Nvidia is reportedly preparing the entry level GTX 1630

Nvidia is reportedly preparing a new entry level GPU, the GTX 1630. It would be the first new entry level graphics card that Nvidia has released since the launch of the GTX 1650 Super back in late 2019, which was itself a refresh of the GTX 1650.

The rumor comes via Videocardz. According to its sources, the GTX 1630 will replace the GTX 1050 Ti.  Incredibly, the 1050 Ti is approaching six years old, yet is still sold in various worldwide markets. It goes to show just how much Nvidia has neglected the entry level market. It's is a little surprising seeing as Nvidia doesn’t offer integrated graphics solutions for desktops.

Could the GTX 1630 be a new Ampere generation GPU? It would seem unlikely given the GTX branding. More likely is that it will be a Turing generation GPU, perhaps a TU117 with a lower shader count.

AMD competes with its RX 6500 XT and RX 6400 models. While their gaming performance is reasonable, they are hamstrung by some poor design choices, including a PCIe x4 connection, dual video outputs and a lack of AV1 decode support. 

Even if the gaming performance of the GTX 1630 is weaker than that of the AMD cards, if it can include an up to date video engine, triple display support and an 8x PCIe connection while not requiring external power, I believe that the GTX 1630 could be a very successful card for Nvidia. It covers a wide range of customers giving the likes of casual gamers to HTPC and workstation users something they're set to like.

The market hasn’t yet recovered from the effects of the pandemic, component shortages and the impact of mining demand. Since Nvidia is surely selling every higher margin chip it can get out of its suppliers, why would it use its limited wafer allocation on low margin GPUs? Times are changing though, and as slow as that change is, Nvidia likely sees an opportunity to reassert itself in the entry level marketplace now that things are slowly returning to normal.

Currently, there’s no word on availability or pricing, but given the GTX 1650 sells for around $200 (£185, AU$299), obviously we can expect the GTX 1630 to come in under this.