ASUS RoG STRIX GTX 1650 OC Edition Graphics Card Review

How Much Does It Cost?

The low-power budget model ASUS GTX 1650 Phoenix Graphics Card is available now. You can pick one up on Amazon.co.uk for just £138.99, or $154.99 in the US on Amazon.com. However, the STRIX cards are more premium and come in at around £190 in the UK and $179.99 in the US.

Overview

ASUS has delivered us one of the best GTX 1650 cards on the market with their STRIX model. It looks every bit as premium as their more expensive models, but of course, you do pay more for more. I can’t help but think they could deliver the big performance boost on a smaller budget though. Lose the backplate, remove the RGB, even fit a smaller cooler, and reduce the extra stuff in the box. It would still be a great card for a bit less money. However, it wouldn’t be a “STRIX” card at that point either. It’s a tough call.

Performance

It managed to either match or beat the other high-end GTX 1650 models from both MSI and Gigabyte. That’s pretty impressive, even if both the rival cards are also similarly priced and perform about the same. You can’t go wrong with any of them really. However, the plucky ASUS card was the only one to hit 60 FPS in a game at high settings, which is worth a big thumbs up from me. We test at high though, as the GTX 1650 is clearly better suited to medium settings.

Should I Buy One?

If I were to buy a GTX 1650 I would likely go for an MSRP card. They perform amazingly well given their 75 Watt power limit and they’re affordable at just £130. However, I can see the appeal for the STRIX model. It’s stylish, runs virtually silent, and incredibly cool too. You pay a bit more, but you get a quality product for your investment without breaking the bank.