RTX 5050 vs Arc B570: Cheapest Worthwhile GPU
RTX 5050 vs Arc B570 compared for 1080p gaming in 2026: real benchmarks, 8GB vs 10GB VRAM, power draw, driver issues and US and India prices. Here's my pick.
The RTX 5050 vs Arc B570 question is really “what is the least I can spend on a new graphics card and still enjoy modern games at 1080p?” My answer in September 2026 is the GeForce RTX 5050. It is a little faster, far better at ray tracing, uses less power, and you can actually find one in stock.
The Intel Arc B570 is about $40 cheaper and has 10GB of video memory instead of 8GB. Those are real advantages. But supply is drying up, Intel’s drivers had a rough 2026, and the card is nearly impossible to buy in India. I would only choose it if every dollar counts and you are comfortable with a bit of risk.
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Quick Verdict
- Buy the RTX 5050 if you want a cheap card that just works, with DLSS upscaling in nearly every game and very low power draw.
- Buy the Arc B570 if you are in the US or Europe, find it near $260, have a fairly modern processor, and want the extra 2GB of VRAM.
RTX 5050 vs Arc B570: Specs and Prices
These are the two cheapest current-generation cards from Nvidia and Intel. If you are wondering whether you need a graphics card at all, our dedicated GPU explainer covers when built-in graphics is enough.
| Spec | RTX 5050 | Arc B570 |
|---|---|---|
| GPU cores | 2,560 CUDA cores | 18 Xe-cores |
| Video memory (VRAM) | 8GB GDDR6 | 10GB GDDR6 |
| Memory bus | 128-bit | 160-bit |
| Rated board power | 130 W | 150 W |
| Minimum PSU (manufacturer) | 550 W | not listed by Intel |
| Measured gaming power (TechPowerUp) | 127 W | about 155 W |
| Idle power (TechPowerUp) | 9 W | 29 W |
| Power connector | One 8-pin | One 8-pin |
| Upscaling | DLSS 4.5 | XeSS |
| Average FPS at 1080p, 11 games (Tom’s Hardware) | 69.3 | 63.5 |
| Launch MSRP | $249 | $219 |
| US street price (approx., September 2026) | about $300 to $320 | about $260 |
| India street price (approx., September 2026) | about ₹44,000 to ₹56,000 | not reliably in stock |
Prices are approximate, checked in September 2026, and liable to move. Do not compare 2,560 cores to 18 cores. They are different units, as we explain in GPU Core Count Explained.
Check current prices: Nvidia GeForce RTX 5050 on Amazon.in and Intel Arc B570 on Amazon.in.
RTX 5050 vs Arc B570 Benchmarks: 1080p Gaming Performance
Both cards are built for 1080p and nothing higher. Here the RTX 5050 has a small lead.
Tom’s Hardware is the one major reviewer with both cards in the same 2026 test. Across 11 rasterized games (standard rendering, no ray tracing) at 1080p, the RTX 5050 averaged 69.3 FPS and the Arc B570 averaged 63.5 FPS. That is a 9% lead for the GeForce. At 1440p the gap closes to 45.2 FPS vs 44.3 FPS, which is a tie.
Other reviewers tested the cards separately against the same reference point, Intel’s faster Arc B580, and the results line up:
- TechPowerUp: the Arc B580 was 5% faster than the RTX 5050 at 1080p, and about 15% faster than the Arc B570 in an earlier review.
- TechSpot: the Arc B580 was 14% faster than the RTX 5050 across 16 games, and the Arc B570 was 13% slower than the B580 at 1440p.
- Gamers Nexus: the Arc B580 was typically about 15% ahead of the B570.
Those are different test suites, so treat them as a rough guide. They suggest the two cards are close.
And it really does depend on the game. TechSpot found Intel’s Battlemage cards do poorly in Unreal Engine titles and in games like Starfield and Mafia: The Old Country, but very well in others such as Ghost of Tsushima. Gamers Nexus saw the B570 at about 40 FPS in Black Myth: Wukong at 1080p high settings, behind the older RTX 4060’s 54 FPS.
In TechPowerUp’s July 2025 launch review the RTX 5050 averaged 72.2 FPS at 1080p with maximum settings, just behind the old RTX 4060. The reviewer’s view is that 1080p is the only resolution worth considering for it.
Winner: RTX 5050, narrowly.
VRAM: 8GB vs 10GB
VRAM holds the textures, so more of it means higher texture settings without stutter.
