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MSI GeForce GT 1030 2GH OC Review

Dead quiet! In 2016, Nvidia introduced an excellent brand-new Pascal architecture, but so far, only high-end Pascal graphics cards have been available. Recently, the new architecture has started to trickle down into the low-end range of GPUs. And with the GT 1030, a low-end GPU for those of us on a budget is now finally available.

For the original German review, see here.

Our GeForce GT 1030 review sample, a GeForce GT 1030 2GH OC, was provided by MSI. The company has a total of six different 1030-based graphics cards on offer right now, and all six of them feature 2 GB of 64-bit GDDR5 VRAM.

The cards differ in terms of connectivity, cooling solution, and size. For example, two low-profile PCBs for small cases are available, one with passive and one with active cooling. This is also the case with the normal-sized GT 1030, but unlike the low-profile cards, they lack the DisplayPort connector on the back. Why MSI has made this decision remains a mystery.

All six cards lack additional power connectors and are thus powered through the PCIe slot alone, and have a TDP of 30 W. This is low enough, even for the passively cooled models that use up two slots in order to ensure proper cooling. Accordingly, the actively-cooled models are smaller and only use up a single slot. Despite the fact that the cards only use four PCIe lanes internally, the external connector requires a PCIe x16 slot.

MSI Portfolio GeForce GT 1030

GeForce GT 1030 AERO ITX 2G OC
GeForce GT 1030 AERO ITX 2G OC
GeForce GT 1030 2GH OC
GeForce GT 1030 2GH OC
GeForce GT 1030 2GH LP OCV1
GeForce GT 1030 2GH LP OCV1
GeForce GT 1030 2GH LP OC
GeForce GT 1030 2GH LP OC
GeForce GT 1030 2G LP OCV1
GeForce GT 1030 2G LP OCV1
GeForce GT 1030 2G LP OC
GeForce GT 1030 2G LP OC
MSI GeForce GT 1030 2GH OC
MSI GeForce GT 1030 2GH OC
MSI GeForce GT 1030 2GH OC
MSI GeForce GT 1030 2GH OC
MSI GeForce GT 1030 2GH OC
MSI GeForce GT 1030 2GH OC
MSI GeForce GT 1030 2GH OC
MSI GeForce GT 1030 2GH OC
MSI GeForce GT 1030 2GH OC
Specifications MSI GT 1030 Zotac GT 1030 Zotac GTX 1050 Mini GTX 1050 Ti GTX 1060 6 GB GTX 1070 FE GTX 1080 FE
Chip GP108 GP108 GP107 GP107 GP106 GP104 GP104
Manufactured 14 nm 14 nm 14 nm 14 nm 16 nm 16 nm 16 nm
Shader 384 384 640 768 1,280 1,920 2,560
Texture Units 32 32 40 48 80 120 160
GPU Base Clock 1,265 MHz 1,228 MHz 1,354 MHz 1,290 MHz 1,506 MHz 1,506 MHz 1,607 MHz
GPU Boost Clock 1,518 MHz 1,468 MHz 1,455 MHz 1,392 MHz 1,848 MHz 1,683 MHz 1,733 MHz
Memory Bus 64 Bit 64 Bit 128 Bit 128 Bit 192 Bit 256 Bit 256 Bit
Memory Bandwidth 48 GB/s 48 GB/s 112 GB/s 112 GB/s 192 GB/s 256 GB/s 320 GB/s
Memory Size 2 GB 2 GB 2 GB 4 GB 6 GB 8 GB 8 GB
Power (Watt) 30 W 30 W 75 W 75 W 120 W 150 W 180 W

Review System

Case Corsair Carbide Air 540 ATX Cube
Processor AMD RYZEN 7 1800X
RAM Corsair Vengeance 16 GB DDR4 3.000 MHz
Mainboard Gigabyte Aorus GA-AX370 Gaming 5
Monitor Acer Predator XB321HK 4K
SSD ADATA SP900 M.2 SSD
HDD 2 TB Western Digital
Operating System Microsoft Windows 10 Professional 64-Bit
Drivers ForceWare 384.80


CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z

Clock Speeds

Our GT 1030 review model runs at 1265 MHz with a turbo boost of up to 1518 MHz and a VRAM clock speed of up to 6008 MHz, resulting in a memory bandwidth of 48.1 GB/s. During our load tests, clock rates fluctuated between 1500 and 1600 MHz, but given that this is a passively cooled card it requires a properly cooled case. As soon as the GPU reaches its thermal limit of 83 °C (~181 °F) it starts to throttle.

That said, during our tests we got nowhere near that limit.

