After a series of high-profile announcements from NVIDIA, we do not forget about budget video cards. Here, no major market update is expected yet, and existing solutions remain relevant for consumers with a limited budget. In this review, we will get acquainted with the next version of the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti. The remarkableness of today’s guest is in its compactness. This is a low profile model for miniature systems — ASUS GeForce GTX 1050 Ti OC Edition low profile. It is interesting to look at the gaming capabilities of such a video card. At the same time, we will check the overclocking potential and compare ASUS with some older generation video cards.

ASUS GTX1050TI-O4G-LP-BRK

This video adapter comes in a small box.

In addition to the standard disk with software and instructions, the package includes an additional plug.

The height of the video card is half the standard dimensions, and the length is only 18 cm, while the cooler occupies two slots.

The cooling system uses two small fans. It is worth noting a certain visual similarity in the design of the casing with the top solutions of the ASUS Dual series.

The reverse side of ASUS is covered with a plate, but this structural element has no practical function, because it is made of plastic.

Three connectors are provided for image output: DVI, DisplayPort and HDMI. A large plug is initially installed, which can be easily changed to a short version. The very fact of having such a stub is a plus. We have encountered a situation where some manufacturers do not bundle low-profile video cards with such an accessory.

The design of the cooler is as simple as possible — a solid aluminum heatsink, on which a shroud with fans is screwed.

The radiator is small, but its dimensions are limited by the size of the video card itself. And in length it is not much shorter than the board.

Two 50mm FirstD fans are used for airflow.

The plate covering the board is mounted on simple latches.

With limited PCB dimensions, we see a three-phase GPU power system. Due to the small area, the installation of elements is very dense.

The heart of the graphics card is the GP107-400-A1 processor with 768 CUDA streaming cores. Four gigabytes of video memory are made up of Micron 8EA47 D9SXD chips.

Standard specifications call for a base frequency of 1290 MHz with an average Boost Clock of 1392 MHz. ASUS operates at a combination of frequencies 1304/1418 MHz, that is, with a slight factory overclock.

However, the actual Boost frequencies are such that the video card works at the level of the simplest versions of the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti. This is due to severe power limitations. In heavy applications, core frequencies quickly drop below 1700 MHz. The Final Fantasy XV: Windows Edition benchmark had drops to 1671 MHz. Although in the Shadow of the Tomb Raider test, the frequency dropped only to 1721 MHz. Peak short-term Boost values ​​reached 1785 MHz.

When testing on an open bench, the core temperature did not exceed 64 °C (indoors 20 °C). This is a very good result for a compact video card. It was achieved due to the fan speed of 2400 rpm, but the overall noise can be assessed as moderate.

As for overclocking, it turned out to be not much worse than simple full-length versions. For the core, a base frequency configuration of 1419 MHz was achieved with peak Boost up to 1911 MHz. The memory was able to run flawlessly at 8608 MHz.

In the Final Fantasy XV test, the frequencies dropped to 1734-1747 MHz. That is, the real increase in GPU frequencies for this game is less than 100 MHz. The fans were accelerated to 2700 rpm.

GPU overclocking numbers are low, but as noted above, the difference with other models is small. Memory overclocking can be called good, we had instances with a lower potential of GDDR5 modules. It should also be taken into account that with an increase in noise, the practical expediency of overclocking decreases.