GeForce GT 1030 vs GRID M10-1Q

NVIDIA

GeForce GT 1030

2017Core: 1228 MHzBoost: 1468 MHz
VS

GRID M10-1Q

2015Core: 557 MHzBoost: 1178 MHz

GeForce GT 1030 vs GRID M10-1Q Performance Spectrum

About G3D Mark

G3D Mark is a standard benchmark that measures graphics performance in real-world gaming scenarios. It simplifies comparing cards from different brands, where higher scores directly correlate with better fps and smoother gaming experiences.

GeForce GT 1030 vs GRID M10-1Q: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each GPU makes more sense in practice: raw FPS, VRAM, features, power draw, pricing, and long-term headroom.

GeForce GT 1030

2017

Why buy it

  • Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 30.5 vs 0 G3D/$ ($79 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
  • Draws 30W instead of 225W, a 195W reduction.
  • Measures 145mm instead of 267mm, a 122mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • 2017 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

GRID M10-1Q

2015

Why buy it

  • Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

  • 2015 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 30.5 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $79 MSRP).
  • 650% higher power demand at 225W vs 30W.
  • 84.1% longer card at 267mm vs 145mm.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce GT 1030 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 0.9% in PassMark G3D (2,407 vs 2,385), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce GT 1030 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 14nm process instead of 28nm and a newer 2017 generation instead of 2015. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce GT 1030 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup.

GeForce GT 1030 vs GRID M10-1Q Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

NVIDIA

GeForce GT 1030

The GeForce GT 1030 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 17 2017. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 1228 MHz to 1468 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 30W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,407 points. Launch price was $79.

NVIDIA

GRID M10-1Q

The GRID M10-1Q is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in August 30 2015. It features the Maxwell 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 557 MHz to 1178 MHz. It has 2048 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 225W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,385 points.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GT 1030 scores 2,407 and the GRID M10-1Q reaches 2,385 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.9% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GT 1030 is built on Pascal while the GRID M10-1Q uses Maxwell 2.0, both on 14 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 384 (GeForce GT 1030) vs 2,048 (GRID M10-1Q). Raw compute: 1.127 TFLOPS (GeForce GT 1030) vs 4.825 TFLOPS (GRID M10-1Q). Boost clocks: 1468 MHz vs 1178 MHz.

FeatureGeForce GT 1030GRID M10-1Q
G3D Mark Score
2,407
2,385
Architecture
Pascal
Maxwell 2.0
Process Node
14 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
384
2048+433%
Compute (TFLOPS)
1.127 TFLOPS
4.825 TFLOPS+328%
Boost Clock
1468 MHz+25%
1178 MHz
ROPs
16
64+300%
TMUs
24
128+433%
L1 Cache
144 KB
768 KB+433%
L2 Cache
0.5 MB
2 MB+300%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GT 1030 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The GRID M10-1Q leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce GT 1030GRID M10-1Q
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
Upscaling support
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
Standard
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 2 GB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the GeForce GT 1030 and 64-bit on the GRID M10-1Q. L2 Cache: 0.5 MB (GeForce GT 1030) vs 2 MB (GRID M10-1Q) — the GRID M10-1Q has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GT 1030GRID M10-1Q
VRAM Capacity
2 GB
2 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
64-bit
64-bit
L2 Cache
0.5 MB
2 MB+300%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GT 1030) vs 12_1 (GRID M10-1Q). Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 0.

FeatureGeForce GT 1030GRID M10-1Q
DirectX
12
12_1
Max Displays
2
0
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GT 1030 draws 30W versus the GRID M10-1Q's 225W — a 152.9% difference. The GeForce GT 1030 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 300W (GeForce GT 1030) vs 350W (GRID M10-1Q). Power connectors: None vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 145mm vs 267mm, occupying 1 vs 2 slots.

FeatureGeForce GT 1030GRID M10-1Q
TDP
30W-87%
225W
Recommended PSU
300W-14%
350W
Power Connector
None
PCIe-powered
Length
145mm
267mm
Height
69mm
Slots
1-50%
2
Temp (Load)
80°C
Perf/Watt
80.2+657%
10.6
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GT 1030 came in at $79, while the GRID M10-1Q launched at $0. On MSRP, GRID M10-1Q was 100+% cheaper ($79 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 30.5 (GeForce GT 1030) vs Infinity (GRID M10-1Q) — the GRID M10-1Q offers Infinity% better value. The newer card here is GeForce GT 1030 (2017 vs 2015).

FeatureGeForce GT 1030GRID M10-1Q
MSRP
$79
$0-100%
Performance per Dollar
30.5
Infinity
Codename
GP108
GM204
Release
May 17 2017
August 30 2015
Ranking
#641
#525

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