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.

Sebastian Bade, 👁 Klaus Hinum, ✓ Stefanie Voigt (translated by Martin Jungowski), Published 07/22/2017 🇩🇪 🇳🇱 ...

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

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

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.

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.

Performance Rating | 3DMark | 3DMark 11

Performance Rating - Percent
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop) Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 Founders Edition 6 GB, Intel Core i7-6700K	98.6 pt ∼99%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop) AMD Radeon RX 480 8 GB Reference, Intel Core i7-4790K	96.9 pt ∼97%
AMD Radeon RX 470 (Desktop) MSI RX 470 Gaming X 4GB, Intel Core i7-4790K	95.2 pt ∼95%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 MSI Gaming Z GeForce GTX 970 Desktop PC, Intel Core i7-4790K	90.8 pt ∼91%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Desktop) MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, Intel Core i7-4790K	56.7 pt ∼57%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 (Desktop) Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 2GB, Intel Core i7-4790K	50.1 pt ∼50%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950 Desktop-PC, Intel Core i7-3770K	47.3 pt ∼47%
AMD Radeon RX 460 (Desktop) XFX RX-460P4DFG5 Double Dissipation 4 GB, Intel Core i7-4790K	45.9 pt ∼46%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M Asus GL552VW-DK725T, Intel Core i7-6700HQ	31.7 pt ∼32%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti Desktop-PC, Intel Core i7-3770K	31.5 pt ∼32%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M MSI GL62-6QFi781H11, Intel Core i7-6700HQ	30.1 pt ∼30%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop) Desktop PC Ryzen 7 1800X + MSI GT 1030, AMD Ryzen 7 1800X	27.6 pt ∼28%
NVIDIA GeForce MX150 MSI PL62 MX150 7700HQ, Intel Core i7-7700HQ	27.2 pt ∼27%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop) Desktop PC Intel Xeon E5 2680v4 Zotac GT 1030, Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4	27.1 pt ∼27%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M MSI PX60 6QD, Intel Core i7-6700HQ	26.2 pt ∼26%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M Acer Aspire F5-771G-50RD, Intel Core i5-7200U	25.3 pt ∼25%
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX Lenovo ThinkPad T470p-20J7S00000 , Intel Core i7-7700HQ	18.1 pt ∼18%
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX ^-1! Asus Zenbook UX3410UQ-GV077T, Intel Core i7-7500U	12.1 pt ∼12%

3DMark - 1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop) Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 Founders Edition 6 GB, Intel Core i7-6700K	12984 Points ∼100% +248%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop) AMD Radeon RX 480 8 GB Reference, Intel Core i7-4790K	12186 Points ∼94% +227%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 MSI Gaming Z GeForce GTX 970 Desktop PC, Intel Core i7-4790K	11954 Points ∼92% +220%
AMD Radeon RX 470 (Desktop) MSI RX 470 Gaming X 4GB, Intel Core i7-4790K	11869 Points ∼91% +218%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Desktop) MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, Intel Core i7-4790K	7696 Points ∼59% +106%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 (Desktop) Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 2GB, Intel Core i7-4790K	6797 Points ∼52% +82%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950 Desktop-PC, Intel Core i7-3770K	6219 Points ∼48% +67%
AMD Radeon RX 460 (Desktop) XFX RX-460P4DFG5 Double Dissipation 4 GB, Intel Core i7-4790K	5701 Points ∼44% +53%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M Asus GL552VW-DK725T, Intel Core i7-6700HQ	4326 Points ∼33% +16%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti Desktop-PC, Intel Core i7-3770K	4294 Points ∼33% +15%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M MSI GL62-6QFi781H11, Intel Core i7-6700HQ	4239 Points ∼33% +14%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop) Desktop PC Ryzen 7 1800X + MSI GT 1030, AMD Ryzen 7 1800X	3731 Points ∼29%
NVIDIA GeForce MX150 MSI PL62 MX150 7700HQ, Intel Core i7-7700HQ	3673 Points ∼28% -2%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M MSI PX60 6QD, Intel Core i7-6700HQ	3638 Points ∼28% -2%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop) Desktop PC Intel Xeon E5 2680v4 Zotac GT 1030, Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4	3585 Points ∼28% -4%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M Acer Aspire F5-771G-50RD, Intel Core i5-7200U	3511 Points ∼27% -6%
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX Lenovo ThinkPad T470p-20J7S00000 , Intel Core i7-7700HQ	2399 Points ∼18% -36%

