Introduction
Graphics cards have become expensive. Over the past year or so, we’ve seen a number of GPUs release from both AMD and NVIDIA at extortionate price points. NVIDIA started this pricing war with the release of their 4090 and 4080 SKUs, with AMD countering later on last year with the Radeon 7900 XTX and XT GPUs. The majority of these cards released for over $1000, with the 7900 XT being the only card sitting below this. These are of course, the top-end GPUs, but many of the other options that we’ve seen release in the past few months are equally poorly priced.
So what are your options if you’re looking for a budget GPU? Are you forced to grit your teeth and buy a pricier GPU? Or are there some worthwhile options for those on a more restrictive budget. In this buyers guide, we’ll be answering these very questions with a roundup of the best budget graphics cards to buy in 2023. We’ll be taking a look at some of the best options on the market right now, catering to a varying range of budgets and use-cases.
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Our Recommendations
1. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050
👑 The best NVIDIA budget graphics card.
NVIDIA’s RTX 3050 has been one of our top recommendations for quite some time, due to its hardy performance capability within 1080p games at high settings. The RTX 3050 was one of NVIDIA‘s last budget cards to release within the RTX 3000 range. This card comes in at an MSRP of $249, but can be picked up for slightly lower than this dependent on the AIB that you’ve chosen. Performance wise, the RTX 3050 is more than capable of handling Esports-style 1080p games, with room for some modern titles. However, the weaker VRAM capacity will hinder this GPU in some of the more modern games that demand stronger hardware from your PC.
Key Specs
| Spec | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 |
|---|---|
| Base Clock (GHz): | 1.55 |
| Boost Clock (GHz): | 1.78 |
| Memory Size: | 8GB |
| Memory Type: | GDDR6 |
| NVIDIA Architecture: | Ampere |
| NVIDIA DLSS: | DLSS 2 |
| NVIDIA Frame Generation: | No |
| NVIDIA Ray-Tracing: | Yes |
| PCI Express Gen 4: | Yes |
| Graphics Card Power (W) | 130 |
| Required/Recommended System Power (W) | 550 |
Things We Like
Strong price point: Aside from the Radeon 7600, the RTX 3050 is actually one of the cheapest graphics cards on the market right now. Consumers can expect to pick up this GPU for well below the $250 MSRP, which is ideal for those on a budget.
Access to DLSS technology: DLSS is one of the pillar technologies that comes with NVIDIA’s ‘RTX’ graphics cards, with RTX 3000 GPUs getting access to the second revision (DLSS 2). This allows you to alleviate some of the stress on your graphics card through the use of AI.
Things We Don’t Like
Not ideal for modern games: The biggest disadvantage that this card has versus other options, is the lack of VRAM. While the 3050 will be able to handle current-gen games without any problems, modern games will pose more of an issue for this GPU, as more VRAM becomes a requirement.
Stocks aren’t likely to last: Although we’re not likely to see an RTX 4000 variant of the ’50’ SKUs, NVIDIA is likely to discontinue this card in the relatively near future. This means that for those looking to pick up a budget card, you’ll want to do it fast, as stocks aren’t likely to last.
Summary
NVIDIA’s RTX 3050 is an excellent budget card, geared towards consumers looking to play Esports, and older titles from their library. You’re able to leverage DLSS 2, which should provide some performance bonuses when enabled, along with a number of other awesome NVIDIA technologies that make this card worth a consideration.
Features: 4/5
Architecture: 4.3/5
Performance: 4.2/5
Value for Money: 4.1/5
Pros
- Strong 1080p performance in Esports games.
- Solid price point.
- Able to leverage a number of NVIDIA technologies.
Cons
- Lower VRAM is not ideal for modern games.
- Stocks aren’t likely to last forever.
Where to Buy
Buy the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 on:
2. AMD Radeon RX 7600
👑 The best AMD budget graphics card.
Next up is the Radeon RX 7600 from AMD. This GPU is one of Team Red’s most recent cards on the market, as part of their Radeon 7000 series. The Radeon 7600 didn’t get the greatest reception during the initial release, but I believe this card to be one of the best priced options right now. The 7600 comes in with an MSRP of $269, making it one of the cheapest cards, but also incredibly strong when looking at the performance metrics. VRAM is an issue on this card (much like the 3050), but consumers can expect solid performance in current-gen 1080p games, with decent legs at a 1440p resolution too, making this card multi-faceted.
Key Specs
| Spec | AMD Radeon RX 7600 |
|---|---|
| Base Clock (GHz): | 1.72 |
| Boost Clock (GHz): | 2.65 |
| Memory Size: | 8GB |
| Memory Type: | GDDR6 |
| AMD Architecture: | RDNA 3 |
| AMD FSR: | Yes |
| AMD Super Resolution: | Yes |
| AMD Radeon Software: | Yes |
| PCI Express Gen 4: | Yes |
| Graphics Card Power (W) | 165 |
| Required/Recommended System Power (W) | 550 |
Things We Like
Strong gaming performance: The Radeon RX 7600 is a well performing graphics card at both a 1080p and 1440p resolution. Consumers looking to play current-gen Esports titles and modern games will have no performance problems with this GPU.
