Don’t Buy an NVIDIA GTX 1650 Until You Read This

Towards the end of the Turing graphics cards’ lifespan, NVIDIA announced the GTX 1650. In 2019, the GTX 1650 was the best graphics card for entry-level budget gamers. The card still works well and maintains the reputation it developed in 2019 for offering reliable 1080p gaming at a low cost.

The GTX 1650 has probably come up in your search for a graphics card whether you’re constructing your first gaming computer or haven’t constructed a PC in a while. It has received favorable reviews, was re-released by NVIDIA, and is reasonably priced. However, does this mean it is the ideal GPU for you?

We’ll delve into this GPU’s specifications, features, advantages, and disadvantages in today’s article. Let’s get going.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650: Overview

In 2019, Nvidia announced the GTX 1650 as a less expensive alternative to the GTX 1660, one of the most well-liked cards in the GTX 1600 series. The GTX 1650 gave players access to some of the most cutting-edge features available at the time, such as the starting point for ray-tracing and AI acceleration.

The GTX 1650 offers 896 CUDA cores, which is much fewer than the 1408 CUDA cores offered by the GTX 1660, the GPU level above it. NVIDIA wanted to give gamers a smooth, 1080p gaming experience that could handle the majority of games with ease, so they released the GTX 1650 with that goal in mind.

The performance of the GTX 1650 in practice marginally deviates from NVIDIA’s stated goals when announcing the card. While it does offer 1080p for gamers, the experience isn’t always the smoothest. The GDDR5 VRAM on the GTX 1650 is 4GB.

GDDR6 memory, which was included in the GTX 1660 Ti, was starting to become standard for graphics cards at the time the GTX 1650 was released. Although most games can be played at a consistent 60 frames per second in 1080p HD using GDDR5 VRAM.

The GTX 1650 is a mid-range GPU featuring a TU117 chip that supports DirectX 12. It is built on the Turing architecture. Although ray tracing was originally made possible by the Turing architecture in the NVIDIA graphics card, don’t anticipate being able to use it with the GTX 1650 because it lacks any ray tracing cores.

The GTX 1650 is essentially a 1080p graphics card that lacks many of the other features that NVIDIA provided with the Turing architecture.

Release Date and Price

The GTX 1650 was introduced by NVIDIA on October 29, 2019, and it went on sale for $149 in the summer of 2020. The MSRP of $149 was an excellent deal for a basic 1080p graphics card for gaming.

The GTX 1650 is still available for purchase today for roughly $149, making it one of the most sought-after 1080p GPUs.

Different Models

The GTX 1600 portfolio included a variety of entry-level graphics cards that were perfect for low-cost PC designs. The lineup includes:

• GeForce GTX 1650
• GeForce GTX 1650 Ti
• GeForce GTX 1630
• GeForce GTX 1660
• GeForce GTX 1660 Super

Features

The GTX 1650 is noticeably less potent than the GTX 1660 while using the same Turing architecture and having a smaller number of CUDA cores and texture units. The chipset used by the GTX 1650, the TU117, is a scaled-down and less potent version of the TU116 used in cards like the GTX 1660 and 1660 Super.

The GTX 1650 is equipped with DirectX 12, G-SYNC, and plug-and-play drivers, giving you everything you need to start using the GPU as soon as you install it in your system. While ray tracing is not possible with the 1650, the 896 CUDA cores do help shading and 3D rendering.

The GTX 1650’s remarkable power efficiency is one of its standout qualities. The card only needs 75W of power, so you should be able to run it totally from the PCIe x16 lane that you hook it into.

However, it depends on the particular model of graphics card you buy. Before making a purchase, always make sure to check the power needs of each specific card.

Specifications

Graphics Processor	Turing 117
CUDA Cores	896
Power Draw	75W
Base Clock Speed	1485 MHz
Boost Clock Speed	1665 MHz
Memory	4GB of GDDR5 VRAM
Slots Required	1 PCIe
Display Outputs	1 x HDMI 2.0, 1 x DisplayPort 1.4a, 1 x DVI

NVIDIA GTX 1650 Review

While AMD has long been the manufacturer of the best GPUs in terms of price to performance, NVIDIA has always been at the forefront of research and development for new graphics cards.

NVIDIA wanted to regain some of the market share AMD had lost in the 1080p graphics card space with the GTX 1650. But in today’s world of expensive GPUs and developing technology, is it the finest card for 1080p gaming on a tight budget?

