AMD Radeon RX 7600: a major gift for gamers on a budget
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The AMD Radeon RX 7600 comes in with its best ‘budget’ graphics card to date
(Image: © Future / John Loeffler)
TechRadar Verdict
The AMD Radeon RX 7600 is easily the best budget-friendly midrange card to be released since the RTX 3060, with fantastic 1080p performance and even some passable 1440p chops (within reason). It still lags behind Nvidia’s midrange RTX 3060 on ray tracing, but only just barely, and for the price, you really can’t miss with this card.
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AMD Radeon RX 7600: Two minute review
The AMD Radeon RX 7600 is probably the best 1080p graphics card you can buy right now, and in all honesty, it should be the last of its kind.
Team Red has been a bit gun-shy of late with its graphics card offerings, with the last graphics card we saw being the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT. While that was a great card, it launched almost half a year ago, and we haven’t heard much from AMD since.
Meanwhile, its rival has released a steady stream of cards, and at this rate, it’s almost through its main GPU stack at this point, so it’s interesting that AMD chose to release a very budget-friendly midrange card rather than go down the list of higher-end offerings the way Nvidia has.
In a way, it’s a very smart strategy (and one I actually recommended back in February), and with the Radeon RX 7600 going on sale on May 25, 2023, for just $269 (about £215/AU$405), AMD manages to make it to market with its all-important midrange offering at least a full month ahead of Nvidia’s competing RTX 4060 while also managing to undercut its rival on price.
In terms of performance, the RX 7600 is a major improvement over the AMD Radeon RX 6600 it replaces, while also generally outperforming the competing Intel Arc A750.
It does fall short of the RTX 3060 overall, but not by much, and a lot of that is relative to ray tracing performance, which isn’t great on either card to begin with, so this advantage looks bigger than it really is in practice.
If there is one knock against the RX 7600, it’s its power draw, which is pulling down 165W TGP, which is more than the 8GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 Ti and about 33W more than the RX 6600, so this is definitely the wrong direction for AMD to be going in, power wise.
AMD also has to step up its game when it comes to FSR. Nvidia’s most recent launch, the RTX 4060 Ti, was a fairly disappointing card when it came to its baseline performance, but there was no denying that DLSS 3, especially with Frame Generation, is a huge value-add for Team Green. And while DLSS 3 is only available on about 50-ish games, FSR 2 is generally more available with about 120 games featuring FSR 2, but DLSS 2.0 is available in more than 200 games, so AMD has some catching up to do.
When it finally does, the RX 7600 will be an even better buy for midrange gamers, and while it’s a sad state of affairs that $269 is about as «budget» as we can hope to see for a while, it’s a substantially better value than just about any card on the market right now.
That might change when the RTX 4060 lands, but given that the performance of the baseline performance of the RTX 4060 is expected to be about 20% better than that of the RTX 3060, I expect that it will fall in pretty close to where the RX 7600 currently is, only with a more expensive MSRP and no Founders Edition to keep third-party partners honest in terms of price.
So unless the RTX 4060 pulls a rabbit out of a hat, I still expect the AMD Radeon RX 7600 to hold the edge over its rival on value, which at this price point is really the only thing that really matters. As it stands, it is the best cheap graphics card you can buy right now, and I expect that will remain the case for the rest of this generation.
AMD Radeon RX 7600: Price & availability
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
- How much is it? MSRP listed at $269 (about £215/AU$405)
- When is it out? It goes on sale May 25, 2023
- Where can you get it? You can buy it in the US, UK, and Australia
The AMD Radeon RX 7600 goes on sale on May 25, 2023, with an MSRP of $269, (about £215/AU$405), making it the cheapest card of this generation to launch. Not only that, it’s a substantial price drop from the Radeon RX 6600, which launched at $329 (about £265/AU$495), so you’re getting a much better graphics card for almost 20% less. This is more like it!
Ostensibly, the rival to the RX 7600 is the RTX 4060, but since that card has yet to launch, we can only really compare it to the last-gen midrange offerings from Nvidia and Intel.
The Nvidia RTX 4060 when it launches will sell for $299 (about £240/AU$450), which is 9% cheaper than the RTX 3060’s official MSRP of $329.
The RX 7600 has a cheaper MSRP than either of those, but I expect that the RTX 3060 especially will see some heavy discounting as a result of both the RTX 4060 and the RX 7600, so the value proposition of the RX 7600 might shift depending on what SKU you’re looking at.
The RX 7600 does come in slightly more expensive than the Intel Arc A750, and while you might do a double-take at the mention of Intel, the Arc A750 can give the RX 7600 a run for its money at times, so you definitely can’t write it off completely.
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AMD Radeon RX 7600: Features and chipset
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
- More ray tracing cores and new AI cores
- Higher TGP
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| AMD Radeon RX 7600 | |
|---|---|
| Process Node | TSMC 6nm |
| Transistor Count | 13. 3 billion |
| Boost Clock | Up to 2,625MHz |
| VRAM | 8GB GDDR6 |
| Memory Bus | 128-bit |
| L2 Cache | 32MB |
| Memory Speed | 2,250MHz (18 Gbps effective) |
| Memory Bandwidth | 288.0 GB/s |
| Shader units | 2,048 |
| Ray Accelerators | 32 |
| AI Accelerators | 64 |
| TGP | 165W |
| Connector | 1 x 8-pin |
| Outputs | 1 x HDMI 2.1a, 3 x DisplayPort 2.1 |
With the move to RDNA 3, the AMD Radeon RX 7600 starts off on a 6nm TSMC process over the RX 6600’s 7nm, which gives the RX 7600 a roughly 20% jump in the number of transistors it has to work with (13.
3 billion to 11.1 billion). And even though the actual GPU die on the RX 7600 is about 14% smaller than that of the RX 6600, it manages to pack in four additional compute units for a total of 32 compared to the RX 6600’s 28.
