Despite being an older graphics card (first released in 2016), the GTX 1050 Ti has seen somewhat of a resurgence in the last couple of years. No doubt fueled by the graphics card shortages that caused issues for a couple of years, people were turning to older cards just so they had something capable of building a PC around.
And while the GT 1050 Ti won’t be able to play all the latest releases, it’s still a good graphics card to have if you’re building a budget system, especially if it’s for playing less demanding games like Minecraft or Fortnite. But how much power does it use and what size of power supply will you need? Let’s take a look.
How Many Watts Does An GTX 1050 Ti Use?
A GTX 1050 Ti is a very low-powered graphics card compared to modern, more powerful options. It uses an average of just 67 watts when gaming, peaking at around 75 watts in total when put under a tougher load.
Some of the latest graphics cards will use almost five times that amount, demonstrating the difference. So if you aren’t building a machine designed to be capable of playing the latest games, it might make more financial sense – both upfront and from a utility perspective – to opt for a GTX 1050 Ti instead.
It uses even less power when it’s idle – just 5 watts on average. It’s the same whether you’re using a single screen or a dual-screen setup. If you use it to watch pre-rendered videos where it doesn’t need to do the work to create them – so YouTube, Netflix, or a Blu-Ray – then it still only uses 7 watts.
How Many Watts Does An GTX 1050 Ti Use Per Hour?
When used to play games, the GTX 1050 Ti uses around 75 watt-hours per hour at peak, the equivalent of 0.075 kilowatt-hours per hour. With gamers averaging 8.5 hours per week of gaming, that’s a weekly power consumption of just 0.64 kilowatt-hours.
With the average cost of electricity in the US being $0.14 per kilowatt-hour, that means that a GTX 1050 Ti costs just under $0.09 per week to run, or $4.64 per year.
Of course, that is only for the time spent using the PC to game – you’ll likely use it for other things too, but the graphics card will use such a small amount of power during those idle times that it would only add a few cents onto the total cost.
But if you’re calculating the running cost of your PC, then you do need to take the other components into account. Normally your graphics card is responsible for the bulk of the power draw from the PC, but a GTX 1050 Ti is so lower powered that some processors may draw more – and then there’s the motherboard, storage, RAM, and more too.
Read more: How many watts does a Gaming PC use?
What Is the Difference Between GTX 1050 and GTX 1050 Ti?
A GTX 1050 Ti is a slightly more powerful version of the original GTX 1050. It actually has slightly slower clock speeds than the GTX 1050 but it has more memory, allowing it to process changes faster and cope with higher frame rates.
| Graphics Card | Idle | Idle (multi-monitor) | Streaming video | Gaming | Max-rated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GTX 1050 | 5 watts | 5 watts | 7 watts | 64 watts | 70 watts |
| GTX 1050 Ti | 5 watts | 5 watts | 7 watts | 67 watts | 75 watts |
Both cards use an extremely similar amount of power, with the only difference coming when they’re put under a gaming load.
GTX 1050
GTX 1050 Ti
What Power Supply Do I Need For An GTX 1050 Ti?
For a GTX 1050 Ti, the recommended minimum power supply is 300 watts, though it depends on the rest of your setup. If you’re using a GTX 1050 Ti in a slightly more advanced PC then you may want a 450-watt power supply just to be safe.
Bear in mind that the recommended 300-watt power supply was based on a GTX 1050 Ti being installed in a mid-range PC in 2016 when it launched. Components have moved on since then, and require a lot more power. And with many people turning to the GTX 1050 Ti now as a low-powered card for their mid-range system, it’s more likely they’ll need closer to 450 watts.
To calculate the power supply you need for your PC, you’ll need to add up the typical power consumption for all the components installed, and then add on 20% to give yourself a little leeway in case of any power spikes. Then, round it up to the nearest 50, as most power supplies are provided in increments of 50 watts.
The Best Power Supply For An GTX 1050 Ti
The best power supply for a GTX 1050 Ti graphics card is one that can provide 450 watts of power. It should be rated 80+ for efficiency, but at this low power don’t expect to find a Gold-rated one. Ideally, buy one from a trusted manufacturer as cheap PSUs can be faulty.
EVGA Power Supply
- Quiet and intelligent auto fan for near-silent operation
- Active power factor correction
- 3-year warranty
This EVGA PSU is a good budget power supply that should do everything you need when installed in a PC with a GTX 1050 Ti. EVGA is a reliable brand, and it’s rated 80+ White. This isn’t the most efficient but when dealing with power consumption at this level it can be hard to get a Gold rating.
Read more: Power Supply Ratings Explained
It comes with a three-year warranty too for extra peace of mind, by which point you’ll likely want to upgrade your PC anyway.
What GTX 1050 Ti Power Cable Do I Need?
You don’t need a power cable for a GTX 1050 Ti. Because the card uses less than 75 watts, it’ll draw enough power from the motherboard’s PCIe slot. Just make sure your power supply is sufficient, and the cable plugged into the motherboard will power the graphics card.
This is an added bonus of the GTX 1050 Ti – it’s one less cable to clutter up your PC.
GTX 1050 Ti Power FAQs
The GTX 1050 Ti low-profile graphics card doesn’t need external power. It’ll draw enough power to work from the PCIe slot that it’s plugged into on the motherboard.
On a very basic PC, a 250-watt power supply will be enough for a GTX 1050 Ti but if you’re installing the card in a PC with a reasonable processor then you will likely need something more powerful – at least 300 watts but ideally closer to 450 watts.
A 550-watt power supply is probably overkill for a GTX 1050 Ti. You can definitely use it if you already have one, but you could save money by buying a cheaper 450-watt power supply instead if you’re buying new. Or, choose the 550-watt one to allow for future upgrades.