Some newer GeForce GT 1030 graphics cards are performing at half the speed of older models
As if Nvidia couldn't be any shadier, the chipmaker has recently begun shipping GeForce GT 1030 graphics cards with DDR4 VRAM instead of GDDR5. The GeForce GT 1030 was introduced last year as a GDDR5-only offering.
The distinction is important because the newer models with DDR4 VRAM are purportedly under-performing by significant margins compared to last year's GDDR5 models. According to benchmarks by TechSpot, the DDR4 version is returning only 28 FPS in Battlefield 1 compared to 61 FPS on the GDDR5 version when subjected to the same 1080p settings. This massive delta resonates across many other titles including Far Cry 5 and even Fortnite.
We should make ourselves clear that we're not upset with having multiple options of the GT 1030 available. Instead, we're upset at the lack of marketing from Nvidia that fails to overtly distinguish between the GT 1030 DDR4 and GT 1030 GDDR5 especially when their relative performances are so dissimilar. Even more disturbing is that the current price point of the GT 1030 DDR4 is about the same as the GT 1030 GDDR5. A search on NewEgg, for example, shows both models in the $90 to $100 USD range.
Nvidia took a similar approach for its last generation of Kepler GPUs where the GeForce 950M was available in DDR3 and GDDR5 variants.
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