Top 7 Best Budget Graphics Cards For 2021

One of the components in a computer that has a big impact on a gamer is the graphics card. Whether you’re building a new budget-friendly gaming computer and you’re looking for a graphics card that will give you optimal performance for your budget, or you’re looking to upgrade an older system and you just need an affordable option that will allow you to play games on at least lower settings, the good news is that you have a few different options to choose between.

In this guide, we’ve reviewed seven of the best cheap video cards under $300 to give you viable options for your new build or upgrade at multiple price points.

These option will range from being 1080P powerhouses that can play any game on a budget 1080P monitor at medium-ish settings, to ultra-cheap entry-level cards that will be ideal for upgrading an older system that can no longer run games on a 1080P monitor.

So, if you don’t have a huge budget, but you need a new graphics card that will allow you to play your favorite games, one of the options below should do the trick for you.

Our Picks the Top 7 Best Graphics Cards

The table below gives you our picks for the best budget GPUs. We’ve made our pick for the best graphics card under $300 overall, a runner-up pick, the best GPU under $150, and the best entry-level GPU option.

1. Geforce GTX 1650 Super

1755MHz Clock

4GB VRAM

350-Watt PSU

While it might seem that I have something against NVIDIA cards based on this article, the reality is that, at the current price points, AMD cards seem to make more sense in the sub-$300 price range.

The RX 5500 XT outperforms the GTX 1650 Super and the RX 580’s extra 4GB of VRAM and lower price than the 1650 Super make it a better buy as well.

However, if the GTX 1650 Supers were to come down in price to a level similar to or lower than the RX 580, they might be worth a look. And, if they do, this EVGA card would be one of the better options. It comes with a 1755 MHz base clock, 4GB of VRAM, and a dual fan configuration. It also measures in at 8.0-inches long.

Overall, though, you can either spend a little more to get a better performing card (the RX 5500 XT), or you can spend less and get virtually the same performance (RX 580.) So, for now, the GTX 1650 Super is an Honorable Mention. www.googlse.com gogle.com, youtube.com youtu.be

2. GeForce GTX 1650

1485MHz Clock

4GB VRAM

300-Watt PSU

Another NVIDIA card that doesn’t make it into our top picks due to the price it comes in at is the non-Super GTX 1650. Like the GTX 1650 Super, the standard GTX 1650 costs more than its direct competitor the RX 570.

And, while the two cards are close in performance, most benchmarks show the RX 570 ahead of it in most titles. So, as of right now, the lower pricetag on the RX 570 and the bump in performance make it the better buy.

Of course, with graphics card prices changing on a daily basis, it is worth taking a look at 1650 prices before you make your final decision.

3. GeForce GTX 1660

6GB VRAM

1830MHz Clock

450-Watt PSU

The Nvidia GTX 1660-6GB isn't one of the cheapest budget GPUs. I would say it is borderline as to whether it fits into that category. However, as the next generation on from the popular Nvidia GTX 1060, the GTX 1660-6GB worth considering if you can stretch your budget a little further (or find savings elsewhere).

The UserBenchmark FPS estimates for the GTX 1660-6GB version average around 111 FPS per game, depending on the rest of your hardware. You'll find performance gains from the GTX 1660's superfast GDDR6 RAM and the Turing architecture that powers Nvidia's latest generations of GPUs.

The 1660-6GB is one of the most popular Nvidia GPUs of any type. Given the FPS estimates and prospective performance, you can understand why.

4. Radeon RX 5500 XT

1647MHz Clock

8GB VRAM

450-Watt PSU

If you’re looking for the best budget graphics card under $200, then an RX 5500 XT is currently your best bet. At times, you could find an RX 590 or GTX 1660 fr under $200, but as of right now the RX 590 is tough to find anywhere, and all of the GTX 1660s are over $200.

So, if you’ve got right at $200 to spend, the Gigabyte RX 5500 XT is your best bet. This Gigabyte card features Gigabyte’s dual fan WINDFORCE 2X configuration, a 1647MHz base block, and 8GB of VRAM.

With its dual fan configuration, this RX 5500XT only measures in at 8.9-inches long, making it a good option for a small form-factor PC.

Ultimately, the RX 5500XT will be able to handle any game on a 1080P with no problems. You should expect to play most games at that resolution on at least medium settings.

5. Radeon RX580

1340MHz Clock

8GB VRAM

500-Watt PSU

If you don’t quite have $200 to spend, your next best bet is probably the another Gigabyte card, their Radeon RX 580 Gaming edition. The 580 has been around for a couple of years and it has always been a great option for gamers on a budget.

This card requires a 500-watt power supply, measures in at 9.1-inches long, and comes with 8GB of VRAM. It also has the same WINDFORCE 2X cooling configuration at the RX 5500 XT listed above.

While the RX 580 doesn’t quite match the performance of the RX 5500 XT, it isn’t that far behind it either. So, if you want to save ~$30 without having to sacrifice too much performance, this card is worth considering. It, too, will handle 1080P gaming just fine.

6. Radeon RX 570

1264MHz Clock

4GB VRAM

500-Watt PSU

If you have a tighter budget and you can’t spend more than $150, this XFX Radeon RX 570 graphics card is a good option. The RX 570 lags a bit behind both the RX 5500 XT and the RX 580, but it will still run most games on a 1080P monitor on at least medium settings.

This card is actually the longest option on the list, measuring in at 9.6-inches long. However, it’s still compact enough to where it will fit in the majority of modern cases.

It also comes with a 1264 MHz base clock rate and sports 4GB of VRAM.

Overall, if you don’t have the budget to get an RX 5500XT or RX 580 (or GTX 1650 Super), an RX 570 is probably your next best option. And, of the RX 570s currently on the market, this XFX card offers the best price to performance as of the time of writing this article.

The Nvidia GTX 1050 Ti is the successor to the GTX 1050, which itself is superseded by the Nvidia GTX 1650. Still, the GTX 1050 Ti is a powerful single fan GPU that competes with the similarly specced AMD RX 580-4GB (not the 8GB version above!). Despite the GTX 1050 Ti hitting the market six months after the RX 580-4GB, it is the latter that retains the edge, offering faster overall memory and memory bandwidth.

The UserBenchmark FPS estimates that the GTX 1050 Ti will achieve an average of 72 FPS, depending on the game and the hardware. Although it is a 4GB card, the 1050 Ti will struggle to play the latest games on the highest settings at a solid 60 FPS. However, 30 FPS and above should be achievable---again, depending on the rest of the system hardware.