8 Best Gaming Graphics Cards Under $400 in 2022 (Nvidia & AMD Options) |
Please note: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I also work with other affiliate partners and may be compensated from the links below. Details here.
With the global chip shortage extending into mid-2022 and showing no signs of ending any time soon, many gamers and PC enthusiasts are wondering if it’s possible to get their hands on a decent graphics card and still have funds left over to spend on less important things like food.
When some cards that have been around long enough to have seen what the world was like before the global pandemic are now going for more than twice their original MSRP, you might be surprised to learn that there are still some excellent gaming graphics cards that fall within a reasonable price-performance margin.
And so, we’ve taken a look at the best gaming graphics cards under $400 to help you gain the most performance at a reasonable price point.
Best Gaming Graphics Cards Under $400 in 2022 Round-Up
The table below will give you a quick look at our selections for the 8 best gaming graphics cards under $400 currently available on the market. To read a full review, simply click on ‘review>>’ in the respective row.
Product |
Rating |
||
1. ASUS GeForce RTX 2060 OC »Best gaming graphics card under $400 overall» |
Check Price review>> |
||
2. GIGABYTE Radeon RX 6600 Eagle »Best AMD graphics card under $400» |
Check Price review>> |
||
3. ZOTAC Gaming GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER »Best bang for your buck» |
Check Price review>> |
||
4. GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3050 Gaming OC »The only 30-series GPU under $400» |
Check Price review>> |
||
5. ASUS TUF Gaming NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti EVO OC »Cheapest GPU with solid 1080p performance» |
Check Price review>> |
||
6. PowerColor AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT »Most compact GPU under $400» |
Check Price review>> |
||
7. MSI GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER AERO ITX OC »Honorable mention» |
Check Price review>> |
||
8. MSI Gaming GeForce GTX 1650 »Honorable mention #2» |
Check Price review>> |
1. ASUS GeForce RTX 2060 OC
CUDA Cores: 1920 | Base Clock: 1395 MHz | Boost Clock: 1755 MHz Gaming Mode (1785 MHz OC Mode) | Memory: 6 GB GDDR6 | Memory Clock Speed: 14000 MHz | Memory Interface: 192-bit | Max. Monitors Supported: 4 | Dimensions: 242 x 130 x 53 mm
REASONS TO BUY
- Excellent performance for the money
- The best GPU for under $400
- Perfect for 1080p gaming
- Viable for 1440p gaming
- Quality construction
- Great cooling solution
- Ray Tracing
- Factory OC
REASONS TO AVOID
- Quite bulky
- Low aesthetic value
- No RGB
Our Rating: 9.8/10
If you’re looking to keep your GPU budget under $400 while making as few compromises as possible, then this custom RTX 2060 card by ASUS might just be the card of your dreams. Whether you’re wanting to immerse yourself in the marvel of virtual reality, augment your competitive edge with higher refresh rates, or appreciate the artistry of modern AAA titles in high resolution, this card has you covered.
Despite the RTX 2060 being an older generation GPU, it packs the performance to maintain its relevance in 2022. In most cases, we’re even seeing it outshine newer cards that fall within the same price range. As an RTX card, it’s also recent enough to be able to utilize ray-tracing technology in compatible games.
At 1080p, you can expect to be playing most competitive games with more than 100fps. Older titles like CS:GO will even clock in at well over 200fps. If you’re looking to up your resolution to 1440p and experience some of the best graphics gaming has to offer, this card will keep your gameplay smooth at a comfortable average of 60-70fps.
Only when it comes to the most graphically intense titles will this card start struggling to produce high frame rates. With that being said, even games like Assassin’s Creed Odyssey can still be rendered at more than 30fps.
On top of providing an excellent level of performance for a budget-friendly build, ASUS has also packed this card full of useful features.
Overclocking can be an intimidating prospect for buyers who aren’t familiar with the process. Those who are familiar might also be aware that buying a GPU with the intent to overclock can be a bit of a gamble. Due to imperfections in the process of silicon wafer manufacturing, your success with overclocking can depend on your luck with what’s been dubbed the “silicon lottery”.
ASUS has taken care of all the hassle for you here. This card comes packaged with the guarantee that your GPU will overclock to at least 1785 MHz, as well as the useful GPU Tweak II software that allows you to easily swap between different clock speeds and even safely experiment with some custom overclocking.
If a GPU is going to be overclocked, it’s going to produce significantly more heat. It’s essential to keep an overclocked card cool, otherwise, you risk shortening its life span, overheating your PC, or even causing immediate damage to your brand new card.
ASUS’s dual fan configuration and robust heat piping keep your thermals low even while you’re squeezing every bit of performance out of it you can. Even better, the fans are programmed to remain idle under 55°C and even manage to be quieter than most cards when they are spinning.
To top it all off, it has a quality aluminum plate backing to make sure nothing bends. In terms of connecting your monitor(s), the card has 2 HDMI ports, 1 DisplayPort, and 1 DVI-D port.
With everything this card offers, it’s hard to find much in the way of faults. However, there are a couple of reasons why some buyers might look elsewhere for their perfect budget-friendly GPU. First off, the card is quite large.
If you aren’t working it into an ATX build with at least a mid-tower case, you might run into trouble cramming it in with your other components. It also wasn’t designed with aesthetics in mind. Unless you enjoy a simple utilitarian style and aren’t too interested in RGB elements, you probably won’t find much display value in this card.
Despite some shortcomings, the ASUS GeForce RTX 2060 OC is an excellent choice for budget-oriented builds in 2022. It’s perfect for 1080p gaming and even puts 1440p gaming on the table. if you’re set on staying under $400 but want to get as much power as you can, then the ASUS GeForce RTX 2060 OC is where you’ll want to put your money.
View On Amazon
2. GIGABYTE Radeon RX 6600 Eagle
Stream Processors: 1792 | Base Clock: 1626 MHz | Boost Clock: 2044 MHz Gaming Mode (2491 MHz OC Mode) | Memory: 8 GB GDDR6 | Memory Clock Speed: 14000 MHz | Memory Interface: 128-bit | Max. Monitors Supported: 4 | Dimensions: 282 x 41 x 113 mm
REASONS TO BUY
- Best AMD card under $400
- Excellent performance for the money
- More VRAM than its Nvidia counterpart
- Perfect for 1080p gaming
- Viable for 1440p gaming
- Quality construction
- Excellent cooling solution
- Plenty of connectivity
REASONS TO AVOID
- Low aesthetic value
- No DVI port
- No RGB
Our Rating: 9. 7/10
Representatives of team red will be happy to see an AMD card making second on our list. In terms of average performance, it’s hot on the heels of our first choice. The difference will be imperceptible in many cases, only ever losing out by a couple of frames.
Fortunately for GIGABYTE’s Radeon RX 6600 Eagle, average performance benchmarks aren’t the only factor worth considering when buying a new GPU. The RX 6600 offers a few features that make it a viable choice over the RTX 2060.
The first thing to note is that the RX 6600 boasts a bit more VRAM than the RTX 2060. The RTX 2060 only has 6GB of VRAM while the RX 6600 comes equipped with 8GB. When it comes to gaming at 1080p, this isn’t usually going to make any difference. However, at 1440p, the difference can make or break your gaming experience.
The speed at which a GPU can render graphics starts to matter a lot less when the card it’s on doesn’t have enough VRAM to load all of the necessary assets at once. When it comes to rendering scenes that include a multitude of vibrant high-resolution textures, the RX 6600 has a better chance of staying smooth and reducing stutter.
In terms of dimensions, it’s just a bit longer than the RTX 2060, but that isn’t where you’ll run into issues with most builds. It is however significantly shorter and thinner, so if you’ve got a smaller case or are working with a Micro ATX motherboard you’re less likely to run into issues fitting it in.
Due to its longer and thinner face dimensions, the card comes equipped with 3 smaller fans. These fans are more than enough to keep the card nice and cool while it’s being put to work under high load. Unless you’re getting into some extreme overclocking, thermals shouldn’t ever be a concern.
It also includes an aluminum plate backing to reinforce the PCB’s integrity. Instead of having a DVI-D port to connect the card to older monitors, GIGABYTE opted for future-proofing with two DisplayPorts along with two HDMI ports.
