Nvidia has quietly launched its latest consumer GPU, the GeForce GT 1030. Graphics cards based on this GPU are already making their way into Indian markets, with manufacturers setting MRPs at around Rs. 5,999 and street prices expected to be as low as Rs. 5,600. These cards should compete with or even undercut those based on AMD's recently announced Radeon RX 550 cards.

The GeForce GT 1030 GPU is based on the same Pascal architecture as its beefier 10-series siblings, but has only 384 processing units (called CUDA cores). It runs at up to 1,468MHz, with little chance of significant overclocking. GeForce GT-based graphics cards will have 2GB of GDDR5 RAM on a 64-bit bus for a total memory bandwidth of 48GBps. They will be available in compact, single-slot, and low-profile form factors. Both active and passive cooling solutions are possible, making such cards suitable for small, quiet PCs.

The GT in the name, rather than GTX, suggests that this GPU is not aimed at serious gamers. It does not support VR or Nvidia's G-Sync, Ansel, or GameStream features. No power connectors are needed, and the maximum power draw is rated at 30W, well below the 75W PCIe slot limit. Most models will have one single-link DVI port and one HDMI 2.0b port, though manufacturers might go with their own designs.

GeForce GT 1030 cards could be tempting for those looking to upgrade an older PC with only integrated graphics, and without a beefy power supply. Nvidia is positioning this GPU as more suitable for photo and video editing than gaming, though it should give low-impact games at 1920x1080 or lower resolutions a boost as well.

At the time of launch, Zotac and MSI both have one model each in the Indian market. The Zotac GeForce GT 1030 ZT-P10300A-10L is priced at Rs. 5,995 while the MSI GeForce GT 1030 2G LP OC is priced at Rs. 5,999.