GPU-Z
GPU-Z
GPU-Z
GPU-Z
GPU-Z (render test)
GPU-Z (render test)
MSI Afterburner
MSI Afterburner
Nvidia Inspector
Nvidia Inspector
 

Synthetic Benchmarks

Unlike the recently reviewed GT 1030 graphics card made by Zotac, the passively cooled MSI GT 1030 performed quite decently. The culprit, so to speak, is the GP108’s clock speed: both its base and turbo boost speeds are up to 50 MHz higher (turbo) than the Zotac’s.

3DMark Ice Storm
3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited
3DMark Ice Storm Extreme
3DMark Cloud Gate
3DMark Sky Diver
3DMark Fire Strike
3DMark Fire Strike Extreme
3DMark Fire Strike Ultra
3DMark Time Spy
3DMark 11
3DMark Vantage
3DMark 06
3DMark 05
3DMark 03
Unigine Valley
Unigine Heaven
Performance Rating - Percent
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop)
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 Founders Edition 6 GB, Intel Core i7-6700K
98.6 pt
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
AMD Radeon RX 480 8 GB Reference, Intel Core i7-4790K
96.9 pt
AMD Radeon RX 470 (Desktop)
MSI RX 470 Gaming X 4GB, Intel Core i7-4790K
95.2 pt
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
MSI Gaming Z GeForce GTX 970 Desktop PC, Intel Core i7-4790K
90.8 pt
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Desktop)
MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, Intel Core i7-4790K
56.7 pt
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 (Desktop)
Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 2GB, Intel Core i7-4790K
50.1 pt
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950
Desktop-PC, Intel Core i7-3770K
47.3 pt
AMD Radeon RX 460 (Desktop)
XFX RX-460P4DFG5 Double Dissipation 4 GB, Intel Core i7-4790K
45.9 pt
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M
Asus GL552VW-DK725T, Intel Core i7-6700HQ
31.7 pt
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti
Desktop-PC, Intel Core i7-3770K
31.5 pt
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M
MSI GL62-6QFi781H11, Intel Core i7-6700HQ
30.1 pt
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop)
Desktop PC Ryzen 7 1800X + MSI GT 1030, AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
27.6 pt
NVIDIA GeForce MX150
MSI PL62 MX150 7700HQ, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
27.2 pt
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop)
Desktop PC Intel Xeon E5 2680v4 Zotac GT 1030, Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4
27.1 pt
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M
MSI PX60 6QD, Intel Core i7-6700HQ
26.2 pt
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M
Acer Aspire F5-771G-50RD, Intel Core i5-7200U
25.3 pt
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX
Lenovo ThinkPad T470p-20J7S00000 , Intel Core i7-7700HQ
18.1 pt
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX -1!
Asus Zenbook UX3410UQ-GV077T, Intel Core i7-7500U
12.1 pt
3DMark - 1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop)
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 Founders Edition 6 GB, Intel Core i7-6700K
12984 Points +248%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
AMD Radeon RX 480 8 GB Reference, Intel Core i7-4790K
12186 Points +227%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
MSI Gaming Z GeForce GTX 970 Desktop PC, Intel Core i7-4790K
11954 Points +220%
AMD Radeon RX 470 (Desktop)
MSI RX 470 Gaming X 4GB, Intel Core i7-4790K
11869 Points +218%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Desktop)
MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, Intel Core i7-4790K
7696 Points +106%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 (Desktop)
Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 2GB, Intel Core i7-4790K
6797 Points +82%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950
Desktop-PC, Intel Core i7-3770K
6219 Points +67%
AMD Radeon RX 460 (Desktop)
XFX RX-460P4DFG5 Double Dissipation 4 GB, Intel Core i7-4790K
5701 Points +53%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M
Asus GL552VW-DK725T, Intel Core i7-6700HQ
4326 Points +16%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti
Desktop-PC, Intel Core i7-3770K
4294 Points +15%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M
MSI GL62-6QFi781H11, Intel Core i7-6700HQ
4239 Points +14%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop)
Desktop PC Ryzen 7 1800X + MSI GT 1030, AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
3731 Points
NVIDIA GeForce MX150
MSI PL62 MX150 7700HQ, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
3673 Points -2%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M
MSI PX60 6QD, Intel Core i7-6700HQ
3638 Points -2%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop)
Desktop PC Intel Xeon E5 2680v4 Zotac GT 1030, Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4
3585 Points -4%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M
Acer Aspire F5-771G-50RD, Intel Core i5-7200U
3511 Points -6%
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX
Lenovo ThinkPad T470p-20J7S00000 , Intel Core i7-7700HQ
2399 Points -36%
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
AMD Radeon RX 480 8 GB Reference, Intel Core i7-4790K
17919 Points +277%
AMD Radeon RX 470 (Desktop)
MSI RX 470 Gaming X 4GB, Intel Core i7-4790K
17738 Points +273%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop)
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 Founders Edition 6 GB, Intel Core i7-6700K
17401 Points +266%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
MSI Gaming Z GeForce GTX 970 Desktop PC, Intel Core i7-4790K
16033 Points +237%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Desktop)
MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, Intel Core i7-4790K
9694 Points +104%
AMD Radeon RX 460 (Desktop)
XFX RX-460P4DFG5 Double Dissipation 4 GB, Intel Core i7-4790K
8597 Points +81%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 (Desktop)
Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 2GB, Intel Core i7-4790K
8571 Points +80%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950
Desktop-PC, Intel Core i7-3770K
8364 Points +76%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M
Asus GL552VW-DK725T, Intel Core i7-6700HQ
5384 Points +13%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti
Desktop-PC, Intel Core i7-3770K
5378 Points +13%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M
MSI GL62-6QFi781H11, Intel Core i7-6700HQ
4938 Points +4%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop)
Desktop PC Ryzen 7 1800X + MSI GT 1030, AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
4757 Points
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop)
Desktop PC Intel Xeon E5 2680v4 Zotac GT 1030, Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4
4751 Points 0%
NVIDIA GeForce MX150
MSI PL62 MX150 7700HQ, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
4685 Points -2%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M
MSI PX60 6QD, Intel Core i7-6700HQ
4384 Points -8%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M
Acer Aspire F5-771G-50RD, Intel Core i5-7200U
4231 Points -11%
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX
Lenovo ThinkPad T470p-20J7S00000 , Intel Core i7-7700HQ
3164 Points -33%
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX
Asus Zenbook UX3410UQ-GV077T, Intel Core i7-7500U
2171 Points -54%

