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.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

GeForce GTX 1650

2019

Why buy it

✅Costs $30 less on MSRP ($149 MSRP vs $179 MSRP).
✅Draws 75W instead of 110W, a 35W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (7,869 vs 8,837).
❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation (2023).
❌Limited future-proofing: older hardware, 4 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in upcoming AAA games.
❌27.2% longer card at 229mm vs 180mm.

Radeon RX 5500

2019

Why buy it

✅+12.3% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation (2023).
✅More future proof: RDNA 1.0 (2019−2020) on 7nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Measures 180mm instead of 229mm, a 49mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌
20.1% HIGHER MSRP
$179 MSRPvs$149 MSRP
❌46.7% higher power demand at 110W vs 75W.

GeForce GTX 1650

2019

Radeon RX 5500

2019

Why buy it

✅Costs $30 less on MSRP ($149 MSRP vs $179 MSRP).
✅Draws 75W instead of 110W, a 35W reduction.

Why buy it

✅+12.3% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation (2023).
✅More future proof: RDNA 1.0 (2019−2020) on 7nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Measures 180mm instead of 229mm, a 49mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (7,869 vs 8,837).
❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation (2023).
❌Limited future-proofing: older hardware, 4 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in upcoming AAA games.
❌27.2% longer card at 229mm vs 180mm.

Trade-offs

❌
20.1% HIGHER MSRP
$179 MSRPvs$149 MSRP
❌46.7% higher power demand at 110W vs 75W.

Quick Answers

So, is Radeon RX 5500 better than GeForce GTX 1650?

Yes. Radeon RX 5500 is the better GPU overall here. You are getting 12.3% higher PassMark G3D performance.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Radeon RX 5500 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting 12.3% more raw performance headroom, better upscaling support with FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack and better frame-generation support with FSR Frame Generation (2023) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, and a 7nm process instead of 12nm. That broader feature stack should age better as more games lean on modern upscaling and frame-generation support.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

GeForce GTX 1650 is easier to justify on price alone at $149 MSRP, but Radeon RX 5500 is still the stronger gaming card overall. Radeon RX 5500 is about 20.1% more expensive on MSRP at $179 MSRP versus $149 MSRP, and you are getting 12.3% higher G3D Mark. GeForce GTX 1650 still holds the G3D-per-dollar lead, so the performance win comes with a real value premium. Go with Radeon RX 5500 if you want the better experience; go with GeForce GTX 1650 if keeping cost down matters more than squeezing out the highest performance.

Is GeForce GTX 1650 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. GeForce GTX 1650 is still a very good gaming GPU in 2026: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. Around $149 MSRP, it makes sense if you would rather save money than pay about 20.1% more for the extra performance. If you have more room in the budget, Radeon RX 5500 is still the safer long-term pick.

Games Benchmarks

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 9800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

GeForce GTX 1650 Benchmark Check

Radeon RX 5500 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1650	Radeon RX 5500
1080p
low	94 FPS	106 FPS
medium	83 FPS	92 FPS
high	70 FPS	76 FPS
ultra	58 FPS	45 FPS
1440p
low	87 FPS	94 FPS
medium	74 FPS	81 FPS
high	60 FPS	61 FPS
ultra	50 FPS	35 FPS
4K
low	41 FPS	32 FPS
medium	39 FPS	29 FPS
high	27 FPS	20 FPS
ultra	24 FPS	17 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1650 Open Radeon RX 5500

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1650	Radeon RX 5500
1080p
low	136 FPS	113 FPS
medium	113 FPS	79 FPS
high	94 FPS	54 FPS
ultra	71 FPS	37 FPS
1440p
low	79 FPS	76 FPS
medium	62 FPS	47 FPS
high	44 FPS	34 FPS
ultra	35 FPS	25 FPS
4K
low	36 FPS	36 FPS
medium	27 FPS	24 FPS
high	21 FPS	19 FPS
ultra	15 FPS	14 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1650 Open Radeon RX 5500

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 1650	Radeon RX 5500
1080p
low	323 FPS	349 FPS
medium	283 FPS	304 FPS
high	205 FPS	238 FPS
ultra	169 FPS	198 FPS
1440p
low	225 FPS	285 FPS
medium	202 FPS	239 FPS
high	151 FPS	199 FPS
ultra	117 FPS	149 FPS
4K
low	130 FPS	176 FPS
medium	117 FPS	151 FPS
high	79 FPS	101 FPS
ultra	50 FPS	74 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1650 Open Radeon RX 5500