Like the RTX 2060, performance is the main priority in this card’s design philosophy. It’s far from the flashiest card you can have on display. With a humble gray plastic covering and no RGB elements, its looks aren’t something to be writing home about.
In an age passed, AMD graphics cards might have been regarded as the lower-end alternative to NVIDIA’s more expensive premium hardware. Today, however, that simply isn’t the case. AMD clearly wasn’t content with its underdog status, and now we’re seeing its potential to stay competitive at just about every price point. And the RX 6600 Eagle is a perfect example of that.
View On Amazon
- YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Best Low Power Graphics Cards
3. ZOTAC Gaming GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER Twin Fan
CUDA Cores: 1408 | Base Clock: 1530 MHz | Boost Clock: 1785 MHz | Memory: 6 GB GDDR6 | Memory Clock Speed: 14000 MHz | Memory Interface: 192-bit | Max. Monitors Supported: 4 | Dimensions: 173 x 111 x 35 mm
REASONS TO BUY
- Fantastic price-to-performance ratio
- Modern memory configuration
- Superb 1080p performance
- Quality construction
- Efficient cooling
- Very compact
REASONS TO AVOID
- No ray tracing
- Less than ideal at 1440p
- Only 1 HDMI port
Our Rating: 9.6/10
Coming up next on our list is ZOTAC’s GTX 1660 SUPER custom card. If ray tracing and 1440p resolutions aren’t essential to you, it might be worth it to hang on to that extra little bit of cash.
NVIDIA’s 1600 series release was a bit of a unique one. In late 2018 NVIDIA introduced their RTX technology with the 2000 series of GPUs. Not long after, in early 2019, they followed up with the 1660 and 1650 models.
With the 2000 series gearing towards 1440p rendering and emphasizing the potential of ray tracing, the 1600s were fashioned to appeal to buyers who were interested in a brand new card but satisfied with the quality of gaming at 1080p. Later on, towards the end of 2019, they added the 1660 SUPER to the lineup.
So what is the difference between the 1660 and the 1660 SUPER? What is it that makes the card so “super” in comparison? NVIDIA has an arsenal of naming conventions at its disposal which can sometimes confuse the process of understanding which of its cards might be the best for your use case. When it comes to the 1660 and its SUPER counterpart, the difference is quite simple.
The GTX 1660 SUPER is actually identical to the regular 1660 in every aspect except for memory speed. Doubling the memory speed of the 1660, the SUPER solves some of the bottlenecking issues that had become apparent with the original model’s slower memory. Given that the 1660 SUPER’s price only suffers a small markup from the 1660, it would be difficult to ever justify purchasing the normal 1660 instead of the SUPER version.
Because ray tracing is a relatively new technology, there are many cases where its absence won’t even make a difference. As of April 2022, there are fewer than 60 video games available that support ray tracing. There are certainly a lot more to come, but it’s probably a good decision to see if your favorite games are RTX compatible before making your mind up about its value.
In terms of aesthetics, it might have a bit more display value with its sleek black stealth-like design, but with its lack of RGB elements it won’t be showing off your flair for color. Its rear IO comes equipped with 3 DisplayPorts and only 1 HDMI port. If you’re wanting to connect more than one monitor with HDMI, you’ll want to make sure you also have an adapter cable handy.
ZOTAC has bundled the components of this excellent price-performance-oriented card into a very compact package. Dual fans adopting state-of-the-art airflow design principles will also keep this card’s thermals relatively low under normal conditions.
Even under high load, this setup isn’t going to be particularly noisy. It will fit snugly into most modern PC builds, even being suitable for Mini ITX cases and motherboards.
Overall, the ZOTAC GTX 1660 SUPER is an excellent graphics card for compact builds designed for 1080p gaming. Yes, the price is a bit higher compared to what it was before the chip shortage. But, as it stands today, this GPU offers the best price-to-performance ratio out of the 1600-series lineup while staying below the $400 mark.
View On Amazon
- ALSO READ: Best Graphics Cards for 3D Rendering
4. GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3050 Gaming OC
CUDA Cores: 2560 | Base Clock: 1550 MHz | Boost Clock: 1822 MHz OC Mode | Memory: 8 GB GDDR6 | Memory Clock Speed: 14000 MHz | Memory Interface: 128-bit | Max. Monitors Supported: 4 | Dimensions: 282 x 117 x 41 mm
REASONS TO BUY
- 3000 Ampere architecture
- The only 30-series card available under $400
- Great 1080p performance
- Attractive aesthetics
- Power-efficient
- Great cooling solution
- Ray tracing
- 8GB VRAM
- Factory OC
REASONS TO AVOID
- Excessive markup
- Less than ideal at 1440p
Our Rating: 9. 6/10
Are you surprised to see one of NVIDIA’s most recent GPUs so far from the top of the list? (We are just as surprised to be putting it here!) The GPU market is currently a bit, well, wacky to say the least. In another reality, this card might be receiving a glowing recommendation. Unfortunately, a handful of present factors and circumstances create a few reservations.
We’ll be most directly comparing the RTX 3050 to the RTX 2060 since these are the only cards on our list that offer ray tracing.
Ray tracing capabilities are where this card really shines. With significantly more CUDA cores, reflections, shadows, and texture shading is going to render more realistically with the 3050. On top of having more CUDA cores, these 2nd generation cores are better optimized.
In addition to the 3050’s ray tracing effectiveness, NVIDIA’s Ampere architecture has made a substantial leap forward in power efficiency. While its max thermals and max power consumption remain comparable to previous architectures, Ampere distributes power much more efficiently at low to medium GPU load.
Furthermore, this card includes 8GB of GDDR6 VRAM. It can load textures and assets very quickly and can keep a lot of them primed and ready to render all at once. The chip itself isn’t quite built to handle any resolution higher than 1080p, but this can still come in handy with games that want to put a lot of different entities on your screen at the same time.
Unfortunately for gamers, the 3050’s highlights demonstrate the double-edged sword that is a good chip design. These features have made the RTX 3000 series a prime target for scalpers and crypto miners. At MSRP, this card is a much more reasonable purchase.
Regrettably, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a 3050 being sold for less than $300, that is if you can even find it in stock somewhere, to begin with. If you do end up getting lucky, it’ll be an exceptional card for your money. For now, as it’s struggling to stay below $400, it might be a better bet to stick with an older card.
When it comes to average performance, the three graphics cards that we’ve placed higher on this list tend to be more reliable. It’s settling in just a bit below what we’d typically recommend for a smooth 1440p experience but does hold up great when it comes to 1080p. Competitive games will have you comfortably sitting around 100fps, and more demanding games shouldn’t be dropping very far below 60fps very often if they even do at all.
In addition, GIGABYTE’s cover includes 3 of their highly reliable WINDFORCE fans to keep thermals in check. Two DisplayPorts and two HDMI ports allow for 4 simultaneous monitor connections. To top everything off, an aluminum backplate preserves this very long card’s structural integrity.
If you’re the type of person who often finds themself at the right place at the right time (or at least the right GPU retail website), if you’re willing to spend a bit of extra cash on the comfort of owning one of the most recent chip models, or maybe if you just don’t mind waiting a little while for the GPU market to (hopefully) normalize a bit, then the RTX 3050 is a perfectly satisfactory card for your 1080p gaming needs.
One thing to be careful of if you’re doing your own research is a change to what you might be used to with NVIDIA’s naming conventions. In the past, NVIDIA has differentiated its compact laptop iterations by adding the letter ‘m’ to the end of the product’s title.
With 3000 series cards, you’ll instead see ‘Laptop GPU’ tacked onto the end. This seems like it might help with clarity, but when it comes to search engines, review sites, benchmarks, and other useful research tools will sometimes turn up the laptop version’s results instead of the standalone graphics card. It’s also worth noting that as of April 2022, a 3050 Ti model exists for laptops while there is no such card for desktops.
With all that being said, the GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3050 Gaming OC is still a viable graphics card that offers great 1080p performance and better-optimized power delivery compared to previous generations. We highly recommend you buy this card if you can find it around the $320 mark.
View On Amazon
- RELATED READING: Best White Gaming Graphics Cards
5.
