Modern graphics cards have come a long way over the past few years, but with new features such as Ray Tracing and DLSS, it’s hard to know which graphics card is right for both your budget and your requirements.
There are tons of graphics cards out there that might not offer the same incredible amount of features and specs as some top cards, but still pack much more performance per dollar than you might expect, making them a much more viable option for those looking to get the best performance based on price.
Here are the best graphics cards for any budget, available today.
For those who only want the very best in their gaming PC, the Nvidia Titan RTX delivers power unlike any other card on the market, with a massive 24GB of GDDR6 RAM and a boosted clock speed of up to 1,770 MHz.
Primarily the Nvidia Titan RTX is designed for tasks such as AI and machine learning, but with all that power under the hood, it makes for an impressively over-kill gaming machine graphics card, if you can afford the extra price tag that comes with it. Unlike the Nvidia Titan V, the Nvidia Titan RTX utilizes NVLink, allowing you to double the power, although you would be hard-pressed to find a game that would actually make use of that much power.
So, if you’re looking for the best graphics card that will stretch your budget but offers you the most power available, this graphics card is hard to rival.
- NVLink enabled
- 72 RT cores
- Ultra-fast GDDR6
- 576 Tensor Cores
- 4608 NVIDIA CUDA cores
- Brand: Nvidia
- Cooling Method: Fan
- GPU Speed: 1770MHz
- Memory: 24GB GDDR6
- Power: 650W
- Plenty of memory
- Great airflow
- Stylish design
The AORUS GeForce RTX 3090 XTREME WATERFORCE has it all, with 24GB of GDDR6X memory, built-in water cooling, and easily one of the best looking RGB designs of a modern graphics card, what more could you want?
Using the Aorus engine app allows you to make changes to the RGB fans as well as the lights on the card itself, making the AORUS GeForce RTX 3090 XTREME WATERFORCE one of the most customizable graphics cards out there, and also allowing you to match the design of any other RGB fans or lights you might have inside your gaming PC.
Gigabyte is well known for only using the best parts in their components, meaning the AORUS GeForce RTX 3090 XTREME WATERFORCE will be dust resistant, run more efficiently, and at lower temperatures, and have a longer life, making this the ideal graphics card for any gamer.
- Built-in water cooling
- 3rd Generation Tensor cores
- 2nd Generation RT cores
- Brand: Nvidia
- Cooling Method: Water Cooling
- GPU Speed: 19500MHz
- Memory: 24GB GDDR6X
- Power: 350W
- Incredible cooling efficiency
- Plenty of memory
- SLI support
- Amazing design
AORUS GeForce RTX 3090 XTREME WATERFORCE
The AMD Radeon PRO WX 2100 is the perfect option for those looking for an office setup with multiple monitors. While it won’t play many of the modern games out today, it is powerful enough to meet all of your day-to-day office demands, while running up to three monitors in 4K.
This graphics card features active cooling, thus it doesn’t make much noise, nor does it consume much power. It includes one DisplayPort 1.4 and two Mini-DisplayPort 1.4 outputs, peaking at a maximum of 35W.
If you upgrade your PC to include the AMD Radeon PRO WX 2100, you won’t have to shell out more money on other components to keep it running smoothly. If you’re looking for a graphics card primarily for business purposes, this card will definitely meet your needs, as long as you don’t intend to play high-end games or the latest release AAA titles.
- Multiple display support
- 4K compatible
- Low-profile and full height brackets
- Brand: AMD
- Cooling Method: Fan
- GPU Speed: 1500MHz
- Memory: 2GB GDDR5
- Runs quietly
- Ideal for powerful office PCs
- Affordable
- Older GDDR5 memory
- Not powerful enough for VR or most games
If you’re looking for a top-end graphics card, but cards such as the 3090 or the Titan V are out of reach, the EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti XC3 12GB offers premium performance at a much more reasonable price.
Not only does the EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti XC3 12GB perform amazingly, but it also looks incredible too, with its built-in RGB and sleek design, it compliments most modern PC builds. To top it off, this graphics card looks awesome without causing your build to overheat, thanks to the triple fans and thermal sensors, designed to keep it running smooth and cool.
You’re getting great value for money, ultra-quiet cooling, and a graphics card that packs 12GB of GDDR6X RAM; that’s powerful enough for most games, so long as you have a compatible motherboard and CPU to support its performance.
- Ultra-quiet cooling
- Ray Tracing
- 12GB GDDR6X
- Brand: EVGA
- Cooling Method: Fan
- GPU Speed: 1665MHz
- Interface: PCI Express 4.0
- Memory: 12GB
- Great cooling
- Sleek design
- Easy overclocking
EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti XC3 12GB
If you are looking for high-performance gaming without paying over the odds, the XFX Speedster AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT is the perfect card for you. It features a whopping 12GB of GDDR6 RAM to rival some top NVIDIA cards on the market, enough to cope with most modern games without the need for shelling out on premium prices.
At 12.72 inches long and with its triple fan design, the XFX Speedster AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT is guaranteed to run cool no matter what you throw at it. Even when overclocked to speeds up to 2622 MHz, temperatures remain low, while performance increases.
With such an affordable retail price, you really can’t go wrong. AMD proves with the XFX Speedster AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT that you can still enjoy Ray Tracing and other next-gen features on a budget.
