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As technology advances, there’s a need for a GPU system that guarantees immersive gaming experiences, more accurate 3D modeling, and faster video rendering, among other high-performance demanding tasks.
NVIDIA is one of the few companies trying to develop newer and more advanced graphics cards every so often. Although older, the GeForce GTX 1650 and GeForce GTX 1060 are two of the most compared NVIDIA graphics cards out there.
These cards are relatively robust and often used in budget-built computers. By budget built, we mean they aren’t as expensive as the NVIDIA TITAN V but still offer exemplary performance. For starters, the 1650 is an entry-level card within the GeForce GTX 16 series, whereas the 1060 is a mid-range card within the GeForce GTX 10 series. The performance between these cards is fairly comparable; however, several differences make one better.
Whether you are a gamer, content creator, or a GPU enthusiast looking to upgrade your PC, this guide will help you decide which graphics card is better. We’ll examine their performance by looking at each card’s specifications and establish if they are worth the price. Let’s get started!
1060 vs. 1650: Side-by-Side Comparison
| GeForce GTX 1060 | GeForce GTX 1650 | |
|---|---|---|
| Release date | July 19, 2016 | April 22, 2019 |
| Microarchitecture | Pascal | Turing |
| CUDA Cores | 1,280 | 896 |
| Base Clock Speeds | 1,506 MHz | 1,485 MHz(G5), 1,410 MHz (G6) |
| Boost Clock Speed | 1,708 MHz | 1,665 MHz(G5), 1,590 MHz (G6) |
| Memory Configuration | 6GB | 4GB |
| Memory Bandwidth | 192 GB/s | 128 GB/s |
| Memory Interface | GDDR5 | GDDR5GDDR6 |
| TDP | 120 watts | 75-90 watts |
| Bus Support | PCLe 3.0 x16 | PCLe 3.0 x16 |
| Display Connectors | DP 1.43, HDMI 2.0b, Dual Link-DVI | HDMI 2.0b, DL-DVI-D (G5) HDMI 2.0b, DL-DVI-D, DP 1.4a (G6) |
| Maximum Display Resolution | 7680 x [email protected] | 7680 x 4320 @ 120Hz |
| Launch Price | $250 | $150 |
- 6GB GDDR5 RAM
- VR Ready
- 7680 x 4320 maximum supported resolution
- Consumes 120W power on an 8 Pin PCIe connector
- Powered by GeForce GTX 1650
- NVIDIA Turing architecture and GeForce Experience
- Integrated with 4GB GDDR6 128bit memory interface
- 80mm unique blade fan
- 170 mm compact card size
1060 vs. 1650: What’s the Difference?
Looking for the best graphics card is undoubtedly one of the most daunting tasks. The battle between the 1060 and 1650 is one of a kind because these cards came out years apart. When the excitement about the GTX 1060 was fading, GTX 1650 entered the market and was the talk of the town.
While the difference in release dates should hint at the better graphics card, we must examine the features and specifications to make a more informed decision. The results are intriguing. But first, let’s look at a brief overview of both cards.
GeForce GTX 1060: Brief Overview
NVIDIA launched the GTX 1060 in July 2016. This card was a mid-range option explicitly designed to provide high performance for gamers on a budget. The original variant featured 6GB GDDR5 memory alongside a GP106 graphics core.
Later, the company released a 3GB version featuring the same graphics core and another 6GB GDDR5X variant with a GP104 graphics core. These variants had the same base and boost clock speeds of 1,506 MHz and 1,708 MHZ, respectively.
The most significant selling point of the GTX 1060 was its power efficiency. A thermal design power (TDP) of only 120 watts meant you could power it with a single 6-pin PCLe connector. Moreover, it never required lots of cooling. Although better and more advanced budget graphics cards are available, it remains a popular option for builders looking to upgrade from much older systems.
GeForce GTX 1650: Brief Overview
Three years after the GTX 1060, NVIDIA released the GTX 1650, an entry-level graphics card based on the Turing architecture. It was a relatively cheap card that functioned best in low-game sections and performed basic video rendering.