Gaming Benchmarks

As expected, the MSI GT 1030 ranked slightly better than the Zotac GT 1030 in our gaming benchmarks as well, and the graphics card’s higher clock speeds resulted in higher frame rates. While the difference was measurable, it was far from perceptible. In the end, both cards performed similarly and were about as fast as an Nvidia GeForce GTX 960M.

The MSI GeForce GT 1030 was certainly fast enough for casual gaming despite the fact that it ran out of VRAM on higher resolutions regularly. Limiting yourself to the likes of “FIFA 17” or “Farming Simulator 17” will result in decent performance at a very good price.

Performance Rating - Percent
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop) -14!
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 Founders Edition 6 GB, Intel Core i7-6700K
100 pt
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop) -8!
AMD Radeon RX 480 8 GB Reference, Intel Core i7-4790K
99.4 pt
AMD Radeon RX 470 (Desktop) -13!
MSI RX 470 Gaming X 4GB, Intel Core i7-4790K
92.3 pt
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950 -16!
Desktop-PC, Intel Core i7-3770K
65.9 pt
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Desktop) -8!
MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, Intel Core i7-4790K
62.7 pt
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti -19!
Desktop-PC, Intel Core i7-3770K
56.9 pt
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 (Desktop) -7!
Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 2GB, Intel Core i7-4790K
51.4 pt
AMD Radeon RX 460 (Desktop) -5!
XFX RX-460P4DFG5 Double Dissipation 4 GB, Intel Core i7-4790K
51 pt
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M -20!
MSI PX60 6QD, Intel Core i7-6700HQ
40.5 pt
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M -19!
Asus GL552VW-DK725T, Intel Core i7-6700HQ
36.4 pt
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop) -3!
Desktop PC Ryzen 7 1800X + MSI GT 1030, AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
35.8 pt
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop)
Desktop PC Intel Xeon E5 2680v4 Zotac GT 1030, Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4
34.7 pt
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M -19!
MSI GL62-6QFi781H11, Intel Core i7-6700HQ
34.5 pt
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX -17!
Lenovo ThinkPad T470p-20J7S00000 , Intel Core i7-7700HQ
26.3 pt
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M -19!
Acer Aspire F5-771G-50RD, Intel Core i5-7200U
24.4 pt
BioShock Infinite - 1366x768 High Preset
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
AMD Radeon RX 480 8 GB Reference, Intel Core i7-4790K
257 (30min - 460max) fps +154%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Desktop)
MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, Intel Core i7-4790K
208 (58min - 311max) fps +106%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950
Desktop-PC, Intel Core i7-3770K
164 fps +62%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti
Desktop-PC, Intel Core i7-3770K
122.2 fps +21%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M
Asus GL552VW-DK725T, Intel Core i7-6700HQ
119.8 fps +18%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M
MSI PX60 6QD, Intel Core i7-6700HQ
104 fps +3%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop)
Desktop PC Intel Xeon E5 2680v4 Zotac GT 1030, Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4
101.8 (44.4min - 186.1max) fps +1%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop)
Desktop PC Ryzen 7 1800X + MSI GT 1030, AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
101.2 fps
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX
Lenovo ThinkPad T470p-20J7S00000 , Intel Core i7-7700HQ
68.3 fps -33%
Battlefield 1 - 1920x1080 High Preset AA:T
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
AMD Radeon RX 480 8 GB Reference, Intel Core i7-4790K
99 (86min - 104max) fps
AMD Radeon RX 470 (Desktop)
MSI RX 470 Gaming X 4GB, Intel Core i7-4790K
92 (83min - 95max) fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Desktop)
MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, Intel Core i7-4790K
69 (62min - 73max) fps
AMD Radeon RX 460 (Desktop)
XFX RX-460P4DFG5 Double Dissipation 4 GB, Intel Core i7-4790K
51 (44min - 54max) fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 (Desktop)
Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 2GB, Intel Core i7-4790K
42.6 (38min - 46max) fps
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop)
Desktop PC Intel Xeon E5 2680v4 Zotac GT 1030, Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4
26.5 (25min - 29max) fps
Battlefield 4 - 1366x768 High Preset
