GeForce GTX 780 Rev. 2 vs GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design

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 780 Rev. 2

2013

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 10.0 vs 0 G3D/$ ($649 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌400% higher power demand at 250W vs 50W.

GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design

2020

Why buy it

✅Less risky long-term buy than GeForce GTX 780 Rev. 2: it remains the more sensible modern option while GeForce GTX 780 Rev. 2 is already legacy-tier future-proofing.
✅Draws 50W instead of 250W, a 200W reduction.
✅More future proof: Turing (2018−2022) on 12nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Limited future-proofing: older hardware, 4 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in upcoming AAA games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 10.0 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $649 MSRP).

GeForce GTX 780 Rev. 2

2013

GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design

2020

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 10.0 vs 0 G3D/$ ($649 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Why buy it

✅Less risky long-term buy than GeForce GTX 780 Rev. 2: it remains the more sensible modern option while GeForce GTX 780 Rev. 2 is already legacy-tier future-proofing.
✅Draws 50W instead of 250W, a 200W reduction.
✅More future proof: Turing (2018−2022) on 12nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌400% higher power demand at 250W vs 50W.

Trade-offs

❌Limited future-proofing: older hardware, 4 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in upcoming AAA games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 10.0 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $649 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce GTX 780 Rev. 2 better than GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design?

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 6,500 vs 6,309 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer GeForce GTX 780 Rev. 2 is the overall package: you are getting no meaningful modern upscaling stack.

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

GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2020 generation instead of 2013 and a 12nm process instead of 28nm. That makes it the safer long-run choice for modern games.

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

GeForce GTX 780 Rev. 2 can still make sense if you find it at the right price, especially around $649 MSRP. GeForce GTX 780 Rev. 2 is still the smarter buy for most people, though, because the raw performance is close while the overall package is cleaner. GeForce GTX 780 Rev. 2 is priced in an unclear MSRP range at $649 MSRP versus an unclear MSRP, and you are getting 3.0% higher G3D Mark. GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design is the newer 2020 card, so it still has a real case if you care more about newer architecture, lower power draw (50W vs 250W), and future-proofing than about squeezing out the strongest gaming value today.

When does GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design make more sense than GeForce GTX 780 Rev. 2?

Yes. GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design is still an excellent gaming GPU in 2026: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. It makes more sense if your priority is newer architecture, lower power draw (50W vs 250W), future-proofing, and staying closer to an unclear MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of GeForce GTX 780 Rev. 2. The trade-off is that GeForce GTX 780 Rev. 2 currently gives you 3.0% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 100+%.

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 780 Rev. 2 Benchmark Check

GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 780 Rev. 2	GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design
1080p
low	78 FPS	102 FPS
medium	67 FPS	87 FPS
high	54 FPS	72 FPS
ultra	36 FPS	43 FPS
1440p
low	68 FPS	89 FPS
medium	60 FPS	76 FPS
high	43 FPS	56 FPS
ultra	27 FPS	32 FPS
4K
low	25 FPS	28 FPS
medium	24 FPS	27 FPS
high	16 FPS	18 FPS
ultra	13 FPS	15 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 780 Rev. 2 Open GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 780 Rev. 2	GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design
1080p
low	168 FPS	132 FPS
medium	141 FPS	111 FPS
high	108 FPS	92 FPS
ultra	78 FPS	62 FPS
1440p
low	114 FPS	80 FPS
medium	85 FPS	63 FPS
high	65 FPS	48 FPS
ultra	45 FPS	33 FPS
4K
low	49 FPS	35 FPS
medium	39 FPS	27 FPS
high	34 FPS	21 FPS
ultra	26 FPS	15 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 780 Rev. 2 Open GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 780 Rev. 2	GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design
1080p
low	292 FPS	284 FPS
medium	234 FPS	227 FPS
high	195 FPS	189 FPS
ultra	146 FPS	142 FPS
1440p
low	219 FPS	213 FPS
medium	176 FPS	170 FPS
high	146 FPS	142 FPS
ultra	110 FPS	106 FPS
4K
low	146 FPS	137 FPS
medium	117 FPS	114 FPS
high	98 FPS	82 FPS
ultra	73 FPS	52 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 780 Rev. 2 Open GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 780 Rev. 2	GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design
1080p
low	146 FPS	144 FPS
medium	116 FPS	118 FPS
high	96 FPS	100 FPS
ultra	77 FPS	86 FPS
1440p
low	106 FPS	105 FPS
medium	85 FPS	86 FPS
high	72 FPS	73 FPS
ultra	56 FPS	61 FPS
4K
low	63 FPS	60 FPS
medium	47 FPS	47 FPS
high	37 FPS	37 FPS
ultra	26 FPS	28 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 780 Rev. 2 Open GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 780 Rev. 2 and GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design

GeForce GTX 780 Rev. 2

The GeForce GTX 780 Rev. 2 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in September 10 2013. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from 863 MHz to 902 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 250W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 6,500 points. Launch price was $649.

GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design

The GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in April 2 2020. It features the Turing architecture. The core clock ranges from 1035 MHz to 1200 MHz. It has 1024 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 6,309 points.

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Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 780 Rev. 2 scores 6,500 and the GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design reaches 6,309 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 780 Rev. 2 is built on Kepler while the GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design uses Turing, both on 28 nm vs 12 nm. Shader units: 2,304 (GeForce GTX 780 Rev. 2) vs 1,024 (GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design). Raw compute: 4.156 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 780 Rev. 2) vs 2.458 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design). Boost clocks: 902 MHz vs 1200 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 780 Rev. 2	GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design
G3D Mark Score	6,500+3%	6,309
Architecture	Kepler	Turing
Process Node	28 nm	12 nm
Shading Units	2304+125%	1024
Compute (TFLOPS)	4.156 TFLOPS+69%	2.458 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	902 MHz	1200 MHz+33%
ROPs	48+50%	32
TMUs	192+200%	64
L1 Cache	0.19 MB	1 MB+426%
L2 Cache	1.5 MB+50%	1 MB

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	GeForce GTX 780 Rev. 2	GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	Upscaling support
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	NVIDIA Reflex

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Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards feature 4 GB of GDDR5. Memory bandwidth: 288 GB/s (GeForce GTX 780 Rev. 2) vs 112 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design) — a 157.1% advantage for the GeForce GTX 780 Rev. 2. Bus width: 384-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 1.5 MB (GeForce GTX 780 Rev. 2) vs 1 MB (GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design) — the GeForce GTX 780 Rev. 2 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 780 Rev. 2	GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	288 GB/s+157%	112 GB/s
Bus Width	384-bit+200%	128-bit
L2 Cache	1.5 MB+50%	1 MB

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Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 780 Rev. 2 draws 250W versus the GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design's 50W — a 133.3% difference. The GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 600W (GeForce GTX 780 Rev. 2) vs 350W (GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design). Power connectors: 6-pin + 8-pin vs PCIe-powered.