Initially, this card featured GDDR5 memory support, but a year later, NVIDIA updated the memory configuration to GDDR6. As such, it came out as a graphics card with two variants featuring TU116 graphics cores and TU106 graphics cores. Both variants had 896 CUDA cores.
The GTX 1650’s best selling point was that it supported NVIDIA’s ray-tracing technology. However, its few CUDA cores made ray-tracing quite challenging compared to higher-end graphics cards. Overall, it’s a solid card with good performance at a reasonable price point, so it’s a popular option for budget-conscious content creators and gamers.
Architectural Differences
One of the main differences between GTX 1060 and 1650 lies in the base architecture. NVIDIA based the GTX 1060 on the Pascal microarchitecture and the GTX 1650 on the Turing microarchitecture.
Release in 2016, Pascal was NVIDIA’s successor to its Maxwell architecture. This technology featured a 16nm FinFET manufacturing process that enabled the card to achieve comparatively higher clock speeds and save more on energy. It also came with newer technologies like simultaneous multi-projection, which fostered asynchronous computing and VR performance, thus allowing the GPU to work on several tasks simultaneously.
The Turing architecture on the GTX 1650 is a much more advanced microarchitecture introduced in 2018 as a successor to Pascal. It comes with a 12nm FinFET manufacturing process, which means higher clock speeds and advanced energy efficiency. Unlike GTX 1060’s Pascal, Turing introduced deep learning super sampling (DLSS) and ray-tracing, highly coveted features at the time.
We can conclude that Pascal’s architecture introduced new technologies and improved energy efficiency, whereas Turing built on these capabilities and added more improvements like ray-tracing and DLSS. As such, you can do more with a GTX 1650 than with a GTX 1060.
Memory, Bandwidth, and Speed
Memory size and bandwidth are integral to a graphics card. The memory size ensures the card can overcome lagging and slow loading by storing the data required to render images and videos on a computer. Bandwidth is the speed at data transfers between the card’s memory and the graphics processing unit. Higher bandwidth means the GPU can easily access the VRAM (memory), rendering videos and images much faster.
The GTX 1060 has a memory configuration of 6GB, while the 1650 has 4GB. The 1060 is a clear winner because it has a higher memory configuration. Looking at the bandwidth, it also has 192 Gbps compared to the GTX 1650’s 128 Gbps.
So, the GTX 1060 can run more demanding applications and games that demand more video memory. Because of the higher bandwidth, the GTX 1060 transfers data between the GPU and VRAM much faster, which is crucial when running graphics-intensive applications. Still, the 4GB VRAM and 128 Gbps bandwidth doesn’t slouch entirely.
Speed: Core, Boost, and Overclocking
Before we delve further into speed, we must understand that the original version of the GTX 1650 featured two memory interfaces. One was the GDDR5, while the other was the GDDR6. The GTX 1060 only featured GDDR5. For starters, GDDR6 is an advanced version of GDDR5 capable of faster data transfers and more efficient power consumption.
We say so because the memory interface greatly impacts the core, and boosts clock speed, and can potentially impact your overclocking efforts. Essentially, the memory interface is the pathway between the VRAM and GPU, and a wider memory interface allows for more data transfer.
Back to the core and boost clock speeds. The GTX 1060 boasts a clock speed of 1,506 MHz and a boost clock speed of 1,708 MHz. The GDDR5 variant of the GTX 1650 features a core clock speed of 1,485 MHz and a boost clock speed of 1,665 MHz, whereas the GDDR6 variant has a core clock speed of 1,410 MHz and a boost clock speed of 1,590 MHz.
Clock speeds usually measure the number of cycles a graphics processing unit can perform in a second, and higher clock speeds allow for faster data transfers. From the above, we can infer that the 1060, with its 1,708 MHz boost clock speed, is the faster card.
Also, higher clock speeds have a massive impact on overclocking efforts. You will likely get better performance if you overclock a GTX 1060 because it has more headroom from the high core clock speeds and boost clock speeds.
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TDP and Power Consumption
Another crucial factor to consider is the thermal design power (TDP) and how it relates to the power consumption of your GPU. Basically, TDU is the measure of the amount of power your card can dissipate in normal operating conditions. On the other hand, power consumption is the amount of power your card draws from the main supply.