3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop) AMD Radeon RX 480 8 GB Reference, Intel Core i7-4790K	17919 Points ∼100% +277%
AMD Radeon RX 470 (Desktop) MSI RX 470 Gaming X 4GB, Intel Core i7-4790K	17738 Points ∼99% +273%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop) Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 Founders Edition 6 GB, Intel Core i7-6700K	17401 Points ∼97% +266%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 MSI Gaming Z GeForce GTX 970 Desktop PC, Intel Core i7-4790K	16033 Points ∼89% +237%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Desktop) MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, Intel Core i7-4790K	9694 Points ∼54% +104%
AMD Radeon RX 460 (Desktop) XFX RX-460P4DFG5 Double Dissipation 4 GB, Intel Core i7-4790K	8597 Points ∼48% +81%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 (Desktop) Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 2GB, Intel Core i7-4790K	8571 Points ∼48% +80%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950 Desktop-PC, Intel Core i7-3770K	8364 Points ∼47% +76%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M Asus GL552VW-DK725T, Intel Core i7-6700HQ	5384 Points ∼30% +13%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti Desktop-PC, Intel Core i7-3770K	5378 Points ∼30% +13%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M MSI GL62-6QFi781H11, Intel Core i7-6700HQ	4938 Points ∼28% +4%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop) Desktop PC Ryzen 7 1800X + MSI GT 1030, AMD Ryzen 7 1800X	4757 Points ∼27%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop) Desktop PC Intel Xeon E5 2680v4 Zotac GT 1030, Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4	4751 Points ∼27% 0%
NVIDIA GeForce MX150 MSI PL62 MX150 7700HQ, Intel Core i7-7700HQ	4685 Points ∼26% -2%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M MSI PX60 6QD, Intel Core i7-6700HQ	4384 Points ∼24% -8%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M Acer Aspire F5-771G-50RD, Intel Core i5-7200U	4231 Points ∼24% -11%
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX Lenovo ThinkPad T470p-20J7S00000 , Intel Core i7-7700HQ	3164 Points ∼18% -33%
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX Asus Zenbook UX3410UQ-GV077T, Intel Core i7-7500U	2171 Points ∼12% -54%

Performance Rating | 3DMark | 3DMark 11

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 ∼100%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop) ^-8! AMD Radeon RX 480 8 GB Reference, Intel Core i7-4790K	99.4 pt ∼99%
AMD Radeon RX 470 (Desktop) ^-13! MSI RX 470 Gaming X 4GB, Intel Core i7-4790K	92.3 pt ∼92%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950 ^-16! Desktop-PC, Intel Core i7-3770K	65.9 pt ∼66%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Desktop) ^-8! MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, Intel Core i7-4790K	62.7 pt ∼63%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti ^-19! Desktop-PC, Intel Core i7-3770K	56.9 pt ∼57%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 (Desktop) ^-7! Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 2GB, Intel Core i7-4790K	51.4 pt ∼51%
AMD Radeon RX 460 (Desktop) ^-5! XFX RX-460P4DFG5 Double Dissipation 4 GB, Intel Core i7-4790K	51 pt ∼51%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M ^-20! MSI PX60 6QD, Intel Core i7-6700HQ	40.5 pt ∼41%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M ^-19! Asus GL552VW-DK725T, Intel Core i7-6700HQ	36.4 pt ∼36%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop) ^-3! Desktop PC Ryzen 7 1800X + MSI GT 1030, AMD Ryzen 7 1800X	35.8 pt ∼36%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop) Desktop PC Intel Xeon E5 2680v4 Zotac GT 1030, Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4	34.7 pt ∼35%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M ^-19! MSI GL62-6QFi781H11, Intel Core i7-6700HQ	34.5 pt ∼35%
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX ^-17! Lenovo ThinkPad T470p-20J7S00000 , Intel Core i7-7700HQ	26.3 pt ∼26%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M ^-19! Acer Aspire F5-771G-50RD, Intel Core i5-7200U	24.4 pt ∼24%

