G3D Mark is a standard benchmark that measures graphics performance in real-world gaming scenarios. It simplifies comparing cards from different brands, where higher scores directly correlate with better fps and smoother gaming experiences.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

GeForce GTX 680

2012

Why buy it

✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 1650 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2012-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
234.9% HIGHER MSRP
$499 MSRPvs$149 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 11.2 vs 52.8 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs $149 MSRP).
❌160% higher power demand at 195W vs 75W.

GeForce GTX 1650

2019

Why buy it

✅36.2% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $350 less on MSRP ($149 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
✅Delivers 369.8% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 52.8 vs 11.2 G3D/$ ($149 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
✅Less risky long-term buy than GeForce GTX 680: it remains the more sensible modern option while GeForce GTX 680 is already obsolete for modern gaming.
✅Draws 75W instead of 195W, a 120W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Limited future-proofing: older hardware, 4 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in upcoming AAA games.

GeForce GTX 680

2012

GeForce GTX 1650

2019

Why buy it

✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Why buy it

✅36.2% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $350 less on MSRP ($149 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
✅Delivers 369.8% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 52.8 vs 11.2 G3D/$ ($149 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
✅Less risky long-term buy than GeForce GTX 680: it remains the more sensible modern option while GeForce GTX 680 is already obsolete for modern gaming.
✅Draws 75W instead of 195W, a 120W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 1650 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2012-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
234.9% HIGHER MSRP
$499 MSRPvs$149 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 11.2 vs 52.8 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs $149 MSRP).
❌160% higher power demand at 195W vs 75W.

Trade-offs

❌Limited future-proofing: older hardware, 4 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in upcoming AAA games.

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce GTX 1650 better than GeForce GTX 680?

Yes. GeForce GTX 1650 is clearly the better overall GPU here. GeForce GTX 1650 averages 36.2% more FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 7,869 vs 5,609 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce GTX 1650 is a 2019 card with no meaningful modern upscaling stack, while GeForce GTX 680 is a 2012 model from an older generation with no meaningful modern upscaling stack. So this is not really a tight same-tier comparison. It is more a modern card against an older, weaker alternative.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce GTX 1650 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2019 generation instead of 2012, 40.3% more raw performance headroom, and a 12nm process instead of 28nm. That extra performance headroom should help it hold higher settings and newer game demands for longer.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

GeForce GTX 1650 is the smarter buy today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. GeForce GTX 1650 is about $350 cheaper on MSRP at $149 MSRP versus $499 MSRP, and you are getting 36.2% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and 40.3% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 369.8%. That is why the better overall card still comes out as the smarter buy today, not just the faster one.

Is GeForce GTX 680 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. GeForce GTX 680 is still a strong modern gaming GPU: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. It remains a good buy when you can get it meaningfully cheaper than the alternative around $499 MSRP, even if GeForce GTX 1650 is still the cleaner recommendation on overall value today.

Games Benchmarks

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 9800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

GeForce GTX 680 Benchmark Check

GeForce GTX 1650 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 680	GeForce GTX 1650
1080p
low	78 FPS	94 FPS
medium	66 FPS	83 FPS
high	53 FPS	70 FPS
ultra	35 FPS	58 FPS
1440p
low	68 FPS	87 FPS
medium	60 FPS	74 FPS
high	42 FPS	60 FPS
ultra	27 FPS	50 FPS
4K
low	25 FPS	41 FPS
medium	23 FPS	39 FPS
high	15 FPS	27 FPS
ultra	13 FPS	24 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 680 Open GeForce GTX 1650

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 680	GeForce GTX 1650
1080p
low	116 FPS	136 FPS
medium	86 FPS	113 FPS
high	66 FPS	94 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	71 FPS
1440p
low	64 FPS	79 FPS
medium	44 FPS	62 FPS
high	32 FPS	44 FPS
ultra	23 FPS	35 FPS
4K
low	24 FPS	36 FPS
medium	17 FPS	27 FPS
high	13 FPS	21 FPS
ultra	9 FPS	15 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 680 Open GeForce GTX 1650

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 680	GeForce GTX 1650
1080p
low	252 FPS	323 FPS
medium	202 FPS	283 FPS
high	168 FPS	205 FPS
ultra	126 FPS	169 FPS
1440p
low	189 FPS	225 FPS
medium	151 FPS	202 FPS
high	126 FPS	151 FPS
ultra	95 FPS	117 FPS
4K
low	126 FPS	130 FPS
medium	101 FPS	117 FPS
high	84 FPS	79 FPS
ultra	63 FPS	50 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 680 Open GeForce GTX 1650

