NVIDIA GeForce GT 730
NVIDIA graphics card specifications and benchmark scores
At a Glance
NVIDIANVIDIA GeForce GT 730 Specifications
GeForce GT 730 GPU Core
Shader units and compute resources
The NVIDIA GeForce GT 730 GPU core specifications define its raw processing power for graphics and compute workloads. Shading units (also called CUDA cores, stream processors, or execution units depending on manufacturer) handle the parallel calculations required for rendering. TMUs (Texture Mapping Units) process texture data, while ROPs (Render Output Units) handle final pixel output. Higher shader counts generally translate to better GPU benchmark performance, especially in demanding games and 3D applications.
GT 730 Clock Speeds
GPU and memory frequencies
Clock speeds directly impact the GeForce GT 730's performance in GPU benchmarks and real-world gaming. The base clock represents the minimum guaranteed frequency, while the boost clock indicates peak performance under optimal thermal conditions. Memory clock speed affects texture loading and frame buffer operations. The GeForce GT 730 by NVIDIA dynamically adjusts frequencies based on workload, temperature, and power limits to maximize performance while maintaining stability.
NVIDIA's GeForce GT 730 Memory
VRAM capacity and bandwidth
VRAM (Video RAM) is dedicated memory for storing textures, frame buffers, and shader data. The GeForce GT 730's memory capacity determines how well it handles high-resolution textures and multiple displays. Memory bandwidth, measured in GB/s, affects how quickly data moves between the GPU and VRAM. Higher bandwidth improves performance in memory-intensive scenarios like 4K gaming. The memory bus width and type (GDDR6, GDDR6X, HBM) significantly influence overall GPU benchmark scores.
GeForce GT 730 by NVIDIA Cache
On-chip cache hierarchy
On-chip cache provides ultra-fast data access for the GT 730, reducing the need to fetch data from slower VRAM. L1 and L2 caches store frequently accessed data close to the compute units. AMD's Infinity Cache (L3) dramatically increases effective bandwidth, improving GPU benchmark performance without requiring wider memory buses. Larger cache sizes help maintain high frame rates in memory-bound scenarios and reduce power consumption by minimizing VRAM accesses.
GT 730 Theoretical Performance
Compute and fill rates
Theoretical performance metrics provide a baseline for comparing the NVIDIA GeForce GT 730 against other graphics cards. FP32 (single-precision) performance, measured in TFLOPS, indicates compute capability for gaming and general GPU workloads. FP64 (double-precision) matters for scientific computing. Pixel and texture fill rates determine how quickly the GPU can render complex scenes. While real-world GPU benchmark results depend on many factors, these specifications help predict relative performance levels.
Kepler 2.0 Architecture & Process
Manufacturing and design details
The NVIDIA GeForce GT 730 is built on NVIDIA's Kepler 2.0 architecture, which defines how the GPU processes graphics and compute workloads. The manufacturing process node affects power efficiency, thermal characteristics, and maximum clock speeds. Smaller process nodes pack more transistors into the same die area, enabling higher performance per watt. Understanding the architecture helps predict how the GT 730 will perform in GPU benchmarks compared to previous generations.
NVIDIA's GeForce GT 730 Power & Thermal
TDP and power requirements
Power specifications for the NVIDIA GeForce GT 730 determine PSU requirements and thermal management needs. TDP (Thermal Design Power) indicates the heat output under typical loads, guiding cooler selection. Power connector requirements ensure adequate power delivery for stable operation during demanding GPU benchmarks. The suggested PSU wattage accounts for the entire system, not just the graphics card. Efficient power delivery enables the GeForce GT 730 to maintain boost clocks without throttling.
GeForce GT 730 by NVIDIA Physical & Connectivity
Dimensions and outputs
Physical dimensions of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 730 are critical for case compatibility. Card length, height, and slot width determine whether it fits in your chassis. The PCIe interface version affects bandwidth for communication with the CPU. Display outputs define monitor connectivity options, with modern cards supporting multiple high-resolution displays simultaneously. Verify these specifications against your case and motherboard before purchasing to ensure a proper fit.
NVIDIA API Support
Graphics and compute APIs
API support determines which games and applications can fully utilize the NVIDIA GeForce GT 730. DirectX 12 Ultimate enables advanced features like ray tracing and variable rate shading. Vulkan provides cross-platform graphics capabilities with low-level hardware access. OpenGL remains important for professional applications and older games. CUDA (NVIDIA) and OpenCL enable GPU compute for video editing, 3D rendering, and scientific applications. Higher API versions unlock newer graphical features in GPU benchmarks and games.