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950
Desktop-PC, Intel Core i7-3770K
123.4 fps +60%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti
Desktop-PC, Intel Core i7-3770K
81.8 fps +6%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop)
Desktop PC Ryzen 7 1800X + MSI GT 1030, AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
77.2 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop)
Desktop PC Intel Xeon E5 2680v4 Zotac GT 1030, Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4
76.8 (71min - 96max) fps -1%
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX
Lenovo ThinkPad T470p-20J7S00000 , Intel Core i7-7700HQ
48.8 fps -37%
Sims 4 - 1920x1080 High Preset
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop)
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 Founders Edition 6 GB, Intel Core i7-6700K
164 fps +48%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop)
Desktop PC Ryzen 7 1800X + MSI GT 1030, AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
110.5 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop)
Desktop PC Intel Xeon E5 2680v4 Zotac GT 1030, Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4
110 (57min - 129max) fps 0%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950
Desktop-PC, Intel Core i7-3770K
95.3 fps -14%
GTA V - 1920x1080 High/On (Advanced Graphics Off) AA:2xMSAA + FX AF:8x
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
AMD Radeon RX 480 8 GB Reference, Intel Core i7-4790K
106 fps +172%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950
Desktop-PC, Intel Core i7-3770K
64.3 fps +65%
AMD Radeon RX 460 (Desktop)
XFX RX-460P4DFG5 Double Dissipation 4 GB, Intel Core i7-4790K
50.2 fps +29%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop)
Desktop PC Ryzen 7 1800X + MSI GT 1030, AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
39 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop)
Desktop PC Intel Xeon E5 2680v4 Zotac GT 1030, Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4
38.9 (7min - 194max) fps 0%
The Witcher 3 - 1920x1080 High Graphics & Postprocessing (Nvidia HairWorks Off)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop)
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 Founders Edition 6 GB, Intel Core i7-6700K
81.4 fps +279%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
AMD Radeon RX 480 8 GB Reference, Intel Core i7-4790K
78 (68min - 84max) fps +263%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Desktop)
MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, Intel Core i7-4790K
49.4 (41min - 54max) fps +130%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 (Desktop)
Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 2GB, Intel Core i7-4790K
43.7 (36min - 48max) fps +103%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950
Desktop-PC, Intel Core i7-3770K
38 fps +77%
AMD Radeon RX 460 (Desktop)
XFX RX-460P4DFG5 Double Dissipation 4 GB, Intel Core i7-4790K
37 fps +72%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop)
Desktop PC Ryzen 7 1800X + MSI GT 1030, AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
21.5 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M
Asus GL552VW-DK725T, Intel Core i7-6700HQ
21.3 fps -1%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop)
Desktop PC Intel Xeon E5 2680v4 Zotac GT 1030, Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4
21.1 (17min - 24max) fps -2%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M
Acer Aspire F5-771G-50RD, Intel Core i5-7200U
16.2 fps -25%
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX
Lenovo ThinkPad T470p-20J7S00000 , Intel Core i7-7700HQ
14.6 fps -32%
Rainbow Six Siege - 1920x1080 High Preset AA:T AF:4x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop)
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 Founders Edition 6 GB, Intel Core i7-6700K
154 fps +231%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Desktop)
MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, Intel Core i7-4790K
95 (63min - 148max) fps +104%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 (Desktop)
Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 2GB, Intel Core i7-4790K
82.4 (52min - 111max) fps +77%
AMD Radeon RX 460 (Desktop)
XFX RX-460P4DFG5 Double Dissipation 4 GB, Intel Core i7-4790K
79 (57min - 100max) fps +70%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M
MSI GL62-6QFi781H11, Intel Core i7-6700HQ
57.5 fps +24%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop)
Desktop PC Ryzen 7 1800X + MSI GT 1030, AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
46.5 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop)
Desktop PC Intel Xeon E5 2680v4 Zotac GT 1030, Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4