This is also a more mature architecture, so the 2,048 stream processors (a roughly 14% increase over the RX 6600), are more performant, and the second-generation ray accelerators are a huge improvement over the first-gen RAs in the RX 6600.
The RX 7600 also has faster clocks than the RX 6600, with a boost clock improvement of about 6%, but the big improvement comes with the memory clock speed, which is 2,250MHz for the RX 7600 and 1,750MHz for the RX 6600. This means a nearly 30% boost to memory speed, so even though the RX 7600 is still rocking the same 8GB GDDR6 VRAM on a 128-bit bus as the RX 6600, it has an 18 Gbps effective memory speed compared to 14 Gbps for the RX 6600.
There is also the addition of 64 AI accelerators for the RX 7600, which the RX 6600 simply didn’t have.
This means that things like Radeon Super Resolution (RSR) will run better than it did on the RX 6600, and it will enable advanced AI workloads like generative AI content creation.
All this does come at the cost of power though, as the RX 7600 has a 25% higher TGP than the RX 6600. This isn’t good, and given how Nvidia’s cards are typically getting better performance with less power gen-on-gen, this is definitely the wrong direction for AMD to be going in. It still keeps the card «reasonable» when it comes to your PSU, and AMD recommends a 550W PSU for the RX 7600 at a minimum, but this still manages to keep things under 600W overall.
AMD Radeon RX 7600: design
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
The AMD reference card for the Radeon RX 7600 is a compact dual-fan number that will fit in just about any case. This is a dual-slot card, but it’s just over eight inches long and a little over four inches tall, so it’s great for mini-tower builds, and with just a single 8-pin power connector, you won’t have any issues with cable management here.
In terms of outputs, we get three DisplayPort 2.1 ports, with a single HDMI 2.1a port, though no USB-C output. Honestly, having the DisplayPort 2.1 output is nice, but really unnecessary. With just 8GB VRAM, there is no universe where this card can output 8K video that doesn’t default to a slow sequence of still images, so it’s a nice-to-have that you are almost guaranteed to never use. Far be it for me to be a buzzkill, though, so if you want to push this card at 8K, do let me know how that turns out.
As for the lack of USB-C, this really isn’t a creative card, so this isn’t something that you should worry about unless you have one of the best USB-C monitors and nothing else. Even then, I recommend looking further up the stack (like the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT), since USB-C monitors are almost universally for creative pros and this card isn’t going to cut it for the kind of work you’ll need to do with it.
In terms of its actual aesthetics, like the two RDNA 3 cards before it, the RX 7600 eschews any RGB and features a matte black design with some subtle accent touches like the red stripes on the fins of the heat sink which would be visible in a case.
Overall, it’s a cool-looking card, especially for those not looking to have excessive RGB lighting up everything in their case.
AMD Radeon RX 7600: Performance
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
- Best-in-class 1080p rasterization performance
- Much improved ray tracing performance
- Can manage some decent 1440p performance, especially without ray tracing
Given the missteps Nvidia has been making lately, AMD has a real shot of taking some market share if it can offer compelling performance for gamers. Fortunately for Team Red, the AMD Radeon RX 7600 manages to pull off quite a coup when it comes to gaming performance.
Test system specs
This is the system we used to test the AMD Radeon RX 7600:
CPU: Intel Core i9-13900K
CPU Cooler: Cougar Poseidon GT 360 AIO
RAM: 64GB Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB DDR5-6600MHz
Motherboard: MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk Wifi
SSD: Samsung 990 Pro 2TB NVMe M.
2 SSD
Power Supply: Corsair AX1000
Case: Praxis Wetbench
For the most part, the RTX 4060 is the RX 7600’s main competition, but with the Nvidia RTX 4060 Ti just being released, it’s the natural comparison at the moment. Is this necessarily fair? No, it’s not, and the RX 7600 does lose out to the RTX 4060 Ti on just about every measure, but it really doesn’t lose that badly.
In rasterized workloads at 1080p, the RX 7600 is only about 12% slower than the RTX 4060 Ti, and only about 13% slower at 1440p. This changes drastically as soon as you start factoring in ray tracing and upscaling, but it’s something I definitely wasn’t expecting. Against the RTX 3060 Ti, the RX 7600 fares better, obviously, and generally it outperforms the RTX 3060 in rasterization workloads.
In terms of its predecessor, the RX 7600 is the kind of gen-on-gen improvement I was really expecting to see from the RTX 4060 Ti and didn’t get. The RX 7600’s rasterization performance is great, but its improved ray accelerators really outshine what the RX 6600 is capable of, and really makes ray tracing at this price point accessible to the midrange.
Synthetic Benchmarks
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| Header Cell — Column 0 | AMD Radeon RX 7600 | AMD Radeon RX 6600 | Nvidia RTX 3060 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Firestrike | 31,837 | 24,190 | 22,732 |
| Nightraid | 125,313 | 112,034 | 108,208 |
| Speedway | 1,963 | 1,461 | 2,182 |
| Port Royal | 5,509 | 4,135 | 5,156 |
| Time Spy | 10,819 | 8,316 | 8,777 |
| Firestrike Extreme | 14,780 | 11,070 | 10,609 |
| Time Spy Extreme | 5,147 | 3,788 | 4,100 |
| Firestrike Ultra | 7,251 | 5,424 | 5,094 |
| Wildlife Extreme | 18,928 | 14,866 | 17,410 |
| Wildlife Extreme Unlimited | 19,119 | 14,900 | 17,330 |
| PassMark 3D | 22,008 | 20,084 | 20,786 |
| Average 1080p Performance | 78,575 | 68,112 | 65,470 |
| Average 1440p Performance | 8,268 | 6,245 | 6,681 |
| Average 4K performance | 12,611 | 9,744 | 10,983 |
| Average Performance | 23,879 | 20,024 | 20,216 |
In synthetic benchmarks, the RX 7600 roundly beats its predecessor, as well as the RTX 3060.
