As prices increase for PC hardware across generations, the recent wave of higher-priced GPUs replaces their more pocket-friendly last-generation alternatives with similar monikers. This sees gamers and enthusiasts look at a redefined budget gaming GPU market with higher price tags as goalposts move higher across the board.
Both Nvidia and AMD tend to start top-heavy when it comes to new GPU launches, with Nvidia leading the way with the GeForce RTX 4080 and 4090. AMD went with a slightly less pricey Radeon RX 7900XT and RX 7900XTX that still plants itself firmly in the premium category.
While both AMD and Nvidia have unveiled more budget-centric GPUs since – including the RTX 4070, 4060TI, and 4060 from Nvidia’s side and the RX 7600, 7700XT, and 7800XT from AMD’s end – consumers continue to feel somewhat stiffed with most of the entry-level units offering marginal rasterization gains over similarly priced last generation alternatives.
That being said, the newer GPUs come with better support for newer tech – including DLSS and FSR from Nvidia and AMD, respectively – making them a second consideration for users going for an upgrade from older generations or starting afresh with a new PC build. Other older-generation GPUs – including the RX 6700XT, which continues to age well and has received multiple price cuts – also rank highly because of their impressive price-to-performance ratio for gamers.
How To: Picking The Best Budget GPUs For Gaming
While modern GPUs are used for a plethora of tasks, they tend to be chosen by gamers based on their raw gaming performance versus their potential productivity gains. This means that a lot of workstation-grade GPUs are generally overlooked for their more game-centric counterparts due to a mix of the following reasons:
AI Sharpening Tech: As modern GPUs come closer to hitting the limits of what silicon can do in more ways than one, Nvidia, AMD, and to a lesser degree, Intel have come up with their own AI sharpening tech that uses methods such as deep learning and dedicated hardware to deliver next-generation performance on current generation performance. These are not to be mistaken with basic upscaling tech such as checkerboarding, however, with techniques such as Frame Generation and Temporal Anti Aliasing (TAA) in play that ensure in most cases both, a higher frame rate and a better quality than a GPU is capable of without such techniques being employed.
Price-To-Performance Ratio: When it comes to budget GPUs in a market teaming with options, even as price-conscious consumers look to score a bargain against rising costs of GPUs, users need to measure value for money and price on a case-by-case basis even as product nomenclature grows increasingly incorrect as a means to measure performance tiers in 2024.
Case in point: The RTX 3080 (with an MSRP of $700) is effectively replaced by the RTX 4070 Ti ($799 MSRP), the RTX 4080, which commands an MSRP of $1200. This can lead to confusion for end users who have previously not seen price brackets move so aggressively in previous generations.
VRAM On Offer: As modern games grow into more demanding, monolithic entities, their VRAM requirements often outstrip their performance requirement gains generation on generation. Where GPUs with 4GB or 6GB of VRAM would suffice, most games require at least 8GB of GPU RAM on tap even at lower resolutions.
This can be an issue with otherwise powerful GPUs with companies like Nvidia being particularly restrictive when it comes to VRAM offerings at the lower end of the pricing spectrum (with the RTX 3060 12GB an outlier). AMD and Intel also do, to a lesser degree suffer from similar issues, and users should anticipate buying a GPU with adequate memory for their target resolutions for games in 2024 and beyond.
Game Rant’s picks for the Best Budget GPUs for Gaming in 2024
Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4070 WINDFORCE OC 12G
The Best Overall Budget GPU for Gaming
Tri-Fan Budget RTX 4000 Series Play
$550 $600 Save $50
The Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4070 WINDFORCE OC 12G is a powerful graphics card that can run most modern games comfortably at 1440p. It comes with a triple fan design for better heat dissipation. It boasts higher clock speeds than the Founders Edition card at 2490 MHz. It has the same 5888 Cuda cores and 12 GB GDDR6 VRAM on a 192-bit memory bus.
The Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4070 WINDFORCE OC 12G is powered by a single 8-pin connector and a 650W PSU is recommended for the GPU
- Brand
- Gigabyte
- Cooling Method
- Triple fan
- GPU Speed
- 1920 MHz
- Interface
- PCI Express 4.0
- Memory
- 12 GB GDDR6
- Power
- 650W PSU recommended
- Boost Speed
- 2490 MHz
- CUDA Cores
- 5888
- Works with all new gaming-centric Nvidia solutions such as DLSS 3.0/3.5
- Comes factory overclocked out of the box
- Is considerably cheaper than other tri-fan RTX 4070 SKUs
- Runs considerably more efficiently than its last-generation equivalent GPU
- Can be powered by a single 8-pin power connector
- Some users might not like the lack of RGB on offer from Gigabyte
- Slightly larger than some of its 2-fan variants, could be an issue for ITX builds
The Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4070 WINDFORCE OC 12G is an excellent GPU to consider as a discounted upgrade going into 2024. With 12GB of VRAM, better efficiency than the RTX 3080 which it replaces, and excellent DLSS 3/3.5 performance out of the box, it is an attractive proposition for gamers moving from the 2000 series or older GPUs or those looking for new graphics card in 2024.
It offers a premium tri-fan design while its lower power draw allows it to be paired with more entry-level PSUs than the RTX 3080. With decent factory overclocks and an excellent price point that sees it command an impressive $50 discount over the Founder’s Edition (FE), the Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4070 WINDFORCE OC 12G is an excellent GPU to get while it remains on sale.
It does skip RGB lighting in a bid to offer a more competitive price versus its competition while offering a relatively premium design that also offers some of the quietest operation under load for a current-generation GPU in tow to balance it out. This is partially due to it offering an arguably over-engineered tri-fan design that can be an issue for gamers looking to use an RTX 4070 in a more compact build. Note: MSI has affected users covered with a similarly priced RTX 4070 SKU in a dual fan form factor that should fit easily in most smaller mATX/ITX cases that support an external GPU.
The Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4070 WINDFORCE OC 12G is the best overall budget GPU for gaming because it offers an excellent blend of value and performance that is hard to find in Nvidia’s RTX 4000 series GPUs, while offering some degree of future-proofing thanks to its 12GB of VRAM. With a $50 discount and an Nvidia Geforce game promotion in tow, the tri-fan RTX 4070 offering is both, the best value and best all-round GPU for gamers looking to spend around the $500 price bracket in 2024.
Note: This particular model of the RTX 4070 comes with a free bundled Nvidia code for 3 months of PC Game Pass and GeForce Now Priority as part of an ongoing promotion.
XFX Speedster MERC319 RX 7800 XT Black
The Best Alternate Overall Budget GPU for Gaming
The XFX Speedster MERC319 RX 7800 XT Black is a mid-tier offering in the Radeon 7000 series of graphics cards. It features a base clock speed of 1624 MHz and a boost clock speed of 2565 MHz. It has 16GB of VRAM on a 256-bit memory bus with speeds up to 19.5 Gbps.
Targeting 1440p gaming, the XFX Speedster MERC319 RX 7800 XT Black has a triple-fan cooler design and AMD recommends at least a 700W PSU with this card.
- Brand
- XFX
- Graphics RAM Size
- 16GB
- Architecture
- Navi 32
- Ray Accelerators/Cores
- 60
- Stream Processors
- 3840
- Base Clock Speed
- 1624
- Boost Clock Speed
- 2565
- Memory Bus
- 256
- Memory Bandwidth
- up to 19.5 Gbps
- Cooling
- Triple fan vapor chamber
- Offers better Rasterization performance than the RTX 4070
- Has 16GB of VRAM to handle demanding titles and higher target resolutions
- Excellent build quality on offer versus the competition
- Offers noticeably better Ray Tracing performance than its predecessor
- Offers limited rasterization gains over the 6800XT it replaces
- Might not fit easily in smaller cases
For users looking for AMD’s equivalent competitor to Nvidia’s RTX 4070, the XFX Speedster MERC319 RX 7800 XT Black packs a significant punch as it houses AMD’s latest endeavor on the discrete GPU market that also happens to trade at a discount while offering slightly better rasterization performance in tow.