46.2 (25min - 65max) fps -1%
Rise of the Tomb Raider - 1920x1080 High Preset AA:FX AF:4x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop)
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 Founders Edition 6 GB, Intel Core i7-6700K
79.9 fps +234%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Desktop)
MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, Intel Core i7-4790K
48.9 (45min - 53max) fps +105%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 (Desktop)
Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 2GB, Intel Core i7-4790K
43.8 (40min - 47max) fps +83%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 (Desktop)
Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 2GB, Intel Core i7-4790K
40.6 (36min - 45max) fps +70%
AMD Radeon RX 460 (Desktop)
XFX RX-460P4DFG5 Double Dissipation 4 GB, Intel Core i7-4790K
36.6 (33min - 40max) fps +53%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop)
Desktop PC Intel Xeon E5 2680v4 Zotac GT 1030, Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4
24.3 (22min - 28max) fps +2%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop)
Desktop PC Ryzen 7 1800X + MSI GT 1030, AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
23.9 (23min - 26max) fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M
Acer Aspire F5-771G-50RD, Intel Core i5-7200U
23.08 fps -3%
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX
Lenovo ThinkPad T470p-20J7S00000 , Intel Core i7-7700HQ
17 fps -29%
Far Cry Primal - 1920x1080 High Preset AA:SM
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop)
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 Founders Edition 6 GB, Intel Core i7-6700K
88 fps +226%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
AMD Radeon RX 480 8 GB Reference, Intel Core i7-4790K
85 (75min - 96max) fps +215%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Desktop)
MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, Intel Core i7-4790K
54 (49min - 60max) fps +100%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 (Desktop)
Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 2GB, Intel Core i7-4790K
51 (46min - 57max) fps +89%
AMD Radeon RX 460 (Desktop)
XFX RX-460P4DFG5 Double Dissipation 4 GB, Intel Core i7-4790K
43 (39min - 49max) fps +59%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop)
Desktop PC Intel Xeon E5 2680v4 Zotac GT 1030, Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4
27 (24min - 30max) fps 0%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop)
Desktop PC Ryzen 7 1800X + MSI GT 1030, AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
27 fps
The Division - 1920x1080 High Preset AF:8x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop)
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 Founders Edition 6 GB, Intel Core i7-6700K
75.1 fps +531%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 (Desktop)
Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 2GB, Intel Core i7-4790K
39.2 (15min - 51max) fps +229%
AMD Radeon RX 460 (Desktop)
XFX RX-460P4DFG5 Double Dissipation 4 GB, Intel Core i7-4790K
36.5 (18min - 48max) fps +207%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop)
Desktop PC Ryzen 7 1800X + MSI GT 1030, AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
11.9 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop)
Desktop PC Intel Xeon E5 2680v4 Zotac GT 1030, Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4
11.8 fps -1%
Doom - 1920x1080 High Preset AA:FX
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop)
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 Founders Edition 6 GB, Intel Core i7-6700K
106 fps +256%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 (Desktop)
Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 2GB, Intel Core i7-4790K
54 (42min - 73max) fps +81%
AMD Radeon RX 460 (Desktop)
XFX RX-460P4DFG5 Double Dissipation 4 GB, Intel Core i7-4790K
47 (40min - 60max) fps +58%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M
MSI GL62-6QFi781H11, Intel Core i7-6700HQ
33.6 fps +13%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop)
Desktop PC Ryzen 7 1800X + MSI GT 1030, AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
29.8 (22min - 42max) fps
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop)
Desktop PC Intel Xeon E5 2680v4 Zotac GT 1030, Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4
29.3 (21min - 46max) fps -2%
Deus Ex Mankind Divided - 1920x1080 High Preset AF:4x
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
AMD Radeon RX 480 8 GB Reference, Intel Core i7-4790K
63.9 (51min - 83max) fps +244%
AMD Radeon RX 470 (Desktop)