BioShock Infinite - 1366x768 High Preset
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop) AMD Radeon RX 480 8 GB Reference, Intel Core i7-4790K	257 (30^min - 460^max) fps ∼100% +154%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Desktop) MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, Intel Core i7-4790K	208 (58^min - 311^max) fps ∼81% +106%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950 Desktop-PC, Intel Core i7-3770K	164 fps ∼64% +62%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti Desktop-PC, Intel Core i7-3770K	122.2 fps ∼48% +21%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M Asus GL552VW-DK725T, Intel Core i7-6700HQ	119.8 fps ∼47% +18%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M MSI PX60 6QD, Intel Core i7-6700HQ	104 fps ∼40% +3%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop) Desktop PC Intel Xeon E5 2680v4 Zotac GT 1030, Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4	101.8 (44.4^min - 186.1^max) fps ∼40% +1%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop) Desktop PC Ryzen 7 1800X + MSI GT 1030, AMD Ryzen 7 1800X	101.2 fps ∼39%
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX Lenovo ThinkPad T470p-20J7S00000 , Intel Core i7-7700HQ	68.3 fps ∼27% -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 (86^min - 104^max) fps ∼100%
AMD Radeon RX 470 (Desktop) MSI RX 470 Gaming X 4GB, Intel Core i7-4790K	92 (83^min - 95^max) fps ∼93%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Desktop) MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, Intel Core i7-4790K	69 (62^min - 73^max) fps ∼70%
AMD Radeon RX 460 (Desktop) XFX RX-460P4DFG5 Double Dissipation 4 GB, Intel Core i7-4790K	51 (44^min - 54^max) fps ∼52%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 (Desktop) Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 2GB, Intel Core i7-4790K	42.6 (38^min - 46^max) fps ∼43%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop) Desktop PC Intel Xeon E5 2680v4 Zotac GT 1030, Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4	26.5 (25^min - 29^max) fps ∼27%