- Boosted speeds up to 2622MHz
- Triple fan cooling
- AMD Freesync support
- Brand: XFX
- Cooling Method: Fan
- GPU Speed: 2622MHz (oc)
- Interface: PCI-Express x16
- Memory: 12GB GDDR6
- Runs cool and quiet
- Plenty of RAM
- Easy overclocking
XFX Speedster AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT
The MSI Ventus 3X Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 Ti LHR has been built to keep cool and maintain top performance. Using the award-winning MSI TORX fan 3.0 design maintains 50 percent more air pressure than normal fans, while the thermal padding transfers heat directly to the heat sink providing the ultimate cooling.
MSI is known for the quality build of its components and the MSI Ventus 3X Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 Ti LHR is no exception. With the anti-bending bracket in place, you know that your GPU is built to last. It’s not just all about the hardware, the MSI Ventus 3X Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 Ti LHR comes with MSI Center, software designed to let you optimize, tweak and monitor your hardware in real-time.
So, if you’re in the market for a top-performing graphics card that features efficient cooling, this card is bound to tick all the boxes.
- Thermal padding
- 1695MHz boosted clock speed
- Silencing heatsink design
- 4864 CUDA cores
- Brand: MSI
- Cooling Method: Fan
- GPU Speed: 1695MHz
- Interface: PCI Express Gen 4
- Memory: 8GB GDDR6
- Power: 200W
- Up to four displays
- G-Sync ready
- VR ready
- Very good cooling
- Less memory than other cards at similar price
MSI Ventus 3X Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 Ti LHR
If you aren’t bothered about having the latest graphic card, and simply want a solid PC without the expense, then the ASUS GeForce RTX 2060 Overclocked 6G GDDR6 Dual-Fan EVO Edition is the perfect option for you.
It comes with Ray Tracing and all the features you would expect in an RTX graphics card, without the added expense of the latest NVIDIA 30 series, making it the perfect choice for those looking for a feature-rich mid-range gaming computer.
The ASUS GeForce RTX 2060 Overclocked 6G GDDR6 Dual-Fan EVO Edition uses a wing-blade design that has been created to run at zero decibels when the graphics card runs below 55 degrees Celsius, keeping your rig running quieter and allowing you to focus without noisy fans distracting you. It’s a solid graphics card that will allow you to run most recent games on medium settings.
- NVIDIA Turing
- GPU Tweak II software
- 1785MHz overclocked speed
- Brand: ASUS
- Cooling Method: Fan
- GPU Speed: 14000MHz
- Interface: PCI Express 3.0
- Memory: 6GB GDDR6
- Power: 500W
- Supports up to four monitors
- IP5X dust-resistance
- Various video output interfaces
- No NVlink/Crossfire Support
ASUS GeForce RTX 2060 Overclocked 6G GDDR6 Dual-Fan EVO Edition
The Maxsun AMD Radeon RX 550 is a perfect option for those looking for an entry-level card to fit a smaller case, while still being powerful enough to support up to 4K across multiple monitors.
Utilizing both AMD Radeon Chill and its large 9cm single fan, the Maxsun AMD Radeon RX 550 runs quietly without running into overheating issues and can be overclocked to speeds up to 1183MHz while maintaining cool temperatures. Maxsun AMD Radeon RX 550 cards support DirectX 12 offering much faster performance and better frames per second, compared to older DirectX 11 cards, while taking advantage of the Vulkan API offering better image quality across all modern operating systems, including Linux.
If a budget-friendly graphics card sounds like something you’d be interested in, the Maxsun AMD Radeon RX 550 is a great choice. It supports DisplayPort, DVI, and HDMI video outputs and only required 50W from your PC’s PSU.
- DirectX 12 support
- Boosted speeds up to 1183MHz
- Ports for DisplayPort, DVI, and HDMI
- Brand: Maxsun
- Cooling Method: Fan
- GPU Speed: 1100MHz
- Interface: PCIe 3.0 x8
- Memory: 4GB GDDR5
- Power: 50W
- Large 9cm fan
- Small size fits most cases
- AMD FreeSync compatible
- Not much memory
- Older GDDR5
FAQ
Q: Why Are Graphics Cards So Expensive Right Now?
There are a couple of reasons that the price of graphics cards has gone up, the first and main reason behind this is down to a global shortage of semiconductors that are used in making graphics cards, and as a result, has slowed down the production of them.
Secondly, demand has risen. When demand outweighs supply, it’s often common for prices to rise, this will often drop back down again shortly after the supply and demand ratio stabilizes, which in this case will likely be when the shortage of semiconductors is over.
Q: Do I Need A Dedicated Graphics Card?
This depends on what you use your computer for. If you plan to use it for gaming, video editing, or own a higher resolution monitor, such as a 4K or ultra-wide monitor, then you will likely need to upgrade from your integrated graphics to a dedicated graphics card to accommodate.
Q: Does A Graphics Card Improve Video Quality?
Your computer’s integrated graphics is built for basic usage, but if you plan to use your computer to watch videos, play games, or simply use it at a higher resolution, then a dedicated graphics card is an essential upgrade.
Dedicated graphics cards are designed to provide higher resolutions, more detail and in many cases offer tons of extra features used in gaming, such as Ray Tracing or DLSS.
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