GPU Comparison

Select up to 2 GPUs to analyze their pricing, performance, and specifications side-by-side.

Quick Verdict

The Radeon RX 590 is dramatically faster than the GeForce GT 1030, leading by roughly 600% in our performance index. It is also the stronger value pick here, so it's the easy recommendation if your budget allows.

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VS
Price
$85 USD
Performance
1%
VRAM
2 GB GDDR5
Key Specs Advantage

Comparable or lower specs

AMD
Radeon RX 590
Price
$499 USD
Performance
7%
VRAM
8 GB GDDR5
Key Specs Advantage
+500% Stream Processors (2,304 vs 384)
+433% Bandwidth (256 GB/s vs 48 GB/s)
+300% Memory Bus (256-bit vs 64-bit)

Radeon RX 590 vs GeForce GT 1030: In-Depth Breakdown

Performance: Radeon RX 590 vs GeForce GT 1030

The Radeon RX 590 is dramatically faster, around 600% ahead of the GeForce GT 1030. Both cards sit in the same broad class, well suited to entry-level 1080p.

Price & Value

Right now the GeForce GT 1030 starts at $85 USD against $499 USD for the Radeon RX 590. Because it's both faster and competitively priced, the Radeon RX 590 wins on performance-per-dollar by about 19%. The Radeon RX 590 still sits about $220 USD above its $279 USD MSRP.

Power & Efficiency

The GeForce GT 1030 draws just 30W versus 225W for the Radeon RX 590, and it also delivers more performance per watt — so it runs cooler and quieter and needs less PSU headroom.

VRAM & Future-Proofing

With 8GB against 2GB, the Radeon RX 590 has more headroom for 4K textures and memory-hungry creative/AI tasks where the GeForce GT 1030's 2GB can fall short.

Features & Ecosystem

Beyond raw numbers, the GeForce GT 1030 brings NVIDIA DLSS upscaling/frame generation and stronger ray tracing, while the Radeon RX 590 offers AMD FSR upscaling and strong rasterization value. If you lean on upscaling or ray tracing, that ecosystem difference can matter as much as the frame-rate gap.

Which should you buy: GeForce GT 1030 or Radeon RX 590?

The Radeon RX 590 is the all-round winner here — it's faster and the better value, so buy it if it fits your budget. Only consider the GeForce GT 1030 if you find it at a steep discount.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Radeon RX 590 better than the GeForce GT 1030?

The Radeon RX 590 is dramatically faster, roughly 600% ahead. If your budget allows, it's the stronger pick.

Which is better for 4K gaming, the GeForce GT 1030 or the Radeon RX 590?

Neither is a dedicated 4K card; both are best at entry-level 1080p. For 4K you'd want a faster GPU, or lean on upscaling.

Is the Radeon RX 590 worth the extra $414 USD over the GeForce GT 1030?

Often yes — despite the higher price the Radeon RX 590 delivers better performance-per-dollar here.

Does the Radeon RX 590 have enough VRAM advantage to matter?

Its 8GB (vs 2GB) gives real headroom for 4K, heavy texture mods, and creative/AI work. At 1080p the gap matters less.

Technical Specifications Comparison

Architecture & Cores

SpecificationGeForce GT 1030Radeon RX 590
ArchitecturePascalGCN 4.0 (Polaris)
Process NodeSamsung 14nmGloFo 12nm
CUDA Cores (CUDA Cores / Stream Processors)3842,304

Clock Speeds

SpecificationGeForce GT 1030Radeon RX 590
Base Clock1,227 MHz1,469 MHz
Boost Clock1,468 MHz1,545 MHz

Memory

SpecificationGeForce GT 1030Radeon RX 590
VRAM Capacity2 GB8 GB
Memory TypeGDDR5GDDR5
Memory Bus64-bit256-bit
Memory Speed6 Gbps8 Gbps
Bandwidth48 GB/s256 GB/s

Connectivity & Power

SpecificationGeForce GT 1030Radeon RX 590
InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16PCIe 3.0 x16
TDP30 W225 W
Power ConnectorsNone1x 8-pin
ReleasedMay 2017Nov 2018