Against the card it’s replacing, the RX 7600 outperforms the RX 6600 by about 19%, while the RX 7600 beats the RTX 3060 by about 18% overall.
Digging into the results a bit further though, we can see some of the biggest gains come in ray-traced workloads like Port Royal, where the RX 7600 saw a 33% improvement over the previous gen.
The only benchmark where the RX 7600 comes up a bit short is in the Speedway benchmark, which is a 1440p, ray tracing benchmark. Here, the RTX 3060 just barely edges out the RX 7600 by just 219 points, which is close enough to be a bit of a wash.
Gaming Benchmarks
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| Header Cell — Column 0 | AMD Radeon RX 7600 | AMD Radeon RX 6600 | Nvidia RTX 3060 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metro: Exodus | 43 | 34 | 37 |
| F1 2022 | 168 | 147 | 147 |
| Total War: Warhammer III | 82 | 58 | 72 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 87 | 64 | 70 |
| Returnal | 81 | 68 | 70 |
| CS:GO | 482 | 479 | 498 |
As you can see, when it comes to general rasterization performance at 1080p, the RX 7600 is the hands-down winner, only falling to the RTX 3060 in Counterstrike: Global Offensive, and only then by the barest of margins.
Everywhere else, you can expect roughly 15-20% better performance out of the RX 7600 overall.
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| Header Cell — Column 0 | AMD Radeon RX 7600 | AMD Radeon RX 6600 | Nvidia RTX 3060 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metro: Exodus | 27 | 20 | 27 |
| F1 2022 | 71 | 52 | 65 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 8 | 8 | 30 |
| Returnal | 53 | 36 | 55 |
Things take a bit of a turn when it comes to ray tracing performance, but the results here are a bit deceptive for a couple of reasons.
First, Cyberpunk 2077 is Nvidia’s major showcase game, and that game is very well optimized for Nvidia cards, so the ray tracing performance for the RTX 3060 is substantially better than for either AMD card. However, take Cyberpunk 2077 out of the mix, and the RX 7600 actually outperforms the RTX 3060 in ray tracing performance.
It’s not all good for AMD though, since the minimum fps for the RX 7600 in both Returnal and Cyberpunk 2077 is in the single digits, and it’s not just for a brief moment, but fairly regular dips into slideshow territory, especially around volumetric fog with applied lighting effects.
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| Header Cell — Column 0 | AMD Radeon RX 7600 | AMD Radeon RX 6600 | Nvidia RTX 3060 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cyberpunk 2077 (Quality) | 19 | 18 | 48 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 (Ultra Performance) | 49 | 39 | 90 |
| Returnal (Quality) | 76 | 53 | 73 |
| Returnal (Ultra Performance) | 98 | 72 | 95 |
It’s a similar story when you apply upscaling to either Cyberpunk 2077 or Returnal, where the RTX 3060’s DLSS 2.
0 is simply better optimized for the former, and the AMD RX 7600 struggles on the minimum fps on the latter, so even though the average fps on Returnal looks like it’s north of 60 fps, you’ll dip as low as 6 fps on the Quality FSR preset or 15 fps on the Ultra Performance preset, and trust me, it’s noticeable.
Of course, turn ray tracing off and you probably won’t have this issue, but that will be a series of settings compromises you will have to decide for yourself. Overall though, the AMD Radeon RX 7600 manages to perform well above where you would expect from this generation at this price point. If you’re looking for an outstanding and reasonably cheap 1080p graphics card, you can’t go wrong with this one.
Should you buy the AMD Radeon RX 7600?
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)Swipe to scroll horizontally
| Value | Phenomenally priced. No notes. | 5 / 5 |
| Features & chipset | With better architecture, more cores, faster clocks, and even faster memory, this should get the RX 7600 full marks, but I have to take something off for the 8GB VRAM and the higher TGP. |
4 / 5 |
| Design | If you’re looking for RGB, you won’t find it here, but you’ll get a sleek, solidly built card that will fit just about anywhere. | 5 / 5 |
| Performance | This is damn near the perfect 1080p card, and if you don’t care about ray tracing, this card is a dream. Some noticeable hiccups with its high-end visual performance (FSR and ray tracing) ding this card just a little though. | 4.5 / 5 |
| Total | Overall, there is very little to not like about this card. It will chew through 1080p gaming with ease and even let you get into some 1440p content, all for a fantastic price. What’s not to love (besides the higher power draw)? | 4.625 / 5 |
Buy it if…
You want outstanding 1080p performance
In 1080p gaming, especially straight rasterization performance, this card is absolutely fantastic.
You want to dabble at 1440p
While there are going to be some things you can’t do at 1440p, if you keep your settings in check, you can get some great QHD gaming out of this card.
You’re on a budget
This isn’t the cheapest card out there, but this is definitely the best cheap graphics card you can buy.
Don’t buy it if…
You want heavy ray tracing in your games
While the ray tracing performance on the RX 7600 is greatly improved over the RX 6600, it’s still going to really struggle at max settings on some games.
You want a cheap creative graphics card
With 64 AI cores and improved architecture, you might be tempted to use this card for creative professional use, but I wouldn’t go with anything below a RTX 4070 for creative use if I could help it.
Also consider
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
If my AMD Radeon RX 7600 review has you considering other options, here’s two other graphics cards to consider.
