62 PCWorld JANUARY 2020REVIEWS ASUS ROG STRIX GEFORCE GTX 1650 SUPER
It’s a great package for just $170. But how
does the Asus ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1650
Super game? Let’s take it to the test bench.OUR TEST SYSTEM
Our dedicated graphics card test system is
packed with some of the fastest
complementary components available to put
any potential performance bottlenecks
squarely on the GPU. Most of the hardware
was provided by the manufacturers, but we
purchased the cooler and storage ourselves.- Intel Core i7-8700K processor ($350 on
Amazon at go.pcworld.com/700k) - EVGA CLC 240 closed-loop liquid cooler
($120 on Amazon at go.pcworld.com/c240) - Asus Maximus X Hero motherboard
($420 on Amazon at go.pcworld.com/c240) - 64GB HyperX Predator RGB DDR4/2933
($420 on Amazon)- EVGA 1200W
SuperNova P2 power supply
($230 on Amazon at
go.pcworld.com/mxmc) - Corsair Crystal 570X RGB
case, with front and top panels
removed and an extra rear fan
installed for improved airflow
($130 on Amazon at
go.pcworld.com/crst) - 2x 500GB Samsung
860 EVO SSDs ($78 each on
Amazon at go.pcworld.
com/smev)
We’re comparing the $170 Asus ROG
Strix GeForce GTX 1650 Super against its
step-up sibling, the GTX 1660, which can be
found for around $200 on the street after an
unofficial price cut in the wake of the GTX
1660 Super’s launch. We never received an
original GTX 1650 for review, so you won’t
find it included here. It’s more interesting to
see how the GTX 1650 Super handles versus
AMD’s aging, but value-packed “Polaris” GPU
lineup, which can be found at great prices on
the street: The $130ish 4GB Radeon RX 570,
$180ish Radeon RX 580, and $200ish
Radeon RX 590.
Each game is tested using its in-game
benchmark at the highest possible graphics
presets, with VSync, frame rate caps, and all GPU
vendor-specific technologies—like AMD
TressFX, Nvidia GameWorks options, and
Port report.