From PCMAG · Jon Martindale · · 1m 10s
RX 9050 4GB Lags 25% Behind 8GB Version
AMD's 4GB RX 9050 graphics card underperforms by 25% compared to its 8GB sibling in key games.
In brief
AMD's 4GB RX 9050 graphics card underperforms by 25% compared to its 8GB sibling in key games. The 4GB RX 9050 is significantly slower than the 8GB version, making it unsuitable for modern gaming at 1080p. Originally reported by PCMAG.
New Test Results Show Big Gap
The 4GB RX 9050 is over 25% slower than the 8GB version in games at 1080p Medium/High settings.
“In Forza Horizon 6, the 9050 only managed an average of 88fps at 1080p Medium.”
Performance Drops in Popular Games
At 1080p Low, the 4GB RX 9050 barely reaches 64fps in Resident Evil Requiem, while the 8GB version maintains 88fps.
“The 8GB version achieved a much smoother 88fps, showing what a huge disparity just an extra few gigabytes of VRAM can create.”
Even Higher Settings Fail
The 4GB RX 9050 struggles with 123fps at Medium in Lego Batman, but the 8GB version hits 175fps, highlighting the VRAM difference.
“The 8GB version is up to 175fps average, showing what a huge disparity just an extra few gigabytes of VRAM can create.”
Pre-Built Systems Show Weakness
Hardware Unboxed tested the card with a high-end CPU and memory, but it still underperformed significantly.
“The card fell flat on its face even with that overpowered CPU/memory configuration.”
Toasty Bros Confirm Results
Toasty Bros' tests showed the 4GB RX 9050 causes severe stuttering and drops to single-digit FPS in Forza Horizon 6 at low settings.
“In Forza Horizon 6, the game becomes very choppy outside the lowest settings, with a flashy warning for Low Video Memory and serious stutters to single-digit FPS at times.”
Why This Matters for Gamers
The 4GB RX 9050 is too slow for modern gaming, even though it's an upgrade over older cards like the RX 6500 XT.
“The one caveat they gave was that this still represents an upgrade over the AMD RX 6500 XT, but that's a four-year-old card that was super-entry-level at the time and now sells for less than $100 second-hand.”
What it means
The 4GB RX 9050 is significantly slower than the 8GB version, making it unsuitable for modern gaming at 1080p.
