60 PCWorld JANUARY 2020REVIEWS ASUS ROG STRIX GEFORCE GTX 1650 SUPER
As with the GTX 16-series graphics cards,
Nvidia isn’t releasing a Founders Edition
model, leaving the market to add-in board
partners like Asus, EVGA, Gigabyte, and so
forth. We’re reviewing the $170 Asus ROG
Strix GeForce GTX 1650 Super. Even with a
mere $10 premium, it’s the crown jewel of
Asus’s GTX 1650 Super lineup, which also
includes the $165 GeForce GTX 1650 Super
Phoenix Fan Edition (go.pcworld.com/phnx)
and $160 Asus TUF GTX 1650 Super. (go.
pcworld.com/atuf)
Asus cranked up the ROG Strix’s clock
speeds. While the reference GTX 1650 Super
specifications top out at a 1,725MHz boost
clock, the ROG Strix’s default Gaming BIOS
hits 1,785MHz. If you install the company’s
GPU Tweak II software, activating OC Mode
bumps that all the way up to 1,815MHz.
Alternatively, a secondary Quiet BIOS
accessible via a physical switch on the card
reduces clock speeds by a small amount to
decrease fan noise. The faster Gaming profile
is damned quiet already, though, so we only
recommend the Quiet BIOS option if you’re
interested in silent desktop usage.
The card’s outfitted with the premium
design common to the Strix series despite its
budget price. Asus built the card with its
“Super Alloy Power II” premium components,
its superb Direct CU II heatsink with copper
heatpipes that come into direct contact with
the GPU, and long-bladed dual axial fans.
Those fans include 0db technology thatASUS ROG STRIX GTX 1650
SUPER’S SPECIFICATIONS
Graphics Engine NVIDIA GeForce GTX
1650 SUPER
CUDA Cores 1,280
OpenGL OpenGL 4.6
Engine Clock OC mode: 1,815 MHz (Boost
Clock). Gaming mode: 1,785
MHz (Boost Clock) 1,530
MHz (Base Clock)
Memory Interface 128-bit
Video Memory 4GB GDDR6
Memory Clock 12,002 MHz
Power Connector 1x 6 pin
I/O 2x Native HDMI 2.0b, 2x Native
DisplayPort 1.4a
HDCP Compliant HDCP 2.2
Digital Max Resolution 7,680 x 4,320
Maximum Display
Support4NVLink/Crossfire
SupportNoRecommended PSU 350 Watts
Bundled Accessories 1x ROG Velcro Hook & Loop,
1x Speedsetup Manual
Bus Standard PCIE 3.0
Dimensions (card
size)24.3 x 13 x 4.7cm / 9.6 x 5.1
x 1.9 inches
Bundled Software ASUS GPU Tweak II & Driver,
download all software from
the support site
Slot Width 2.4-slot