Swipe to scroll horizontally
| AMD Radeon RX 7600 | Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti | AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price (US/UK/AU) | $269 (about £215/AU$405) | $399 (about £320/AU$600) | $399 (about £320/AU$600) |
| Process Node | TSMC 6nm | Samsung 8nm | TSMC 7nm |
| Boost Clock | Up to 2,625MHz | Up to 1,665MHz | 2,635MHz |
| VRAM | 8GB GDDR6 | 8GB GDDR6 | 8GB GDDR6 |
| Memory Bus | 128-bit | 256-bit | 128-bit |
| Cache | 34MB | 4MB | 34MB |
| Memory Speed | 18 Gbps | 14 Gbps | 17. 5 Gbps |
| Memory Bandwidth | 288.0 GB/s | 448.0 GB/s | 280.3 GB/s |
| Shader units | 2,048 | 4,864 | 2,048 |
| RT Cores | 32 | 38 | 32 |
| AI/Tensor cores | 64 | 152 | 0 |
| TGP | 165W | 200W | 176W |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
We had the RTX 3060 Ti down as the best graphics card of the last generation thanks to its outstanding performance, and it is still an outstanding card today, and will probably see some price cuts thanks to the RTX 4060 Ti release.
Read the full Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti review
AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT
The RX 6650 XT was way overpriced when it launched last year, but it has since come down in price, making it a much better value proposition if you’re looking for a great 1080p card on the cheap.
Read the full AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT review
How we test graphics cards
I spend several days with the RX 7600 running benchmarks, playing games, and generally measuring its performance against competing cards.
I paid special attention to its 1080p performance, since this is the main target audience for this card, while also stretching into 1440p gaming as well.
Having covered and tested many graphics cards in my career, I know how a graphics card should perform at this level and what you should be spending for this level of performance.
Read more about how we test
John (He/Him) is the Components Editor here at TechRadar and he is also a programmer, gamer, activist, and Brooklyn College alum currently living in Brooklyn, NY.
Named by the CTA as a CES 2020 Media Trailblazer for his science and technology reporting, John specializes in all areas of computer science, including industry news, hardware reviews, PC gaming, as well as general science writing and the social impact of the tech industry.
You can find him online on Twitter at @thisdotjohn
Currently playing: Deep Rock Galactic, Destiny 2
Best Low-Profile & Compact Graphics Cards (GPU) for your needs [2023 Guide]
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1
If you’re looking to build a compact PC, whether it’s for gaming, work, or to use as a home theater (or a server), low-profile GPUs a must-have.
These more compact variants of their full-sized brethren though usually come with a performance sacrifice.
The GPU market is crazy at the moment, with heavy price-inflations being the norm and stock being hard to come by.
But that shouldn’t stop you from building a PC, even if it means you’ll have to work extra hard to find a new GPU that you can afford.
With that in mind, let’s dive into the details of the best low-profile GPUs out there.
What are low-profile GPUs?
As pointed out by a reader we updated this section with some more in-depth info on:
- what low-profile GPUs are
- how they differ from standard GPUs and compact GPUs
- what they are intended for
Often misused as a catch-all definition for smaller / more compact GPUs, Low-Profile GPUs are in fact Graphics Cards with a maximum height of 2.
536 inches and, depending on the MD1 or MD2 dimension specifications, a maximum length of 119.91mm (4.721 inches) or 167.64mm (6.6 inches) respectively.
Here’s what a Low-Profile Graphics Card looks like compared to a Standard (Full-Height) GPU:
True Low-Profile GPUs come with a Low-Profile Bracket, as seen in the image above.
They are intended for placement in either 2U cases (e.g. Server Rack Cases) or slim desktop cases.
So why are there Low-Profile GPUs with Full-Height Brackets? Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of Low-Profile GPUs?
Not necessarily: Whether you need a Low-Profile or Standard Height Bracket will depend on your PC case and the “location” where you’re limited in space. In a 2U Server Rack, there’s no question that you’ll need a Low-Profile GPU with a Low-Profile bracket, because the entire length of the case is just 2U (Units) in height.
In a SFF multi-media PC, though, you might have space constraints where the PCB of the GPU will later reside (space is used by a PSU, cables HDD, etc.
), but still have room at the back side of the case for mounting the GPU on a full-height bracket.
Here’s an old-school Image from a Dell server, showing the difference in case- and bracket-heights:
Image-Source: Dell
This brings us back to what I said first: Low-Profile GPUs are often a catch-all for “compact” GPUs, also because many of them have full-height Brackets. This tells us another thing: There has to be more than just a dimensional difference to Low-Profile GPUs, otherwise why would there be full-height bracket low-profile GPUs?
And there is. Low-Profile GPUs have many of the benefits (and drawbacks) that you generally find in “compact” GPUs. So let’s take a look at what compact GPUs entail and why they are so popular nowadays.
Well, they are made to fit into a smaller case. Here’s what a “compact” GPU looks like. It’s full height, but a lot shorter than standard-sized GPUs.
Image-Credit: Gigabyte
Small form factor builds have become popular in the past couple of years, and low-profile and compact GPUs are your best bet if you’re building one.
There are a few things to keep an eye on in greater detail when shopping for a low-profile or compact GPU – noise levels, power draw, and thermals.
With a low-profile GPU, you usually get one of two scenarios.
- You get a GPU that performs identically to the full-size model but will heat up more and make more noise.
- You get a GPU that performs slightly worse but may or may not be quieter and will be less demanding when it comes to keeping it cool.
Let’s take a look at both options.
Identical performance, worse thermals, and noise levels
The first option is usually a dual-fan version that is more compact than the conventional GPU.
The performance is identical, but those two fans will need to work harder to keep it cool because there is less surface for heat dissipation.
Manufacturers often deal with this by using a different fan design that moves more air but makes more noise.
These GPUs may use slightly less power than a conventional model, but the difference is usually negligible and you’ll still need a good PSU to keep them satisfied.
You do, however, get the performance of a full-size model.
Slightly lower performance, good thermals, and low noise
The other solution is a single fan GPU, which is known as a true low profile model.