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 680	GeForce GTX 1650
1080p
low	126 FPS	261 FPS
medium	101 FPS	211 FPS
high	86 FPS	191 FPS
ultra	73 FPS	166 FPS
1440p
low	97 FPS	201 FPS
medium	78 FPS	158 FPS
high	67 FPS	135 FPS
ultra	52 FPS	113 FPS
4K
low	57 FPS	99 FPS
medium	44 FPS	74 FPS
high	35 FPS	65 FPS
ultra	25 FPS	51 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 680 Open GeForce GTX 1650

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 680 and GeForce GTX 1650

GeForce GTX 680

The GeForce GTX 680 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 22 2012. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from 1006 MHz to 1058 MHz. It has 1536 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 195W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,609 points. Launch price was $499.

GeForce GTX 1650

The GeForce GTX 1650 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in April 23 2019. It features the Turing architecture. The core clock ranges from 1485 MHz to 1665 MHz. It has 896 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 7,869 points. Launch price was $149.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 680 scores 5,609 versus the GeForce GTX 1650's 7,869 — the GeForce GTX 1650 leads by 40.3%. The GeForce GTX 680 is built on Kepler while the GeForce GTX 1650 uses Turing, both on 28 nm vs 12 nm. Shader units: 1,536 (GeForce GTX 680) vs 896 (GeForce GTX 1650). Raw compute: 3.25 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 680) vs 2.984 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1650). Boost clocks: 1058 MHz vs 1665 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 680	GeForce GTX 1650
G3D Mark Score	5,609	7,869+40%
Architecture	Kepler	Turing
Process Node	28 nm	12 nm
Shading Units	1536+71%	896
Compute (TFLOPS)	3.25 TFLOPS+9%	2.984 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1058 MHz	1665 MHz+57%
ROPs	32	32
TMUs	128+129%	56
L1 Cache	128 KB	896 KB+600%
L2 Cache	0.5 MB	1 MB+100%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	GeForce GTX 680	GeForce GTX 1650
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	Upscaling support
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	NVIDIA Reflex

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards feature 4 GB of GDDR5. Memory bandwidth: 192.2 GB/s (GeForce GTX 680) vs 128 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1650) — a 50.2% advantage for the GeForce GTX 680. Bus width: 256-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 0.5 MB (GeForce GTX 680) vs 1 MB (GeForce GTX 1650) — the GeForce GTX 1650 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 680	GeForce GTX 1650
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	192.2 GB/s+50%	128 GB/s
Bus Width	256-bit+100%	128-bit
L2 Cache	0.5 MB	1 MB+100%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (FL 11_0) (GeForce GTX 680) vs 12 (GeForce GTX 1650). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 3.

Feature	GeForce GTX 680	GeForce GTX 1650
DirectX	12 (FL 11_0)	12
Vulkan	1.1	1.4+27%
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4+33%	3

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 1st gen (GeForce GTX 680) vs NVENC 5th gen (Volta) (GeForce GTX 1650). Decoder: PureVideo VP5 vs NVDEC 4th gen. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (GeForce GTX 680) vs H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP8,VP9 (GeForce GTX 1650).

Feature	GeForce GTX 680	GeForce GTX 1650
Encoder	NVENC 1st gen	NVENC 5th gen (Volta)
Decoder	PureVideo VP5	NVDEC 4th gen
Codecs	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2	H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP8,VP9

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 680 draws 195W versus the GeForce GTX 1650's 75W — a 88.9% difference. The GeForce GTX 1650 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce GTX 680) vs 300W (GeForce GTX 1650). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs None. Card length: 256mm vs 229mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 98°C vs 70°C.

Feature	GeForce GTX 680	GeForce GTX 1650
TDP	195W	75W-62%
Recommended PSU	550W	300W-45%
Power Connector	2x 6-pin	None
Length	256mm	229mm
Height	111mm	111mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	98°C	70°C-29%
Perf/Watt	28.8	104.9+264%

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 680 launched at $499 MSRP, while the GeForce GTX 1650 launched at $149. The GeForce GTX 1650 costs 70.1% less ($350 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 11.2 (GeForce GTX 680) vs 52.8 (GeForce GTX 1650) — the GeForce GTX 1650 offers 371.4% better value. The GeForce GTX 1650 is the newer GPU (2019 vs 2012).