Picking the graphics cards or GPU is the toughest dilemma you may face while building or upgrading a PC. Since it’s always a graphics processing power that determines how much performance you may get.
The GPUs mentioned in this list will be focused around a budget of US$500, so don’t expect extraordinary performance from them. However, all of them are great options if you’re going for a budget-friendly build.
Best budget GPU list
From Nvidia to AMD, let’s look at five GPU recommendations that fit your requirements for building your dream PC.
Tips to keep in mind before buying a GPU
Before we get started with the list of GPUs you should consider buying, here are some tips that will help you make the right decision.
- Make sure your CPU is powerful enough to get the best out of GPU. If you have a lower-powered CPU, you will get bottlenecked.
- Make sure you have a power supply that can power the GPU without any pressure. It is recommended to use any bronze-rated PSU which can deliver 650W of power.
- Do you require raytracing? If not, consider GPUs without RT cores and focus on CUDA cores.
Best affordable GPUs to buy under US$500 in 2024
Budget GPU: GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 4060 Ti Eagle OC (Best for Raytracing)
Check the graphics card on Amazon by clicking here.
- Priced at US$409.99.
- Total Memory: 8 GB
- Clock Speed: 2250 Mhz
- Memory Bus and Type: 128-bit GDDR6
- Bus Interface: PCIe 4.0 x8
GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 4060 Ti Eagle OC is the best graphics card you can consider if you are fully focused on utilizing raytracing. The graphics card has a total of 34 RT cores, which uses Nvidia’s 3rd generation hardware.
Additionally, GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 4060 Ti Eagle OC can benefit from DLSS 3.7 which provides better upscaling and graphical output without breaking a sweat. However, it fully depends on game developers on how well they implement this feature.
Apart from raytracing, the graphics card also holds enough juice to run the latest games at high settings without any performance loss. Besides, the GPU arrives just under US$500 which is a bonus.
Sadly, this card will soon be replaced with 50-series cards which will be released in 2025. The main advantage you can take from this situation is to purchase the card at a lower price.
Budget GPU: PNY GeForce RTX 3070 (Best raytracing in the last generation)
Check the graphics card on Amazon by clicking here.
- Priced at US$489.99.
- Total Memory: 8 GB
- Clock Speed: 1750 Mhz
- Memory Bus and Type: 256-bit GDDR6
- Bus Interface: PCIe 4.0 x16
It might seem older generation cards wouldn’t be beneficial, but the RTX 3070 would prove everyone wrong. In terms of performance, this graphics card even surpasses 4060 Ti making it a great bargain.
PNY is usually known for building higher-tier Quadro cards, they haven’t disappointed in terms of creating consumer-friendly products. While the graphics card doesn’t look so good, it surely does its job better than everyone else.
The RTX 3070 can also take advantage of Nvidia’s DLSS and AMD’s FSR technologies allowing it to be adaptable with upscaling and frame generation. Moreover, it also has more RT cores than RTX 4060 Ti.
The downside of using this graphics card is its excessive power usage, which is almost 100W more than the RTX 4060 Ti. So it might be possible you might have to consider getting PSU which can handle more power.
Another disadvantage of owning this graphics card is it would become much older after the release of 50 series cards. So it might be possible you might miss out on future features that could be exclusive to 40 and 50 series cards.
Budget GPU: GIGABYTE Radeon RX 7800 XT Gaming OC (Best in overall performance)
Check the graphics card on Amazon by clicking here.
- Priced at US$489.97.
- Total Memory: 16 GB
- Clock Speed: 2430 Mhz
- Memory Bus and Type: 256-bit GDDR6
- Bus Interface: PCIe 4.0 x16
If you’re throwing out your requirements for raytracing, switching to Team Red is surely worthwhile. GIGABYTE Radeon RX 7800 XT is all about raw power and even performs better than RTX 3080.
With a total of a whopping 16 GB of VRAM, running any game would be a piece of cake for now and for the future. Furthermore, the GPU being under just US$500 and outperforming US$700 cards is a deal breaker in 2024.
It would be wrong to say the AMD card doesn’t have any raytracing capabilities. Rather, it has 80 RT cores which can pull off better results. However, it is the lack of support for DLSS and being an FSR-supported only card sets it behind.
Looking from an overall performance view, the GIGABYTE Radeon RX 7800 XT is the best money can buy. Also remember, the card is rather more power-hungry, thus requiring higher-powered PSUs.
Budget GPU: XFX Speedster SWFT319 Radeon RX 6800 (Best powerhouse for cheaper)
Check the graphics card on Amazon by clicking here.
- Priced at US$362.54.
- Total Memory: 16 GB
- Clock Speed: 2105 Mhz
- Memory Bus and Type: 256-bit GDDR6
- Bus Interface: PCIe 4.0 x16
The Radeon RX 6800 is a graphics card that gives the best price-to-performance ratio. The GPU also comes below US$400, as it is an older-generation card. But again, don’t let that fact make you turn away.
In terms of performance, the Radeon RX 6800 performs better than the Nvidia RTX 3070 which is priced higher. Even in this price range, the GPU is loaded with 60 RT cores allowing for AI upscaling and frame generation.
XFX is a splendid GPU manufacturer to consider when buying the Radeon RX 6800 in 2024. The build quality of every card is top-notch and doesn’t even feel like a cheap card. Moreover, it performs just the same as other manufacturer cards.
Keep in mind, that the Radeon RX 6800 is almost equally as power-hungry as its successor. So you have to opt-in for a powerful PSU with this one as well.
Budget GPU: Sparkle Intel Arc A770 ROC OC (Cheap yet powerful)
Check the graphics card on Amazon by clicking here.
- Priced at US$269.
- Total Memory: 16 GB
- Clock Speed: 2400 Mhz
- Memory Bus and Type: 256-bit GDDR6
- Bus Interface: PCIe 4.0 x16
If you’re very tight on budget, Intel Arc A770 isn’t a bad option at all. Rather it is a good option to go with in terms of hardware. However, being late into the GPU business, Intel is still lacking in some cases.
Intel Arc A770 graphic cards are well over-powered in terms of pricing and you’ll be able to play almost every recent game with ease. Moreover, the XeSS upscale technology works very well to make the card shine.
Raytracing isn’t a problem for Intel Arc A770 as it has 32 RT cores while being well under US$500. Making the GPU a good purchase in 2024 even though it was released in 2022.
To speak of the cons, the GPU has some software compatibility issues as Intel is new to the GPU game. There are also some reported old games that do not run on the top-tier card. Regardless, this issue isn’t much as newer games remain uncompromised.
That concludes our list of the best budget GPUs to buy.
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