Overview
While the budget models from AMD and Nvidia are the primary emphasis of these graphics card bargains, we've tried our best to uncover some suitable mid-range models at prices that are consistent with current market trends. Our hand-picked collection should be adequate if your only concern is gaming at 1080p while utilizing the most recent upscaling technologies. If you're careful with your settings sliders, you'll still be able to get by in the newest games even though our options here might not match those of the best graphics cards on the market.
Top Picks
If you're in a rush, take a look at our fast selection of our favorites, or scroll down to read our whole list with in-depth reviews.
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Best Cheap Graphics Card Overall: AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT
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Best Cheap Graphics Card by Price: GeForce RTX 3050
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Best Cheap AMD Graphics Card by Price: Radeon RX 6600
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Best Cheap AMD Graphics Card without Ray Tracing: AMD Radeon RX 580
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Best Cheap Nvidia Graphics Card without Ray Tracing: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super
Detail Reviews Of Top 4 Best Cheap Graphics Card
1. AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT
(Reasonable 1080p PC Gaming)
Product’s Specifications
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Graphics processor: Navi 24 | GPU cores: 1024 | Memory type: GDDR6 | Memory: 4GB | Memory bus width: 64-bit
Today' best deals:
Reasons to buy
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Both affordable and accessible.
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Performs well at 1080p60.
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High clock speed.
Reasons to avoid
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Limited to 4GB VRAM
Product Summary
The AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT can play current games despite having a lower specification if you're looking for a cheap graphics card from the current generation that is specifically targeted at 1080p.
In order to fully benefit from the AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT's 2815 MHz total boost clock speed, pairing it with a Ryzen 3000 or Ryzen 5000 Series CPU is recommended. On the technological front, there is 4GB of 143.9 GB/s GDDR6 RAM. In terms of practical use, this translates to performance that is superior to the GTX 1650 Super while being more accessible and less expensive.
60 frames per second are achievable at 1080p on medium or high settings in games like Call of Duty, Forza Horizon 5, and Watchdogs Legion. However, keep in mind that in order to maximize the performance of its modest architecture, this GPU is heavily dependent on PCIe 4.0 bandwidth. Before installing your system, make sure it is compatible.
2. AMD Radeon RX 6600
(One of the best cheap graphics cards from AMD)
Product’s Specifications
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Graphics processor: Navi 23 | GPU cores: 1792 | Memory type: GDDR6 | Memory: 8GB | Memory bus width: 128-bit
Today' best deals:
Reasons to buy
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More affordable than RTX 3060.
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Excellent 1440p and 1080p performance.
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Cost-effective price/performance ratio.
Reasons to avoid
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Ray tracing isn't very good.
Product Summary
The RTX 3060's immediate rival, the AMD RX 6600, was introduced by the business at a somewhat more affordable price. In this case, the AMD RX 6600 has an advantage over Nvidia's Ampere video card due to its greater availability and competitive performance across the range in both 1080p and 1440p.
If you know where to look, you can still find the AMD RX 6600 for between $350 and $450, which is a reasonable price given what the benchmarks reveal. The GPU has little trouble handling games like Far Cry 6 running at Ultra in 1080p, averaging about 100 FPS. Resident Evil: Village, which the AMD RX 6600 destroys at over 150 FPS at Ultra with FSR set to Ultra quality, is comparable.
3. Nvidia GTX 1660 Super
(For a reason, it's one of the most well-liked budget graphics cards.)
Product’s Specifications
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Graphics processor: TU116 | GPU cores: 1408 | Memory type: GDDR6 | Memory: 6GB | Memory bus width: 192-bit
Today' best deals:
Reasons to buy
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Still plays the most recent games.
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Accessible compared to other GPUs.
Reasons to avoid
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More challenging to find than other 1660 models.
Product Summary
Even in 2022, the GTX 1660 Super is still a far more accessible and affordable graphics card than other low-cost Nvidia GPUs. According to the 2022 Steam hardware survey, it's still among the most widely used graphics cards ever, and the benchmarks help to demonstrate why.
In games like God of War, Deathloop, Far Cry 6, Forza Horizon 5, and others running at High settings, you may anticipate an average frame rate of 60, which is quite commendable. The native performance on the display more than makes up for the lack of ray tracing and DLSS support, especially if you're looking for overall sharper image quality.
4. Nvidia RTX 3050
(Affordable Ray tracing and DLSS )
Product’s Specifications
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Graphics processor: GA106 | GPU cores: 2560 | Memory type: GDDR6 | Memory: 8GB | Memory bus width: 128-bit
Today' best deals:
Reasons to buy
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8GB memory.
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Ray tracing support.
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Excellent 1080p and 1440p performance.
Reasons to avoid
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DLSS is required for 60 FPS.
Product Summary
The RTX 3050 is the newest card in Nvidia's Ampere series, and it is designed with PC players who want to push 1080p gameplay in mind.
The RTX 3050's support for Nvidia's newest proprietary technology is one of its main advantages. Even more taxing games like Metro Exodus, Control, and Guardians of the Galaxy performed flawlessly at 60 frames per second in Full HD with ray tracing and DLSS enabled. In many games, 1440p is also acceptable, though it's typically a trade-off between visual fidelity and performance as a 60 FPS average typically necessitates turning off ray tracing and relying more heavily on the DLSS upscaling options.
Although there are already some RTX 3050 units available for MSRP, there are just a few shops who actually have the GPUs in stock as of this writing. We advocate buying a brand-new GPU if you can locate one for between $250 and $300, but we don't suggest paying too much if more potent alternatives are available.
FAQs
How much should I pay for a cheap graphics card?
If the Radeon RX 6500 XT has taught us anything, it's that an inexpensive graphics card starting at about $199 can deliver a respectable performance. We advise starting your search at this price range since if you spend less than $200, it will be difficult to play games competently at 60 frames per second in 1080p.
Do cheap graphics cards support 4K?
The main focus of budget graphics cards is on consistent performance at lower resolutions, like 1080p. In reality, only the most expensive GPUs from Nvidia and AMD can deliver respectable Ultra HD performance. This is not to argue that 1440p cannot be achieved with a cheap graphics card; it most certainly can; however, 4K is not feasible on this spending plan.
How sturdy are cheap graphics cards?
For at least this GPU generation, the cheapest graphics cards available today will be able to keep up with the newest games. Since the PC gaming industry develops so quickly, it is difficult to predict how capable these cards will be by that time; however, for the time being, they are perfect for bridging the gap.
Final Thought
Regardless of spec or manufacturer, our price comparison technology compiles some of the best graphics card prices currently offered online from on models.