ASUS TUF Gaming NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti EVO OC
CUDA Cores: 1536 | Base Clock: 1500 MHz | Boost Clock: 1770 Mhz | Memory: 6 GB GDDR6 | Memory Clock Speed: 12000 MHz | Memory Interface: 192-bit | Max. Monitors Supported: 4 | Dimensions: 206 x 124 x 46 mm
REASONS TO BUY
- Excellent performance at 1080p
- High core clock speeds
- Factory OC
- 6GB of fast VRAM
- Compact design
- Quality construction
REASONS TO AVOID
- Not suitable for 1440p
- Excessive markup
- Similar average value to ‘SUPER’ counterpart
Our Rating: 9.5/10
Another premium 1080p card to keep your eye out for is ASUS’s TUF brand of the GTX 1660 Ti. This card has a very similar average performance benchmark when compared to its peer the 1660 SUPER.
When the 1660 SUPER was first released, the relatively massive price difference between the two despite their similar specs made the 1660 SUPER a no-brainer. As price points have fluctuated these two GPUs now find themselves neck and neck. We’d like to say that the price of the 1660 Ti dropped to match its competitor but unfortunately, the opposite is true.
If you’re gunning for one version of the 1660 or the other, it wouldn’t be a bad call to leave the decision to whichever card you can find a better deal for on any given day of the month or even week. When we look at their benchmarks, the two cards trade blows back and forth depending on what particular metric is in question.
We’ll summarize the major differences here to help you make sure you’re making an informed decision.
To start, the 1660 Ti has a higher core clock speed than the 1660 SUPER. This means that the actual process itself is just a little bit faster. However, the specifications of the 1660 SUPER include faster memory speed. One card isn’t simply straight-up better than the other.
Generally speaking, the faster core clock speed of the 1660 Ti is going to lend itself well to rendering in 1080p. When you up the resolution to 1440p, the 1660 Ti starts to experience memory bottlenecks and the 1660 SUPER will start to pull ahead.
As long as you’re sticking to 1080p the 1660 Ti is, generally speaking, going to outperform the 1660 SUPER by a small margin. We do see a handful of cases where this isn’t true with Fortnite being the most popular example. The 1660 Ti also, generally speaking, tends to command a higher price tag.
ASUS has taken the reins with overclocking this card, guaranteeing a potential core clock speed of at least 1845 MHz. They’ve also included the GPU Tweak II software to steer you along with a safe and simple custom overclocking experience.
At factory settings, ASUS’s cooling setup is built to keep heat levels low. You shouldn’t run into any thermal problems until you start pushing the limits of its overclocking potential.
In terms of connectivity, the card includes a single DVI-D port in case you’re interested in getting some more use out of an older 1080p monitor. Along with that, it also has 2 HDMI ports and one DisplayPort connector.
In most cases, the potential longevity of the newer 1660 SUPER and predominantly lower cost is going to make it the better option. Nevertheless, if you’re set on sticking to 1080p and find its price to be suitable, the 1660 Ti is still a worthy contender.
View On Amazon
- YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Best RGB Motherboards
6. PowerColor AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT
Streaming Processors: 1024 | Base Clock: 2310 MHz | Boost Clock: 2610 MHz Gaming Mode (2815 MHz OC Mode) | Memory: 4 GB GDDR6 | Memory Clock Speed: 18000 MHz | Memory Interface: 64-bit | Max. Monitors Supported: 2 | Dimensions: 165 x 125 x 40 mm
REASONS TO BUY
- Best price-performance on this list
- Way below the $400 mark
- Least expensive 1080p GPU
- Beautifully compact
- Power-efficient
- Runs cool
REASONS TO AVOID
- Only 2 display connectors
- Not suitable for 1440p
- Less ideal at 1080p
Our Rating: 9. 3/10
Given the current state of the GPU market, we wouldn’t blame you for feeling a bit overwhelmed by the plethora of factors to consider. Let’s take a breather from all of the convoluted naming conventions and nonsensical price variations.
Boiling everything down to one straightforward objective, squeezing as much value as possible from every dollar spent, PowerColor’s AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT swoops in to save the day.
In defiance of its status as the cheapest card on our list, this RX 6500 XT crams a substantial amount of processing power into an affordable component. When it comes to raw price-performance margins, the competition doesn’t even come close. In fact, even when we expand beyond the scope of this list, the RX 6500 XT is still the undisputed champion.
PowerColor has taken this distinction and rolled with it. Instead of tacking on an array of bells and whistles, they’ve refrained from burdening your budget with anything that isn’t absolutely necessary. This RX 6500 XT’s rectangular matte black cover is simply defined. It features a single fan mounted to a standard heat sink.
Tech-wise, there isn’t anything especially notable here. Considering the 6500 XT’s modest thermals, there doesn’t need to be.
Since it’s designed for the mini-ITX form factor, this card is quite compact. It’ll fit cozily into any tiny PC build, and have plenty of room to spare in any adhering to ATX standards. It only has two display connectors, one for HDMI and one for DisplayPort. You likely won’t end up wanting for more though unless you’re using multiple monitors at 720p or lower resolution. At these benchmarking levels, it isn’t ideal for a setup with more than 1 monitor.
In terms of absolute performance, this card isn’t going to get you anywhere adequate at 1440p. At 1080p, it won’t struggle to consistently stay above 30fps when rendering more recent titles. Classic competitive titles like CS:GO on the other hand will be even better off at this resolution, able to easily keep up with the 144fps standard.
There are plenty of reasons why you might consider opting to buy this card instead of some of the others that might still fit your budget. Purchasing this card will ensure that you’re milking every penny you spend to its limit, while also leaving you with plenty of cash to spare.
It’s also a highly suitable addition to any smaller PC build. As a final point, if you’re finding yourself hesitating to invest in an overpriced premium card and are still holding out hope for prices to stabilize in the near future, this card might be the just the thing to tide you over until circumstances improve.
View On Amazon
- READ ALSO: Best CPU Under $300
7. MSI GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER AERO ITX OC
CUDA Cores: 1280 | Base Clock: 1530 MHz | Boost Clock: 1725 MHz OC Mode | Memory: 4 GB GDDR6 | Memory Clock Speed: 12000 MHz | Memory Interface: 128-bit | Max. Monitors Supported: 3 | Dimensions: 172 x 115 x 42 mm
REASONS TO BUY
- Factory OC
- Decent at 1080p
- Wider memory bus
- Quality construction
- Very compact
REASONS TO AVOID
- Low price-performance ranking
- Not suitable for 1440p
- Excessive markup
- Limited compatibility with varying monitor setups
- High thermals
Our Rating: 9.2/10
Our final two choices are 1650 series NVIDIA GPUs released with the intent to be more affordable alternatives to their 1660 counterparts. With little to no viability for 1440p, these cards give buyers the option to save a bit of money by sacrificing the potential to bump their resolutions up above 1080p.
MSI’s GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER AERO ITX OC is going to be the mightiest choice of that bunch. It performs just a bit better than the RX 6500 XT on average, but a significantly higher price earns it a lower spot on our list of recommendations.
Comparing its array of specifications to the 6500 XT, it’s initially a little unclear why this card might be performing better. Its memory and processor clock speeds are both slower. Aside from that, every other spec looks to be about the same. There is just one sneaky little element that grants this card advantage in some circumstances. Its memory bus is twice as wide as the 6500 XT’s.
The way this affects a card’s ability to handle graphics calculations can be easily compared to the idea of vehicles on a highway. Even if one highway has a higher speed limit, allowing cars to travel faster, if it only has half as many lanes as another highway it might be more likely to get congested and cause traffic to slow down. In this way, the 1650 SUPER’s much wider memory bus allows it to leverage its other specs much more efficiently.
Once again, these kinds of very discrete differences mean that the effective performance of each card is highly dependent on the specific game being played. In this case, wider memory buses lend their strength to games with more complex lighting and reflection effects. The difference can be pretty huge, so if your decision is coming down to the 1650 SUPER or the 6500 XT your best bet is to look up benchmarks for how your favorite games measure up with each card.