Battlefield 4 - 1366x768 High Preset
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950 Desktop-PC, Intel Core i7-3770K	123.4 fps ∼100% +60%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti Desktop-PC, Intel Core i7-3770K	81.8 fps ∼66% +6%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop) Desktop PC Ryzen 7 1800X + MSI GT 1030, AMD Ryzen 7 1800X	77.2 fps ∼63%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop) Desktop PC Intel Xeon E5 2680v4 Zotac GT 1030, Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4	76.8 (71^min - 96^max) fps ∼62% -1%
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX Lenovo ThinkPad T470p-20J7S00000 , Intel Core i7-7700HQ	48.8 fps ∼40% -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 ∼100% +48%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop) Desktop PC Ryzen 7 1800X + MSI GT 1030, AMD Ryzen 7 1800X	110.5 fps ∼67%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop) Desktop PC Intel Xeon E5 2680v4 Zotac GT 1030, Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4	110 (57^min - 129^max) fps ∼67% 0%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950 Desktop-PC, Intel Core i7-3770K	95.3 fps ∼58% -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 ∼100% +172%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950 Desktop-PC, Intel Core i7-3770K	64.3 fps ∼61% +65%
AMD Radeon RX 460 (Desktop) XFX RX-460P4DFG5 Double Dissipation 4 GB, Intel Core i7-4790K	50.2 fps ∼47% +29%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop) Desktop PC Ryzen 7 1800X + MSI GT 1030, AMD Ryzen 7 1800X	39 fps ∼37%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop) Desktop PC Intel Xeon E5 2680v4 Zotac GT 1030, Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4	38.9 (7^min - 194^max) fps ∼37% 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 ∼100% +279%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop) AMD Radeon RX 480 8 GB Reference, Intel Core i7-4790K	78 (68^min - 84^max) fps ∼96% +263%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Desktop) MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, Intel Core i7-4790K	49.4 (41^min - 54^max) fps ∼61% +130%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 (Desktop) Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 2GB, Intel Core i7-4790K	43.7 (36^min - 48^max) fps ∼54% +103%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950 Desktop-PC, Intel Core i7-3770K	38 fps ∼47% +77%
AMD Radeon RX 460 (Desktop) XFX RX-460P4DFG5 Double Dissipation 4 GB, Intel Core i7-4790K	37 fps ∼45% +72%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop) Desktop PC Ryzen 7 1800X + MSI GT 1030, AMD Ryzen 7 1800X	21.5 fps ∼26%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M Asus GL552VW-DK725T, Intel Core i7-6700HQ	21.3 fps ∼26% -1%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop) Desktop PC Intel Xeon E5 2680v4 Zotac GT 1030, Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4	21.1 (17^min - 24^max) fps ∼26% -2%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M Acer Aspire F5-771G-50RD, Intel Core i5-7200U	16.2 fps ∼20% -25%
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX Lenovo ThinkPad T470p-20J7S00000 , Intel Core i7-7700HQ	14.6 fps ∼18% -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 ∼100% +231%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Desktop) MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, Intel Core i7-4790K	95 (63^min - 148^max) fps ∼62% +104%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 (Desktop) Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 2GB, Intel Core i7-4790K	82.4 (52^min - 111^max) fps ∼54% +77%
AMD Radeon RX 460 (Desktop) XFX RX-460P4DFG5 Double Dissipation 4 GB, Intel Core i7-4790K	79 (57^min - 100^max) fps ∼51% +70%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M MSI GL62-6QFi781H11, Intel Core i7-6700HQ	57.5 fps ∼37% +24%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop) Desktop PC Ryzen 7 1800X + MSI GT 1030, AMD Ryzen 7 1800X	46.5 fps ∼30%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop) Desktop PC Intel Xeon E5 2680v4 Zotac GT 1030, Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4	46.2 (25^min - 65^max) fps ∼30% -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 ∼100% +234%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Desktop) MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, Intel Core i7-4790K	48.9 (45^min - 53^max) fps ∼61% +105%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 (Desktop) Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 2GB, Intel Core i7-4790K	43.8 (40^min - 47^max) fps ∼55% +83%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 (Desktop) Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 2GB, Intel Core i7-4790K	40.6 (36^min - 45^max) fps ∼51% +70%