MSI RX 470 Gaming X 4GB, Intel Core i7-4790K
57.6 (47min - 74max) fps +210%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 (Desktop)
Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 2GB, Intel Core i7-4790K
33.6 (28min - 41max) fps +81%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Desktop)
MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, Intel Core i7-4790K
32.7 (27min - 39max) fps +76%
AMD Radeon RX 460 (Desktop)
XFX RX-460P4DFG5 Double Dissipation 4 GB, Intel Core i7-4790K
30.3 (11min - 39max) fps +63%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop)
Desktop PC Ryzen 7 1800X + MSI GT 1030, AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
18.6 (15.4min - 23.1max) fps
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop)
Desktop PC Intel Xeon E5 2680v4 Zotac GT 1030, Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4
18.2 (15min - 23max) fps -2%
FIFA 17 - 1920x1080 High Preset
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
AMD Radeon RX 480 8 GB Reference, Intel Core i7-4790K
334 fps +224%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop)
Desktop PC Ryzen 7 1800X + MSI GT 1030, AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
103 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop)
Desktop PC Intel Xeon E5 2680v4 Zotac GT 1030, Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4
102.8 (97min - 109max) fps 0%
Farming Simulator 17 - 1920x1080 High Preset AA:2xMS AF:2x
AMD Radeon RX 460 (Desktop)
XFX RX-460P4DFG5 Double Dissipation 4 GB, Intel Core i7-4790K
106 (100min - 124max) fps +27%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop)
Desktop PC Ryzen 7 1800X + MSI GT 1030, AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
83.5 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop)
Desktop PC Intel Xeon E5 2680v4 Zotac GT 1030, Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4
83.3 (63min - 123max) fps 0%
Titanfall 2 - 1920x1080 High / Enabled AA:TS AF:8x
AMD Radeon RX 470 (Desktop)
MSI RX 470 Gaming X 4GB, Intel Core i7-4790K
110 (93min - 135max) fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Desktop)
MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, Intel Core i7-4790K
62 (51min - 80max) fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 (Desktop)
Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 2GB, Intel Core i7-4790K
52.9 (44min - 68max) fps
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop)
Desktop PC Intel Xeon E5 2680v4 Zotac GT 1030, Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4
35.2 fps
Watch Dogs 2 - 1920x1080 High Preset
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
AMD Radeon RX 480 8 GB Reference, Intel Core i7-4790K
66.1 (56min - 76max) fps +202%
AMD Radeon RX 470 (Desktop)
MSI RX 470 Gaming X 4GB, Intel Core i7-4790K
61.2 (51min - 70max) fps +179%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Desktop)
MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, Intel Core i7-4790K
45.4 (40min - 51max) fps +107%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 (Desktop)
Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 2GB, Intel Core i7-4790K
35.4 (31min - 40max) fps +62%
AMD Radeon RX 460 (Desktop)
XFX RX-460P4DFG5 Double Dissipation 4 GB, Intel Core i7-4790K
33.1 (28min - 38max) fps +51%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop)
Desktop PC Ryzen 7 1800X + MSI GT 1030, AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
21.9 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop)
Desktop PC Intel Xeon E5 2680v4 Zotac GT 1030, Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4
21.7 (19min - 25max) fps -1%
Resident Evil 7 - 1920x1080 High / On AA:FXAA+T
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
AMD Radeon RX 480 8 GB Reference, Intel Core i7-4790K
129 (101min - 146max) fps +273%
AMD Radeon RX 470 (Desktop)
MSI RX 470 Gaming X 4GB, Intel Core i7-4790K
114 (90min - 126max) fps +229%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Desktop)
MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, Intel Core i7-4790K
70 (56min - 81max) fps +102%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 (Desktop)
Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 2GB, Intel Core i7-4790K
59.3 (49min - 67max) fps +71%
AMD Radeon RX 460 (Desktop)
XFX RX-460P4DFG5 Double Dissipation 4 GB, Intel Core i7-4790K
56.5 (44min - 63max) fps +63%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop)
Desktop PC Ryzen 7 1800X + MSI GT 1030, AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
34.6 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop)
Desktop PC Intel Xeon E5 2680v4 Zotac GT 1030, Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4
34.5 (28min - 43max) fps 0%
