retailers might be counting on it too soon, or who knows - details of the embargo from NVIDIA are a bit blurry now.
Of course, Newegg lists the Lenovo Legion 5i featuring the GeForce RTX 5050 for $2,228, which can also be added to cart. This collection is quite exciting as it declares the RTX 5050 to have 8GB of "GDDR7" memory. This is quite a contrast to MSI Helix 13 on Kiebel, which has listed the RTX 5050 with an 8GB of "GDDR6" VRAM. The mystery continues around VRAM.
The Kiebel listing for the MSI Helix 13 throws a bit more light on what are potentially the RTX 5050 specifications. This reconfirms earlier claims that the chip comes with 2560 CUDA Cores. It is speculated that this GPU is based on the GB207 die and will come with 80 Tensor Cores and 20 Ray Tracing Cores, operating in the clock range of 2235 to 2520 MHz.
This is an exciting time for all those looking for a new gaming machine at a relatively lower price. Here is hoping for signals from NVIDIA that could clear the VRAM mystery and finally present the full picture on RTX 5050 capabilities.