Power and Efficiency

The 1650’s low power usage is probably one of the main arguments in favor of it. The GTX 1650’s base setup is rated for a 75W power draw. This enables you to completely power the card via the PCIe lane without a power hookup.

But before you get too excited, the majority of GTX 1650 third-party versions call for a six-pin power connector even if they still have a 75W TDP rating. Actually, one of the greatest criticisms of the 1650 is the complication of the power connector.

Make sure you have a power source with sufficient wattage and an extra six-pin power connector in case you decide to purchase a device that needs one.

Compatibility and Cooling

Due to its low TDP rating, the GTX 1650 has a tiny form factor and is available with either a single or dual fan arrangement. The GTX 1650 will undoubtedly fit in your tiny form-factor PC design because to its thin profile.

The card won’t take up much room on a mini-ITX motherboard and only needs one PCIe channel. The GTX 1650 is available with either a single fan or two fans for cooling.

The cooler is straightforward, but there hasn’t been anything to remark in terms of GTX 1650 overheating problems. There are a number of GTX 1650 special edition models available from manufacturers like GIGABYTE and ASUS, which use specialized cooling to keep the graphics card ice cold.

Graphics Quality

The GTX 1650 falls into the category of graphics cards that are suited for gaming at 1080p with High presets. With the GTX 1650 in 1080p resolution, it is feasible to game on ultra settings, however this card performs best when gaming on high presets.

The GTX 1650 is the replacement for the GTX 1050, and it is priced similarly to the earlier model. Additionally, you can typically find the GTX 1050 for less money than the GTX 1650.

In addition, the AMD RX 570 faces up against the GTX 1650. We have gathered a list of benchmarks so that we may compare the performance of the GPUs inside.

Benchmarks

We gathered benchmarks from a few of the closest rivals to get an idea of how the GTX 1650 stacks up against the competition. Each graphics card in this comparison is the base manufacturer model, and the following games were evaluated at high quality with a 1920 x 1080 resolution.

Title	GTX 1650	GTX 1050	RX 570
Forza Horizon 5	62 FPS	32 FPS	56 FPS
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive	152 FPS	134	226 FPS
Resident Evil Village	63 FPS	42 FPS	105 FPS
Cyberpunk 2077	28 FPS	30 FPS	46 FPS
PUBG	86 FPS	43 FPS	69 FPS
Destiny 2	69 FPS	76 FPS	126 FPS
Grand Theft Auto: V	53 FPS	49 FPS	79 FPS

These tests demonstrate that the GTX 1650 is similar to both the GTX 1050 it replaces and the rival RX 570 from 2019. This is true even though the GTX 1650 is clearly a capable card for gaming at 1080p on high settings.

While our tests demonstrate that it is by no means a subpar 1080p GPU, the GTX 1650 falls short in terms of price to performance because the 1050 and RX 570 are frequently more affordable.

GTX 1650: Pros and Cons

Pros:

• An efficient power rating of 75W TDP
• Solid 1080p gaming on high settings
• The small form factor is ideal for micro-ITX builds

Cons:

• Not much faster than its predecessor
• Often more expensive than competing 1080p GPUs

NVIDIA GTX 1650: Is It a Buy?

Buy it if

For 1080p gaming, you’re searching for a cheap GPU.

For 1080p gaming, the GTX 1650 is designed. It won’t require as much of an investment because it lacks the high-end cards’ bells and whistles. You receive the best 1080p performance you can get for the money.

You’re seeking for a more compact GPU.

The GTX 1650 features a thin profile that makes it simple to fit into the tiniest cases if you have a case that won’t accommodate a larger card. Furthermore, they are ideal for tiny PCs because some models can power themselves via the PCIe slot.

An older PC need a new graphics card.

This GPU is the ideal balance if you need a cheap card to improve performance on an old PC but don’t want to spend too much money on outdated technology.

Don t Buy it if

You want to play video games at a higher quality than 1080p.

Even though the GTX 1650 offers a respectable gaming experience, it is not the most powerful, especially when using the high settings. In comparison to other GPUs in the pricing range, it boasts a high price to performance ratio. At least for games created in the last ten years, 1440p and 4K are unlikely to run well on this GPU.

You are searching for a cheap graphics card with the best price-to-performance ratio.

This card might not be the ideal choice if your objective is to maximize the performance you can obtain for your money. Competitive products with similar prices like the RX 570 and GTX 1660 offer superior performance.