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Assembling a gaming PC isn’t a cheap business. A GPU is more often than not the most expensive component of a gaming rig, so it’s a matter of utmost importance to tame the price of the GPU itself to keep your rig under budget. The best graphics card under $300 is out there for you.
Every year, GPU technology becomes better and better, thanks to tons of money spent on research and development.
In 2022, a mid-range GPU that costs $300 at most can run any modern AAA title on low to medium settings at playable frame rates.
If you’re playing a less demanding game, such as Valorant, you can even expect over 100 frames on high settings.
If you plan to play old and outdated AAA titles such as Witcher III or GTA V, then a $300 GPU provides an excellent value for money.
Thanks to multiple producers and an ever-growing competitive market, there is a multitude of GPU models with the same chips produced by various manufacturers.
Each manufacturer adds its own small twist to their GPU and fine-tunes them. So you can expect a slight performance difference in an NVIDIA GTX 1660 produced by Asus and the same card produced by MSI.
There are a lot of cards to choose from in this category. From the humble GTX 1060 to the latest RTX 2060, and even the RX 5600 XT. All these are under the $300 mark, and it’s up to you which GPU you are going to get.
Here are our top 10 picks for the best graphics card under $300
List Of The Best Graphics Cards Under $300
1. MSI GeForce GTX 1060 3GB
Even though the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 is a bit dated, it’s still a solid value option for gaming at 1080p. With the price of newer cards skyrocketing, building a budget system with those is close to impossible.
The GTX 1060 remains an excellent choice since it’s one of the most ideal GPUs for 1080p gaming. As long as you want to continue playing at that res, you’re in good hands!
This version of the GTX 1060 has a big brother that has 6GB GDDR5 RAM. However, the 3GB is mostly similar to its higher memory counterpart.
There are a couple of downsides to not getting the beefier version, and apart from the memory, it does have a few CUDA cores disabled.
On the flip side, it’s more budget-friendly, costing significantly less than its full-sized step-brother.
Since this is an MSI version of the GPU, you’ll get all of the good stuff when it comes to the cooling solution.
The Twin Frozr design is evident as soon as you pick up this card, and it provides optimum airflow thanks to the dual TORX 2.0 fan. You also don’t have to worry about video output since it comes with HDMI and DisplayPort.
The hardware and the cooling make this a formidable budget graphics card as it’s capable of giving you satisfactory mid-range gaming performance in VR, 1080p, and multi-monitor systems.
If you’re building a budget gaming rig and want a graphics card that’s going to give you the most out of your price, the MSI GeForce GTX 1060 3GB edition is an excellent pick.
Its heftier 6GB brother should give you slightly better performance, but if you’re willing to sacrifice 2 to 5 FPS on your favorite games, you’re better off with this one.
Technical Specifications
- Clock Speed: Up to 1708 MHz
- TFLOPS: 3.9
- Memory: 3GB GDDR5
- Memory Clock: 2002 MHz
- Memory Bandwidth: 192 GB/s
2. ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1650 OC
We know that the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti is a highly recommended GPU. They’re reliable and offer the best bang for your buck.
However, there are times when you’re still looking for an even more economical card, and that’s where the GTX 1650 OC from Zotac comes in.
For a mainstream graphics card, it’s definitely up to the challenge. It’s a compelling choice given that the differences between the 1650 and the 1650 Super version are so slim. As an overclocked version, this surely performs better than the vanilla 1650.
There are cases where it even performs better than an AMD Radeon RX 5500XT, their budget card that fits right in this category.
Don’t expect it to have a much better performance than the GTX 1660 Ti, but the difference is so small that if you’re not into hardcore high-performance games, this should suit you well.
It is capable of giving you just about enough power to get to the midpoint of most games at 1080p at frame rates hovering just above 60. Don’t expect to push your settings too high since this card won’t be able to handle that.
It’s not just gaming performance though, as the GPU offers a variety of outputs like HDMI, DVI, and DisplayPort.
As a budget GPU, and lacking any of the RTX features, you can certainly classify it as one that’s going to give you a mid-range gaming performance. It’s not going to blow your mind with graphics, but you’re going to have a smooth gaming experience.
Technical Specifications
- Clock Speed: Up to 1710 MHz
- TFLOPS: 3.0
- Memory: 4GB GDDR5
- Memory Clock: 1885 MHz
- Memory Bandwidth: 128 GB/s
3. MSI AMD Radeon RX 570
AMD graphics cards have always been a value king, and the Radeon RX 570 proves it.
