NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 switches to GDDR6 memory, 'industry running out of GDDR5'

Zotac GeForce GTX 1650
Zotac GeForce GTX 1650 (Image credit: Zotac)

What you need to know

  • NVIDIA has moved to GDDR6 memory for its GeForce GTX 1650 graphics cards.
  • The move was prompted by a shortage of the GDDR5 memory the GTX 1650 relied on.
  • Third-party graphics card makers, like Zotac and EVGA, have launched their updated cards.

NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 1650 graphics card is getting a bit of a bump in the memory departments. The company has shifted the card's memory from GDDR5 to GDDR6, resulting in a bandwidth increase that should drive its performance up by a slight margin.

The reason for the shift is the interesting part, however. In a statement to PCGamer, and NVIDIA representative said there's simply a shortage of GDDR5 right now. "The industry is running out of GDDR5, so we've transitioned the product to GDDR6," the representative said.

The result is graphics card manufacturers are now announcing their updated cards with GDDR6. Both Zotac and EVGA are among those who have revealed the updates so far.

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As for the performance impact, we'll have to wait and see. However, an early review spotted by Videocardz points to a modest 6 percent boost, with memory bandwidth increasing from 128 GB/s to 192 GB/s.

If you're in the market for a new graphics card on the more affordable side of things, the updated GeForce GTX 1650 is on sale now for $180 and up. As always, have a look at our roundup of the best graphics cards available now.

Dan Thorp-Lancaster

Dan Thorp-Lancaster is the former Editor-in-Chief of Windows Central. He began working with Windows Central, Android Central, and iMore as a news writer in 2014 and is obsessed with tech of all sorts. You can follow Dan on Twitter @DthorpL and Instagram @heyitsdtl