Ghost Recon Wildlands - 1920x1080 High Preset AA:T AF:4x
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
AMD Radeon RX 480 8 GB Reference, Intel Core i7-4790K
64 (53min - 72max) fps +240%
AMD Radeon RX 470 (Desktop)
MSI RX 470 Gaming X 4GB, Intel Core i7-4790K
58.7 (49min - 66max) fps +212%
AMD Radeon RX 460 (Desktop)
XFX RX-460P4DFG5 Double Dissipation 4 GB, Intel Core i7-4790K
34 (25min - 40max) fps +81%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop)
Desktop PC Ryzen 7 1800X + MSI GT 1030, AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
18.8 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop)
Desktop PC Intel Xeon E5 2680v4 Zotac GT 1030, Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4
18.7 (15min - 22max) fps -1%
Mass Effect Andromeda - 1920x1080 High Preset (Resolution Scale Mode off) AA:T
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
AMD Radeon RX 480 8 GB Reference, Intel Core i7-4790K
61.9 (54min - 81max) fps +373%
AMD Radeon RX 470 (Desktop)
MSI RX 470 Gaming X 4GB, Intel Core i7-4790K
57.8 (50min - 75max) fps +341%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Desktop)
MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, Intel Core i7-4790K
34.8 (30min - 46max) fps +166%
AMD Radeon RX 460 (Desktop)
XFX RX-460P4DFG5 Double Dissipation 4 GB, Intel Core i7-4790K
29.3 (13min - 37max) fps +124%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 (Desktop)
Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 2GB, Intel Core i7-4790K
24.3 (20min - 36max) fps +85%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop)
Desktop PC Ryzen 7 1800X + MSI GT 1030, AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
13.1 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop)
Desktop PC Intel Xeon E5 2680v4 Zotac GT 1030, Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4
13 (10min - 23max) fps -1%
Warhammer 40.000: Dawn of War III - 1920x1080 High / On (100 % Gameplay Resolution) AA:High
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
AMD Radeon RX 480 8 GB Reference, Intel Core i7-4790K
50.9 (40min - 73max) fps
AMD Radeon RX 470 (Desktop)
MSI RX 470 Gaming X 4GB, Intel Core i7-4790K
45.4 (35min - 64max) fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Desktop)
MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, Intel Core i7-4790K
30 (23min - 43max) fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 (Desktop)
Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 2GB, Intel Core i7-4790K
26.5 (20min - 39max) fps
AMD Radeon RX 460 (Desktop)
XFX RX-460P4DFG5 Double Dissipation 4 GB, Intel Core i7-4790K
22.7 (17min - 33max) fps
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop)
Desktop PC Intel Xeon E5 2680v4 Zotac GT 1030, Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4
14.4 (10min - 23max) fps
Prey - 1920x1080 High Preset AA:2TX SM AF:8x
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
AMD Radeon RX 480 8 GB Reference, Intel Core i7-4790K
111 (90min - 131max) fps +254%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Desktop)
MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, Intel Core i7-4790K
82 (66min - 105max) fps +161%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 (Desktop)
Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 2GB, Intel Core i7-4790K
71 (58min - 90max) fps +126%
AMD Radeon RX 460 (Desktop)
XFX RX-460P4DFG5 Double Dissipation 4 GB, Intel Core i7-4790K
52.2 (42min - 63max) fps +66%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop)
Desktop PC Ryzen 7 1800X + MSI GT 1030, AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
31.4 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop)
Desktop PC Intel Xeon E5 2680v4 Zotac GT 1030, Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4
31.1 (25min - 44max) fps -1%
low med. high ultra4K
BioShock Infinite (2013) 221 120 101.2 37.1
Battlefield 4 (2013) 171.5 110 77.2 32.1
Sims 4 (2014) 189.1 156 110.5 72.3
GTA V (2015) 162.9 144.6 39 19.6 12.1
The Witcher 3 (2015) 69 42.1 21.5 12
Rainbow Six Siege (2015) 144.1 90.2 46.5 36.3 11
Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016) 75.3 45.9 23.9 20.1 8
Far Cry Primal (2016) 68 31 27 20 7
The Division (2016) 78.3 47.6 11.9 8.3 6.9
Doom (2016) 93.3 66.4 29.8 21.5 10.2
Deus Ex Mankind Divided (2016) 51.1 36.6 18.6 12 4.9
FIFA 17 (2016) 252 188.4 103 97.6 34.8
Farming Simulator 17 (2016) 234.5 174.6 83.5 56.6 17.9
Watch Dogs 2 (2016) 55.7 47.5 21.9 14.8 6.2
Resident Evil 7 (2017) 119 57.9 34.6 8.9 8.5
Ghost Recon Wildlands (2017) 57.5 23 18.8 15.8 5.6
Mass Effect Andromeda (2017) 67.5 24.7 13.1 9 10
Prey (2017) 109.9 35.3 31.4 29.1 10
Rocket League (2017) 187.2 74.7 51.5
Dirt 4 (2017) 145.1 59.5 37.7 19