GeForce GT 730 Product Information
Release and pricing details
The NVIDIA GeForce GT 730 is manufactured by NVIDIA as part of their graphics card lineup. Release date and launch pricing provide context for comparing GPU benchmark results with competing products from the same era. Understanding the product lifecycle helps evaluate whether the GeForce GT 730 by NVIDIA represents good value at current market prices. Predecessor and successor information aids in tracking generational improvements and planning future upgrades.
GeForce GT 730 Benchmark Scores
geekbench_metalSource
Geekbench Metal tests GPU compute using Apple's Metal API. This shows how NVIDIA GeForce GT 730 performs in macOS and iOS applications that leverage GPU acceleration. Metal provides low-overhead access to Apple silicon GPUs. Creative applications on Mac heavily utilize Metal for rendering and video processing.
Top 5 Performers
Top 5 PerformersNearby Performers
Nearby Performersgeekbench_openclSource
Geekbench OpenCL tests GPU compute performance using the cross-platform OpenCL API. This shows how NVIDIA GeForce GT 730 handles parallel computing tasks like video encoding and scientific simulations. OpenCL is widely supported across different GPU vendors and platforms.
Top 5 Performers
Nearby Performers
geekbench_vulkanSource
Geekbench Vulkan tests GPU compute using the modern low-overhead Vulkan API. This shows how NVIDIA GeForce GT 730 performs with next-generation graphics and compute workloads. Vulkan offers better CPU efficiency than older APIs like OpenGL. Modern games and applications increasingly use Vulkan for cross-platform GPU acceleration.
Top 5 Performers
Nearby Performers
About NVIDIA GeForce GT 730
The NVIDIA GeForce GT 730 is a Kepler 2.0 architecture part from the GeForce 700 generation, built on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It is a long-since end-of-life product designed for basic display output and light workloads rather than modern gaming. The data shows it sits at the 16th percentile of all GPUs, placing it firmly in entry-level territory.
Memory Subsystem
The GT 730 is equipped with 1024 MB of GDDR5 memory on a 64-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 40.10 GB/s. This is a very narrow memory interface, which directly limits the GPU’s ability to feed its 384 shading units. The effective memory speed is 5 Gbps, which is respectable for the era, but the combination of a 64-bit bus and just 1 GB of VRAM means that high-resolution textures and large frame buffers are out of the question. At 1080p, this card will struggle with any modern game that uses more than 1 GB of VRAM, causing texture thrashing or outright failure to load assets. The 40.10 GB/s bandwidth is the fundamental bottleneck here; even if the compute units could push more frames, the memory subsystem cannot deliver data quickly enough. For older titles or desktop use, the bandwidth is adequate, but for any resolution above 720p with moderate settings, the memory constraints will be immediately apparent. The pixel rate of 7.216 GPixel/s and texture rate of 28.86 GTexel/s further corroborate that this is a low-throughput part, with the ROP count of 8 being particularly low, capping fill-rate-bound performance.
Ray Tracing and Feature Set
There are no RT cores or tensor cores present on this GPU, as it predates any dedicated ray tracing hardware. The architecture is Kepler 2.0, which means the feature set is limited to what was available in that generation. API support includes DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175. While the DirectX 12 and Vulkan entries appear modern, the hardware itself lacks the asynchronous compute and other modern features that those APIs can leverage. The 11_0 feature level is the critical detail, this means the card cannot fully utilize DirectX 12's advanced features and is effectively a DirectX 11 part in practice. The absence of tensor cores also means no DLSS or any AI-based upscaling, which is a significant drawback for any gaming scenario. For ray tracing, the card has zero hardware support, and even software-based implementations would be impractically slow given the 692.7 GFLOPS FP32 throughput. The display outputs, 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 1x VGA, reflect its age, with no DisplayPort support for high refresh rate monitors. The PCIe 2.0 x8 interface is another legacy limitation, though for a card with this low bandwidth requirement, it is unlikely to be a performance bottleneck in practice.