The Arc B570’s 10GB is its main selling point. How much it helps is debatable. TechPowerUp could not find a single game in its suite that ran better at 1080p with 10GB than with 8GB. TechSpot called the step from 8GB to 10GB marginal and said 12GB should be the real target.
The RTX 5050’s 8GB is a genuine limit, though. TechSpot tested 19 recent games at 1080p ultra and only six stayed under 8GB. It describes the RTX 5050 as a medium settings card in many new titles. TechPowerUp notes that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will crash on the highest texture setting.
In Tom’s Hardware’s 4K results you can see the memory difference directly: 19.6 FPS for the Arc B570 and 17.0 FPS for the RTX 5050. Neither is playable, but it shows the Intel card copes better when memory gets tight.
Winner: Arc B570, by a small and mostly theoretical margin.
Ray Tracing and Upscaling
Ray tracing models how light bounces around a scene. Most games are too heavy for it at this price, but the gap between these two is large.
Tom’s Hardware’s eight ray traced tests at 1080p have the RTX 5050 at 31.2 FPS and the Arc B570 at 19.8 FPS. That makes the GeForce about 58% faster. Some newer games such as Doom: The Dark Ages and Indiana Jones require ray tracing to run at all, and TechPowerUp reports both run fine on the RTX 5050.
Upscaling matters more day to day. Rendering at a lower resolution and letting AI rebuild a sharp image is how a cheap card reaches 60 FPS. TechSpot compared the two technologies directly and found DLSS 4 looks sharper and more stable than Intel’s XeSS at 1080p. DLSS is also in far more games. When a game lacks XeSS, Intel cards fall back to older FSR versions that TechSpot says look poor at 1080p.
Winner: RTX 5050, comfortably.
Power Draw, Drivers and Reliability
The RTX 5050 sips power. TechPowerUp measured 127 W in gaming for a Gigabyte model and 9 W at idle. The Arc B570 drew about 155 W in gaming and 29 W at idle. You can bring Intel’s idle figure down, but only by enabling a power setting called ASPM in your motherboard’s BIOS and changing a Windows power option.
Both use a single 8-pin power plug, so either will work in most existing PCs.
Drivers are the bigger issue in RTX 5050 vs Arc B570. Tom’s Hardware could not finish testing the Arc B570 for its 2026 update until the day before publishing because of a months-long settings lockout in Fortnite. It stopped recommending the B570 for that reason, calling it “more of a gamble”.
There is also the processor question. TechSpot found Arc cards lose more performance than rivals on older CPUs. In one game with a Ryzen 5 5600, the B570 went from 27% faster than a Radeon RX 7600 to 5% slower. Gamers Nexus mostly could not reproduce that, but did see a large drop in Baldur’s Gate 3 on a Ryzen 5 5600X. Since budget cards usually go into budget PCs, this matters.
Winner: RTX 5050.
RTX 5050 vs Arc B570: Price and Availability
The RTX 5050 launched at $249 and the Arc B570 at $219. Both are dearer now because of the 2026 memory shortage.
TechSpot’s late-August tracker found the cheapest in-stock RTX 5050 in the US at about $300, and a mid-August TechSpot review quoted $320. The Arc B570 was about $260, but TechSpot warned it is becoming increasingly difficult to find, often with only one or two listings per country.
Using Tom’s Hardware’s 1080p averages, that works out to about $4.33 per frame for the RTX 5050 and $4.09 per frame for the Arc B570. The Intel card is slightly better value on paper. The $40 saving is what you are weighing against its weaker ray tracing, upscaling and driver record.
In India the choice is made for you. TechSpot could not find the Arc B570 in stock in India in either July or August, and PrimeABGB showed it out of stock when I checked on 30 September 2026. The RTX 5050 is widely available, but its price has jumped: TechSpot recorded ₹28,800 in July and ₹44,000 in August, and MD Computers listed cards from ₹45,999 on 30 September.
Winner: RTX 5050 on availability. Arc B570 on sticker price, where you can find it.
Which One Should You Buy?
First-time builder who wants no hassle: RTX 5050.
Esports player (Fortnite, Valorant, Counter-Strike 2): RTX 5050. These games need little VRAM, and Arc’s Fortnite trouble in 2026 is a warning sign.
Upgrading an older PC with a Ryzen 5 5600 or similar: RTX 5050. It draws less power and does not suffer from Arc’s slow-CPU problem.
Tinkerer on the tightest budget with a modern CPU: Arc B570, if you find it near $260.
