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How good is a 10 series GPU now? Is it worth buying?

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  • 4 min read

If you’re looking for a gaming laptop in 2019, you’ll notice that at the bottom of the price spectrum there are a bunch of laptops that have a 1050 or 1050ti coupled with an 8th or 9th gen intel CPU.

2019 has seen the release of the immensely powerful RTX series of GPUs. The laptop version of these GPUs offers mind-bending performance in a thin and light profile.

However, all of that comes at a mind-bending price as well. If you’re looking to buy an RTX laptop in India, it’s going to cost you well over a lac. The 1050 or 1060 laptops sell for roughly half the price.

These laptops generally have 4GB of DDR5 graphics memory. While that may seem like it’s enough for crunching those games, one has to keep in mind that games are becoming more and more demanding by the day.

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Since you can’t just chuck another GPU in your laptop, once you buy one, you’re pretty much stuck with it. Purchasing a 10 series laptop can be catastrophic, or it can be a perfect deal if you know what you’re doing.

These laptops at first might appear like a really good deal, but then there is the 1050 part. How relevant is 1050 in 2019? Is the performance worth the price or should you go for a higher-end CPU? Read on to find out.

Nvidia GTX 1050/1050ti

These laptops lie in the price range of 55k-65k, which is reasonably cheap for the performance they offer. In most cases, you’ll get 8GB RAM and an 8th or 9th gen i5.

For regular everyday usage, they are a very very good deal. These laptops can handle as many chrome tabs you throw at them. Also, since the screens are also quite good, streaming would be sharp and crisp.

However, if you’re buying these laptops with intense gaming sessions in mind, you need to consider a few things first.

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Number one is the fact that you’ll have to dial down the settings for pretty much every modern game. Yes, these guys will handle it, but how well, no claims for that. If graphics aren’t your primary concern, and you’re a bit tight on your budget, these laptops will suffice.

Not for long, though. The 1050/1050ti are on the verge of being obsolete. With games becoming more demanding, you’ll start running into unplayable framerates in about a year or two. It becomes a trade-off between longevity and price.

Oh, and they tend to be a bit on the heavier side as well.

Nvidia GTX 1060

The GTX 1060 offers more power as compared to the 1050 or 1050ti, but if you take a broader look, things are pretty much the same. You’ll be able to run games at higher settings and get overall better performance; however, it still is not going to be enough to last you long.

However, the price difference between 1060 and 1050 series laptops isn’t justified by the performance difference, in my opinion. For the most part, you only get marginally better performance for a way higher price.Is the 10 series Nvidia GPU worth buying in 2019? Instead, I’ll suggest going to a 1650/1660 series laptop. It’ll be a tad bit more expensive, but will last you longer and give you way better performance over the 1050/1050ti.

One thing these laptops do provide is a lighter, thinner profile contributing to a more premium look. You’ll also get better RGB. Basically, you don’t have to worry about the aesthetic appeal here.

Which one should you buy?

This question can be summed up in two points.

  • If you’re a gamer on a very tight budget and don’t really care much about graphics, a 1050/1050ti laptop is still worth it.
  • If you can afford a little bit more, but not as much as to get a 16 series GPU, 1060 is a viable option for you considering the extra power it gets you.

Also read: 7 reasons why your laptop is slowing down and how to fix it

Yadullah Abidi

Yadullah Abidi

Yadullah is a Computer Science graduate who writes/edits/shoots/codes all things cybersecurity, gaming, and tech hardware. When he's not, he streams himself racing virtual cars. He's been writing and reporting on tech and cybersecurity with websites like Candid.Technology and MakeUseOf since 2018. You can contact him here: yadullahabidi@pm.me.

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