GIGABYTE GV-N1030D4-2GL GeForce GT 1030 Low Profile D4 2G Computer Graphics Card

I bought this to go into an older Dell tower computer (Optiplex 9020 MT) so I could use it with my TV to stream video. I needed a basic video card which would give me HDMI output, as the Dell’s onboard video did not have such a connector. I also wanted to upgrade the graphics capabilities a bit – I’m steaming video, not playing modern video games. This card is NOT sufficient for modern video games.Installation was easy. The Dell had Windows 10 on it, and it recognized the card and installed some drivers to get me going. I went to the NVidia website and downloaded their drivers for this card, and installed them. I thought I was good to go. However, I found that every time I shut off my monitor, the computer would crash/reboot shortly after turning the monitor back on. I never had a problem while the monitor remained on – but when I shut it down, a reboot was inevitable.After some research, I found that there are 2 branches of drivers for this card. One is the “Studio” branch (the one I started with) which is supposedly better tested and more stable, and the “Game Ready” drivers, which are more cutting edge. I was shocked to see the version of the “Studio” drivers was WAY behind the “Game Ready” driver version. Apparently, there is a known issue with the studio drivers crashing if they have problems negotiating a connection to a monitor. I have an odd setup where I am using a HDMI splitter for my computer video to pipe video to both a 25” monitor and a big screen TV. Apparently, the studio drivers weren’t happy with that setup. So, after uninstalling the “Studio” drivers and installing the “Game Ready” drivers, I’ve had no issues. Apparently that issue was fixed somewhere along the way between the “Studio” drivers and the “Game Ready” drivers. So now, everything works perfectly for me.

Fast and good Product

On one hand, this product does what it is supposed to. It installs easily, uses hardly any power (this is basically the only GPU that safely can be run with a 180 watt power supply), and is a slight improvement over older integrated graphics. With that being said, the improvement is VERY slight, I honestly think that the best thing it does is allows you to free up more RAM because the integrated graphics are no longer needed and using up RAM. This is not really usable for gaming, Minecraft or Valorant will run but it is so-so and you will need graphics on low. The fans were pretty quiet and the device never failed me. It wasn’t what I needed though so I ultimately decided to return it. I can’t give it a bad score because it isn’t meant for gaming, but it is perfectly adequate for streaming movies and general uses. With that said, idk that there is much use for this gpu over simply sticking with integrated graphics.

I have a “ancient” computer which is 10-15 years old. I am going to use it as a VM host. However, Proxmox 8.4 always failed during installation because of graphic card compatibility problem. I purchased this card and gave it a try. WOW, it worked perfectly!

very good budget gpu for small pcs, no additional power needed, very quiet, can handle smaller games like roblox, minecraft, and geometry dash.

It helps me run you tube and android programs at the same time. Definitely worth its value if it fits.

Card was dead out of the box but wasn’t even worth sending back and dealing with the trouble so I ordered a different card.

Very good and good. Good performance. ⁠