GTX 1650 Power Consumption Guide

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When the 30-series of graphics cards were released, people were extremely excited to get their hands on the very latest technology. But a global chip shortage meant that cards were hard to get hold of, and prices were extremely inflated. So a lot of people who had been looking to upgrade had to instead look at older cards.

GTX 1650

This meant that the GeForce GTX 1650 had a little bit of a resurgence. People who already had the card were holding onto it, as their planned upgrade was delayed, while others were hunting out the card because they couldn’t afford the higher prices of the 20- and 30-series cards.

The Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 is still a really good option for a budget graphics card, especially if you’re building a PC for someone who primarily wants to play games that are less demanding, like Minecraft, Fortnite or Roblox.

But do you have the power supply you need to run it? And if not, how do you avoid overpaying for a power supply that’s way bigger than you need? Read on to find out more.

How Many Watts Does A GTX 1650 Use?

A GTX 1650 graphics card is one of the best low-power graphics cards you can buy, using just 75 watts for most games. When idle it still uses around 8 watts of power, which is similar to some higher-powered (and therefore more efficient) graphics cards.

75 watts really is low for a graphics card, but it can reach a slightly higher power draw when playing a game on a higher setting – around 81 watts would be considered normal.

Also, there will be some times when the power draw may spike. This is when it’ll go above the average maximum, but only for a short burst of time. The GTX 1650 has been recorded at spikes of close to 100 watts, which is still really low (Source).

How Many Watts Does A GTX 1650 Use Per Hour?

A GTX 1650 graphics card will use 75 watt-hours per hour when you’re using your PC for gaming, which is the same as 0.075 kilowatt-hours per hour. The average gamer spends 8.5 hours a week playing games, so a GTX 1650 averages 0.64 kilowatt-hours a week.

If you take the average electricity cost in the US as $0.14 per kilowatt-hour, that means your GTX 1650 costs you around 9 cents a week to run. But that’s not quite accurate

Firstly, that’s just the graphics card. Your entire PC is a power draw, so you need to work out the total consumption of all your components. Usually, the graphics card will be the biggest power draw, but with a GTX 1650, you might have a processor that needs more power.

Read more: How Many Watts Does A Gaming PC Use?

Then, remember that those estimates are only for when you’re gaming. You also need to factor in how much you’re using the PC for non-gaming tasks, as your GTX 1650 will still draw power (albeit not very much at all).

And the final impact on average costs to run a PC depends on the power supply you’re using – so let’s explore that.

What Power Supply Do I Need For A GTX 1650?

The average recommended power supply for a GTX 1650 graphics card is 300 watts minimum, but it entirely depends on the rest of your setup. If you have a mid-spec PC then it might make sense to upgrade to a 350-400 watt power supply instead.

Your power supply is the component which drives all the power to the rest of your PC. When calculating the size, you need to add up the power draw of all the components in your PC, and then add 20% to account for any power spikes that could occur – otherwise your PSU might get overloaded.

It’s easier to give an average estimate for higher-spec graphics cards because they tend to fit in PCs within a certain budget, but there are a variety of users opting for a GTX 1650 for various reasons.

It might be a low-spec build overall, or it could be someone with a mid-range processor and plenty of RAM that just can’t afford the card that would best fit their machine for now.

So, while the 300-watt recommendation is a good guideline, your PC might need a bigger one. Especially if you’re planning on upgrading your graphics card again in future.

Also, bear in mind that 300-watt power supplies rarely have the 80+ efficiency grade. Power supplies draw more power than the PC needs because they aren’t perfectly efficient, which is why you can’t rely on just adding up the wattage of your PC parts and using that to estimate your electricity bills.

Read more: Power Supply Ratings Explained

Higher-rated power supplies are rated 80+ Bronze or better, meaning that they’re at least 80% efficient when the PC is running at low, mid and max capacity. But you likely won’t find many of these options at 300 watts.

For that reason, it makes sense to look for a higher-rated PSU. A 400 watt PSU won’t draw more power than a 300 watt one – it only uses what the PC components need. But it might draw less if it’s more efficient since it wastes less.

The Best Power Supply For A GTX 1650

The best power supply for a GTX 1650 is at least 300 watts, but ideally, you should buy one rated higher, especially as you’ve more chance of finding one that’s rated at least 80+ Bronze for efficiency.

This EVGA power supply is a great choice for a PSU for a GTX 1650. It’s not super expensive, and it comes from a reliable brand (and has a 3-year warranty included). 

Yes, it’s probably more power than you need, but remember it will only draw what your PC needs, plus the extra to run the PSU – and as this is 80+ Bronze, it’ll be more efficient and therefore use less than an unrated 300 watt PSU.

Does GTX 1650 need external power?

Generally, a GTX 1650 graphics card requires a 6-pin connector running directly from the power supply. Some cards can be configured to run without any external power, only drawing power directly from the PCIe slot on the motherboard.

That doesn’t apply to every model though, and it’s always best to connect it to your power supply if it has the connector.

GTX 1650 FAQs

Is 250 Watts enough for GTX 1650?

A 250-watt power supply is unlikely to be enough for the demand of a GTX 1650 unless your system is very basic. It may work OK, but any power spikes will likely cause the PC to restart or experience other problems.

Is a 450W PSU enough for GTX 1650?

A 450-watt power supply is more than sufficient for handling a GTX 1650 graphics card, even on a decent mid-spec PC. You’re more likely to get an efficient 80+ Bronze graphics card if you buy one at 450 watts or better, too.

Is 500 watts enough for GTX 1650?

A 500-watt power supply is more than enough for a GTX 1650 graphics card, even on a decent mid-spec gaming PC. You’re more likely to get an efficient 80+ Bronze graphics card if you buy one at 500 watts or better, too.

Can An GTX 1650 Be Used For Crypto Mining?

Technically you can use a GTX 1650 graphics card for crypto mining, but it’s so low powered that you’re unlikely to benefit much. Most crypto mining PCs use multiple high-powered graphics cards – a single low-powered one will not see much return.

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