With improvements on offer when it comes to Ray Tracing performance as well as minor gains in most games on offer to date, the RX 7800XT makes more sense as a more modern performance-equivalent alternative to AMD’s aging RX 6800XT. The XFX Speedster MERC319 RX 7800 XT Black happens to be a premium SKU that still trades at a significant $70 discount over its nearest competitor’s MSRP, making it a considerably well-price bargain.
The Best AMD GPUs in 2024
AMD has a lot to offer in 2023 with the launch of its RX 7000 series lineup, even as the RX 6000 series lineup gets competitive price cuts.
It does, however, offer significantly better value than Nvidia’s current set of RTX 4000 series GPUs thanks to its plentiful 16GB of VRAM, allowing it to scale better for larger textures and higher resolutions. This is not something that has gone amiss at Nvidia’s end with multiple SKUs shedding $50 to compete with AMD’s offering even as Team Green ups the ante with performance gains on offer thanks to DLSS 3/3.5 offerings on the same.
AMD isn’t too far behind on paper with FSR3 having experienced a soft launch, but users might have to deal with a relatively inferior upscaling solution for the foreseeable future thanks to Nvidia’s lead in this particular area, even as multiple driver updates cement the RX 7800XT’s better rasterization abilities, making it a credible alternative to Nvidia’s RTX 4070 GPU with more VRAM, slightly better price-to-performance and a minor lead in raw performance on offer.
Note: This particular model of the RX 7800XT comes with a free bundled Avatar: Mists of Pandora code as part of the AMD Rewards program.
ASRock Challenger D Radeon RX 6700 XT
The Best Mid-Range Budget GPU for Gaming
$300 $330 Save $30
The ASRock Challenger D Radeon RX 6700 XT is an excellent mid-range GPU that does justice to 1080P and 1440P gamers. While it can handle the bulk of modern games at a respectable frame rate at FHD or 2K resolutions, it also does so at a price point where it decimates Nvidia’s RTX 3060/3060TI offerings. It does offer Ray Tracing, but the performance overhead is significantly higher than Nvidia’s 2nd and 3rd gen RT-core enabled RTX 3000 and 4000 GPUs which tend to be at least a generation ahead of the 6700XT’s own implementation.
- Brand
- ASRock
- Cooling Method
- Air-Cooled Dual Fan
- GPU Speed
- 2321 MHz
- Interface
- PCI-Express 4.0
- Memory
- 12 GB GDDR6
- Power
- 175W
- Boost Speed
- 2581 MHz
- CUDA Cores
- N/A
- Considerably better value for money than its Nvidia counterparts
- Has 12GB of VRAM which is higher than Nvidia’s newer competing GPUs
- Runs considerably cooler than last-generation AMD GPUs
- Excellent rasterization performance for 2K gaming
- Runs quieter than competing cooling solutions
- Runs slightly hotter than competing RX 6700XT alternatives
The ASRock Challenger D Radeon RX 6700 XT is arguably the best mid-range gaming GPU. It offers decent rasterization performance that sits between the RTX 4060 and 4060TI, more VRAM at 12GB, and decent cooling that also runs quieter than some of its peers.
It targets 2K resolutions and currently continues to make inroads on newer titles, offering performance gains on certain AMD-centric titles such as Call of Duty: Warzone, among others. With plenty of power under the hood for its price point in addition to a 33% increase in VRAM versus the competition, the 6700XT makes for an excellent bargain for gamers on a budget.
Gamers and enthusiasts alike can overlook the slight performance dips that the RX 6700XT encounters when dealing with Ray Traced content, a common theme in AMD’s 6000 series GPUs, given its outstanding value at its current price point. At just $300 for what is arguably the best value-for-money GPU on Game Rant’s list currently, the ASRock Challenger D Radeon RX 6700 XT holds its own as a GPU that has aged considerably better than its competition in 2024.