AMD Radeon RX 460 (Desktop) XFX RX-460P4DFG5 Double Dissipation 4 GB, Intel Core i7-4790K	36.6 (33^min - 40^max) fps ∼46% +53%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop) Desktop PC Intel Xeon E5 2680v4 Zotac GT 1030, Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4	24.3 (22^min - 28^max) fps ∼30% +2%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop) Desktop PC Ryzen 7 1800X + MSI GT 1030, AMD Ryzen 7 1800X	23.9 (23^min - 26^max) fps ∼30%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M Acer Aspire F5-771G-50RD, Intel Core i5-7200U	23.08 fps ∼29% -3%
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX Lenovo ThinkPad T470p-20J7S00000 , Intel Core i7-7700HQ	17 fps ∼21% -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 ∼100% +226%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop) AMD Radeon RX 480 8 GB Reference, Intel Core i7-4790K	85 (75^min - 96^max) fps ∼97% +215%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Desktop) MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, Intel Core i7-4790K	54 (49^min - 60^max) fps ∼61% +100%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 (Desktop) Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 2GB, Intel Core i7-4790K	51 (46^min - 57^max) fps ∼58% +89%
AMD Radeon RX 460 (Desktop) XFX RX-460P4DFG5 Double Dissipation 4 GB, Intel Core i7-4790K	43 (39^min - 49^max) fps ∼49% +59%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop) Desktop PC Intel Xeon E5 2680v4 Zotac GT 1030, Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4	27 (24^min - 30^max) fps ∼31% 0%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop) Desktop PC Ryzen 7 1800X + MSI GT 1030, AMD Ryzen 7 1800X	27 fps ∼31%

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 ∼100% +531%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 (Desktop) Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 2GB, Intel Core i7-4790K	39.2 (15^min - 51^max) fps ∼52% +229%
AMD Radeon RX 460 (Desktop) XFX RX-460P4DFG5 Double Dissipation 4 GB, Intel Core i7-4790K	36.5 (18^min - 48^max) fps ∼49% +207%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop) Desktop PC Ryzen 7 1800X + MSI GT 1030, AMD Ryzen 7 1800X	11.9 fps ∼16%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop) Desktop PC Intel Xeon E5 2680v4 Zotac GT 1030, Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4	11.8 fps ∼16% -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 ∼100% +256%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 (Desktop) Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 2GB, Intel Core i7-4790K	54 (42^min - 73^max) fps ∼51% +81%
AMD Radeon RX 460 (Desktop) XFX RX-460P4DFG5 Double Dissipation 4 GB, Intel Core i7-4790K	47 (40^min - 60^max) fps ∼44% +58%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M MSI GL62-6QFi781H11, Intel Core i7-6700HQ	33.6 fps ∼32% +13%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop) Desktop PC Ryzen 7 1800X + MSI GT 1030, AMD Ryzen 7 1800X	29.8 (22^min - 42^max) fps ∼28%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop) Desktop PC Intel Xeon E5 2680v4 Zotac GT 1030, Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4	29.3 (21^min - 46^max) fps ∼28% -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 (51^min - 83^max) fps ∼100% +244%
AMD Radeon RX 470 (Desktop) MSI RX 470 Gaming X 4GB, Intel Core i7-4790K	57.6 (47^min - 74^max) fps ∼90% +210%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 (Desktop) Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 2GB, Intel Core i7-4790K	33.6 (28^min - 41^max) fps ∼53% +81%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Desktop) MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, Intel Core i7-4790K	32.7 (27^min - 39^max) fps ∼51% +76%
AMD Radeon RX 460 (Desktop) XFX RX-460P4DFG5 Double Dissipation 4 GB, Intel Core i7-4790K	30.3 (11^min - 39^max) fps ∼47% +63%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop) Desktop PC Ryzen 7 1800X + MSI GT 1030, AMD Ryzen 7 1800X	18.6 (15.4^min - 23.1^max) fps ∼29%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop) Desktop PC Intel Xeon E5 2680v4 Zotac GT 1030, Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4	18.2 (15^min - 23^max) fps ∼28% -2%