These single-fan GPUs are very compact, which means that there is less surface area for heat dissipation, and in addition, they only have a single fan, making cooling even more difficult.
They’re also almost always clocked lower than their full-size counterparts.
And with single-fan GPUs, one of two things can happen:
- You can have a high RPM (Revolutions-per-minute) fan that does a better job at cooling but makes a lot of noise.
- You could have a fan that spins at normal speeds and noise levels, but that also struggles with temperatures.
In the first scenario, the higher RPM, and the lower clock speeds compensate for the lack of surface area, and you still get decent performance.
In the second scenario, the fan is quiet, but since it can’t do too much in terms of cooling, you get higher temperatures and the clock speeds are limited and you’ll see occasional performance throttling.
Regardless of which kind of low-profile or compact GPU you decide on, you will have to compromise.
This is to be expected, though, when building a compact system. But let’s take a look at what those compromises mean in day-to-day use.
Downsides of Low-Profile and compact GPUs
If you’re buying a GPU for professional workloads that can take advantage of GPU acceleration, such as video editing or 3D rendering, the most notable downside you’ll need to deal with is the performance hit.
Of course, how much of a performance hit you take will depend greatly on what type of low-profile or compact GPU you opt for.
If, for example, you don’t mind the extra noise, and do have room for a dual-fan GPU, the performance hit is going to be negligible in most scenarios. On the other hand, if you need the absolute smallest GPU, you’ll be dealing with low clock speeds and temperatures that might be uncomfortable in some cases.
GPU accelerated workloads depend on the GPU memory capacity as well, which is identical between a low profile model, and a full-sized one.
But the clock speeds are just as important.
To add to this, while gaming on a low-profile or compact GPU is certainly possible, you’ll struggle to get the performance of a full-size GPU.
These things aren’t all due to the lowered clock speeds – the design itself has a lot of impact.
You’ve probably heard of thermal throttling, which occurs when your GPU is reaching temperatures that are higher than the manufacturer would like them to be and underclocks the GPU to cool it down.
And with a compact design, this is more of an issue than it is with a full-sized one.
Why is this a problem? Well, because workloads like rendering will keep your GPU busy for extended periods of time.
Temperatures will keep rising, and you’ll likely see thermal throttling after a while. With workloads that only push your GPU for short periods of time, though, it’s not that much of an issue.
Who needs a low-profile or compact GPU?
A low-profile or compact GPU means compromise.
We recommend that you only buy a low-profile or compact GPU when the situation calls for it. What are some of those situations?
The first situation – building a small form factor PC. We’re talking about systems that use mini ITX or micro ATX motherboards, are packed inside a small form factor case, and don’t have that much room for components.
Image-Credit: MSI
These builds are seldom recommended for professional purposes, but some of you who just want a good day-to-day system for general use will love them.
The reason is simple – they don’t take up a lot of space and can be hidden away easily.
The second situation is building a home theater PC. These are systems that usually go in a cabinet, or sit next to your TV, and don’t do much except for storing content and playing it on demand. What’s nice about these workloads is that usually, they aren’t too demanding in terms of hardware.
Your GPU will only need to render the content you’re playing, at the resolution you need.
Of course, if you’re watching high-bitrate, 4K content, you want at least some performance from that GPU.
If you’re only building it for full HD content consumption, any budget low profile GPU will do the job.
Last but not least, you can compromise some portability for good performance.
This is why, rather than opt for a laptop, you can build a small PC that you can carry with you. In these situations, what you use the PC for will dictate what the best low-profile or compact GPU for you is.
Choosing the right GPU
When it comes to choosing the best low-profile or compact GPU for your needs, there are a couple of factors to consider. The two most important ones are:
- Size constraints you’re dealing with and
- Your workloads.
The use case is arguably more important, especially if you’re using your system to get some work done.
In this case, a more powerful GPU helps you get more work done, so the investment will be worth it.
That being said, some of the more powerful GPUs just aren’t available in a small form factor, such as a single fan design. If you’re limited in terms of size, you’ll need to see what the most powerful GPU is that you can fit inside your case, and work from there.
Then there’s the power draw situation.
Small form factor power supplies aren’t readily available at high wattages, so you might need to get a GPU that draws less power to be able to run it without issues.
All factors considered, here’s what we recommend:
- Check your workloads to see whether you can benefit from a powerful model.
- See how much case space you’re working with, and what the biggest GPU is that you can fit in it.
- Consider your power supply constraints, and see what kind of GPU you can run with the PSUs available to you.
Once you’ve done all of this, you can see what the most powerful GPU is that satisfies all of the above and fits your budget, and pull the trigger on that purchase.
Disclaimer
Low profile GPUs, as a product, are a compromise. They aren’t meant to be the most powerful option out there, and they’re oftentimes budget-oriented.
This is why you won’t find a single-fan RTX 3000 series or an RX 6000 series GPU. This is also why there are still many low-profile or compact GPUs that use GDDR3 memory – more powerful models moved on from that type of VRAM a long time ago.
Low-profile and compact GPUs aren’t a bestseller for any manufacturer, which is why they’re put on the back burner when it comes to new GPU releases.
In the list below, we include some modern options, but there are some older ones, too. Let’s take a look at them.
The best low profile and compact GPUs you can buy today
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1080 Mini
The GTX 1080 is, at this point, an almost five-year-old GPU. Why is it still relevant? Because it’s had its price reduced a couple of times, and Gigabyte’s Mini variant is one of the smallest GPUs out there that can get you this kind of power.
Image-Credit: Gigabyte
There are 8GB of GDDR5X memory, as well as an OC mode that can push the boost clock up to 1771Mhz, which is pretty decent.
What’s great is that accessing that OC mode is a single click away, so you don’t have to go through the trouble of manual overclocking.
On the outside, the 1080 Mini’s dimensions come in at only 17cm in terms of length, which is impressive.
