Should you buy an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Super today?

Is a budget graphics card worth it?

And while premium PC designers are chasing new Nvidia Ampere graphics cards that are in short supply, configurations chasing the budget price tag need not worry about expensive and elusive graphics cards. If you’re looking to equip your PC with an affordable graphics card, the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Super should probably be on the radar, especially ahead of the holiday discounts.

You can find Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Super from Nvidia partners for $ 160 (RUR 11,200 + VAT) to approximately $ 200 (RUR 14,000 + VAT). You get a low-power graphics card with 1280 CUDA cores running at 1530 MHz if the graphics card is not overclocked. You can get a configuration with 4GB of GDDR6 video memory, which is an important feature because it is much faster than the GDDR5 found in the original 1650, but the memory capacity is still not large.

(Image credit: EVGA)

| WHAT CAN GTX 1650 SUPER OFFER?

The GTX 1650 Super is not designed to crush the competition by playing in 4K at high frame rates. This graphics card is designed to help you play when your budget is poor.

What does this mean in practice? Paired with a suitable GTX 1650 Super processor should be able to offer stable 1080p / 60 FPS gameplay in most games you run on your graphics card. Some games will be able to play with Ultra settings, while some games will require you to settle for Medium to maintain frame rates above 30 FPS.

The GeForce GTX 1650 Super also comes packed with useful features such as GeForce Experience for easy driver updates, optimized game settings, and handy in-game recording tools. It also supports Nvidia G-Sync to prevent frame tearing.

| WHEN IS THE GTX 1650 SUPER THE RIGHT CHOICE?

Considering what the GeForce GTX 1650 Super is capable of, it becomes clear when a graphics card will be the best choice. If you’re going to play casual games on a traditional monitor or 1080p TV, then the GTX 1650 Super is an affordable option that should play current and older games with ease.

The GTX 1650 Super has a special place in budget PC builds. If you have a low-power power supply, a graphics card will do the trick. Since the GTX 1650 Super only consumes 100W, the graphics card is easy to integrate into systems that do not require additional power supply upgrades.

| WHEN ARE THE GTX 1650 SUPER NOT THE BEST CHOICE?

If the above scenario doesn’t work for you, you should probably skip purchasing the GTX 1650 Super.

Some people need more graphics performance than they need. If you have the latest Intel processor with integrated graphics or AMD APU, perhaps the graphics performance you need to play your game in the browser or less demanding games will be enough. If you need a video card to output video to a monitor, you can choose the older GTX 1050 or GT 1030.

Then there is the situation where you need more power or a future-ready computer. If you have a PSU with some power headroom (perhaps 500W), there are some serious arguments against the 1650 Super.

For example, AMD has a Radeon 5500 XT. This graphics card is available in a similar price range, but with higher performance. It is sold in two configurations: with 4GB of GDDR6 video memory and 8GB. If you’re on a budget, you can opt for the 4GB option and get a little more performance. The 8 GB model will cost you about $ 200 (14,000 rubles + VAT), but the additional video memory will come in handy, given that future games will definitely detail the rendering. Some GTX 1650 Super variants cost the same $ 200, making the 8GB Radeon RX 5500 XT a worthy alternative. We’ve also seen a variety of Radeon RX 5500 Xt models, including packages with a free copy of Godfall upon purchase.

The market for used graphics cards is also hurting the value of the GTX 1650 Super. If you’re ready to use used components, you can boost your productivity from above by looking here. Since most of the assembled PCs are likely to have gone from Series 10 to Series 20, you’ll find plenty of offerings on the aftermarket. A quick search was enough to find several GTX 1070 Ti’s under $ 200. It will draw more power from your PSU than the 1650 Super, but will respond with increased performance.

Finally, the 1650 Super might be worth skipping if you are already using a similar graphics card. If you’re using an older mid-range card like the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060, GTX 1050, and AMD counterparts like the RZ 480 or 580, a new graphics card isn’t worth the expense. There is no point in overpaying for a new graphics card to get a slight performance boost from the previous graphics card.

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