MSI GEFORCE GTX 1650 SUPER GAMING X

Nvidia’s budget GPUs just got a bit faster, or a bit more affordable

LIKE THE OTHER Super branded GPUs launched recently, the 1650 Super represents modest improvements to an existing part. In this case, the part is the TU116. That’s a step up from the bottom Turing TU117 GPU used in the GTX 1650. Why the change? Simple: The TU117 lacks a few of the extra features found in its big brother. Specifically, it uses the older Pascal-era NVENC block that promises better quality than x264 Fast encoding via the CPU, with a minimal hit to frame rates, as well as GDDR6 support.

In terms of core specs, the GTX 1650 Super is a healthy jump in performance from the existing GTX 1650. It has 42 percent more GPU cores, and while it sticks with a 128-bit memory interface, the move to 12Gb/s GDDR6 means it has 50 percent more bandwidth than the 1650. There is one potential concern, though: VRAM. More specifically, the 4GB of GDDR6. It may have the same total bandwidth as the 1660, but with 2GB less memory, there are going to be situations where performance will be lower.

The MSI GTX 1650 Super we have in for review looks almost identical to the GTX 1650 Gaming X, but it’s using the same board as the 1660 cards, which makes sense, as both use the same TU116 GPU. The 1650 Super has an extra DisplayPort output, compared to MSI’s vanilla 1650 card. This card also comes with a factory overclock. In this case, it’s not much to speak of: The boost clock is 1,755MHz, compared to the reference 1,725MHz. That doesn’t mean it couldn’t go further, and indeed often runs much higher than that, up to 1,900MHz, in fact.

Something else to note is that the GTX 1650 Super is a 100W TDP card, so it requires a six-pin power connector. If you have a PC that doesn’t have any PCIe power cables available (which is the case for some budget pre-built PCs), you need to stick with the vanilla 1650.

Performance is pretty much what you’d expect: consistently around 30 percent faster than the regular GTX 1650. At 1080p with medium settings, it’s nearly as fast as the 1660, but it falls off by 10 percent at 1080p with ultra settings, and 17 percent at 1440p with all the settings maxed out. Importantly, it manages to break 60fps in almost every game we tested at 1080p medium (MetroExodus being the exception), but at 1080p ultra, it’s far less certain. The overall average at 1080p ultra is 61fps, but only about half of the games break 60, while the other half range from around 40fps to 55fps.

Considering the GTX 1650 Super only costs $10 more than the regular GTX 1650, this is an easy recommendation. Budget GPUs certainly aren’t the most exciting graphics cards around, but for people trying to game without spending a ton of cash, this is a great entry-level card that can easily run any current game. Just don’t expect max settings and higher resolutions in every game, and beware of future games that could push beyond the capabilities of the GTX 1650 Super’s 4GB of VRAM. If you can spend the extra $50 to $75, upgrading to a GTX 1660 Super is a better long-term decision.