NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mod Doubles VRAM to 8GB for Game Performance

A hardware modder has successfully doubled the video memory on an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 graphics card. Paulo Gomes replaced the standard 4GB of GDDR6 with an 8GB configuration on a specific TU106-based model. This upgrade significantly boosts performance in demanding gaming scenarios. The modification demonstrates that memory capacity remains a critical bottleneck for older entry-level GPUs.

TU106-based card sees frame rates double in God of War after memory upgrade

The project targets only GTX 1650 units built on the TU106 die. Gomes desoldered the existing 1GB GDDR6 memory chips from the board. He then installed two Samsung HC16 GDDR6 chips, each providing 2GB of capacity. This specific hardware variant is necessary because other GTX 1650 versions likely lack the required memory controller structure or firmware support for such a change.

Specifications

• GPU Die: TU106
• Memory Upgrade: 4GB to 8GB GDDR6
• Benchmark Score (Unigine Superposition): 624 (4GB) vs 1,245 (8GB)
• Game Performance (God of War, Ultra Settings): ~10 FPS (4GB) vs ~20 FPS (8GB)

Performance gains appear substantial after the memory swap. Unigine Superposition benchmark scores jumped from 624 points on the original 4GB model to 1,245 points on the modded 8GB version. This result indicates that the benchmark performance nearly doubled with the increased VRAM. The technical upgrade effectively removes the memory constraint that previously limited the card's capabilities.

Real-world gaming tests confirm the theoretical benchmark improvements. Frames per second in God of War at Ultra settings rose from approximately 10 FPS to roughly 20 FPS. This doubling of frame rates makes the game significantly more playable on the modified hardware. The performance gap widens further at higher graphical settings where memory bandwidth and capacity are most stressed.

The modification process introduces potential stability concerns that require further verification. Gomes observed intermittent stuttering when the GPU entered an idle state during testing. This issue suggests that the custom memory configuration may not maintain perfect stability under all load conditions. Users attempting this mod should be aware that idle behavior might differ from the factory specification.