MSI has also overclocked this card for you, guaranteeing a boost clock of at least 1740 MHz. This card is also compatible with MSI’s streamlined overclocking software, MSI Afterburner. While this does mean you can venture into overclocking this card even further, doing so can incur a bit of a risk with this particular card.
For the amount of processing power it has, and the amount of heat that processing generates, one fan might not be enough to push this GPU to its absolute limits. Even restrained to its factory overclock settings, it runs a bit hotter than comparable graphics cards. If you’re adding it to a smaller build that lacks good airflow, overclocking it any further puts you at risk of overheating.
MSI includes a port for DVI-D on top of having one for DisplayPort and one for HDMI. You’ll be able to hook it up to just about any monitor. Like with the 6500 XT, it wouldn’t be recommendable to use this card with more than one monitor. The number and variety of available ports should be enough for the vast majority of users.
View On Amazon
- RELATED READING: Best White Motherboards
8. MSI Gaming GeForce GTX 1650 Ventus XS
CUDA Cores: 896 | Base Clock: 1485 MHz | Boost Clock: 1860 MHz OC Mode | Memory: 4 GB GDDR6 | Memory Clock Speed: 8000 MHz | Memory Interface: 128-bit | Max. Monitors Supported: 3 | Dimensions: 245 x 127 x 39 mm
REASONS TO BUY
- Least expensive NVIDIA card
- Good 1080p performance
- DVI connection
- Smaller size
- Decent aesthetic value
- Low thermals
REASONS TO AVOID
- Outrageous markup
- Not viable for 1440p
- Might be too large for some Mini ITX cases
Our Rating: 9. 1/10
Concluding our list of the best GPUs under $400 is MSI’s standard edition of the GTX 1650. This card is more of a “we recommend keeping an eye on this card” than a “we recommend buying this card right now”. It might be one of the cheapest cards on our list, but it’s also one of the least powerful.
At its original price, it featured a palatable enough price-performance ratio. However, the cost is currently hovering around double what it started out at. This is a rather extreme markup.
The market is currently quite bad for buyers, but we’re typically only seeing markups of around 50%. It’s well within reason to suspect that the 1650’s current price tag won’t be able to endure market forces for much longer and will eventually settle back down to something tolerable.
If you’ve got the patience to set your sights on the horizon and hold out for that hopeful future, then a modest but reliable entry-level graphics card might be waiting for you on the other side. It sits at the bare minimum of 1080p gaming but absolutely refuses to drop below 30 fps outside of extreme circumstances in the latest AAA titles.
It’s just barely too large to be a guaranteed fit in a Mini ITX build, but if the case has a bit of extra room to spare it might still be a compatible fit. Like the 1650 SUPER from MSI, their standard 1650 edition comes factory overclocked and set to be compatible with MSI Afterburner for more custom overclocking.
This version’s dual fan setup and somewhat more effective heat sink will tend to make your attempts at doing so a little more fruitful.
Connectivity-wise, it offers a variety of ports including a single DisplayPort, HDMI, and DVI-D port to suit the variety of screens different users might have on hand. As a bit of a bonus, its case has a bit of a more interesting design than some of the others on our list. Octangular silver elements accentuate the card’s sleek black fan blades. There was clearly a bit more attention given to this model’s visual design.
Aside from that, if you’re not a diehard NVIDIA enthusiast, or don’t just harbor a deep level of appreciation for NVIDIA’s generally more user-friendly and better-implemented software and feature inclusions, there aren’t many compelling reasons to pull the trigger on purchasing a 1650 instead of one of the other contenders on our list.
For now, if the performance of this card is hitting all of your sweet spots, it’s in your best interest to wait for better days. Despite being a solid enough GPU, our other suggestions are looking a lot more appealing by comparison.
View On Amazon
In Conclusion
Buying a GPU in 2022 isn’t nearly as straightforward as it once was. New technologies, evolving marketing strategies, and extraordinary global events have made the process quite discouraging. As if the outrageous prices weren’t bad enough, buyers will also have to decipher cryptic buzzwords and naming conventions.
These have been our picks for the best gaming graphics cards under $400. We hope that by sharing our thoughts, we’ve helped you to feel better about (or at the very least better informed about) the potentially daunting investment in a GPU that can suit both your gaming and budgetary needs.
7 Best Graphics Cards under $400 in 2022
The best graphics cards under $400 on the market.
If you want to find the best graphics card under 400 dollars, this article is the most helpful assistant in the matter. The entries on the list below are the most efficient in their task of creating smooth and immersive visuals. Even with a limited budget, you can easily have a great gaming experience.
Top 7 Best Graphics Cards under $400
-
ZOTAC GeForce RTX 2060 —
Our Choice
-
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1660 —
Low noise output
-
EVGA GeForce RTX 2060 —
With dual fans
-
MSI Radeon RX 5600 XT —
Stylish
-
Sapphire Radeon RX 5600 XT —
Great value for money
-
ASUS TUF Radeon RX 5600XT —
Solid performance
-
ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1660 Ti —
Easy to install
Under this price tag, you can find models capable of supporting ultra graphics settings at FHD resolution or even higher, with a high FPS count in addition. The search needs to be thorough to find such good deals, but you can skip that tedious process and make use of this list.
1. ZOTAC GeForce RTX 2060
Our Choice
Stream Processors: 1920 CUDA Cores | Core Clock: 1365 MHz ( 1680 MHz boost) | Memory: 6 GB | Memory Clock: 14 Gbps | Power Connectors: 1 x 8-Pin | Outputs: 3 x DisplayPort 1.4, 1 x HDMI 2.0b
- ✚ Simplified installation
- ✚ Sufficient for gaming
- ✚ Great materials
- ✚ External aesthetics
- — Underpowered cooling
$
VIEW ON AMAZON
Rating
Quite possibly, it’s the absolute best graphics card under 400 dollars. Its powers are quite impressive and can even be compared to those of more expensive models. With the latest Turing architecture and Twin Fan arrangement, it can reproduce complicated visuals while maintaining reasonable temperatures.
As a gamer, you can expect real-time ray tracing and AI to perform at their best. Not only that, but the card can also work with VR applications and has some newer algorithms that make visuals look more impressive. It supports Variable Rate Shading, Multi-View Rendering and VRWorks Audio.
2. Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1660
Low noise output
Stream Processors: Nvidia Turing TU116 | Core Clock: 1785 MHz ( 1830 MHz boost) | Memory: 6 GB | Memory Clock: 12 Gbps | Power Connectors: 1 x 8-Pin | Outputs: 1 x HDMI, 3 x DisplayPort
- ✚ Generates 1080p visuals
- ✚ Cost relates well to power
- ✚ Nearly noiseless
- ✚ Sensibly priced
- — Under stress temperatures starts to rise
$
VIEW ON AMAZON
Rating
This particular model supplies you with an exquisite photo mode that can capture the finest details of your battle glory. Each shot will have the highest resolution with features like 360-degree, HDR and stereo support.
It is a mainstream card, but the visuals are as near outstanding as you can hope. The AAA titles can be enjoyed in FHD with a 60 FPS rate and higher still for some esports titles.
3. EVGA GeForce RTX 2060
With dual fans
Stream Processors: 1920 | Core Clock: 1750 MHz ( 1755 MHz boost) | Memory: 6 GB | Memory Clock: 14 Gbps | Power Connectors: 1 x 8-Pin | Outputs: 3 DVI-D
- ✚ Similar to pricier models
- ✚ An upgraded version of an RX 5600 XT
- ✚ Ray-tracing plus DLSS
- ✚ Cheaper than other RTX 2060 versions
- — Somewhat noisy performance
$
VIEW ON AMAZON
Rating
It’s the best graphics card for under 400 dollars for those who want to enjoy high-res gaming. You can set all the highest preferences in your game with a 60 FPS FHD screen and a QHD one will require minor scaling down.
You can expect efficient processing, smooth and realistic visuals in any game. Among all the versions built on the 2060 core, this one is the most reasonably priced with only a high noise level as a negative consequence of that.
