ASRock Radeon RX 9050 4GB listing brings back low-VRAM GPUs
ASRock has listed a 4GB AMD Radeon RX 9050 as RAM price hikes and shortages put pressure on PC component costs.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
3 min read
ASRock has listed an ASRock Radeon RX 9050 4GB graphics card, putting a low-VRAM option back into the modern GPU market as RAM price increases and component shortages push up tech costs, according to The Verge and Digital Foundry. The card matters for budget PC buyers because 4GB of video memory is now well below what many current big-budget games recommend.
Digital Foundry reported that the 4GB AMD Radeon RX 9050 appeared on ASRock’s website after being spotted by a user on X. The same day, ASRock also launched an 8GB version of the RX 9050, according to The Verge.
ASRock’s product page lists the 4GB RX 9050 as an AMD RDNA 4 card with a 64-bit memory interface, 16 compute units and a boost clock of up to 2,600MHz / 18GBps. The Verge said those specifications should allow support for newer features such as FSR 4.
Is a 4GB graphics card enough for new games?
For many recent high-end games, 4GB of VRAM is a tight fit. VRAM is the memory on a graphics card used for graphics workloads such as game assets and rendering, and a lower amount can limit performance or settings in demanding titles.
The Verge noted that the 4GB RX 9050 falls far below the suggested requirements for current AAA games including Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced and Halo: Campaign Evolved. That comparison still applies for buyers willing to play at 1080p and less concerned about how the card will hold up with future games, according to The Verge.
The listing comes as the PC market deals with higher memory prices and shortages in components, a situation The Verge has tied to broader increases in technology prices. A 4GB card could reduce memory costs for manufacturers, but the available reporting does not include an official price for the standalone RX 9050 4GB card.
Where has the RX 9050 4GB appeared?
ASRock has not announced pricing for the 4GB RX 9050, according to The Verge. Tom’s Hardware, however, spotted the card in a Best Buy listing for an $889 CyberPowerPC prebuilt gaming desktop.
That Best Buy system included an AMD Ryzen 5 5500 processor, 8GB of DDR4 system memory and a 500GB PCIe 4.0 SSD, according to The Verge’s summary of the listing. The reported configuration suggests the RX 9050 4GB may first show up in lower-cost prebuilt PCs rather than as a widely advertised standalone retail card.
The 8GB version gives ASRock a second RX 9050 configuration for buyers or system builders that want more video memory. The available details do not say how the two versions will be priced against each other or when the 4GB model will be sold separately.
The Verge reported that ASRock and AMD did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Until either company provides pricing and launch details, the RX 9050 4GB is best understood as an early sign that 4GB graphics cards are returning to current-generation hardware, even as game requirements keep moving higher.
This story draws on original reporting from The Verge.