A large part of that is thanks to the 90mm fan, which is smaller than most competitive models out there. If you don’t mind the fact that this isn’t exactly new, it’s certainly a viable option when you’re limited in space.
PowerColor Radeon RX 5600 XT ITX
PowerColor’s ITX variant of the RX 5600 XT is truly a great choice. Yes, it might produce more heat than you’d like it to, but that isn’t much of an issue unless you keep it under load for extended periods.
Image-Credit: PowerColor
Spec-wise, you’re looking at 6GB of GDDR6 memory, as well as 2304 stream processors.
The boost clock isn’t particularly impressive at a 1620Mhz maximum, but it gets the job done unless you need top-notch performance.
You do get two DisplayPort connectors, and one HDMI, which is impressive for a GPU that’s only 17.5cm in length and compact overall.
You’ll need at least a 500W power supply to run it, though, and it requires you to plug in a single 8-pin connector for power. That sounds reasonable if you ask us.
MSI GeForce GT 1030 LP OC
Not everyone needs a huge amount of performance from their low-profile or compact GPU. Sometimes size is the main constraint, which is where something like MSI’s LP OC variant of the GT 1030 comes in. This GPU is a single-slot, low-profile model with a very compact cooler and a full heightbracket, making it perfect for an HTPC.
Image-Credit: MSI
In terms of performance, you’re looking at 2GB of GDDR5 memory and a clock speed of 1518 MHz. What’s nice is that this kind of configuration can easily be used for 4K video playback on an external monitor or TV.
There is a single HDMI and single DisplayPort at the rear, so you could potentially run two monitors if needed. The extremely compact fan is near silent, and there is no need for a an external power connector either.
Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3060 Eagle OC
Wrapping things up with another RTX 3000 series GPU, this time it’s the RTX 3060 Eagle OC by Gigabyte.
Similar to the RTX 3070 we mentioned earlier, you get 2nd generation ray-tracing cores and 3rd generation Tensor cores, for optimal use of technologies such as ray tracing and DLSS for competitive gaming and fast 3D Rendering.
Image-Credit: Gigabyte
What’s impressive is that you get 12GB of GDDR6 memory, which is great for GPU-accelerated software that requires high amounts of memory.
The boost clock is a respectable 1807Mhz, and you’re looking at a total of 3584 CUDA cores.
The GPU does come with four display connectors in total, which is to be expected with a dual-fan design, as well as a PSU recommendation of 550 watts, and a requirement for a single 8-pin power connector.
ZOTAC GeForce RTX 3070 Twin Edge OC
If you’ve got a bit of room in your case, and want the latest generation performance, ZOTAC’s GeForce RTX 3070 Twin Edge OC is a great choice. With current market prices, it is expensive though. But it’s the best choice for great performance in a compact package.
Image-Credit: Zotac
The Twin Edge OC comes with 8GB of GDDR6 memory, as well as Nvidia’s Ampere architecture that brings along 2nd generation Ray Tracing cores and 3rd generation Tensor cores.
This all results in an excellent performance, not just when gaming, but also when editing and rendering videos, and any kind of 3D design.
This GPU’s boost clock is a decent 1755Mhz, which when paired with the 5888 CUDA cores and the 14 Gbps memory clock, ensures fast render times.
You will need a 650W power supply to run it, and the dual IceStorm 2.0 fans do make a bit of noise. Note that this is a dual-slot GPU, so make sure you have enough room for it.
EVGA GeForce RTX 2060 XC Black Edition
While single-fan designs are usually more compact than this, EVGA has done a good job of keeping the RTX 2060 compact, yet powerful. It has plenty of surface area for heat dissipation, and the fan is surprisingly quiet.
Image-Credit: EVGA
In terms of performance, you’re looking at a pretty standard RTX 2060 configuration – 1920 CUDA cores, 6GB of GDDR6 memory, and a maximum boost clock of 1680Mhz. This is quite sufficient for most use cases, and that does include GPU-accelerated video editing, too.
What’s neat is that you have a maximum support for three monitors, which comes in handy if you’re running a multi-monitor productivity setup. To add to this, you can run it on a 500W power supply.
It does have a triple-slot thickness, so watch out if you have enough space available for it.
Conclusion – is a low-profile or compact GPU worth it?
The compact GPUs we recommend in this article perform reasonably well in SFF (Small-Form-Factor) cases that are well-ventilated.
In the end, though, low-profile and compact GPUs are a niche market for PC-Builders that, first and foremost, have to work with size constraints and can live with performance hits due to thermal throttling or lower clock speeds.
That’s about it from us! What low-profile or compact GPU are you thinking of buying? Let us know in the comments or our forum!
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Best graphics card (GPU) for a gaming PC under $800
Thanks to the pandemic and scalpers, graphics cards have been the playthings of the rich for the last couple of years. However, prices are on a downward trend and several high-end pixel pushers can be purchased today for less than $800. Some of these GPUs are built from the ground up for high-resolution, high-frame-rate gaming and can deliver better performance than any modern console, namely the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.
For less than $800, you can buy the latest generation flagship graphics cards from AMD or some of Nvidia’s latest high-end GPUs like the RTX 4070 and 4070 Ti. These GPUs allow you to play games at the highest settings in 4K resolution effortlessly.
This list includes the best value for money high performance graphics cards you can buy without spending insane amounts on gaming setup.
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5) AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT ($429.99+)
Introduced AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT as a high performance 1440p gaming card. It’s a slight upgrade from the older RX 6700 XT that delivers about 2% more performance than the original RDNA 2 based graphics card. It performs almost exactly like the RTX 3070 but costs less than the Nvidia counterpart.
| GPU name | RX 6750 XT |
| Memory | 8 GB GDDR6 192-bit |
| Base frequency | 2150 MHz |
| Base frequency | 2600 MHz |
The new RX 6750 XT is currently selling for around $430.
