GTX 1650 Vs RX 570
This article looks at the GTX 1650 and the RX 570 to determine the fate of these graphics cards, and to see which one is better suited to your gaming PC set-up.
AMD/Nvidia
Gaming is an expensive hobby, and if you want to upgrade multiple components to improve your computer’s capabilities then the costs can quickly start to add up. Luckily, both AMD and Nvidia have created some great budget GPUs that can bump up your game’s graphics to provide decent frame rates at 1080p for an affordable price.
Nvidia’s xx50 GPUs have always been a card worth watching for the budget or bargain hunting gamer due to their ability to retain low, low prices, yet they still push out frame rates that are nothing to be sniffed at. You could always look to the GTX 1650 Super if you’re looking for an extra jump-up in performance, but it comes with a higher price tag attached.
The RX 500-series is AMD’s answer to budget gamers or beginners who are just starting on their gaming PC-building journey, with the RX 570 falling somewhere in the middle of this family in terms of ability and performance.
Both cards are great for entry-level gamers who are looking for an introduction to gaming and all that a quality graphics card has to offer, without committing to one of the more expensive higher-end models. But which one is the best of the best?
This article is going to attempt to try and answer this question for you, looking at specs and features such as architecture, clock speeds, cooling solution, benchmarks, and VRAM memory in order to see how these two GPUs compare when pitted against each other.
Architecture
To compete with AMD’s lower-end graphics cards, Nvidia brought out the GTX 1650 which puts their new Turing architecture up against the RX older Polaris architecture, but what are the practical effects of the Turing technology when you really get into it?
Theoretically, it boosts the performance of each individual core that the GTX 1650 contains by about 50%… not sure whether or not to believe it? We tested each graphics card under different settings to see if this actually makes any difference to the gaming quality.
The GTX 1650 is a direct improvement on its predecessor, the GTX 1050, and it features the Turing 12 nm architecture which runs your games more efficiently. This also meant that the card itself could be produced in a smaller size, saving Nvidia some extra manufacturing costs and saving you some space on your motherboard.
Featuring 896 CUDA cores, the GTX 1650 is outmatched by the whopping 2,048 cores that the RX 570 comes with. Even if Nvidia’s claims are to be believed about doubling the performance of the cores, that would only give the GTX 1650 the power of 1,792 cores.
When it comes to clock speeds, however, the GTX 1650 takes the lead. It has a base clock speed of 1,410 MHz and a boosted clock speed of 1,860 MHz on some models, whereas the RX 470 lags behind delivering a base clock speed of just 1,168, and even when overclocked, it only manages to achieve a boosted clock speed of 1,725 MHz.
Cooling
As the demands of modern game titles increase, it becomes more important that you make every effort to keep your GPU from overheating. This means investing in a cooling solution that is going to effectively keep temperatures low, especially when your card is running under a particularly heavy load.
RX 570 reaches higher temperatures of 74°C compared to the GTX 1650 which reached a maximum of 65°C, but the former settles around this second temperature level when it’s not under too much strain. The GTX 1650 fans may be more effective at reducing the overall temperature, but they’re also louder and can produce up to 45 dB compared to the ultra-quiet RX 570 which makes a much quieter noise of around 38 dB.
You should look into purchasing a well-vented blower-type cooling solution or an axial cooling system if you’re thinking about getting one of these graphics cards, especially if you’re a fan of overclocking, as either one would benefit your GPU and work to keep it cool.
Dimensions
If you’re building a tiny PC, you’re going to love the GTX 1650. It’s an incredibly small card measuring just 151 mm long, which is perfect for smaller motherboards as it won’t overcrowd it. However, it might look slightly out of place in a regular ATX case.
The other advantage to its small size is the fact that there is no need for a separate power connector, and it’s efficient enough that it consumes power using just the PCI Express slot, which is a world’s away from the RX 570’s 8-pin power connector.
The RX 570 is almost double the size by comparison, as it reaches 241 mm in length which is nearly 100 mm longer than the GXT 1650. It’s the better choice if you’re building a regular GPU or switching out an old one on your current standard motherboard, but it would be too big to fit a mini motherboard unlike the GTX 1650, so this part of the decision is left to you.
Resolutions and Frames Per Second
When we tested these two graphics cards for benchmarks, we were pleased to see that both GPUs were capable of pushing out more than 60 frames per second at 1080p, although the RX 570 crept ahead to settle at around this mark, while the GXT 1650 only managed to give us 57.0 frames per second as an average.
Seeing as these are entry-level cards, we wouldn’t recommend trying to push them much beyond 1080p gaming as this is where they really excel, but of the two, the GTX 1650 is better equipped to deal with the increased demands of a 1440p build.
If you increase the settings at the same time to give you a higher resolution then the frames will struggle even more, and there’s a significant drop from what you’ll achieve at 1080p.
Beyond these settings, the frame rates you achieve will be practically unplayable, so if you’re looking to play at more advanced settings then you’ll need to think about choosing a more powerful GPU. Try looking towards the RX 590, which handles the needs of 1440p gaming much better, or one of Nvidia’s more powerful GTX 16 series graphics cards.
Ray Tracing
Ray tracing wasn’t designed to be used on either of these cards and seeing as they’re pitched towards a budget or beginner gamer, we agree that there was really no point in trying to equip them with this technology, as it would only drive the price up.
Yes, Nvidia has developed a driver that allows you to download ray tracing technology so it can be used with your GPU and any games that support it, but this would absolutely obliterate the GTX 1650’s frame rates per second and overall quality.
If you’re that interested in ray tracing, you’ll need to set your sights a little higher and aim for one of Nvidia’s more capable 16-series graphics cards which can do a better job of keeping up with the demands of real-time shadow imagery, or one of the RTX cards which were designed for this purpose and come complete with dedicated Tensor and Ray Tracing cores.
VRAM
Both GPUs feature the memory type GDDR5. This was to be expected for the RX 570 as it didn’t have the same amount of time to benefit from the advancements we’ve seen in recent years, but it was a disappointment to see that Nvidia chose not to equip the GTX 1650 with the newer GDDR6 or GDDR5X, even if it was in an effort to retain its position as a budget graphics card.
There are some major differences between these two GPUs in terms of memory that make this battle, which up until now has been in Nvidia’s favor, much more complicated. For example, the GTX 1650 has a 128-bit memory bus width whereas the RX 570 has a 256-bit bus width and a larger 8 GB of memory compared to the GTX 1650 which has just 4 GB.
They also differ in terms of speed, with the GTX 1650 offering 2,000 MHz memory speed that is 8000 MHz effective thanks to the Turing architecture it’s equipped with, while the RX 570 has a memory speed of 1,650 MHz that is only 6,600 MHz effective.
Final Thoughts
It seems that even at the more affordable end of the graphics cards scale is beginning to be encroached by Nvidia and their superior GPUs, with the GTX 1650 providing close competition for the RX 570. However, while it may be more efficient, it’s also the more expensive option for not a hugely noticeable improvement, and it’s somewhat less powerful.
The 8 GB version of the RX 570 is an absolute workhorse of a budget GPU and it delivers impressive frame rates at 1080p gaming. It’s fully cemented its position as a graphics card that offers excellent value for money, performing faster than its cheaper competitors and being outpriced by the cards that offer a step up in quality.
What about you? Are you a staunch AMD supporter or a classed as part of the Nvidia camp? Let us know in the comments! We’d love to hear from you and to find out which graphics card you’ve found is the best for your gaming needs.