ASUS Dual GeForce RTX™ 4060 OC Edition 8GB
The Best Alternate Mid-Range GPU for Gaming
The ASUS Dual RTX 4060 GPU offers a higher boost clock than many of its peers while offering a compact, 2.5-slot GPU that can easily fit in most cases. Powered by a single 8-pin connector with a thermal design power (TDP) of 115W, it offers more efficiency than its predecessor but has no RGB lighting whatsoever in a bid to match Nvidia’s MSRP for the Founder’s Edition.
- Brand
- ASUS
- Cooling Method
- Dual Fan Air-Cooled
- GPU Speed
- 1830 MHz
- Interface
- PCI Express 4.0
- Memory
- 8GB GDDR6 128-Bit
- Power
- 115W
- Boost Speed
- Boost: 2505 Mhz , OC: 2535 MHz
- CUDA Cores
- 3072
- Offers an overclocked version of the RTX 4060 at the same price as the FE
- Considerably more power efficient than last-generation alternatives
- Powered by a single 8-pin connector
- Great DLSS3 performance and improved Ray Tracing performance
- Offers a compact, quiet solution for gamers looking for a more subtle GPU design
- Weak rasterization performance with no justifiable upgrade path from an RTX 3060/3060TI
- No RGB lighting on this particular SKU
The ASUS Dual GeForce RTX 4060 OC Edition 8GB is an excellent entry-level Ada Lovelace-based GPU that offers superior DLSS 3 performance versus its predecessor, the RTX 3060. However, it does sacrifice some VRAM in the process, dialing down to 8GB of available memory out of the box. It also offers a similar rasterization performance as its last-generation counterpart, the RTX 3060.
At the same time, it does offer more efficient gaming and better performance in titles that support Ray Tracing with DLSS 3 under the hood. While it isn’t a great upgrade for users coming from an RTX 3060, it does make for a viable new GPU upgrade for others coming in from older GPUs while wanting to reap the benefits of the newer RTX 4000 GPU lineup’s offerings.
Note: This particular model of the RTX 4060 comes with a free bundled Nvidia code for 3 months of PC Game Pass and GeForce Now Priority as part of an ongoing promotion.
Gigabyte Radeon RX 7600 Gaming OC
The Best Entry-Level Budget GPU for Gaming
The Gigabyte Radeon RX 7600 Gaming OC is a triple-fan dual-slot graphics card that brings Gigabyte’s effective WINDFORCE cooling technology. It has three 80mm fans with alternate spinning that work alongside the five composite copper heat pipes that directly touch the GPU. The GPU uses the highest-grade metal chokes, 2oz copper PCB, lower ESR solid capacitors, and lower RDS(on) MOSFETs, among other features.
- Graphics RAM Size
- 8GB GDDR6
- Brand
- Gigabyte
- Architecture
- NAVI 33
- Process
- TSMC N6
- Transistors
- 13.3 billion
- Base Clock Speed
- 2355MHz
- Boost Clock Speed
- 2755MHz
- Memory Bus
- 128 bit
- Cooling
- Tri-Fan Cooling
- Uses a large, expansive air cooler which keeps the GPU cool and quiet
- Excellent value for money versus the competition
- Offers significantly premium build quality without the added cost
- Slightly higher profile than competing GPUs, makes it harder to fit in smaller ITX builds
- Weak ray tracing performance versus the competition
The Gigabyte Radeon RX 7600 Gaming OC offers a somewhat expansive take on air cooling for what is a much cooler chip than the tri-fan design suggests. This gives it a more premium look than the competition even though it’s a bargain for gamers unwilling to push much further than the $250 threshold for a new GPU. The well-designed metal backplate and overzealous cooling treatment result in a GPU that runs quieter and cooler than most of its peers sporting the same chip while not adding much in terms of cost.