India buyer: RTX 5050. The B570 is not realistically available.
Anyone who can stretch the budget: Skip both. TechPowerUp’s July 2025 review found the Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB 33% faster than the RTX 5050, and it costs about $360. The Arc B580 with 12GB is about $310.
One card to avoid: AMD’s new Radeon RX 9050 8GB. TechSpot found it slower than the RTX 5050 in most games at a $280 list price.
What to Check Before You Buy
- RTX 5050 uses older GDDR6 memory, unlike the rest of the RTX 50 series. That is normal, not a fake listing.
- Arc B570 vs Arc B580. Similar names and looks. The B580 has 12GB and is faster.
- Arc setup. Enable ASPM in the BIOS to cut idle power.
- Your processor. An older CPU can hold back an Arc card more than a GeForce or Radeon.
- Your power supply. Nvidia recommends 550 W for the RTX 5050. Both cards need one 8-pin PCIe cable.
- Warranty and seller. Terms vary by brand and country. In India, buy from an authorised retailer with a GST invoice.
FAQ
Is the RTX 5050 faster than the Arc B570?
Slightly at 1080p. Tom’s Hardware’s 2026 testing has it 9% ahead in standard rendering and about 58% ahead with ray tracing. At 1440p the two are tied.
Is the RTX 5050 worth buying in 2026?
As the cheapest card that reliably runs modern games at 1080p, yes. Its 8GB of VRAM means medium to high settings in the newest titles, not ultra.
Is 10GB on the Arc B570 much better than 8GB?
Not by much. Reviewers found little or no benefit at 1080p in current games, though it helps a little when memory runs short.
Is the Arc B570 worth buying in 2026?
Only if you find it near $260, have a fairly modern processor and can accept some driver risk. Supply is shrinking, Intel’s drivers had a rough 2026, and it is nearly impossible to buy in India.
What is the RTX 5050 price in India?
As of September 2026 it runs from about ₹44,000 to ₹56,000. The Arc B570 is not reliably in stock in India.
Bottom Line
In the RTX 5050 vs Arc B570 comparison, the RTX 5050 is the cheapest graphics card worth buying in 2026. It is a bit faster at 1080p, much stronger in ray traced games, easier on your power supply, and backed by DLSS and steadier drivers.
The Arc B570 saves you about $40 and adds 2GB of VRAM, but shrinking supply and driver risk make it a card for bargain hunters who know what they are getting into. If you can find another $60, a Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB is a far bigger upgrade than either.
Check the latest price: Nvidia GeForce RTX 5050 on Amazon.in.
More GPU Comparisons
- Best RTX 5070 Ti and 5070 Cards: ASUS TUF vs MSI Ventus vs Gigabyte Gaming OC vs ZOTAC Twin Edge
- Best RTX 5080 Cards: ASUS TUF vs MSI Gaming Trio vs Gigabyte AORUS vs ZOTAC AMP
- Best RX 9070 XT Cards: Sapphire Nitro+ vs Pulse vs PowerColor Red Devil vs XFX Mercury vs ASUS TUF
- RTX 5060 Ti 16GB vs RX 9060 XT 16GB: Which Is Worth It?
- RTX 5060 vs Arc B580 vs RX 9060 XT 8GB: Best Budget Gaming GPU
- RTX 5070 Ti vs RX 9070 XT: The Best High-End Value GPU
- RTX 5070 vs RX 9070: Which Midrange GPU Should You Buy?
- RTX 5090 vs RTX 5080: Is the Flagship Worth Triple the Price?
Sources
- Tom’s Hardware: GPU Benchmarks Hierarchy 2026
- Tom’s Hardware: Best Graphics Cards for Gaming in 2026
- TechPowerUp: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 5050 Gaming OC review
- TechPowerUp: ASRock Arc B570 Challenger review
- TechSpot: Intel Arc B570 review
- TechSpot: Nvidia RTX 5050 vs Intel Arc B580, Budget GPU Battle
- TechSpot: AMD Radeon RX 9050 8GB review (August 2026 budget GPU prices)
- TechSpot: Graphics Card Prices Are Rising Fast (Again), Q3 2026 GPU pricing update
- Gamers Nexus: Intel Arc B570 review with low-end CPU tests
- Nvidia: GeForce RTX 5050 official specifications
- Intel: Arc B570 official specifications
- MD Computers (India): graphics card listings
- PrimeABGB (India): graphics card listings