One of AMD’s best priced cards: GPU prices are quite hefty at the moment, but AMD have kept the priced of the Radeon RX 7600 at a reasonable level. Consumers won’t need to spend a fortune to secure this card.
Things We Don’t Like
Weaker VRAM capacity: Much like the RTX 3050, the Radeon 7600 suffers from having less VRAM. This means that this GPU isn’t likely to cope with the performance demands of modern games.
Performance suffers at 1440p: Although the 7600 has some decent legs at a higher 1440p resolution, consumers can expect to see weaker framerates. If you’re looking to hit that 144Hz sweet spot at 1440p, you’ll want to look at a stronger graphics card.
Summary
The Radeon RX 7600 from AMD is one of their best budget graphics cards on the market right now. Utilising modern capable of handling games at both 1080p and 1440p, the 7600 is an awesome multi-faceted option. If you’re on a budget, and you’re looking for a newer card, geared towards Esports games, this GPU is definitely worth taking a look at.
Features: 4.4/5
Architecture: 4.4/5
Performance: 4.4/5
Value for Money: 4.5/5
Pros
- Ideal for 1080p and 1440p gaming.
- Extremely cheap.
- Utilises modern architecture.
Cons
- Only offers 8GB of VRAM.
- Weaker performance at a 1440p resolution.
Where to Buy
Buy the AMD Radeon RX 7600 on:
3. AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT
👑 The best budget Radeon 6000 graphics card.
For our third selection we’ve picked out one of AMD‘s best cards from the Radeon 7000 range – the RX 6650 XT. During the initial launch of this card we were disappointed about the performance metrics of this GPU versus the competition. However, after some driver updates and optimisations, the 6650 XT became one of the best budget/mid-range graphics cards from the Radeon 6000 line-up. This card is pretty cheap as well, sitting around the $250 mark dependent on where you buy it from, and is more than capable in games at both 1080p and 1440p.
Key Specs
| Spec | AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT |
|---|---|
| Base Clock (GHz): | 2.06 |
| Boost Clock (GHz): | 2.64 |
| Memory Size: | 8GB |
| Memory Type: | GDDR6 |
| AMD Architecture: | RDNA 2 |
| AMD FSR: | Yes |
| AMD Super Resolution: | Yes |
| AMD Radeon Software: | Yes |
| PCI Express Gen 4: | Yes |
| Graphics Card Power (W) | 180 |
| Required/Recommended System Power (W) | 500 |
Things We Like
Excellent gaming performance: The 6650 XT is somewhat of an underdog when it comes to performance. The driver improvements and optimisations make this GPU incredibly strong at both a 1080p and 1440p resolution.
Extremely competitive pricing: AMD’s 6650 XT is an extremely well priced card right now, with many AIBs coming in with a price point under the new Radeon RX 7600. If you’re looking for a cheap 1440p capable GPU this card is well worth picking up.
Things We Don’t Like
Only 8GB of VRAM: A consistent problem with budget GPUs is the use of 8GB of VRAM. If you’re the kind of consumer that plays triple A titles on the regular, you’ll want to consider looking at stronger alternatives that can meet the performance demands of modern games.
FSR isn’t as strong as DLSS: If you plan on playing the majority of your games at 1440p, it could be worth using FSR. But keep in mind that this tech won’t give you the returns that DLSS does when it comes to reducing performance overhead at a higher resolution.
Summary
AMD’s Radeon RX 6650 XT is an awesome 1080p and 1440p capable graphics card, coming in at an excellent price point versus the competition. There are few cards that can offer similar performance metrics at the same price, making the 6650 XT one of the best options on the market right now, and well worth considering versus the alternatives.
Features: 4.2/5
Architecture: 4.3/5
Performance: 4.5/5
Value for Money: 3.8/5
Pros
- Great 1080p and 1440p performance.
- Very competitive pricing.
- Perfect for a budget or mid-range system.
Cons
- Only offers 8GB of VRAM, not great for modern games.
- FSR is comparably weaker than DLSS.
Where to Buy
Buy the AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT on:
4. AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT
👑 The best budget 1440p capable graphics card.
For our last selection, we’ve picked out the 6700 XT, an old card that has been revitalised in the current market. The 6700 XT has faced a mass of price drops in the past few months, placing it around the $350 mark, with many AIB options sitting well below this price point. Looking at performance, the 6700 XT is one of the most capable budget/mid-range cards that you can pick up right now. Consumers can expect excellent performance both at 1080p and 1440p without any problems, making this GPU ideal for those with a high refresh rate display.