Compute Performance

Its low count of shader units (384) renders the GT 1030 comparatively slow in regards to general purpose computing. Both GT 1030 cards performed similarly and are not suitable for professional use.

NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop)
Desktop PC Ryzen 7 1800X + MSI GT 1030, R7 1800X
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop)
Desktop PC Intel Xeon E5 2680v4 Zotac GT 1030, E5-2680 v4
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
AMD Radeon RX 480 8 GB Reference, 4790K
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop)
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 Founders Edition 6 GB, 6700K
AMD Radeon RX 470 (Desktop)
MSI RX 470 Gaming X 4GB, 4790K
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Desktop)
MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, 4790K
AMD Radeon RX 460 (Desktop)
XFX RX-460P4DFG5 Double Dissipation 4 GB, 4790K
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M
MSI PX60 6QD, 6700HQ
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 (Desktop)
Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 2GB, 4790K
Performance Rating
Percent
28.2
27.8
-1%
97
244%
89.9
219%
88.7
215%
56.8
101%
45.5
61%
31.3
11%
49.9
77%
LuxMark v2.0 64Bit
-1%
241%
204%
196%
126%
56%
42%
97%
Room GPUs-only
535
528
-1%
1661
210%
1773
231%
1440
169%
1175
120%
782
46%
803
50%
1037
94%
Sala GPUs-only
935
924
-1%
3468
271%
2584
176%
3020
223%
2156
131%
1554
66%
1252
34%
1864
99%
ComputeMark v2.1
-1%
254%
228%
228%
97%
67%
3%
74%
1024x600 Normal, QJuliaRayTrace
1049
1000
-5%
2746
162%
3322
217%
2475
136%
1931
84%
1180
12%
751
-28%
1572
50%
1024x600 Normal, Mandel Scalar
794
787
-1%
2539
220%
2002
152%
2447
208%
1092
38%
1121
41%
749
-6%
968
22%
1024x600 Normal, Mandel Vector
585
594
2%
2162
270%
1994
241%
2172
271%
1277
118%
1224
109%
548
-6%
1100
88%
1024x600 Normal, Fluid 2DTexArr
262
256
-2%
991
278%
963
268%
911
248%
596
127%
479
83%
321
23%
555
112%
1024x600 Normal, Fluid 3DTex
262
261
0%
1220
366%
985
276%
1039
297%
597
128%
536
105%
378
44%
554
111%
1024x600 Normal, Score
2953
2898
-2%
9659
227%
9266
214%
9044
206%
5493
86%
4540
54%
2747
-7%
4749
61%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
-1% / -1%
246% / 250%
217% / 222%
213% / 219%
108% / 104%
61% / 64%
19% / 13%
83% / 79%

Stress Test and Emissions

Our stress test can be quite a challenge for passively cooled cards. As mentioned before, they require proper cooling of the case in order to avoid overheating. The MSI performed exceptionally well in this regard, and its passive cooler worked very efficiently, even under intense load during the Time Spy and Sky Diver load tests. After a full hour of FurMark, the GPU never got warmer than 60 °C (~140 °F).

After disabling all case fans, the temperature rose to 67 °C (~153 °F), which is still far from its thermal limit and proof of the card’s very good overall cooling performance.

3DMark Sky Diver (stress test)
3DMark Sky Diver (stress test)
3DMark Time Spy (stress test)
3DMark Time Spy (stress test)
FurMark stress test
FurMark stress test

Overclocking

3DMark 11 (overclocked)
3DMark 11 (overclocked)

While the GPU’s low temperatures and massive passive cooler had us hoping for a decent overclocking potential, MSI does not allow adjustment of the card’s power target. Accordingly, we were only able to raise its core and VRAM clock speeds by 250 and 600 MHz, respectively. In 3DMark 11, the overclocked card’s score was 600 points higher than before; measurable, but once again far from perceptible.

GPU-Z (overclocked - render test)
GPU-Z (overclocked - render test)
MSI Afterburner (overclocked)
MSI Afterburner (overclocked)

Verdict

MSI GeForce GT 1030 2GH OC. Review unit courtesy of MSI Germany.
MSI GeForce GT 1030 2GH OC. Review unit courtesy of MSI Germany.

Our review unit was equipped with 2 GB of GDDR5 VRAM and a passive cooler. Accordingly, its performance was more than adequate for its intended use. Thanks to its gigantic passive cooler, the card not only remained completely quiet but also decently cool, even under load. It can be had for as little as $75, which, considering its performance is a fair price.

Those of you looking for a noiseless fanless graphics card for your entertainment center look no further. The GeForce GT 1030 is the perfect card for you and will not stand in the way of occasional casual gaming sessions either.

With a 30-W TDP, the GPU is highly efficient. The low-end Pascal chip even offers acceptable gaming performance for many games. Nevertheless, you should not expect too much from this graphics card, since it is after all made for the home entertainment sector. High resolution video playback is where this GPU really shines.

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Sebastian Bade, 2017-07-22 (Update: 2017-07-22)