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 1650	Radeon RX 5500
1080p
low	261 FPS	170 FPS
medium	211 FPS	140 FPS
high	191 FPS	124 FPS
ultra	166 FPS	97 FPS
1440p
low	201 FPS	121 FPS
medium	158 FPS	100 FPS
high	135 FPS	90 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	69 FPS
4K
low	99 FPS	69 FPS
medium	74 FPS	56 FPS
high	65 FPS	46 FPS
ultra	51 FPS	34 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1650 Open Radeon RX 5500

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 1650 and Radeon RX 5500

GeForce GTX 1650

The GeForce GTX 1650 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in April 23 2019. It features the Turing architecture. The core clock ranges from 1485 MHz to 1665 MHz. It has 896 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 7,869 points. Launch price was $149.

Radeon RX 5500

The Radeon RX 5500 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in October 7 2019. It features the RDNA 1.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1845 MHz. It has 1408 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 110W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,837 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1650 scores 7,869 versus the Radeon RX 5500's 8,837 — the Radeon RX 5500 leads by 12.3%. The GeForce GTX 1650 is built on Turing while the Radeon RX 5500 uses RDNA 1.0, both on 12 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 896 (GeForce GTX 1650) vs 1,408 (Radeon RX 5500). Raw compute: 2.984 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1650) vs 5.196 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 5500). Boost clocks: 1665 MHz vs 1845 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1650	Radeon RX 5500
G3D Mark Score	7,869	8,837+12%
Architecture	Turing	RDNA 1.0
Process Node	12 nm	7 nm
Shading Units	896	1408+57%
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.984 TFLOPS	5.196 TFLOPS+74%
Boost Clock	1665 MHz	1845 MHz+11%
ROPs	32	32
TMUs	56	88+57%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

A critical advantage for the Radeon RX 5500 is support for FSR Frame Generation. This allows it to generate entire frames using AI/Algorithms, essentially doubling the frame rate in CPU-bound scenarios or heavy ray-tracing titles. The GeForce GTX 1650 lacks specific hardware/driver support for this native frame generation tier.The GeForce GTX 1650 gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon RX 5500 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1650	Radeon RX 5500
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	FSR Frame Generation
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards feature 4 GB of video memory. Memory bandwidth: 128 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1650) vs 224 GB/s (Radeon RX 5500) — a 75% advantage for the Radeon RX 5500. Bus width: 128-bit vs 128-bit.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1650	Radeon RX 5500
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	128 GB/s	224 GB/s+75%
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX 1650) vs 12.1 (Radeon RX 5500). Vulkan: 1.4 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 3 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1650	Radeon RX 5500
DirectX	12	12.1
Vulkan	1.4+17%	1.2
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	3	4+33%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 5th gen (Volta) (GeForce GTX 1650) vs VCN 2.0 (Radeon RX 5500). Decoder: NVDEC 4th gen vs VCN 2.0. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP8,VP9 (GeForce GTX 1650) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 (Radeon RX 5500).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1650	Radeon RX 5500
Encoder	NVENC 5th gen (Volta)	VCN 2.0
Decoder	NVDEC 4th gen	VCN 2.0
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP8,VP9	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1650 draws 75W versus the Radeon RX 5500's 110W — a 37.8% difference. The GeForce GTX 1650 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 300W (GeForce GTX 1650) vs 450W (Radeon RX 5500). Power connectors: None vs 8-pin. Card length: 229mm vs 180mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 70°C vs 75°C.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1650	Radeon RX 5500
TDP	75W-32%	110W
Recommended PSU	300W-33%	450W
Power Connector	None	8-pin
Length	229mm	180mm
Height	111mm	110mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	70°C-7%	75°C
Perf/Watt	104.9+31%	80.3

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 1650 launched at $149 MSRP, while the Radeon RX 5500 launched at $179. The GeForce GTX 1650 costs 16.8% less ($30 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 52.8 (GeForce GTX 1650) vs 49.4 (Radeon RX 5500) — the GeForce GTX 1650 offers 6.9% better value.