Key Specs
| Spec | AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT |
|---|---|
| Base Clock (GHz): | 2.32 |
| Boost Clock (GHz): | 2.58 |
| Memory Size: | 12GB |
| Memory Type: | GDDR6 |
| AMD Architecture: | RDNA 2 |
| AMD FSR: | Yes |
| AMD Super Resolution: | Yes |
| AMD Radeon Software: | Yes |
| PCI Express Gen 4: | Yes |
| Graphics Card Power (W) | 230 |
| Required/Recommended System Power (W) | 650 |
Things We Like
Perfect for 1440p and modern games: The 6700 XT is the only card in this roundup that has more than 8GB of VRAM. This makes it absolutely perfect for playing modern games at 1440p, as the performance demand won’t be as exacting on this card.
Not insanely expensive: The Radeon RX 6700 XT is more expensive than most other budget cards, but it sits at a more than reasonable price point considering the available performance metrics.
Things We Don’t Like
Not great for 4K: If you plan on playing any games at 4K, the Radeon 6700 XT is unfortunately not quite strong enough. You’ll want to take a look at some stronger options if you’re playing games at a 4K resolution.
Not ideal for true budget builds: Although this card is pretty cheap in comparison to the alternatives on the market right now, but it is still a $300 card, which might be too much to spend on a GPU for the majority of consumers.
Summary
AMD’s Radeon RX 6700 XT is a great graphics card geared towards consumers looking to play their favourite modern games at 1440p. Whilst this card is pricier than other models, it is well worth the extra cost in comparison to other 1440p capable GPUs.
Features: 4.3/5
Architecture: 4.2/5
Performance: 4.7/5
Value for Money: 4.6/5
Pros
- Strong performance at 1080p and 1440p.
- Perfect for modern games due to higher VRAM.
- Well priced versus other 1440p cards.
Cons
- Pricier than other budget cards.
- Not ideal for 4K.
Where to Buy
Buy the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT on:
Why Is AMD So Popular at the Moment?
AMD has been a mainstay in the graphics card space for as long as we can remember. Many of their popular GPUs that have released in the past five or six years are still being used in many consumers systems today. However, AMD made a bit of a loss during their Radeon 6000 cards due to the weaker hardware and performance versus NVIDIA alternatives. The Silicon Shortage also made these cards much harder to pick up, as the GPUs that were available sold out pretty much instantly.
AMD’s cards have been absolutely booming though at the moment, and the Radeon 6000 series of GPUs seem to be a better value-proposition now more than ever. But why?
There’s two reasons for this. Firstly is the driver updates and optimisations. AMD has undergone numerous driver reworks across their entire scope of products, and this has unlocked new levels of performance that we didn’t initially have access to. Radeon 6000 specifically has seen the biggest returns with cards like the RX 6650 XT offering improved performance at 1440p, in comparison to its original performance metrics which weren’t as good. And this spans across the entirety of the Radeon 6000 product range, with all of the new cards seeing performance uplifts without any caveats.
The second reason, is pricing. Radeon 6000 graphics cards have slowly been dropping in price over the past few months, and with the release of the Radeon 7600, prices are at an all-time low. Cards like the 6650, 6700 XT, and 6950 XT are well below their original MSRP price points, with the 6950 XT almost being half-price from certain vendors. Needless to say, AMD are hitting all areas of the market right now, and offer extremely competitive prices versus the NVIDIA and Intel cards for gaming and workstation systems.
Why You Can Trust Us
We have a team of passionate PC hardware and gaming enthusiasts are always on hand to test and evaluate a wide range of products. Along with gaming benchmarks and other testing methods, we’ll analyse all aspects of a product to forge a general overview of its quality and value. The results are then relayed onto our audience through YouTube videos and written content. If you’re keen to learn more about our team or editorial promise, head over to the ‘About Us’ section.
How We Tested the Best Budget Graphics Cards
In order to test and evaluate the best budget graphics cards, there are a number of factors that we take into account, these are:
- Performance
- Architecture
- Thermals
- Aesthetic
- Value for Money
Conclusion
Best Budget Graphics Card to Buy: AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT
The Radeon RX 6700 XT is one of AMD’s best graphics cards on the market right now, and is geared towards consumers looking to play modern triple A titles at 1080p or 1440p. This card is pricier than some other options on the market right now, but despite this, it is still an incredibly competitive choice that’s likely to last you for quite a few years to come.
Read our full read our AMD Radeon graphics card coverage, or Buy the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT on Amazon
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I Need a Good Graphics Card for 4K Gaming?
Yes you do. While there are some lower-end GPUs that can cope with a 4K resolution, you are likely to need a strong (and expensive) GPU to handle this higher resolution.
Which is Better, DLSS or FSR?
DLSS on the whole is better when it comes to upscaling. There’s fewer latency problems, and DLSS also offers more of a performance bonus in comparison to FSR.
Will My GPU Affect 1080p Gaming?
Not as much as your CPU. 1080p is a low resolution for gaming, and therefore has less pixels in comparison to higher settings. Your CPU will make more of an impact on 1080p gaming than your GPU will.
Are AIB Cards Better than Founders and Reference Models?
Not really. Although AIB cards might offer a slight increase in the boost clock speed, along with improvements to cooling, Founders and Reference cards are still very competitive options. Especially as these GPUs will be available for MSRP.