Used availability is a bit skewed, but on a good day you can find a 6750 XT for around $200-$230.
4) Nvidia Geforce RTX 3080 10GB ($635.99+)
The RTX 3080 10GB is the new 1440p champion thanks to recent price cuts. The card was originally introduced for $599 in 2020, but was rarely available at the suggested retail price due to hardware shortages. Even today, it sells for a little more than the manufacturer’s suggested retail price. The best deal on Newegg currently includes a $635.99 GPU.
| GPU name | RTX 3080 |
| Memory | 10 GB GDDR6X 320 bit |
| Base frequency | 1440 MHz |
| Clock boost | 1710 MHz |
Thus, the best option is to buy a video card in the used market, where buyers generously cut about $ 250 from its retail price.
At around $450, this graphics card is a great choice for its unrivaled 4K performance.
3) AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT ($629)
AMD was the king of price cuts this generation. The top-of-the-line RX 6950 XT graphics card is currently on sale for just $629 following the introduction of the latest Radeon RX 7900 XT and 7900 XTX graphics cards.
| GPU name | RTX 3080 |
| Memory | 10 GB GDDR6X 320 bit |
| Base frequency | 1440 MHz |
| Frequency boost | 1710 MHz |
The video card is almost as fast as the RTX 3090 and RTX 4070 Ti graphics cards. it delivers consistent 4K performance and can run almost any game (except Cyberpunk 2077 and Hogwarts Legacy) at the highest settings in 4K without major performance issues.
2) Nvidia Geforce RTX 4070 ($699)
RTX 4070 is not faster than RX 6950 XT. However, we list it above AMD’s flagship RDNA 2 graphics card for two reasons: better ray tracing performance and support for DLSS 3, which provides frame generation support and much more advanced temporal scaling technologies. This future proves that the card not only has rasterization performance, which is good for gamers who do not plan to upgrade their computers in the next three to four years.
| GPU name | RTX 3080 |
| Memory | 10 GB GDDR6X 320 bit |
| Base frequency | 1440 MHz |
| Frequency boost | 1710 MHz |
The graphics card was released in April for $599 and we found it great for both 1440p and 4K gaming in our review.
It’s almost as fast as the RTX 3080 12GB and is available in the market for a suggested retail price.
1) Nvidia Geforce RTX 4070 Ti ($799)
The RTX 4070 Ti is an upgraded version of the RTX 4080 12GB that was due out in November 2022. The graphics card delivers solid gaming performance with high enough ROPs to exclude the RTX 3090 from consideration.
Nvidia launched a graphics card for $699, a price point where AMD has almost no competition.
This makes it ideal for gamers who have a lot of money to spend on their gaming rigs.
The best brands of video cards — which video card manufacturer to choose
There is such a large selection of manufacturers on the modern video card market that a person who does not follow the news of the «iron» world runs the risk of simply getting lost in this variety.
That’s why we’ve put together a list of the best brands that we hope will help you make a decision when choosing parts to build or upgrade your PC.
NVIDIA
One of the two largest developers and manufacturers of GPUs. It is NVIDIA that produces reference models of GeForce video cards, on the basis of which other brands produce their own components.
NVIDIA’s reference graphics cards set specifications and recommended prices within their lineup, while other manufacturers base their solutions on these standards. Often, reference devices have a distinctive, recognizable design — for example, the GeForce RTX series based on the Ampere architecture received a cooling system in which one of the fans is «through», which allows for more efficient airflow.
AMD
Another developer of graphics processors, a direct competitor to NVIDIA, which, however, is inferior to it in terms of market share and the number of technologies used.
Like NVIDIA, AMD creates reference graphics cards with original looks. Previously, the manufacturer relied on turbine cooling systems, but in the latest generations of video cards, like the RX 6000, it has come to a more familiar design with two and three fans.
Intel
Until recently, the American company Intel has focused on the production of processors and integrated graphics of the Intel HD Graphics family.
However, in the early 2020s, the brand decided to join the race between NVIDIA and AMD and carve out a niche in the segment of discrete graphics cards for laptops and desktop PCs. Intel Arc family GPUs are ready to compete with other manufacturers’ budget, mid-price and flagship solutions, and can even compete with opponents in ray tracing games.
ASUS
Taiwanese company specializing in the production of computer components, laptops, monitors, peripherals and other equipment.
ASUS video cards are characterized by good performance and effective cooling, but they are often more expensive than devices from other manufacturers.
The brand offers several lines of graphics adapters.
- ROG is for enthusiasts and esports players who want to squeeze every megahertz out of their graphics card.
- TUF promises maximum reliability at a reasonable price.
- Dual — two-fan solutions with high-quality cooling.
- The Turbo range uses a turbine for more powerful airflow.
- Phoenix — very compact graphics cards for installation in small PC cases.
MSI
A Taiwanese company that manufactures computer components, including video cards and motherboards, as well as monitors, laptops, gaming mice and keyboards, and other gadgets. MSI graphics cards have a recognizable design and excellent performance, but some users have complaints about operating temperatures.
Several lines of video cards are available to the user to choose from.
- SUPRIM is the ultimate solution with amazing performance for those on a tight budget.
- Gaming — a combination of high speed and efficient cooling.
- SEA HAWK — water-cooled graphics cards for maximum quiet operation.
- Armor — devices with a distinctive design and improved protection.
- Ventus — strict and productive graphics cards with good cooling.
- MECH — models with a laconic design.
- AERO — video cards with turbine CO.
- AERO ITX — solutions for use in compact PCs.
Gigabyte
Taiwanese computer equipment company. Gigabyte has a subsidiary brand, Aorus, aimed at gamers, and the graphics cards are well factory overclocked.