4. MSI Radeon RX 5600 XT
Stylish
Stream Processors: 2304 | Core Clock: 1420 MHz ( 1600 MHz boost) | Memory: 6 GB | Memory Clock: 12 Gbps | Power Connectors: 8-Pin | Outputs: 3x DisplayPort / 1x HDMI 2.0b
- ✚ Low-temperature performance
- ✚ Value for money
- ✚ Little noise
- ✚ Pleasant design
- — Reliable performance
$
VIEW ON AMAZON
Rating
This is a very solid option as well, with 7nm RDNA architecture and a supply of 6 GB of GDDR6 VRAM. You can easily play current games at Full HD and enjoy smooth and realistic visuals. The card keeps steady and cool while doing its best, the merit of the interesting fan design.
It has alternating traditional and dispersion blades that send focused and powerful airflow into the heatsink. The computational capacity is perfect for VR gameplay. The API support allows you to control the performance through your favorite program.
5. Sapphire Radeon RX 5600 XT
Great value for money
Stream Processors: AMD Radeon Navi | Core Clock: 1615 MHz ( 1750 MHz boost) | Memory: 192 bits | Memory Clock: 14 Gbps | Power Connectors: PCI | Outputs: 3 x DP, 1 x HDMI
- ✚ Agile for this price class
- ✚ Effective heat dissipation
- ✚ The Boost algorithm functions perfectly
- ✚ Sufficiently powered for 1080p gaming
- — Unwieldy frame
$
VIEW ON AMAZON
Rating
Another candidate for the best 400 dollar GPU title that can put up a good fight. This GPU comes with 2304 processors supported by the latest RDNA architecture with a 7nm gate length. It can operate with the Game Clock of 1615 MHz or the Boost Clock reaching 1750 MHz.
Its capacity is enough to produce a 60 FPS rate when you are playing AAA games. While it can’t be considered flawless, the testing results are higher than the manufacturer’s estimations. In fact, the card can compete with some of the slightly more powered entries on this list.
6. ASUS TUF Radeon RX 5600XT
Solid performance
Stream Processors: 2304 | Core Clock: 1660 MHz ( 1615 MHz boost) | Memory: 6 GB | Memory Clock: 12 Gbps | Power Connectors: 1 x 8-Pin | Outputs: 3 x DisplayPort 1.4, 1 x HDMI 2.0b
- ✚ Can be pushed to 1660 MHz
- ✚ Dual-fan cooler
- ✚ Good temperature control
- ✚ 2304 stream processors
- — Overpriced
$
VIEW ON AMAZON
Rating
This model is a good option if you’re building an AMD setup to enjoy FHD visuals when playing games. You’ll have 6 GB of GDDR6 VRAM. Combined with the 7nm RDNA architecture, it results in incredible smoothness of visuals. You can even expect good performance in the VR apps. What’s also great about the model is the cooling.
To start with, you get a set of two fans with elongated blades and a barrier ring that make less noise but cool more efficiently. In addition, they work only when the card heats to a certain temperature. This means that you can enjoy its quiet performance at all times except when the visuals are getting intense.
7. ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1660 Ti
Easy to install
Stream Processors: 1536 CUDA Cores | Core Clock: 1770 MHz ( 1860 MHz boost) | Memory: 6 GB | Memory Clock: 12 Gbps | Power Connectors: 1 x 8-Pin | Outputs: 3 x DisplayPort 1.4, 1 x HDMI 2.0b
- ✚ Price and performance are well-balanced
- ✚ Potent overclocking
- ✚ Simple installation
- ✚ Temperature control
- — Value for money
$
VIEW ON AMAZON
Rating
It’s another strong contestant for the name of the best graphics card under 400 dollars. The brand seems to be particularly fond of tuning up existing designs, and so this one is a “Super” version of a year-old model.
It does have the strongest Turing architecture and an incredibly fast GDDR6 memory unit. If you have an FHD monitor, this model will be enough to bring the visuals up to the standard.
IMAGE | NAME | FEATURES | |
---|---|---|---|
ZOTAC GeForce RTX 2060 Compact |
|
CHECK PRICE → | |
EVGA GeForce RTX 2060 Easy to Install |
|
CHECK PRICE → | |
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1660 Our Choice |
|
CHECK PRICE → |
How to Choose the Best Graphics Card under 400 Dollars?
Assembling a new PC for gaming is an expensive matter. When it comes to such crucial components as the video card, it is extremely important to find a well-balanced deal. To begin with, prices for graphics cards are mostly stable and discounts are only introduced when the newer models are about to pop. Plus, if there is a sale of some decent model, it gets sold out almost immediately. You can hunt for such rare deals if you find it fun, but a more reasonable approach is to find a model that offers the most for the smallest price.
Graphics Card Variants
So, you made up your mind about the GPU model that you want to install only to discover that there are very different versions to be found on the market. The trick is that AMD and NVIDIA make the cards themselves, and then there are various intermediary brands that equip them with accessories. For example, NVIDIA recently manufactured one new GPU model, the GTX 1650. Soon enough, giants like Gigabyte and many other large and small companies issued their versions supplied with cooling, overclocking, illumination and similar bells and whistles, all in different configurations.
In this manner, the market is supplied with ample choice, but the process of selecting the best video graphics card for under 400 bucks is turned into endless hours of comparison. To make it easier, see below which of these add-ons are really important and how you should prioritize additional features.
Who’s Who in GPUs: AMD vs. Nvidia
If you research the market of assembled PCs, you will find that regular machines are built to rely heavily on the CPU and RAM combination. Unless the device is intended for gaming, you will find no graphics card in it as such. What they normally have is an integrated graphics-acceleration silicon unit that performs this role and brings the cost down significantly.
Integrated units work just fine for regular tasks and even some more visually-intense activities. Regular users and businessmen routinely rely on laptops and desktops with such a build and never know any trouble. However, they aren’t suitable for gamers and creative professionals since games and software operate using a dedicated graphics card.
Target Resolution
This value is basically the total pixel count of your entire screen that the graphics card will have to process. This number defines how powered a GPU needs to be and consequentially, how much you will need to spend. However, it will also depend on the intended use because dedicated GPUs are capable of generating 4K visuals for everyday purposes.
A satisfactory gamer’s experience requires much more from the hardware because here, a refresh rate is driven up significantly. Aside from that, the GPU makes other computations like the geometry and lighting of the scene, everything on the go and in real-time. The sharper you want to keep the details of your high-paced game, the more powerful a device you will need.
FAQ
The RTX 2080 model is better all throughout. It is more recent, costs less and performs faster than the GTX 1080 Ti. The latter outperforms it in a few games but it doesn’t justify the difference in their prices.
This model can only be considered “future proof” at a stretch because the latest games are starting to tax it more and more. Something much better capable of standing the test of time will be the Radeon 5700XT model that costs about the same but performs on the level with the RTX 2070 Super instead.
For this year, the model is still considered quite potent and its capabilities are compared to those of the RTX 2070 Super. This GPU is now priced at about $500. You can say it loses 10% of its value per each following year of remaining on the market.
If you take the 2070 GPU, its Ray Tracing capabilities are somewhat lousy, especially compared to the 2080 Ti, but then there is the 2060 GPU that doesn’t support it at all. Technically, the RTXs are similar to the old 10xx series with the difference in their naming patterns only. However, this series of GPUs is entirely new, and that keeps its prices at a higher level.
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Founders Edition Review: Ampere for Only $399
Tom’s Hardware Verdict
The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti beats last year’s RTX 2080 Super and costs $300 less. It’s a great option for the $400 GPU market, though once again we expect it will sell out quickly for the next couple of months.
Pros
- +
Great price/performance ratio
- +
Attractive pricing (if it stays in stock)
- +
Efficient, cool, and decent overclocking
- +
DLSS 2.0 makes it even faster
Cons
- —
8GB VRAM can be limiting
- —
Good luck finding one in stock
- —
No LEDs (if you like bling)
Today’s best RTX 3060 Ti deals
$524.96
$449.99
View
Reduced Price
$629.99
View
$1,849
View
Show More Deals
The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti brings the entry price for Ampere GPUs down to $400, because apparently the GeForce RTX 3070, GeForce RTX 3080, and GeForce RTX 3090 weren’t selling out fast enough. Maybe that’s not fair, but round four of the Nvidia Ampere architecture seems destined to repeat recent history and sell out within minutes of launch. The fact that this is now the best price to performance ratio in GPU land makes it one of the best graphics cards, and it currently occupies seventh place on our GPU Benchmarks hierarchy, not counting any Titan cards. Maybe if you’ve been really good (or you’re really lucky), you’ll be able to procure one this side of 2021. [Update: Yup, the RTX 3060 Ti sold out fast. Here’s our advice on how to buy an RTX 3060 Ti (or other new Nvidia GPU).]
