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Power
We used GPUz’s logging to measure the card’s power consumption with the Metro:Exodus benchmark running at 2560 x 1440 using the default Ultra settings. The card is warmed up prior to testing and benchmarking is started when it settles to a normalised idle temperature (after about 10 minutes). The benchmark is looped a total of five times, which yields around 10 minutes of testing. In the charts you will see a few blips in power use; this is a result of the benchmark starting the next loop.
We also use Furmark to capture worst-case power readings. Although both Nvidia and AMD consider the application to be a “power virus,” or a program that deliberately taxes the components beyond normal limits, the data we gather from it tells us about a card’s capabilities.
Power consumption during gaming wasn’t much with these budget cards. The new GTX 1650 Super averaged around 94W, the GTX 1650 Gaming OC 69W, and the GTX 1660 averaged 110W. The 94W result is still under the TDP of 100W, and below the GTX 1660.
When looking at power consumption through the lens of Furmark, we don’t see much difference, outside of a much more consistent load. Here the 1650 Super averaged 99W, the GTX 1650 76W, and the GTX 1660 127W. This tells us the Zotac GTX 1650 we have throttles at the Nvidia-designed TDP of 100W. The power limit on this card is not able to be increased through software, so what you see is what you get for all intents and purposes. There may still be some overclocking headroom, but it won’t be much.
Temperatures, Fan Speeds and Clock Rates
Gaming
Temperatures in our gaming tests peaked at 72C for the Zotac GTX 1650 Super and its dual fan cooling solution. This result is the highest in our comparison cards. However, they all have different cooling and TDPs, so comparing them as like isn’t exactly fair. Zotac’s heatsink and fans kept the card running as expected throughout testing. The card has a capable, though not exceptional, cooler. It’s noisier than we’d like for this performance level.
The chart for fan speeds is a bit bare, as GPUz (v2.27) was not able to capture fan speeds on the 1650 Super. A future update to the application will likely solve that issue. What we can say about the fans is that they are quiet when the card is idle, but ramp up and are definitely audible under load.
In reference to clock speeds, the Zotac GTX 1650 Super averaged 1,825 MHz compared to its boost specification, listed at 1,725 MHz. Holding around 100 MHz above the listed boost clock is standard for Nvidia cards. This is unlike AMD’s boost, which is optimistic even at the best of times. At idle, as we’ve seen with previous Turing based GPUs, clocks drop to 300 Mhz.
Furmark
Shifting focus to the more consistent and heavier load in furmark, we see similar results as with the gaming side. In this case, temperatures peaked at 72C, just as we recorded in the gaming tests. The integrated protection built into these cards throttle Furmark loads considerably, protecting your hardware investment.
Again, GPUz is not currently able to capture the fan speed on this card.
The GTX 1650 Super’s clock speeds in Furmark are much lower than what we saw in gaming. In this case the card averaged a bit over 1,700 MHz over the duration of the test while under load. Compare that to 1,825 MHz when gaming and we confirmed that the GPU is working hard trying to fit within its power limits.
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