FIFA 17 - 1920x1080 High Preset
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop) AMD Radeon RX 480 8 GB Reference, Intel Core i7-4790K	334 fps ∼100% +224%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop) Desktop PC Ryzen 7 1800X + MSI GT 1030, AMD Ryzen 7 1800X	103 fps ∼31%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop) Desktop PC Intel Xeon E5 2680v4 Zotac GT 1030, Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4	102.8 (97^min - 109^max) fps ∼31% 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 (100^min - 124^max) fps ∼100% +27%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop) Desktop PC Ryzen 7 1800X + MSI GT 1030, AMD Ryzen 7 1800X	83.5 fps ∼79%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop) Desktop PC Intel Xeon E5 2680v4 Zotac GT 1030, Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4	83.3 (63^min - 123^max) fps ∼79% 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 (93^min - 135^max) fps ∼100%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Desktop) MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, Intel Core i7-4790K	62 (51^min - 80^max) fps ∼56%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 (Desktop) Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 2GB, Intel Core i7-4790K	52.9 (44^min - 68^max) fps ∼48%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop) Desktop PC Intel Xeon E5 2680v4 Zotac GT 1030, Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4	35.2 fps ∼32%

Watch Dogs 2 - 1920x1080 High Preset
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop) AMD Radeon RX 480 8 GB Reference, Intel Core i7-4790K	66.1 (56^min - 76^max) fps ∼100% +202%
AMD Radeon RX 470 (Desktop) MSI RX 470 Gaming X 4GB, Intel Core i7-4790K	61.2 (51^min - 70^max) fps ∼93% +179%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Desktop) MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, Intel Core i7-4790K	45.4 (40^min - 51^max) fps ∼69% +107%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 (Desktop) Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 2GB, Intel Core i7-4790K	35.4 (31^min - 40^max) fps ∼54% +62%
AMD Radeon RX 460 (Desktop) XFX RX-460P4DFG5 Double Dissipation 4 GB, Intel Core i7-4790K	33.1 (28^min - 38^max) fps ∼50% +51%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop) Desktop PC Ryzen 7 1800X + MSI GT 1030, AMD Ryzen 7 1800X	21.9 fps ∼33%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop) Desktop PC Intel Xeon E5 2680v4 Zotac GT 1030, Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4	21.7 (19^min - 25^max) fps ∼33% -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 (101^min - 146^max) fps ∼100% +273%
AMD Radeon RX 470 (Desktop) MSI RX 470 Gaming X 4GB, Intel Core i7-4790K	114 (90^min - 126^max) fps ∼88% +229%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Desktop) MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, Intel Core i7-4790K	70 (56^min - 81^max) fps ∼54% +102%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 (Desktop) Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 2GB, Intel Core i7-4790K	59.3 (49^min - 67^max) fps ∼46% +71%
AMD Radeon RX 460 (Desktop) XFX RX-460P4DFG5 Double Dissipation 4 GB, Intel Core i7-4790K	56.5 (44^min - 63^max) fps ∼44% +63%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop) Desktop PC Ryzen 7 1800X + MSI GT 1030, AMD Ryzen 7 1800X	34.6 fps ∼27%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop) Desktop PC Intel Xeon E5 2680v4 Zotac GT 1030, Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4	34.5 (28^min - 43^max) fps ∼27% 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 (53^min - 72^max) fps ∼100% +240%
AMD Radeon RX 470 (Desktop) MSI RX 470 Gaming X 4GB, Intel Core i7-4790K	58.7 (49^min - 66^max) fps ∼92% +212%
AMD Radeon RX 460 (Desktop) XFX RX-460P4DFG5 Double Dissipation 4 GB, Intel Core i7-4790K	34 (25^min - 40^max) fps ∼53% +81%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop) Desktop PC Ryzen 7 1800X + MSI GT 1030, AMD Ryzen 7 1800X	18.8 fps ∼29%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop) Desktop PC Intel Xeon E5 2680v4 Zotac GT 1030, Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4	18.7 (15^min - 22^max) fps ∼29% -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 (54^min - 81^max) fps ∼100% +373%
AMD Radeon RX 470 (Desktop) MSI RX 470 Gaming X 4GB, Intel Core i7-4790K	57.8 (50^min - 75^max) fps ∼93% +341%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Desktop) MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, Intel Core i7-4790K	34.8 (30^min - 46^max) fps ∼56% +166%
AMD Radeon RX 460 (Desktop) XFX RX-460P4DFG5 Double Dissipation 4 GB, Intel Core i7-4790K	29.3 (13^min - 37^max) fps ∼47% +124%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 (Desktop) Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 2GB, Intel Core i7-4790K	24.3 (20^min - 36^max) fps ∼39% +85%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop) Desktop PC Ryzen 7 1800X + MSI GT 1030, AMD Ryzen 7 1800X	13.1 fps ∼21%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop) Desktop PC Intel Xeon E5 2680v4 Zotac GT 1030, Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4	13 (10^min - 23^max) fps ∼21% -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 (40^min - 73^max) fps ∼100%
AMD Radeon RX 470 (Desktop) MSI RX 470 Gaming X 4GB, Intel Core i7-4790K	45.4 (35^min - 64^max) fps ∼89%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Desktop) MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, Intel Core i7-4790K	30 (23^min - 43^max) fps ∼59%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 (Desktop) Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 2GB, Intel Core i7-4790K	26.5 (20^min - 39^max) fps ∼52%
AMD Radeon RX 460 (Desktop) XFX RX-460P4DFG5 Double Dissipation 4 GB, Intel Core i7-4790K	22.7 (17^min - 33^max) fps ∼45%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop) Desktop PC Intel Xeon E5 2680v4 Zotac GT 1030, Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4	14.4 (10^min - 23^max) fps ∼28%

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 (90^min - 131^max) fps ∼100% +254%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Desktop) MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, Intel Core i7-4790K	82 (66^min - 105^max) fps ∼74% +161%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 (Desktop) Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 2GB, Intel Core i7-4790K	71 (58^min - 90^max) fps ∼64% +126%
AMD Radeon RX 460 (Desktop) XFX RX-460P4DFG5 Double Dissipation 4 GB, Intel Core i7-4790K	52.2 (42^min - 63^max) fps ∼47% +66%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop) Desktop PC Ryzen 7 1800X + MSI GT 1030, AMD Ryzen 7 1800X	31.4 fps ∼28%
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (Desktop) Desktop PC Intel Xeon E5 2680v4 Zotac GT 1030, Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4	31.1 (25^min - 44^max) fps ∼28% -1%

	low	med.	high	ultra	4K
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.

Overclocking

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.

Verdict

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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Editor of the original article: Sebastian Jentsch - Managing Editor Consumer Laptops - 1813 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2010

Computers always had an important place in my life, starting with an Intel 80286 microprocessor in the early 1990s. I became interested in the productive side of technology, especially in campus radio, while studying at TU Chemnitz and during a trainee program in Belfast. Hardware interests led me to manage Notebookjournal.de, which is now a division of Notebooksbilliger, for a few years. I became self-employed in 2010 and took the next logical step in my career by starting to write for Notebookcheck.

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Translator: Finn D Boerne - Translator - 450 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2017

Born in the United States and raised in Germany I became acquainted with both languages from an early age and turned this into my profession later in life. Computers have always played an important role in my life, and my love for all things digital is a huge part of my daily routine. Virtual Reality has captured my imagination and interest in particular, and I cannot wait to see what the (near) future will bring.

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> Notebook / Laptop Reviews and News > Reviews > MSI GeForce GT 1030 2GH OC Review

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