After the market for budget video cards replenished with the Nvidia GeForce GT-730 product , it became clear that the manufacturer was closely engaged in devices of the cheapest segment. After all, historically it happened that this segment has always been replenished with all kinds of rejections and unused technologies of the past decade. With a chip based on the GT-730, everything is somewhat different.
Market positioning
It should be noted right away that video cards based on the Nvidia GeForce GT-730 chip worth 5-6 thousand rubles are equated by the manufacturer with integrated solutions. However, this fact does not affect the post-Soviet countries. The fact is that not every buyer of the domestic market can afford to purchase a powerful processor of the Core i5 / i7 line with a productive integrated video core (it is the manufacturer that focuses on its performance).
In fact, in Russia it is not customary to say that the GT-730 chip has a performance similar to an integrated video adapter. Indeed, most computer owners are still happy owners of GMA450-based systems. Naturally, any discrete video adapter on the market in the budget segment will be several times more powerful.
Introducing the chip for discrete graphics cards
In the market for computer spare parts, a potential buyer can meet three modifications of the Nvidia GeForce GT-730 chip, whose technical characteristics differ only in production technology. So, two graphics accelerators are built on the old GDDR3 memory bus and use the bus widths of 64 and 128 bits, and one representative belongs to the GDDR5 generation, however, it works on the 64-bit bus. In any case, the last copy is still more productive than its counterparts on the graphic chip.
All modifications of video cards are equipped with memory of 1024 MB and 2048 MB. But on a printed circuit board during a detailed inspection, you can find a wiring for mounting 4 more memory modules (that is, the maximum amount of a graphics accelerator can be 4 GB). Devices on the Nvidia GeForce GT-730 chip support all modern technologies (CUDA, PhysX, 3D Vision, FXXA, TXAA, DirectX 12, Blu Ray 3D and others). The power consumption of video cards will also please buyers - it does not exceed 50 watts, which allows you to use the device in office system units.
Mobile Market Representative
As expected, Nvidia presented on the basis of the new chip a mobile graphics core with the GT-730M marking of the same name. True, the manufacturer only announced about the development, but in practice the mobile chip of the previous generation GT-645M was overclocked. And he was assigned a new marking. Naturally, such a marketing move did not go unnoticed and many buyers (who are free to navigate the computer industry) prefer to buy laptops with an old core, because their cost is slightly cheaper than new products.
Owners of laptops with an Nvidia GeForce GT-730 mobile video adapter should not be upset. Its characteristics are slightly different from discrete devices. The laptop video card can be equipped with a type of memory GDDR3 or GDDR5. You should also forget about the 64-bit bus, only 128 bits. Yes, and the memory capacity of the mobile chip is initially 4 GB (own memory, not from RAM). The only differences are in the technologies: support for the old version of DirectX11, OpenGL 4.1 and problems in working with 3D video encoding.
The motherboard of the video card and its equipment
Judging by the appearance, there is nothing to brag to the buyer with a video adapter based on the Nvidia GeForce GT-730 chip. The feedback from IT experts assures us that the printed circuit board is no different from the budget class of past generations of video cards. All the same standard PCB sizes are 50 mm by 150 mm. Even to accommodate all the video outputs, the manufacturer had to use an additional loop.
At first glance, the cooling system does not stand out against the background of a budget device. But upon a detailed examination, the user will find that the aluminum radiator with a miniature fan closes not only the graphics core, but also captures part of the memory modules. And power elements, including capacitors and a PWM controller, are located in close proximity to the cooling system. It is rather strange to contemplate such protection against overheating at a Low-End representative.
Technical specifications for the budget representative
As it turned out, the Nvidia GeForce GT-730 is not such a weak video card either . The characteristics of the graphics core, especially when it comes to a representative with a GDDR5 memory bus, are quite suitable for dynamic games, albeit at low settings. The clock speed of the graphics accelerator is 902 MHz, and the number of CUDA cores is 384 pieces. The memory runs at 5000 MHz (although for GDDR3 chips this parameter is limited to 1800 MHz).