The GTX 1060 has a thermal design power of 120 watts, meaning the card can draw up to 120 watts. The GTX 1650 has a thermal design power ranging between 75 and 90 watts, meaning it can consume power to the extremes of this range. As such, the GTX 1650 is more power-efficient and will require much less power to operate.
However, you have to consider that, while power efficiency is inversely related to TDP, the same can’t be said about the performance. That’s because high-performance graphics cards tend to consume more power, meaning they also have a higher TDP. Still, we must consider other factors like the specific workload to judge the graphics card’s performance effectively.
GPU Cores
The continued advancements in GPU architecture somehow throw the relevance of CUDA cores under the rug. Still, they count if you want the best graphics card. CUDA cores are parallel processors that work simultaneously to perform calculations needed to execute tasks that require high computational power, like gaming, scientific simulations, and video editing.
Each CUDA core can perform a given set of mathematical calculations. Essentially, the more CUDA cores a card has, the more parallel processing it has. The GTX 1060 features 1,280 CUDA cores against the GTX 1650’s 896 CUDA Cores.
However, we must also remember that GTX 1650 is based on the Turing architecture, which promises improved efficiency and performance. Ultimately, the choice will depend on the cards’ intended use and your system’s performance requirements.
Gaming Performance
Despite being three years older than the GTX 1650, the GTX 1060 wins in almost all categories. Gaming performance is no different. This card offers better performance across all games in different settings, particularly higher resolution and detailed settings. For instance, its average FPS when playing PUBG 1080 at max settings is 79 eFPS against the GTX 1650’s 49 eFPS.
Other games, such as Assasin’s Creed Odyssey 1440p at medium settings, gave an average FPS of 45 for the GTX 1650 and 56 for the GTX 1060. Coupled with the higher clock speeds, the GTX 1060 is the better card.
Cost and Availability
Both GPUs aren’t available on the official NVIDIA website. However, you can find new and used versions from different sellers on Amazon and other online retailers. A GTX 1060 costs about $225.41, whereas a GTX 1650 costs about $169.99.
1060 vs. 1650: 8 Must-Know Facts
- The GTX 1650 incorporates the Turing architecture, an improvement of the capabilities of the Pascal architecture used by the GTX 1060.
- The GTX 1060 launched in 2016, whereas the GTX 1650 launched in 2019.
- The GTX 1650 comes in two variants. One uses GDDR5 memory standard, whereas the other uses GDDR6. The GTX 1060 only comes in GDDR5.
- Both graphics cards support DirectX12.
- The GTX 1060 has a memory configuration of 6GB, whereas the GTX 1650 has a memory configuration of 4GB.
- Both graphics cards have a bus interface of PCLEe 3.0 x16.
- GTX 1060 has more CUDA cores which means faster parallel processing, whereas the GTX 1650 only has 896 CUDA cores.
- GTX 1650 is more power-efficient, with a TDP of 75 to 90 watts, against the GTX 1060 with a TDP of 120 watts.
- 6GB GDDR5 RAM
- VR Ready
- 7680 x 4320 maximum supported resolution
- Consumes 120W power on an 8 Pin PCIe connector
- Powered by GeForce GTX 1650
- NVIDIA Turing architecture and GeForce Experience
- Integrated with 4GB GDDR6 128bit memory interface
- 80mm unique blade fan
- 170 mm compact card size
GeForce GTX 1060 vs. 1650: Which One is Better?
The GTX 1060 is the overall winner in this GPU battle. However, that doesn’t mean it’s a must-buy because the best GPU for you will depend on your needs. Still, we recommend it if you are on a budget and have relatively complex tasks you want to run because it’s much faster.
If you are conscious of energy efficiency, the GTX 1650 is the best fit. The low TDP means the card will consume less energy. However, you should know that low TDP comes with relatively low performance. If it’s any consolation, the GTX 1650 features the Turing architecture, which is more sophisticated and powerful than the Pascal architecture used in the GTX 1060.