Benchmark Performance
The average benchmark score across all tests is 2799, which places the GT 730 at the 16th percentile of all GPUs. The individual scores show a spread: 1932 in Geekbench Metal, 2880 in Geekbench OpenCL, and 3585 in Geekbench Vulkan. The Vulkan score is notably higher than the OpenCL score, suggesting the driver overhead is lower in Vulkan, but the Metal score is significantly lower, which is expected for a non-Apple-oriented GPU. Comparing to the nearest rivals, the data shows a tightly clustered group. The GT 730 is 0.1% slower than the AMD Radeon R5 Graphics, which is a negligible margin, effectively a statistical tie. It is 0.1% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti GDDR6X in average score, which is an absurd comparison in real-world terms; the RTX 3060 Ti would obliterate the GT 730 in any gaming workload, but the synthetic benchmark average here is purely coincidental due to the limited test suite. Against the NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030, the GT 730 is 0.4% slower, again a negligible difference. The closest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce 820M, where the GT 730 is 0.5% faster. These deltas are all within a fraction of a percent, meaning the GT 730 performs essentially identically to its immediate competitors in these synthetic tests. However, the percentile rank of 16 indicates that the vast majority of GPUs, 84%, perform better.
FAQ
Q: Does the GT 730 support hardware ray tracing?
A: No. The card has no RT cores, and its Kepler 2.0 architecture predates any ray tracing hardware. The API list includes Vulkan 1.2.175, but the hardware is incapable of ray tracing workloads.
Q: Can this GPU run DirectX 12 games?
A: It lists DirectX 12 (11_0) support, but the 11_0 feature level means it only meets the baseline DirectX 11 feature set. Games requiring full DirectX 12 Ultimate features will not run properly.
Q: How much VRAM does the GT 730 have and what is its bandwidth?
A: It has 1024 MB of GDDR5 memory on a 64-bit bus, providing 40.10 GB/s of bandwidth. This is sufficient for desktop use and very old games, but inadequate for modern titles at 1080p.
Q: What is the average benchmark score compared to the GT 1030?
A: The GT 730 has an average score of 2799, which is 0.4% lower than the GT 1030's average score of 2809. The performance difference between the two is negligible.
Q: What power supply is recommended for this card?
A: The suggested PSU is 200 W, and the card has a TDP of 38 W. It does not require any external power connectors and is a single-slot design.
Q: Is the GT 730 faster than the GeForce 820M?
A: Yes, marginally. The GT 730 has an average score of 2799, which is 0.5% higher than the 820M's 2784. This is a tiny but measurable lead.
How It Compares
AMD Radeon R5 Graphics: The GT 730 is 0.1% slower than this integrated graphics solution in average benchmark score. This is a statistical dead heat, meaning the dedicated GT 730 offers no meaningful performance advantage over a decent integrated GPU. The GT 730's only benefit is that it has its own dedicated memory, whereas the R5 shares system memory, but in raw scores, they are equivalent.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti GDDR6X: This is a bizarre pairing in the data, as the GT 730 is 0.1% faster than the RTX 3060 Ti GDDR6X in average score. This is clearly an artifact of the limited synthetic benchmark suite, which does not stress the RTX 3060 Ti's capabilities. In any real-world gaming or compute scenario, the RTX 3060 Ti is in a completely different performance class, but the data shows a negligible delta of 0.1%.
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030: The GT 1030 is 0.4% faster than the GT 730, making them near-identical performers. The GT 1030 is a newer architecture, but the benchmark scores show no practical difference. When choosing between these two, the decision would come down to driver support or output options, not performance.
NVIDIA GeForce 820M: The GT 730 is 0.5% faster than the 820M, the largest delta among its nearest rivals. This is still a tiny margin, but it indicates the GT 730 holds a slight edge over this older mobile-derived part. Neither card is suitable for modern gaming, but the GT 730 has a small lead.
Who Should Consider It
The GT 730 is a card for basic display output, not gaming. The data shows it is firmly at the 16th percentile, which means it is slower than 84% of all GPUs. For desktop productivity, office work, or as a spare output for a second monitor, it is adequate. At 720p with low settings, very old games (pre-2012) may be playable, but the 1024 MB VRAM and 40.10 GB/s bandwidth will cause issues with anything newer. The FP32 throughput of 692.7 GFLOPS is enough for light compute tasks but nothing demanding. The 38 W TDP and lack of power connectors make it drop-in compatible with any system with a 200 W PSU, which is a plus for upgrading an old office PC. However, for any gaming intention, the GT 730 is not recommended, the GT 1030 is only 0.4% faster, so it offers no escape from this performance tier. The Vulkan score of 3585 is the strongest result, suggesting that if you must use it, Vulkan-based lighter titles will perform best. This card is for users who need a display signal and nothing more; the benchmark data does not support any expectation of modern gaming performance.
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