Today we're taking a look at the nVidia GT 1030 Aero ITX card from MSI.

But first... what am I drinking???

Earlier today, I picked up a growler of the Master Splinter Barrel Aged IPA from Loowit Brewing (Vancouver, WA).  A 7.1% IPA with a lot of oak-y flavor.  Very good on a hot day.

Get the MSI GT 1030 Aero ITX here: http://amzn.to/2hPbFkn

Now, onto the GPU.

This class of card has always been marketed at gamers looking for the best bang-for-the-buck, yet they always seem to come up short.  Price wise, it is $75 or around ⅔ the price of a GTX 1050.  It has 2GB of GDDR5, and sips power, consuming just 30W under load.

We hit an average of 73FPS, and a 1% low of just 54FPS in GTA 5 with a mix of low and medium settings, including High textures and 100% distance scaling.  This resulted in a very smooth and enjoyable experience.

Fallout 4 was very similar, averaging 58FPS (frame capped at 60), with lows hitting 20FPS, although I blame that more on the HDD read speed, less on the GPU.

CS-GO and Rocket League were both very playable at max settings.  Some of the low framerates could be mitigated by lowering resolution or graphics settings in game.

You won't be playing DOOM (2016) with this card.  Unplayable at 1080P, low settings.

So, is it worth picking up a GT1030 for your gaming PC?  Well… as impressed as I am with this card, the price to performance doesn’t quite make sense.  The GTX 1050 is sitting right above it at $120, and that is able to crush MOST modern games at 1080p.  I certainly would no recommend building a brand new system around this card.  That said, there’s no harm in picking up an off-lease Dell i5 from Newegg for ~$140, then throwing one of these in there.  For around $200, you could be playing a very good selection of modern games.  MSI even has a low-profile version of this card, so it can fit in slimline office PCs.

This is a card that certainly redefines the low-end space for nVidia, which traditionally has not been able to do much beyond being an improved 2D card for desktops.  To see a card for$75 with some actual gaming chops is very cool indeed.

Deadly Roulette Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
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