- So, at Aorus you can find such unusual solutions as the Gaming Box — this is an external video card that connects to a PC or laptop.
- For compact PCs, models from the Low Profile line are available, occupying one or two slots on the motherboard.
- Waterforce graphics cards are equipped with a water block, which makes them very quiet in operation and endows them with an incredible design.
- Turbo line is equipped with a turbine that pumps air more efficiently, although it is noisier.
- In addition, the manufacturer has the Eagle, Elite, Gaming, Master, Windforce series — the differences between them lie in the CO design and the operating frequencies of the graphics chip.
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Palit
The products of the Chinese company Palit will delight users with good performance. Problems with «hot» video cards are a thing of the past, and now Palit equipment very rarely fails.
The vendor offers five lines of graphics cards.
- GameRock features an extreme cooling system as well as incredible lighting that can be synchronized with the PC’s ARGB lighting elements.
- GamingPro has a more modest design, but also contains a high-quality cooling system.
- JetStream is the «golden mean» that combines decent performance with efficient CO.
- Dual video cards have a dual-fan CO and compact dimensions, which allows them to be installed in a mini-PC.
- StormX is even smaller — these are video cards with a single-fan cooling system and a small length.
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Palit also has a separate ColorPOP series for those who want to decorate their PC as much as possible: its case changes color depending on the lighting and viewing angle.
EVGA
American manufacturer of motherboards, video adapters, power supplies and other computer components. EVGA produces quality graphics cards with good factory overclocking.
Here are the series of graphics adapters EVGA has:
- Water Cooling — video cards with water cooling and reduced noise levels.
- FTW Gaming — RGB models with a three-fan cooling system and increased performance.
- XC Gaming — devices with two- and three-fan CO with lower frequencies than the FTW line.
- SC Gaming — single and dual fan video cards from the budget price segment.
- KO Gaming — models with an original design.
- Gaming — junior models of video cards at an affordable price.
Sapphire
A Chinese company that develops graphics cards based on AMD technology. Its products boast selected chips and a well-thought-out cooling system.
Sapphire uses several lines of graphics adapters.
- The Toxic series is characterized by a specially designed cooling system, which can be water or air. This is the most productive line of video cards of the brand.
- Nitro+ is the best option, providing a balance between price and quality.
- Pulse — available models; depending on the version, built on one-two- and three-fan CO.
Sapphire also provides docking stations that, when combined with a graphics adapter, can be used as an external graphics card for a laptop or low-end PC.
Zotac
A Chinese brand that makes graphics cards, motherboards and complete PCs — including a fancy backpack computer.
Zotac graphics cards boast massive cooling systems, but also low operating temperatures.
- The Zotac AMP Extreme Holo line features an efficient cooler, RGB lighting and a reinforced backplate, combined with factory overclocking for better performance.
- Video cards AMP Holo and AMP are slightly more modest in power, but equipped with no less efficient CO. Holo models are additionally equipped with bright RGB lighting.
- Models of the Trinity family are equipped with a three-fan cooling system, while for the Twin Edge and Twin Fan lines, the CO consists of a pair of fans and a radiator.
- ZOTAC Low Profile graphics cards are designed for low power compact PCs.
- Finally, the ZOTAC ArcticStorm is designed for maximum performance and quiet operation using water cooling.
KFA2 (Galax)
Chinese manufacturer of gaming graphics cards, motherboards, drives and RAM. KFA2 video adapters surprise with their frilly design, but in general they provide an adequate price / performance ratio.
- The HOF (Hall of Fame) series is the ultimate in performance for enthusiasts. There is everything you can imagine here — from a special screen that displays data on the parameters of the video card, to an application for smartphones that allows you to control various accelerator options.
- KFA2 EX Gamer graphics cards are designed for efficient and quiet cooling and are available in a variety of designs and colors.
- The SG (Serious Gaming) line is distinguished by larger fans and the optional possibility of installing an additional fan on the backplate.
PNY
American brand specializing in the production of computer equipment. In terms of video cards, PNY cooperates with NVIDIA, and produces mainly professional solutions like Quadro series video adapters, however, the company also has consumer models on its track record.
The latter are divided into two categories: XLR8 Overclocking — with additional overclocking out of the box, designed for enthusiasts, and Standard — for less intensive use.
PowerColor
A Taiwanese brand that manufactures graphics cards for AMD.
Like other vendors, PowerColor produces several lines of graphics adapters.
- So, PowerColor Fighter is equipped with a double 90mm fan, which improves the cooling of chips.
- Liquid Devil and Red Devil series aim for better performance by using liquid cooling or air-cooling with a massive heatsink and three fans.
- Hellhound provides the best value for money.
- The ITX and Low Profile ranges are designed for compact gaming systems.
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Inno3D
Chinese manufacturer of graphics cards, mining hardware and RAM.
The brand’s products are represented by several series.
- IChill is designed for maximum cooling efficiency, achieved by using a water block or massive air CO.
- The Gaming line is equipped with overclocked chips from the factory.
- Twin X2 and X3 video cards are equipped with two- and three-slot cooling systems.
- Finally, the Compact series is suitable for mini PCs due to its small size.
Colorful
Another Chinese company whose products have an unusual design with a lot of backlighting.
The Colorful Series offers graphics cards with a discreet appearance, while the iGame Series are models with amazing color combinations, original body shapes and other unique features.
Gainward
Gainward is a Taiwanese graphics card manufacturer, which is part of Palit, which is reflected in the appearance of the models and the similarity of their technical characteristics.
The brand has four lines of graphics adapters: powerful and efficient cooling Phantom and Phoenix, as well as balanced and more affordable Ghost and Pegasus.
Manli
Hong Kong-based Manli has been supplying graphics cards, mining systems and other components since 1996. The brand’s portfolio includes high-performance video cards from the Gallardo line, as well as compact and economical Low Profile models.