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Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1650 OC GDDR6 Review - Faster Memory Helps?
(12 Comments) »Introduction
We have with us Gigabyte's GeForce GTX 1650 GDDR6 OC. NVIDIA sprung a cute little surprise in the middle of the COVID-19 panic in the form of an upgrade to its entry-level "Turing" based graphics card, the GeForce GTX 1650. The new GTX 1650 G6 (GDDR6) sees NVIDIA replace the 8 Gbps GDDR5 memory with newer and faster 12 Gbps GDDR6 memory to yield a 50% boost in memory bandwidth. From prevalent online pricing, it appears the G6 variant was meant to gradually replace the original GTX 1650 at around $160. Stocks of GDDR6 memory chips are aplenty and memory makers are beginning to phase out GDDR5.
The switch to GDDR6 was probably also intended to improve NVIDIA's outlook in the sub-$200 market below the GTX 1650 Super. Currently, no AMD "Navi" RX 5000-series graphics card uses GDDR5 (at least not in the retail channel), and with the RX 5500 XT 4 GB going for around $170, the original GTX 1650 was beginning to look obsolete. The switch to GDDR6 comes at a cost, though. NVIDIA had to lower GPU clock speeds slightly—1410 MHz base and 1590 MHz GPU Boost vs. the 1485 MHz base and 1665 MHz GPU Boost of the original GTX 1650. This was probably done while keeping an eye on the power envelope necessary to enable graphics card designs without any PCIe power connectors.
The GeForce GTX 1650 GDDR6 runs with 896 "Turing" CUDA cores, 56 TMUs, and 32 ROPs—same as the original GTX 1650, with memory type and clocks being the only difference. The size of the memory is the same at 4 GB. With these specifications, NVIDIA is targeting 1080p gaming at mid-thru-high settings, or 1080p eSports gaming at 60 Hz, with titles such as PUBG.
The GIGABYTE card we have with us today is the company's cheapest offering, which lacks any power connectors yet comes with a small overclock out of the box. It uses a simple fan-heatsink cooler that's not much unlike Intel's stock heatsink. GIGABYTE is pricing the card at $175, which seems close to this SKU's baseline pricing.
| Price | Shader Units | ROPs | Core Clock | Boost Clock | Memory Clock | GPU | Transistors | Memory | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GTX 1050 | $135 | 640 | 32 | 1354 MHz | 1455 MHz | 1752 MHz | GP107 | 3300M | 2 GB, GDDR5, 128-bit |
| GTX 1050 Ti | $150 | 768 | 32 | 1290 MHz | 1392 MHz | 1752 MHz | GP107 | 3300M | 4 GB, GDDR5, 128-bit |
| GTX 1650 | $150 | 896 | 32 | 1485 MHz | 1665 MHz | 2000 MHz | TU117 | 4700M | 4 GB, GDDR5, 128-bit |
| GTX 1650 GDDR6 | N/A | 896 | 32 | 1410 MHz | 1590 MHz | 1500 MHz | TU117 | 4700M | 4 GB, GDDR6, 128-bit |
| Gigabyte GTX 1650 OC GDDR6 | $175 | 896 | 32 | 1410 MHz | 1635 MHz | 1500 MHz | TU117 | 4700M | 4 GB, GDDR6, 128-bit |
| RX 570 | $120 | 2048 | 32 | 1168 MHz | 1244 MHz | 1750 MHz | Ellesmere | 5700M | 4 GB, GDDR5, 256-bit |
| RX 5500 XT | $170 | 1408 | 32 | 1717 MHz | 1845 MHz | 1750 MHz | Navi 14 | 6400M | 4 GB, GDDR6, 128-bit |
| GTX 1650 Super | $160 | 1280 | 32 | 1530 MHz | 1725 MHz | 1500 MHz | TU116 | 6600M | 4 GB, GDDR6, 128-bit |
| RX 580 | $160 | 2304 | 32 | 1257 MHz | 1340 MHz | 2000 MHz | Ellesmere | 5700M | 8 GB, GDDR5, 256-bit |
| GTX 1060 3 GB | $170 | 1152 | 48 | 1506 MHz | 1708 MHz | 2002 MHz | GP106 | 4400M | 3 GB, GDDR5, 192-bit |
| GTX 1060 | $210 | 1280 | 48 | 1506 MHz | 1708 MHz | 2002 MHz | GP106 | 4400M | 6 GB, GDDR5, 192-bit |
| RX 590 | $200 | 2304 | 32 | 1469 MHz | 1545 MHz | 2000 MHz | Polaris 30 | 5700M | 8 GB, GDDR5, 256-bit |
| GTX 1660 | $200 | 1408 | 48 | 1530 MHz | 1785 MHz | 2000 MHz | TU116 | 6600M | 6 GB, GDDR5, 192-bit |
| GTX 1070 | $300 | 1920 | 64 | 1506 MHz | 1683 MHz | 2002 MHz | GP104 | 7200M | 8 GB, GDDR5, 256-bit |
| RX Vega 56 | $260 | 3584 | 64 | 1156 MHz | 1471 MHz | 800 MHz | Vega 10 | 12500M | 8 GB, HBM2, 2048-bit |
| GTX 1660 Super | $230 | 1408 | 48 | 1530 MHz | 1785 MHz | 1750 MHz | TU116 | 6600M | 6 GB, GDDR6, 192-bit |
Packaging
The Card
Gigabyte's GTX 1650 OC GDDR6 uses a simple single-fan design with a heatsink that's mostly black with some gray highlights. A backplate is not available.
Dimensions of the card are 15 x 13 cm.
Installation requires two slots in your system.
Display connectivity options include one DisplayPort 1.4a, one DVI port, and an HDMI 2.0b.
The board does not use any additional power connector. This input configuration is specified for up to 75 watts of power draw.
GeForce GTX 1650 does not support SLI.
Disassembly
Gigabyte's cooler is really simple. Heatpipes aren't used, it's basically a big slab of metal. It's nice to see that the memory chips are cooled, too.
High-resolution PCB Pictures
These pictures are for the convenience of volt modders and people who would like to see all the finer details on the PCB. Feel free to link back to us and use these in your articles or forum posts.
High-res versions are also available (front, back).
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