Not a whole lot has changed relative to the RTX 3070. Both the RTX 3060 Ti and 3070 use the same GA104 GPU, but the 3060 Ti has fewer functional units enabled. You get the same 8GB of GDDR6 memory, clocked at the same 14Gbps. Meanwhile, the GPU core has 38 SMs enabled, versus 46 SMs on the 3070, making the 3060 Ti theoretically around 17 percent slower. 2)
The specs tell the same story relative to the previous generation Nvidia Turing GPUs. The 3060 Ti has quite a bit more theoretical compute performance than the RTX 2080 Super, and more than doubles the compute performance relative to the RTX 2060 Super. We know GPU prices are all kinds of screwed up right now, but it’s worth remembering that the 2060 Super had the same official $399 price as the 3060 Ti. Power requirements are slightly higher than the 2060 Super, but lower than the 2080 Super.
Of course, theoretical specs don’t always jive with real-world performance. One of the big changes with Ampere is that the INT32 cores can now do FP32 calculations as well. However, there’s a decent amount of INT32 work in most games, so a good chunk of the potential FP32 performance is used up elsewhere. Still, with the other architectural changes, we expect the 3060 Ti to perform roughly on par with the 2080 Super, which means it will also be significantly faster than the 2060 Super.
Image 1 of 12
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
There are no surprises in regards to the design and aesthetics of the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Founders Edition: It’s identical to the RTX 3070 FE, except for the small text that now says RTX 3060 Ti. It’s a reasonably compact card that will fit in most cases, measuring 9.5 inches long. If you’re doing a mini-ITX build, plan accordingly, but most ATX and micro-ATX cases should be fine.
With a reduced TDP of 200W, and considering what we saw from the 3070, cooling and noise shouldn’t pose any problem. We’ll get to the hard numbers later, but let’s just say that the 1665 MHz boost clock is very conservative at stock, and there’s a decent bit of overclocking headroom as well.
Connectivity consists of the same triple DisplayPort 1.4a outputs and single HDMI 2.1 port that we’ve seen on other Ampere Founders Edition models. You can use up to four monitors, and there’s some ventilation on the rest of the IO bracket.
Somewhat interesting is that even the RTX 3060 Ti Founder Edition continues to use Nvidia’s 12-pin power connector. Again, we’re not quite sure what the point is, particularly since it just takes a single 8-pin PEG connector on one end and passes that through to the 12-pin connection. Even better is that Nvidia had concept renderings of the 3070 with an 8-pin connector. It doesn’t really matter, as the adapter cable is included in the box, but it’s also completely unnecessary. The 3080/3090 at least changed the PCB and have the 12-pin connector mounted in such a way that it uses a bit less area. Not surprisingly, none of the AIB partners seem interested in pushing the 12-pin agenda, so if you really don’t like it, there will be plenty of other options.
MORE: Best Graphics Cards
MORE: GPU Benchmarks
MORE: All Graphics Content
- 1
Current page:
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Founders Edition Review
Next Page Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Overclocking
Jarred Walton is a senior editor at Tom’s Hardware focusing on everything GPU. He has been working as a tech journalist since 2004, writing for AnandTech, Maximum PC, and PC Gamer. From the first S3 Virge ‘3D decelerators’ to today’s GPUs, Jarred keeps up with all the latest graphics trends and is the one to ask about game performance.
up to 150, 200, 250, 400 dollars
This material was written by a site visitor and has been rewarded.
Recently, AMD and Nvidia have been bombarding with their graphics cards. AMD frankly pumps up, losing market share. Apparently, it’s not that the Radeon RX 5700 series video cards are not selling well. The situation is such that AMD has long had nothing to offer to buyers who want to take a modern card for $200. Instead, we were offered to buy illiquid assets of 2017, which is lying on the shelves and no one needs it for a long time. Nvidia, on the contrary, flooded us with all sorts of cards, giving us the opportunity to choose a solution for our wallet.
This is a brief description of what is currently happening in the market. There are many video cards for sale, but there is nothing to buy. Strange situation. I already wrote that I would not mind buying a GeForce RTX 2070 Super, but the price for it is frankly too high. Anything that costs less doesn’t interest me. But I am a separate case. Let’s talk about the average shopper looking for a card for their needs. At the same time, we will evaluate whether it makes sense to take a video card at all now.
Up to $150.
recommendations
This category is very tight. Of all the candidates, I would single out the Radeon RX 570 with 4 GB of RAM and the GeForce GTX 1650 with the same 4 GB of RAM. Both cards are great at playing games at medium graphics settings at 1080p resolution. As for the lower resolutions, they’ll be running all games at 720p for a few more years. For an unpretentious player, it will do. But I argue that it is worth waiting only three months and for this amount it will be possible to grab a much more productive card. This means that the more interesting model GeForce GTX 1650 Super will already start selling below $150. But this is a 10-15% boost literally from scratch. I’m not suggesting waiting a year or more. But, competition in the lower price segment will force both companies to lower the prices of their $170-$180 video cards below the $150 mark. You need to have a little patience.
Up to $200.
The new Radeon RX 5500 XT graphics card has just been released. To say she is disappointing is an understatement. Probably, the manufacturer will soon lower the price on it, but even then it will be uninteresting. In the same segment, the RX 590 continues to play, which has long been in need of replacement. From the green side, the same GTX 1650 Super. Those who are going to buy a card from this price segment can count on a price reduction for the GTX 1660 Super, which will inevitably fall in price before the release of the Radeon RX 5600 XT. When that happens is the big question. As you can see, this is one of the most sluggish segments in which manufacturers are in no hurry to drop prices.
$200-$250.
Those aiming at this price point will have to settle for the GTX 1660 Super with 6GB of RAM alone. This is a pretty cool card. But, you see, when you buy a card for almost $ 250, you expect more from it than just high graphics settings at 1080p resolution. It seems to me that the entire current generation of Nvidia video cards is being sold at an inflated price. The red price of this card is around 199 dollars in the public domain, and not 250, for which our retailers sell it. AMD is empty in this price category. The Radeon RX 5600 XT is on the way, which unfortunately will take place between $250 and $300, however, it will inevitably lower the price of the RTX 2060, which will drop below $300. I believe that this will lead to a cheaper Radeon RX 5600 XT, which I would advise you to take in this price category.
$300-$400.
I see no point in breaking this category into two smaller ones. Most of those who buy video cards under $200 play online games that have enough power for their eyes. Those who choose better options count on high fps in completely different projects. That is why I do not propose to exchange for the Radeon RX 5700, having settled on its older version with the prefix «XT». On the green team side, we only have the RTX 1660 Super. Radeon is clearly more powerful, it is able to compete with video cards from another division. But it does not have rays and the Nvidia nameplate. It seems to me that those who plan to take a card up to $400 will have to wait the longest. Only the next generation of Nvidia or a scattering of TOP video cards from AMD will be able to reduce prices for more productive solutions. Alas, both sides remain silent. When this happy day will happen, no one knows. But I don’t see the point in taking a frankly weak RTX 1660 Super and Radeon RX 5700 XT without rays for $ 350-400. Within a year, igrodely will begin to churn out games with ray tracing for a new generation of consoles. It will be quite unpleasant to stay with your expensive video card outside the world progress.
Above $400.
Until AMD enters this price segment with a good performance graphics card, you should not expect discounts from Nvidia. If you have $500 for a video card, buy it. If there is, but you, like me, do not want to overpay for the green margin — wait. There have been various rumors lately. Who knows what will happen in the spring-summer of 2020, when several major announcements are expected.
Well, as you can see, the situation has developed in such a way that you can take a card, but the market is frozen in anticipation of new heroes. As soon as they appear, prices will go down. Now I propose to wait calmly if you are not driven in the back by Grandfather Frost or the Snow Maiden.
