Here's Why NVIDIA Chose GDDR6 For Desktop RTX 5050 And GDDR7 For Laptops
NVIDIA's newest budget gaming GPU is notable for a couple of reasons. For one, the freshly-minted GeForce RTX 5050 is the first xx50 model GPU since the GeForce RTX 3050 (NVIDIA never released a GeForce RTX 4050, and instead the GeForce RTX 4060 was the lowest end model in the Ada Lovelace family). And secondly, NVIDIA opted to equip the desktop GeForce RTX 5050 with GDDR6 memory chips and the laptop version with GDDR7. The looming question is why, and it doesn't sound like the cost savings was the sole factor for using slower VRAM on the desktop model.
So why did NVIDIA use two different types of memory on the same model GPU? Ben Berraondo, Director of Global PR at NVIDIA, offered some clarity on a couple of X posts. What it basically boils down to is that the laptop form factor is a better candidate for the power efficiency gains of GDDR7 compared to GDDR6.
The RTX 5050 notebook GPU has been optimized for the best power efficiency for portable laptops with great battery life. Therefore G6 is the best choice for desktops and the more power efficient G7 is the best choice for laptops.
— Ben Berraondo (@MrBenB) June 25, 2025
"The RTX 5050 notebook GPU has been optimized for the best power efficiency for portable laptops with great battery life. Therefore G6 is the best choice for desktops an the more power efficient G7 is the best choice for laptops," Berraondo wrote.
His post prompted an X user to reply that since GDDR7 is faster than GDDR6, wouldn't it still make sense to use the same type of chips on the desktop models? To which Berraondo offered a little more context.
"In this case, benefits of G7 are for thermals and battery life, crucial for our OEM partners and hopefully you'll see some great laptop options," Berraondo wrote.
We received the same messaging in discussions with NVIDIA GeForce product management in regards to the GeForce RTX 5050 launch. There's undoubtedly a cost benefit for NVIDIA (and potentially consumers, if using GDDR6 helped set the MSRP at $249), but to NVIDIA's point, the GeForce RTX 5050 is an entry-level discrete GPU that doesn't necessarily need bleeding-edge memory.
Every other GeForce RTX 50 series product on the desktop employs GDDR7, but the argument can be made (and is made, essentially) that the faster VRAM has a bigger impact on higher-end GPUs starting with the GeForce RTX 5060 and on up, versus a budget card. Sort of like how racing tires are going to have a far bigger impact on a sports car than an economical grocery-getter.
That said, using GDDR7 could have given the destkop GeForce RTX 5050 more memory bandwidth. As it stands, the 8GB of GDDR6 on the desktop model offers up 320GB/s of bandwidth, versus 384GB/s for the laptop version (20% more). So it's a fair question to ask, though in the grand scheme of things, we can see why NVIDIA went the route that it did (the extra supply and lower cost likely outweighed a bump in memory bandwidth on a entry-level SKU).
