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NVIDIA GeForce MX150 vs GTX 1050 (Laptop) – gaming performance and benchmarks
NVIDIA’s new dedicated notebook graphics card is already available on some models and it’s time to see just how well it performs. We compared it to other low-end mobile GPUs like the GTX 940MX and the 950M the other day but now it’s time to put it head to head with the entry-level GTX 10-series GPU – the GTX 1050.
The GTX 1050 is the lowest tier gaming graphics card from NVIDIA’s latest generation and it provides enough horsepower to run most every game on low to medium settings. On the other hand, the MX150 is not branded as a gaming GPU but it has proven itself worthy of some light gaming so it is only right to compare the two low-end chips.
Check out our Laptop Graphics Ranking, where you can find more information about all the compared GPUs: http://laptopmedia.com/top-laptop-graphics-ranking/
Check out all available GeForce MX150 laptops and their prices here: Buy from Amazon.com (#CommissionsEarned)
Check out all available GeForce GTX 1050 laptops and their prices here: Buy from Amazon.com (#CommissionsEarned)
Overview
While both cards are manufactured using the 14 nm FinFET process and are Pascal-based they are quite different in terms of specs. Actually, the aforementioned are the only two things they have in common. The MX150 is basically the mobile version of the GT 1030 and it is based on the GP108 chip while the GTX 1050 is built around the GP107 chip.
Interesting to say, the MX150 has a slightly higher clock speed than the GTX 1050 – 1468 (1532 Boost) MHz vs 1354 (1493 Boost) MHz but the memory clock of the GTX 1050 is 1000 MHz higher than this of the MX150 – 7000 vs 6008 MHz. Speaking of memory, the GTX 1050 can have a maximum capacity of 4 GB (as in our case) while the MX150 is limited to just 2 GB.
The GTX 1050 also has a wider interface thus higher maximum bandwidth – 128-Bit vs 64-Bit. And the amount of CUDA cores on the GTX 1050 is nearly double that of the MX150 – 640 vs 384.
Synthetic benchmarks
The better specs of the GTX 1050 have quite well resembled in the synthetic benchmarks. As you can see from the graph below, it scores anywhere from 40 to 75% higher than the MX150. However, benchmarks are not always a good representation of real life performance. We will check the latter further down in the comparison.
Results are from the 3DMark: Fire Strike (Graphics) benchmark (higher the score, the better)
Results are from the Unigine Heaven 3.0 benchmark (higher the score, the better)
Results are from the Unigine Heaven 4.0 benchmark (higher the score, the better)
Results are from the Unigine Superposition benchmark (higher the score, the better)
Gaming performance
In this case, the synthetic benchmarks correspond to the real life gaming performance of the two GPUs. The GTX 1050 is about a quarter more powerful than the MX150 in GTA IV on the lowest graphics settings but this margin goes up to 75% when we play Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016). When we crank up the graphics to medium settings, the GTX 1050 delivers almost and sometimes above twice the frames per second of the MX150. And when we max out the settings, the GTX 1050 struggles but the MX150 is absolutely unplayable or it can’t even run the application. However, the MX150 is perfectly capable of running your favorite games as long as you stick to the lowest preset or lower the resolution.
| Grand Theft Auto V (GTA 5) | Full HD, Low (Check settings) | Full HD, Medium (Check settings) | Full HD, Max (Check settings) |
|---|---|---|---|
| GeForce MX150 2GB GDDR5 | 77 fps | 29 fps | – fps |
| GeForce GTX 1050 4GB GDDR5 (Laptop) | 96 (+24.7%) fps | 61 (+110%) fps | 19 fps |
| Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016) | Full HD, Low (Check settings) | Full HD, Medium (Check settings) | Full HD, Max (Check settings) |
|---|---|---|---|
| GeForce MX150 2GB GDDR5 | 40 fps | 26 fps | 8 fps |
| GeForce GTX 1050 4GB GDDR5 (Laptop) | 70 (+75%) fps | 48 (+84.6%) fps | 19 (+137.5%) fps |
Gameplay videos
NVIDIA GeForce MX150 2GB GDDR5
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 4GB GDDR5 (Laptop)
Verdict
If we solely look at benchmarks and average frame rates, the GTX 1050 beyond compare to the MX150. We see a least a 25% bump in performance that sometimes exceeds 100%. However, the MX150 still has some perks. For instance, it has a quite low power consumption of just 25W which is a lot lower than the already low 40-50W of the GTX 1050. With a TDP of just 23W, it even comes close to the consumption of integrated GPUs while delivering a significant performance bump over them. The MX150 also comes in a very small 23 x 23 mm package. The small size and low power make it ideal for notebooks especially thin and light ones where battery life sometimes is an issue.
Unfortunately, most notebooks currently available with an MX150 are priced around the same as those equipped with a GTX 1050. However, we will see how the price will change in the near future and if it drops the MX150 will be the go-to GPU for users on a really tight budget. And even if the price remains mostly the same, ultrabooks will benefit as they will be able to get a hold of a dedicated GPU without compromising battery life or dimensions.
All available laptops with GeForce GTX 1050
All available laptops with GeForce MX150
Check out all available GeForce MX150 laptops and their prices here: Buy from Amazon.com (#CommissionsEarned)
Check out all available GeForce GTX 1050 laptops and their prices here: Buy from Amazon.com (#CommissionsEarned)