Three years on from the launch of GeForce GTX 1650, Nvidia is reviving the series by launching GeForce GTX 1630. Using the same TU117 die built on 12nm technology as its forebear, the new GPU is designed as an entry-level solution primed for 1080p gaming. Let’s investigate provenance further with the Club386 Table of Doom.
Club386 Table of Doom™
| GPU | GTX 1650 | GTX 1630 | GTX 1060 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Launch date | April 2019 | July 2022 | Jul 2016 |
| Codename | TU117 | TU117 | GP106 |
| Architecture | Turing | Turing | Pascal |
| Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |
| Process (nm) | 12 | 12 | 14 |
| Transistors (bn) | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.4 |
| Die Size (mm²) | 200 | 200 | 200 |
| Processors | 896 | 512 | 1,280 |
| ROPs | 32 | 16 | 48 |
| RT Cores | – | – | – |
| Tensor Cores | – | – | – |
| Boost Clock (MHz) | 1,665/1,590 | 1,785 | 1,708 |
| Peak GFLOPs | 2,984/2,849 | 1,828 | 4,372 |
| Memory Type | GDDR5/6 | GDDR6 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Size (GB) | 8 | 4 | 6 |
| Memory Clock (MT/s) | 8,000/12,000 | 12,000 | 8,000 |
| Memory Width (bits) | 128 | 64 | 192 |
| Memory Bandwidth (GB/s) | 128/192 | 96 | 192 |
| Power Connector (pin) | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Board Power (watts) | 75 | 75 | 120 |
| Launch MSRP (USD) | 149 | 149 | 249 |
GeForce GTX 1630 Analysis
We’ve stacked up GTX 1630 against 2019’s GTX 1650 and, for even older comparisons, GeForce GTX 1060 from 2016. Those knowledgeable in GPU matters will know Nvidia also released a GTX 1650 GDDR6 version in 2020 equipped with faster memory running at 12GT/s.
Back to today’s card, GeForce GTX 1630 is not going to set benchmarks alight. Using the same TU117 die in a different derivation to GTX 1650, Nvidia reduces shaders from 896 to 512, halves memory bus from 128 bits to 64, and consequently halves framebuffer from 8GB to 4GB. A bit of good news rests with Nvidia using the same 12GT/s GDDR6 memory as the faster GTX 1650 model.
Knowing these drops in performance are likely to be acute and meaningful at 1080p, we’re disappointed power budget remains at 75W. What’s more, Nvidia says a 6-pin supplementary power connector is likely found on all GTX 1630, somewhat defeating the purpose of having a 75W TGP in the first place.
The company’s own comparison line-up reckons cards will come in at the same dimensions as GTX 1650 GDDR6, or 145mm x 111m x dual-slot cooling. We’re surprised not to see half-height cards from the get-go. Our best guess is Nvidia is bringing back an old-architecture card to battle AMD’s nascent Radeon RX 6400 in the mass-market space.
All major partners have released models based on GTX 1630, and the first indications are cards will cost from £150. We currently have a Palit GeForce GTX 1630 4GB GDDR6 Dual in the labs and will report back with a full review in the near future.