If you’re building a budget gaming rig and want a GPU that’s going to give you the most out of your money, get this.
Built from the same architecture as its predecessor the RX 470 and 480, the latest versions are more optimized giving them better gaming performance overall.
You can compare the performance of the AMD Radeon RX 570 to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3GB. However, it’s significantly cheaper so deciding which one to get makes it a lot easier.
The RX 570 also comes with overclocking potential, giving it a performance bump that will get it to RX 580 levels. If you’re looking for an NVIDIA comparison, that should get you to GTX 1060 6GB or Super editions.
The card is a beast in 1080p gaming, allowing you to play titles like League of Legends, Dota 2, CS: Go, at frame rates over 60. You can even play games like The Division, Rise of the Tomb Raider, and Witcher 3 at high fps.
Games like Assassin’s Creed Unity and Ghost Recon Wildlands should perform decently averaging at around 40 fps, which is fine given that these are resource-hungry games.
Thanks to its enhanced Polaris architecture, the RX 570 has higher clock speeds giving it the extra boost that it needs to handle all these games. It does draw a bit more power making it consume more power and get hotter.
You’ll find a variety of port options to choose from, especially if you want to connect multiple monitors to your rig. You can do it via HDMI or DisplayPort.
The RX 570 is the perfect graphics card for 1080p gaming. You’ll be able to consistently hit 60 fps on the more mid-range games. AMD delivers a win here when it comes to value.
Technical Specifications
- Clock Speed: Up to 1244 MHz
- TFLOPS: 5.1
- Memory: 8GB GDDR5
- Memory Clock: 1750 MHz
- Memory Bandwidth: 224 GB/s
4. PowerColor AMD Radeon RX 550
The most popular games in the world are not as graphics-hungry as you might think. We’re talking about eSports titles like Dota 2, League of Legends, CS: GO, and others.
The fact that they don’t need beefy gaming PCs to run is what makes them incredibly successful.
If you’re the type of gamer that’s not particular about graphics and plays these games consistently, one of the best graphics cards under $300 you should be considering is the Radeon RX 550.
It’s an affordable graphics card that’s designed to maximize performance on these titles and won’t break the bank. High frame rates and resolutions mean that you’ll be able to see more at a faster rate. This translates to better gaming performance on your end.
With a graphics card like the RX 550, you’ll be able to crank it to the highest levels and get that advantage over other gamers.
Apart from eSports gaming, it’s also popular with home theater PC enthusiasts as it comes with features like FreeSync support and tech like HEVC encoding and decoding that will enhance the experience. It even supports 4K and HDR.
It’s not really for the hardcore gamers as you’re going to have a hard time hitting 60 fps on more graphic-intense games.
But if you’re an eSports fan, the RX 550 is the card for you.
Technical Specifications
- Clock Speed: Up to 1183 MHz
- TFLOPS: 1.21
- Memory: 4GB GDDR5
- Memory Clock: 1750 MHz
- Memory Bandwidth: 112 GB/s
5. MAXSUN NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti
The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti may not be the fastest of the Pascal graphics cards, but this lower-cost entry does offer better gaming performance for a fraction of the cost.
NVIDIA does carry the torch when it comes to their high-end graphics cards, and AMD is eating up a fair share of the market in the budget to mid-range level. However, the 1050 Ti can give AMD’s best cards a run for their money.
In terms of gaming performance, this slots in just below that of the GTX 1060 3GB, and at a much lower price, it’s an incredibly affordable card for those on a budget.
It’s not going to break framerate records on higher resolutions, it’s a budget graphics card after all.
However, if you’re the type of gamer that doesn’t need fancy features like ray tracing and overclocking potential, you’re going to be satisfied with the performance of the 1050 Ti.
With this graphics card, you’re pretty much stuck at 1080p, but you’ll be able to pump it up to medium and enjoy excellent frame rates up to 60 fps. You might even exceed it in some games.
At a price point that’s well below $300, this is one of those budget graphics cards that offers the most bang for your buck. Building a gaming PC means you’ll need to be extremely wise with how you use your budget. Getting the 1050 Ti, is probably one of the wisest decisions you can make.
It also comes with multiple monitor support, which is perfect for gamers thanks to its video output choices like HDMI and DisplayPort.