Despite its value, it happens to be one of the cheapest RX 7600 SKUs on offer at multiple retailers. This makes it a solid choice for gamers targeting 60FPS at an FHD resolution. While it does come across as lacking in Ray Tracing performance versus Nvidia’s offerings, it holds its own better than the previous RX 6000 series GPUs did at launch thanks to a much more improved FSR experience this time around to back AMD’s latest GPU.
Note: This particular model of the AMD RX 7600 comes with a free bundled Avatar: Mists of Pandora code as part of the AMD Rewards program.
PNY RTX 4070 Ti 12GB XLR8 Gaming Verto Epic-X
The Best High-End Budget GPU for Gaming
The PNY RTX 4070 Ti 12GB XLR8 Gaming Verto Epic-X is a good-looking RTX 4070TI GPU that essentially goes for the same price as the MSRP of the founder’s edition while clocking in at the same base clocks coupled with subtle RGB lighting and an excellent but quiet cooler in tow that enables it to boost higher than the stock unit.
- Brand
- PNY
- Cooling Method
- Tri-Fan Air Cooling
- GPU Speed
- 2310 MHz
- Interface
- PCI-E 4.0
- Memory
- 12GB GDDR6X
- Power
- 285W
- Boost Speed
- 2670 MHz
- CUDA Cores
- 7680
- Offers a significant performance bump over the previous generation
- Comes factory overclocked out of the box
- Has a decent RGB lighting effect
- It uses fast GDDR6X memory under the hood
- Excellent DLSS3 performance
- Pushes the definition of a ‘budget’ GPU much like most Ada Lovelace-based offerings
- 12GB of VRAM for a sub $800 GPU seems slightly low
The Nvidia RTX 4070TI is not a budget GPU per se. However, It is the cheapest relatively budget-friendly, and truly next-gen RTX GPU on offer. As a result, it can hold its own with increasingly demanding titles at maxed-out QHD Ray-traced content or native 4K titles.
The PNY RTX 4070 Ti 12GB XLR8 Gaming Verto Epic-X OC edition offers a factory overclock that outdoes the Founders Edition considerably. It also offers an excellent (if somewhat subtle) lighting aesthetic that gamers looking for more RGB under the hood do appreciate.
The Best Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 TI GPUs
The RTX 4070TI rules the roost when it comes to mid-to-high-end GPU offerings. Here are some of the best 3rd party variants you can get.
With better DLSS 3 performance than its predecessors and raw rasterization comparable to a last-generation RTX 3090TI, the RTX 4070TI offers a much better price for the last-generation flagship’s $2000 ask towards the tail end of Ampere’s life. It does, however, ship with only 12GB of VRAM, making it a slightly less appealing GPU for gamers looking to occasionally play at a 4K resolution thanks to larger textures requiring more memory.
Modern games can push up to 16GB of memory usage when maxed out at 4K resolutions. That could be a limiting factor for what is otherwise the best GPU one can buy under a $1000 budget with PNY’s offering being considerably better in terms of value than some of its higher-end peers that can cost upwards of $900 for their more premium designs.
Note: This particular model of the RTX 4070 Ti comes with a free bundled Nvidia code for 3 months of PC Game Pass and GeForce Now Priority as part of an ongoing promotion.
FAQ
Q: Is an Nvidia or AMD GPU better for gaming in 2023?
Both Nvidia and AMD offer excellent GPUs as part of the RTX 4000 and RX 7000 series of graphics cards in 2023. However, they do tend to be pricier than their last-generation counterparts. Researching which model works best for your needs and budget can help you make an informed choice.
Q: What is the best budget GPU for gaming under $500?
The best budget GPU for gaming at around $500 would be the older but very capable AMD Radeon RX 6800XT. It features excellent rasterization performance, high amounts of available VRAM, and multiple well-priced SKUs in a GPU market that continues to be heavily hit by higher prices for all next-generation GPUs.
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