MSI has added two new entries into its Inspire series that are based on Nvidia’s budget GeForce RTX 5050 GPU. As their name suggests, the RTX 5050 Inspire ITX and RTX 5050 Inspire ITX OC are designed for small-form-factor (SFF) PCs, featuring a single-fan, dual-slot cooling assembly. Whether you want a compact GPU or simply a nice-looking offering, these are solid picks.
Both are identical from the outside, actually, carrying the series’ beige and champagne gold colour topping a smoothly curved shroud. The sides are black, further highlighting its sober style. Interestingly, while these cards look fancy, they are not high in MSI’s branding tiers, meaning that pricing should be reasonable, which is important for an entry-level GPU like the RTX 5050.
Measuring just 147mm x 120mm x 45mm, the RTX 5050 Inspire ITX and RTX 5050 Inspire ITX OC are a perfect match to ITX motherboards and SFF cases. You can expect them to fit in, for example, the Fractal Design Terra, Era 2, or Mood. To cool them, MSI opts for a single Torx Fan 5.0, topping what looks like an extruded aluminium fin-stack and single-heatpipe combo. This should be perfectly fine, particularly considering the GPU’s low-ish power consumption.
Speaking of which, both models are rated for 130W and are equipped with a single 8-pin connector. The brand recommends a 550W PSU, but you should be fine with lower-capacity units if you plan on adding one of these as an upgrade to a cheap Dell/HP office PC. Note however that while the card uses a PCIe 5.0 x16 interface, it is only wired for x8 speed, so avoid using it on old PCIe 3.0 machines if you care about performance.
The main difference between the RTX 5050 Inspire ITX and RTX 5050 Inspire ITX OC is GPU frequency. The OC version boosts up to 2,617MHz using the Extreme Performance mode, whereas the non-OC runs at 2,587MHz. Nothing to write home about, really, because you should get a similar experience to any RTX 5050 on the market. Likewise, for video output you get three DisplayPort 2.1b plus one HDMI 2.1b port.
Those who would like to tune the card can either choose one of the built-in Gaming/Silent modes within MSI’s Center app or manually customise/overclock the GPU using Afterburner.
The only information missing is pricing and release dates which MSI has yet to reveal. Though as we noted above, these models shouldn’t cost a lot compared to competing RTX 5050, so you may want to keep an eye for them if you like what they offer.