The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti is the recommended choice for an ultra-budget gaming PC as it can shave off dollars from the total amount without compromising too much on performance.
Technical Specifications
- Clock Speed: Up to 1455MHz
- TFLOPS: 2.1
- Memory: 4GB GDDR5
- Memory Clock: 1752 MHz
- Memory Bandwidth: 112 GB/s
6. Gigabyte Radeon RX 5600 XT
AMD is the king of the budget graphics card. The new AMD RX 5600 XT produced by renowned GPU manufacturer Gigabyte provides excellent value for money.
However, these latest generations of graphics cards from AMD are giving NVIDIA a run for its money especially in the mainstream market.
The RX 5600 XT is the card that you want if you want to maximize your gaming experience at 1080p.
With the power and boost on offer, you’ll be able to play the most demanding AAA titles at the enjoyable graphics settings with frame rates that just hit over 60 offering a much smoother experience.
Released in early 2020, the Gigabyte Radeon RX 5600 XT is based on AMD’s 7 Nm RDNA chip with a core clock speed of 1200 MHz.
This card goes head to head with NVIDIA’s RTX 2060, but at a much lower price point, getting you to think twice about what to get.
A downside, however, is that it does not have ray tracing and DLSS features that its NVIDIA counterparts have.
The 7 Nm architect is not quite power-hungry as other competitors and requires just 150Watts of power.
This particular model boasts a 6GB GDDR6 video RAM, which is enough to take on any graphically demanding game at 1440p at 30+ fps.
However, if you want to take full advantage of the capabilities of the RX 5600 XT and run games at 60 fps, you’ll need to take a step down and play at a much lower resolution.
Additionally, you’ll find 3 display ports as well as an HDMI port for the output. AMD Freesync tech is pre-loaded on the card to reduce on-screen tear, given your monitor supports the said technology.
On Gigabyte’s part, they’ve added two signature Windforce fans that spin in alternate directions, thus maximizing the wind flow.
The size of the GPU measures 11”, which may not fit some compact cases. Overall, the Radeon RX 5600 XT provides a banger performance without a banger price tag. It’s considered one of the best graphics cards at this price range.
Technical Specifications
- Clock Speed: 1,200MHz
- TFLOPS: 8.07
- Memory: 6GB GDDR6 RAM
- Memory Clock: 12 GHz
- Memory Bandwidth: 288 GB/s
7. ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1070
The Zotac GeForce GTX 1070 was the perfect harmony of budget and performance. Based on the Pascal architecture, the GPU boasts a boost clock speed of up to 1873 Mhz, depending on the build.
The boost clock is paired with 8 GB GDDR5 of video memory with the 2002 MHz memory clock. With 1920 CUDA cores churning out the numbers that get converted into graphics, it’s a graphics card that performs slightly better than the GTX 1060.
In 2022, it can handle the modern AAA titles at 1440p at playable framerates. You can always turn down the resolution to 1080p in favor of better frame rates. Faster boost clock speeds help it perform relatively well on both resolutions.
4K can give the card a tough time as it wasn’t built to support that resolution but, on the flip side, the GTX 1070 is VR ready.
At the time of writing this article in 2022, a used Zotac GTX 1070 was on sale for $289 on Amazon while numerous listings of refurbished GTX 1070 were available on Newegg.
If you’re looking for one of the best graphics cards for your mid-range gaming build, NVIDIA’s got you covered with this GTX 1070.
It’s a versatile card that opens up a whole new world of 1440p gaming while allowing you to switch back to 1080p and enjoy buttery-smooth gameplay on high graphics settings.
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Technical Specifications
- Clock Speed: Up to 1873 MHz
- TFLOPS: 6.46
- Memory: 8GB GDDR5
- Memory Clock: 2000 Mhz
- Memory Bandwidth: 256.3 GB/s
8. MSI Radeon VEGA 56 Air Boost
Just like the GTX 1070, the Radeon VEGA 56 is AMD’s second most powerful GPU of the last generation.
The specs as well as the performance are comparable to the Zotac GTX 1070. Based on the 14 Nm GCN architecture, the vega 56 features a boost clock speed of up to 1611 Mhz paired with 8 GB of HBM2 video memory.
You can expect similar performance as the GTX 1070, so the Vega 56 can easily handle the latest AAA titles without breaking much of a sweat. You won’t even need to tweak a lot of graphics settings as it has the necessary power to give you the results you need.
