Review: Nvidia GT 650M 2GB

[Jake Dalay]

This is a review of the GT 650M with 2GB of dedicated memory.

 

IT IS BASED ON MY EXPERIENCE GAMING WITH THE CARD IN AN

I7 EQUIPPED 1080P LAPTOP FOR THE PAST YEAR.

 

CONTENTS:

 

1. General traits of the GPU.

2. Pros

3. Cons.

4. Star rating and conclusion.

 

 

 

 

1. GENERAL TRAITS OF THE GPU

 

The GT 650M (2GB) features:

-384 CUDA cores,

-128 bit memory interface,

-900MHz clock speed

-and it is a DirectX 11 card.

 

2. Pros:

 First, the card really performs for the money. I am able to play basically any game at medium

settings without horrible framerates. 90% of the time, gameplay is enjoyable and not frustrating

from a visual performance perspective.

 

I would say that the primary benefit of the GT 650M is that you can find it in many models of laptops

unlike its more advanced brothers.

 

Also, again, it comes with decent power vs cost. In 2012, it was a very good deal for me.

 

3. Cons:

For a serious gamer, this card simply doesn't have enough power. But given that it is a mobile

card, this is to be somewhat expected.

 

Some games simply are too much for this card to be enjoyable (Heroes and Generals) even at lower settings,

though admittedly some of the titles I had in mind for this were in Beta or in some other abnormal state.

 

4. Star rating and conclusion.

At the time of purchase, and coming from a GT 220, I would have given this card an 8 out of 10 star review.

Now in 2013, I would rate it at 7 out of 10, as its value declines with each day that Haswell is closer to release.

 

My conclusion is that with an Ivy-bridge laptop, the 650M is a valuable addition and quite a price performer.

However, with Haswell chips reportedly shipping with graphics as powerful as the 650M on their own, and furthermore, 

the 700 series of GPU's being released/already available in laptops... I cannot recommend the 650M at this time.

 

Thank you for reading my review of the Nvidia GT 650M (2GB) and for all the 650M owners out there, smooth and happy gaming to you!