When you’re looking to upgrade an old PC without spending much, the first thought that comes to mind is finding a budget-friendly graphics card. Today, we’ll be reviewing one such option — the GT 710. We’ll dive into its gaming and editing performance, and see if it’s really worth your money.
First Impressions
This is perhaps the most affordable graphics card available right now. From every angle, it looks quite basic, and today, we’ll focus on thoroughly testing it. We’ll explore its capabilities in gaming, basic video editing, and discuss who exactly should consider buying it.
Test Setup
For benchmarking, I intentionally paired the GT 710 with a very low-end PC to keep things realistic. The test system included:
- Processor: Intel Core i3 (2nd Generation)
- RAM: 6GB DDR3
- Graphics Card: GT 710
This kind of setup is quite common in old PCs, making it a perfect match for evaluating the true potential of this budget GPU.
Gaming Performance
To start, I tested GTA 5 at 768p resolution on normal settings. The performance was surprisingly decent. I experienced frame rates between 40 to 50 FPS, making the game playable and relatively smooth without any major lag or stutters.
Next, I pushed it a bit further by running GTA 5 at 1080p with the same normal settings. As expected, the performance dropped slightly, averaging around 30 FPS. While the gameplay wasn’t buttery smooth, it was still very much playable without game-breaking issues.
In short, for casual gaming at lower resolutions, the GT 710 holds up reasonably well.
Video Editing Performance
Moving on to video editing, I tested basic tasks using Adobe Premiere Pro. The GT 710 managed to handle very simple edits like cutting and trimming videos. However, there was some noticeable lag, especially during playback on the timeline.
For light editing on software like Filmora or basic video editors, this graphics card would suffice. However, it’s important to note that heavy, professional-level video editing is beyond its capabilities.
Important Note on Lower Models
There is also a lower-end model available, the GT 610. It’s priced even cheaper (around ₹1500 to ₹2000), but I strongly advise against buying it. The GT 610 struggles to even load many games properly and faces multiple driver-related issues. It would be a waste of money.
Who Should Buy the GT 710?
The GT 710 is not designed for gamers or professional video editors. It is more suited for:
- Those with very old PCs (8-12 years old) still using integrated graphics.
- Users who face lag or stuttering in basic games or during basic tasks.
- People who need a slight boost to run older games like GTA 5, CS:GO, or DOTA 2 at low settings.
If you’re planning to build a new PC, do not buy the GT 710. For new builds, it’s far better to invest in AMD’s Ryzen APUs, which come with integrated Vega graphics offering significantly better performance for gaming and multitasking.
Conclusion
If you have an ancient PC and need a very cheap upgrade to breathe some life into it, the GT 710 is a viable option. But if you’re aiming for any serious gaming or video editing, or building a new system, you should look elsewhere. Investing a bit more into better hardware will save you from a lot of frustration down the line.
If you have any questions about budget PC upgrades or graphics cards, feel free to drop a comment below!
Tags: graphics card, budget graphics card, GT 710 review, cheap graphics card, gaming GPU, low-end PC upgrade, video editing, GTA 5 gaming, PC performance boost
Hashtags: #GraphicsCard #BudgetGaming #GT710 #CheapGraphicsCard #PCUpgrade #LowEndGaming #VideoEditing #GamingSetup #TechReview #PCBuild