At the time of writing this, a refurbished MSI Radeon VEGA 56 is listed on NewEgg for $299. That being said, you’d find a lot fewer VEGA 56 GPUs in the second-hand market as compared to its GTX counterpart.
The sole reason for this is the fact that NVIDIA dominated the last generation of the GPU market. This is one of the best and most economical components that you can get for your mid-range build.
Technical Specifications
- Clock Speed: Up to 1575 MHz
- TFLOPS: 6.46
- Memory: 8GB GDDR5
- Memory Clock: 800 MHz
- Memory Bandwidth: 410 GB/s
9. Sapphire Radeon RX 580
The Sapphire Radeon RX 580 is the cheapest GPU with 8 GB of video memory, thus again proclaiming AMD’s superiority in the budget graphics card memory.
The only sacrifice that you have to make for the 8 GB VRAM is the fact that the RX 580 uses old-school GDDR5 memory as opposed to newer GDDR6 memory.
Unlike the more expensive Radeon 5600 and Radeon 5700 series, the Radeon RX 580 is built on the 4th Gen GCN graphics cores whereas the previously mentioned cards use the 7 Nm RDNA cores.
As a result, the power consumption with regards to performance is a bit higher at 185 watts compared to 150 watts.
Nonetheless, Sapphire has built an excellent card around the AMD chip.
The RX 580 directly competes with NVIDIA’s GTX 1060 6GB. This GPU falls short when compared with 1060, but it’s priced significantly lower bringing it back into contention in the mid-range market. It’s even considered as one of the best-value graphics cards.
It’s the best graphics card under $300 that you can get thanks to its impressive 1080p gaming performance. Its 256-bit memory also helps it load graphics much faster compared to other cards in its class.
The clock speeds can be boosted all the way up to 1366 Mhz and the card is loaded with AMD’s proprietary software such as the FreeSync, Eyefinity, and LiquidVR.
The LiquidVR ensures a stutter and lag-free gaming experience in virtual reality, basically FreeSync for VR.
If you’re avoiding overspending, the Radeon RX 580 is a very powerful and capable GPU, especially for VR gaming.
Technical Specifications
- Clock Speed: 1366 MHz
- TFLOPS: 6.17
- Memory: 8GB GDDR5 RAM
- Memory Clock: 2000 Mhz
- Memory Bandwidth: 256 GB/s
10. MSI Gaming GeForce GTX 1660
When it comes to GPUs under $300, the NVIDIA GTX 1660 is one of the most recommended and best graphics cards in the market.
The GPU is based on NVIDIA’s Turing architecture, which makes it quite power-efficient. This is essentially an RTX without the ray-tracing support making it one of the most excellent graphics cards under $300.
With 6GB GDDR5 of video ram and a high clock speed of 1860 Mhz, the GTX 1660 powers a smooth and seamless gaming experience.
The performance is almost identical to that of the AMD Radeon RX 580 or the GTX 1070.
As long as you stick to 1080p gaming, you’re going to enjoy a smooth performance at over 60 fps.
G Sync also gives you the added support of reducing screen tearing as you play, helping and then not helping with an immersive experience in your games with lost fps.
It’s not going to be as fast as the RTX 2060, RX 5600 XT, or the GTX 1660 Ti, but it does have its advantages especially when it comes to the price.
MSI GTX 1660 features a particularly catchy design. The TORX 3.0 is an award-winning fan that cools down the GPU in a jiffy.
There’s a four-zone RGB lighting that looks particularly impressive in window cabinets.
The MSI afterburner app gives you complete information about your GPU and allows you to change settings in real-time. It even opens up overclocking opportunities so you can give your GPU that added power and boost.
Technical Specifications
- Clock Speed: 1,860 MHz
- TFLOPS: 5.0
- Memory: 6GB GDDR5 RAM
- Memory Clock: 8 GHz
- Memory Bandwidth: 192 GB/s
11. EVGA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6GB
We said that the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 is one of the most recommended and best graphics cards under the $300 price tag and, staying true to our word, we’ve got another GTX 1660 on our list.
The GeForce GTX 1660 Ti, is one of the best mid-range cards for NVIDIA. They used the foundation of their RTX line of graphics cards and stuck with the bare essentials.
So you’re not getting Tensor cores and ray tracing features, but you do get the rest like power consumption efficiency and sheer performance.