All cards support multiple displays (HDMI, DVI and VGA). The maximum resolution of image output to an analog monitor is identical for all devices and is 2048x1536 dpi. There are some limitations with the maximum resolution of the digital format. Theoretically, you can display a picture of 3840x2160 dpi, but the device should work at 30 MHz (only TVs and plasma can support this standard).
Battle for the market
It is believed that it was MSI who was able to take a leading position in sales of products based on the Nvidia GeForce GT-730 chip. The manufacturer had to modify the characteristics of the graphics accelerator, but as it turned out, this was done for the good. On the printed circuit board, the manufacturer did not replace anything, but only transferred power elements to the back of the video card. Some reviews mention that in the MSI laboratory all electrolytic capacitors were replaced by solid-state ones. However, this information is not confirmed in the reviews of the owners.
Dramatic changes have affected the cooling system. The manufacturer did not spare the non-ferrous metal and as a result created the Nvidia GeForce GT-730 device with excellent heat dissipation. An aluminum radiator covers not only the graphics core, but also all memory modules with batteries. I got a video adapter and a decent fan that is able to pump air to the radiator, and not to disperse dust through the system unit (as it was with the reference device).
MSI Productivity
As expected from the manufacturer, the Nvidia GeForce GT-730 graphics card was overclocked within the walls of MSI. The graphics core shows stable performance at a frequency of 1005 MHz (an increase of 40%). But the video memory could not be overclocked, although its cooling was improved at the factory. In their reviews, many owners claim that the video system chips themselves are a rejection of those in the production of gaming accelerators.
As a proof, any owner of a video card can independently increase the memory frequency. Artifacts (multi-colored squares) are immediately formed on the monitor, but the memory chip practically does not heat up when overclocked. This clearly indicates a defect in the operation of memory modules. As a result of testing, it turned out that an increase in the frequency of the graphics core by 40% led to an increase in gaming performance by 12%, when compared with a reference device. It is up to the buyer whether this is good or bad, because the price of the MSI product has also been increased. It is important to understand that performance is measured at low quality settings, and no overclocking will help to switch to the middle class on the GT-730 chip.
Designers Favorite
People who have to work with graphic applications note that the Nvidia GeForce GT-730 graphics card is the cheapest representative on the budget device market, which has two important factors: 4 GB of RAM and a passive cooling system. So representatives of ASUS, Zotac, EVGA and Gainward became the best solution for building an office computer. The difference between them is insignificant - all manufacturers considered that increasing the height of the radiator would be enough, and there was no place for the fan in the cooling system.
There are a lot of negative comments about the Nvidia GeForce GT-730 from fans who like to play dynamic games in the workplace. However, as practice shows, it is this video adapter that attracts many employers. Low cost, affordable technology, work with a large amount of data and no entertainment during working hours.
Savings should be economical
When it comes to video adapters worth 4,000 rubles or less, many sellers begin to shrug. Indeed, below the budget class, no devices are provided. That was until the market saw the Nvidia GeForce GT-730 graphics accelerator. Reviews in the media assure that the product under the Gigabyte brand was purchased for exactly four thousand rubles.
There is nothing strange about this. The well-known manufacturer took an inexpensive chip based on GDDR3, installed its cooling system and provided the video card to the public. Many gamers try to keep silent about the gaming capabilities of the graphics accelerator. But other advantages are described enthusiastically: affordable price, a large amount of video memory, the absence of noise in the work and decent cooling.
Finally
Any potential buyer should understand that the search for a decent product for dynamic games in the budget class will never succeed. The maximum that can be achieved is to launch the application at the minimum settings and contemplate the picture at a speed of 5-10 frames per second. Such opportunities are provided to all gamers by the Nvidia GeForce GT-730 graphics card. Owner reviews in the media about the advantages of the video card and its high performance are likely to be embellished, because few users agree to admit the low quality of the purchased product.
On the other hand, when comparing a representative of a budget class with integrated solutions, a potential buyer understands that from an economic point of view it is better to spend 4000 rubles to buy a discrete video adapter than to choose an expensive processor. Here it is up to the user to decide for what tasks he needs a video card from an accessible class and whether it is worth spending money on it.