This material was written by a site visitor and has been rewarded.
Subscribe to our channel in Yandex.Zen or telegram channel @overclockers_news — these are convenient ways to follow new materials on the site. With pictures, extended descriptions and no ads.
AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT Review — Video Card Test
AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT Review — Video Card Test
The AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT is a new graphics card that is an overclocked AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT with faster memory. Core clock speeds are about 2% faster and GDDR6 memory is up 9% faster% faster. This increased the board’s power rating by 13% to 180W.
You might think that a 5% increase over the RX 6600 XT is not bad, but it’s almost a year old and came out quite late. The first RDNA2 graphics cards went on sale in November 2020, and RDNA3 models are expected to appear before the end of this year. This means that an effective replacement for the RX 6600 XT will be out in about 12 months.
It would be great if this performance boost were free. However, AMD decided to raise prices and thus set the AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT MSRP at $400, which is $20 more than the RX 6600 XT.
PowerColor Radeon RX 6650 XT Hellhound Spectral White was taken for testing. All AMD and Nvidia graphics cards have been tested at official clock speeds, so no factory overclocking is required. All data was collected using a Ryzen 7 5800X3D processor with 32GB dual-rank DDR4-3200 CL14 dual-channel memory on an Asus ROG Crosshair VIII Extreme motherboard using the latest BIOS that supports AGESA 1207. 10 games tested at 1080p and 1440p.
Starting with Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Extraction we see a performance jump of 6% for the RX 6650 XT compared to the RX 6600 XT. This allowed the RX 6650 XT to catch up with the RTX 3060, which is not much considering the increased price.
The RTX 3060 still maintains a slight lead at 1440p, and this time we’re seeing a 7% performance increase on the RX 6650 XT over the RX 6600 XT.
Horizon Zero Dawn
Horizon Zero Dawn’s average FPS improvement at 1080p isn’t impressive, we see a 4% increase on the RX 6650 XT compared to the RX 6600 XT. New 13% faster than GeForce RTX 3060.
At 1440p, the gain is almost the same — 5%, which is 8% faster than the RTX 3060. 22%, so the RX 6650 XT just widened the gap to 34%. This is also the biggest increase for the RX 6650 XT over the 6600 XT, at 10%.
That lead was down to 7% at 1440p, but the RX 6650 XT was still 22% faster than the RTX 3060.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider
Shadow of the Tomb Raider sees an 8% increase in FPS for the RX 6650 XT at 1080p over the original model, and is also 10% faster than the GeForce RTX 3060.
The 1440p gap between the RX 6600 XT and RX 6650 XT was almost the same at 7%. The updated graphics card outperformed the GeForce RTX 3060 by 6%.
Hitman 3
Hitman 3 RX 6650 XT is 8% faster than RX 6600 XT and 21% faster than GeForce RTX 3060.
At 1440p we see an 8% increase on the RX 6650 XT over the RX 6600 XT and a 22% increase over the GeForce RTX 3060. It’s only 8% slower than the RTX 3060 Ti.
Far Cry 6
In Far Cry 6, the RX 6650 XT delivers very high performance at 1080p. This card was only 4% faster than the original model, but achieved 157 average FPS, 39% more than the GeForce RTX 3060.
The difference remained the same at 1440p, where the RX 6650 XT was 27% faster than the RTX 3060 and even increased the lead over the RX 6600 XT to 9%.
F1 2021
The F1 2021 results are interesting in that we found no difference in performance between the RX 6650 XT and RX 6600 XT.
The situation is the same at 1440p, again the RX 6650 XT is really no faster than the RX6600 XT.
Cyberpunk 2077
In Cyberpunk 2077 we’re back to a very modest gain of 6% at 1080p, making the RX 6650 XT 18% faster than the GeForce RTX 3060. 9Dying Light 2
Next comes Dying Light 2 — and in it we find a 7% gain for the RX 6650 XT over the 6600 XT, and 17% over the RTX 3060.
RX 6600 XT and up 20% over RTX 3060.
Halo Infinite
In Halo Infinite we see a 6% increase in the RX 6650 XT over the RX 6600 XT and it is 9% faster than the RTX 3060 at 1080p.
Then at 1440p, the RX 6650 XT was 8% faster than the original model and 10% faster than the RTX 3060. It increased overall system usage by only 2% compared to the RX 6600 XT, and the power consumption was 5% less than the RTX 3060. So the RX 6650 XT was faster with less power consumption when compared to the RTX 3060.
Average FPS in 10 games
In terms of performance, the Radeon RX 6650 XT looked good compared to the RTX 3060 in 10 games tested, but next to the 6600 XT it wasn’t very interesting.
At 1080p, the RX 6650 XT was on average 6% faster than the RX 6600 XT, which is what we expected to see based on the specs. Given that the MSRP has increased by 5%, the 6% increase in performance on average is not impressive.
The AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT is only 5% faster than the RTX 3060 at 1440p, and the RX 6650 XT pushes that lead up to 12%, which is a decent performance advantage, especially since Radeon cards are cheaper now.
Price per frame
It’s time to take a look at the current prices and find out the cost per frame for each video card. We included the RX 6650 XT at a suggested retail price of $400, but since the RX 6600 XT is currently selling for $400 and the 6650 XT should cost $20 more, it makes sense to compare the new graphics card with a $20 premium, which is $420.
Assuming the RX 6650 XT is $420, that makes it virtually identical to the RX 6600 XT in terms of cost per frame. It also puts it on par with the cost per frame of the RX 6700 XT, which currently costs $500. Compared to Nvidia’s graphics cards, the RX 6650 XT looks great, and the recent price increase for the RTX 3060 helped a lot.
% faster than the RX 6600 XT, and this reduced the cost per frame by 3% to $6.66.
Basically, this combines the RX 6650 XT with the RX 6700 XT and RX 6600: they are 25% better per frame than the RTX 3060.
Choosing a budget video card
Author Editorial 2dsl. ru Reading 11 min Posted by
Updated by
In this article, we will try to figure out which desktop graphics card will be the most profitable solution in the budget from $100 to approximately $700 as of the market at the end of 2019th year.
This seemingly simple question puts many people in a difficult position when choosing a graphics card within certain budget limits. There is no doubt that technology advances with each new GPU and sometimes the difference compared to the previous generation is very large. But most users are not interested in this and all they need is to set the highest possible graphics quality in the next gaming novelty.
Editor’s Choice:
- Best Budget Graphics Card: GeForce GTX 1650 Super
- Best 1080p graphics card: GeForce GTX 1660 Super
- Best 1440p graphics card: Radeon RX 5700
The answer to the question posed in this article may be a little more complicated than it seems. The performance of the graphics controller is the most important factor when choosing, but we should not forget about such important things as the noise level, drivers and additional software provided by the manufacturer for their product. And is it worth paying for Nvidia’s RTX to get access to the latest real-time ray tracing technology?
Therefore, we will try to answer all these questions within the framework of this article. After all, over the past couple of years, we have tested almost all GPUs from budget solutions for $100 to video cards for $1200 for luxury models. And in this article, we tried to set out in as much detail as possible all the information we received during testing.
There are individual versions of each video card from many manufacturers. For example, you can buy various GeForce GTX 1660 models from EVGA, Asus, MSI, and Zotac. They can be initially overclocked by the manufacturer, have more powerful cooling systems, etc.
Content
- Small news from the world of video cards
- The best budget graphics card
- The best video card for resolution 1080p
- The best video card for 1440p
- Best Budget Graphics Card: GeForce GTX 1650 Super
- Best 1080p graphics card: GeForce GTX 1660 Super
- Best 1440p graphics card: Radeon RX 5700
Little news from the world of video scorts 2250 SUPRA 2255 22 SUPR as the best budget gaming option for the Radeon RX 570.
In response, AMD released the Radeon RX 5500 XT on December 12th. This is a normal market situation, but we prefer the Nvidia card.
The best budget graphics card
Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 5500 XT 4G
For the first time in a long time, a new champion in the budget price segment has appeared. The Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Super is a superb 1080p graphics card capable of hitting 60fps at High or Ultra settings in just about every modern game — a hell of a feat for just $160 or $170 for the more advanced ROG Strix model.