That being said, the EVGA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6GB is pretty different from the MSI Gaming GeForce GTX 1660.
For starters, the GTX 1660 Ti is slightly better than the GTX 1660, thanks to a higher base clock speed.
The memory clock, as well as the memory bandwidth, is higher on the Evga GeForce GTX 1660 Ti. While both of the 1660 cards house 6GB of video RAM, the EVGA’s model features GDDR6 memory as opposed to the GDDR5 on MSI, granting it another lead in performance.
This results in a card that is capable of pushing up to 60 fps at 1080p. It also helps if you use G Sync enabled monitors for a much smoother gaming experience.
It might not get you GeForce RTX 2060 levels of gaming performance, but you’ll be incredibly close.
This particular model features a single fan which reduces the physical footprint of the GPU. This makes it easier if you want to build a rig using a smaller case. You might think that this will affect performance, but thanks to its efficiency advantages, you won’t be able to feel it at all.
For a beefy graphics card, you won’t suffer a bit with output options. It has an HDMI, DVI, and DisplayPort so you can connect and extend multiple monitors adding to your gaming hardware.
Even though it does not have RTX features, it is still a card with power.
If you’re building a compact PC, on a budget, then the EVGA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti is an excellent choice. It’s a new GPU that’s highly recommended for its price and performance.
Technical Specifications
- Clock Speed: 1,845 MHz
- TFLOPS: 5
- Memory: 6GB GDDR6 RAM
- Memory Clock: 12 GHz
- Memory Bandwidth: 288 GB/s
12. MSI Gaming Radeon RX 5500 XT
At the price tag of just $200, the Radeon RX5500 XT can triumph against a GPU that costs twice as much. It’s not the most powerful of the mid-range graphics cards, but it surely gets the job done.
The RX 5500 XT is built on Radeon’s new RDNA architecture with 7 Nm cores. The boost clock goes all the way up to 1845 MHz with a staggering speed of 14 MT/s.
The 8 GB GDDR6 memory can run any game you throw at it at a smooth 1080p resolution. Although you might have to turn some settings down so you can maintain 60 fps consistently.
Since it’s manufactured by MSI, you’ll get all the good stuff that you find on a GPU with that brand.
We’re talking about TORX 3.0 fans and MSI Afterburner to optimize, overview and overclock your GPU in real-time.
MSI has done a commendable job with cooling, featuring ample thermal pads and 6mm copper heat pipes with direct contact.
Pair that with the 7 Nm chip that’s not quite power-hungry and you get an excellent GPU that doesn’t throttle even on heavy loads.
It also comes with your choice of ports and should be able to handle all types of video outputs including HDMI and DisplayPorts.
This way you’ll be able to use two monitors as it does have enough power to support this. The design is also compact enough that it should go into just about any case without any problems.
This is a GPU that’s going to be an excellent fit for most low-end gaming builds. It’s not as fast as the RX 5600 XT, but it falls in an entirely different niche and price point.
Technical Specifications
- Clock Speed: 1,845 MHz
- TFLOPS: 5.19
- Memory: 8GB GDDR6
- Memory Clock: 14 GHz
- Memory Bandwidth: 288 GB/s
Best Cheap Graphics Cards: Gaming Under $300
Depending on your gaming needs, the best graphics card under $300 is out there waiting for you.
Whether you’re looking for one with the latest features like the RTX 2060 or one that will push out the frames without breaking the bank.
This is where you can consider a GPU like the GTX 1060, which is not the most powerful but offers excellent value.
You’ll also have to look at the port choices that the video hardware you’re eyeing has. For gamers, support for multiple monitors is a must. So, a GPU with HDMI and an alternative like DisplayPort or DVI is a feature to look out for.
The best GPU for you is the one that’ll fit your needs the most and you don’t always need to get the most powerful one around. It could be that the best one for you is a mid-range card since it’s the one that fits your budget!
Conclusion
From one video game connoisseur to another, we understand how important a smooth, lag-free, and high-resolution performance of a game is.
You don’t need a hefty debt on your head to power through the latest video games. Thus, each modest yet powerful GPU we’ve reviewed above can help you to pretty much any game in 2022 at 1080p and at least 30 fps.
That said, do not pour all your money into the card. An ideal gaming rig depends just as much on CPU, memory, and proper cooling as it does on GPU. So budget your rig accordingly and once you’re all set, GAME ON!