It comes with 4GB of ultra-fast GDDR6 memory and Nvidia’s latest and greatest Turing NVENC video encoder, something the original GTX 1650 lacked. What’s more, Nvidia’s GPU is incredibly power efficient, which means these graphics cards also run cool and quiet. The
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Super requires additional 6-pin power to run. The only reason not to buy the Super version is if you are upgrading an office computer where there is no such cable on the PC power supply. In all other cases, the GeForce GTX 1650 Super is much better, especially at just a $10 difference in price.
Unfortunately, the ROG Strix is not available at retail at the time of publication. Two other Asus GPUs — the $165 GeForce GTX 1650 Super Fanie Edition and the $160 Asus TUF GTX 1650 Super — are already on sale and you should expect similar gaming performance from them, although those alternatives don’t offer the same extras. like Strix.
The Radeon RX 5500 XT graphics chip released by AMD against the GTX 1650 Super soon appeared in two versions: $170 for 4GB RAM and $200 for 8GB. It’s built with next-generation AMD RDNA architecture, features industry-leading PCIe 4.0 support, best-in-class power efficiency, and GDDR6 memory. However, its performance is not much better than its Radeon RX 500 predecessors, and it is slightly slower and slightly more expensive than Nvidia’s graphics card.
That’s why we prefer the GTX 1650 Super here, although the AMD bundle boasts a free copy of Monster Hunter World: Iceborne Edition plus three free months of Microsoft Xbox Game Pass for PC. It’s a good graphics card capable of running demanding games at 1080p with some tweaks, but it’s not as good as competing solutions. Sapphire’s excellent Pulse Radeon RX 5500 XT is a killer $10 option if you prefer the red team.
If you don’t mind lowering your graphics settings a bit, the latest generation Radeon RX 570, built on AMD’s ancient Polaris GPU architecture, is still an attractive option at around $130. We’ve even seen it only cost $100, and that includes three free months of the excellent Microsoft Xbox Game Pass for PC, plus your choice of either Borderlands 3 or Ghost Recon Breakpoint — an incredibly good deal. The Radeon RX 570 isn’t anywhere near as fast as the GeForce GTX 1650 or Radeon RX 5500 XT, but you’ll be able to play modern games at medium to high settings and get close to the 60fps mark. AMD’s legacy Polaris graphics card is completely power hungry compared to modern alternatives. In addition to requiring a lot more power from the wall, this also means that these cards tend to run a little louder and run hotter, and card designs tend to oversize PCBs and cooling systems to improve the efficiency of heat dissipation from the GPU and memory.
Best graphics card for 1080p resolution
Many PC gamers play on 1080p monitors due to the affordable price and acceptable resolution for most everyday tasks. For most gamers who use these monitors, the GeForce GTX 1650 Super and Radeon RX 5500 XT are both low-cost solutions for 1080p gaming. But still, the best solution today for working with such monitors is the $230 GeForce GTX 1660 Super, unlike its non-Super counterpart, it has ultra-fast 14Mbps GGDR6 memory.
The
GTX 1660 Super has the same core performance as its cut-down GTX 1660 sibling, but thanks to the use of faster GDDR6, it is 7 or 18 percent faster depending on the specific game, and gives FPS above 60 on ultra graphics settings. This card is only 3-5 percent behind the more expensive $280 GTX 1660 Ti. Agree a good deal for $10 on top. Beyond the performance advantage, the GeForce GTX 1660 runs cool and is incredibly power efficient compared to its Radeon competitors. Additionally, modern GeForce GPUs now work great with affordable FreeSync monitors as well as the more expensive G-Sync option.
The original GTX 1660 will sell for discounts closer to $200, while the GTX 1660 Ti will also continue to be $280 or more. But the price-to-performance ratio of the GeForce GTX 1660 Super makes it a better choice than other Nvidia GTX 1660 options, unless you want to opt for the more expensive GTX 1660 Ti to get the best frame rates from graphics cards in this price range.
Achieving such a frame rate is not a problem for competing solutions from AMD, if you are not limited by a tight budget. The GTX 1660 Super beats not only the weaker Radeon RX 580 across the board, but also the faster Radeon RX 590. Even the inexpensive GTX 1650 Super outperforms the RX 580.
At least in terms of raw graphics card performance. In terms of price-performance, the Radeon RX 590 prices ranging from $170 to $180 with the choice of Borderlands 3, Ghost Recon Breakpoint or three free months of Microsoft Xbox Game Pass for PC as a bonus may tempt you to buy this particular graphics card. You can also find the Radeon RX 590 on sale for around $200 with the same gaming kits. If you weren’t planning on buying one of those two games, the Nvidia GTX 1650 Super or one of the GTX 1660 options would be a better choice. $160. Stay tuned for better deals this holiday season.
Best graphics card for 1440p
Now let’s talk about the cutting edge of technology in the world of desktop GPUs. The GeForce RTX 20 series graphics cards come with real-time ray tracing hardware and AI enhancements, while the Radeon RX 5700 series are the first graphics cards to feature 7nm process technology, PCIe 4.0 support, and AMD’s all-new and extensive innovation — improved RDNA graphics architecture. But aside from these advanced features, they can still just run your favorite games.
The
GeForce GTX 1660, GTX 1660 Super, and 1660 Ti are acceptable options for playing at high graphics settings at 1440p, but you won’t be able to max out graphics settings without dropping FPS below 60fps in many modern games.
You can find the $350 GeForce RTX 2060 in stores as a solid 1440p option, but recent innovations have rocked the entire high-end graphics card market. The $350 AMD Radeon RX 5700 and $400 Radeon RX 5700 XT have been replaced by the $400 GeForce RTX 2060 Super and $500 RTX 2070 Super. All of these graphics cards are a blast compared to the GeForce RTX 2060.
However, the AMD duo is the best of them all. The Radeon RX 5700 directly competes on price with the original 6GB RTX 2060, while the Radeon RX 5700 XT directly competes on price with the new 8GB RTX 2060 Super, and both AMD GPUs offer noticeably better performance than their Nvidia competitors in many games. However, in some games, the Radeon RX 5700 XT even keeps pace with the GeForce RTX 2070 Super, which costs $ 100 more than its rival from the red clan!
Next generation AMD GPUs have moved to GDDR6 memory which gives them the same high performance as Nvidia cards, with the new RDNA architecture much more power efficient than previous generation Radeon options and on par with RTX 20th series. These graphics cards are really cool solutions for gamers. The Radeon RX 5700 is in our opinion the best choice for 1440p overall, especially if you’re using a 60Hz monitor, but the Radeon RX 5700 XT is a great choice if you don’t mind paying $50 more for a higher frame rate.
If you have extra funds available to buy a graphics card, then you can spend them on buying a Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 570. This graphics card boasts an improved cooling system, nice extras and a much higher level of performance due to tricky software tweaks than reference RX 5700 and only $10 overpayment.
After a long wait, the enthusiast Radeon RX 5700 XT finally arrived in mid-September with the release of the Sapphire Nitro+ and XFX Thicc II Ultra. They both feature custom cooling designs, some nice additions, and the best out-of-the-box performance you can get in the Radeon RX 5700 XT family right now. The XFX Thicc II is reminiscent of a muscle car with its gorgeous chrome accent design and slightly finicky nature, while the Sapphire Nitro+ is virtually flawless. Both options are definitely worth your money, but still choose the Nitro+ if it’s available. Currently, non-standard models are in short supply and often unavailable.
Only Nvidia GeForce RTX graphics cards have real-time ray tracing capability. This latest technology is slowly but surely gaining momentum. At E3 2019, several developers announced support for this technology in their future projects. If you want to keep up with the times and are also willing to forego the greater performance of the Radeon RX 5700 series, then the $400 RTX 2060 Super is a good option, delivering performance on par with the original $500 RTX 2070.
Finally, the new $500 GeForce RTX 2070 Super is a great choice if you want a gaming monitor with a high refresh rate of 1440p and even more ray tracing performance. It’s only slightly behind the original RTX 2080 in terms of performance and costs $700 or more. But if you don’t need ray tracing and you don’t need to maximize frames, then the Radeon RX 5700 XT is just a step behind Nvidia’s $100 less solution.