The 5 Best Budget Graphics Cards for 2022

 

We rated, reviewed, & compared 5 of the best budget graphics cards under $200. These budget GPUs are perfect for gamers who are strapped for cash but who want to be able to play their favorite games.

If you’re a PC gamer, the one component inside of your computer that will have the biggest impact on your in-game performance is your graphics card. Whether you’re building a new budget-friendly gaming computer and you’re looking for a graphics card that will give you optimal performance for your budget, or you’re looking to upgrade an older system and you just need an affordable option that will allow you to play games on at least lower settings, the good news is that you have a few different options to choose between.

In this guide, we’ve reviewed seven of the best cheap video cards under $200 to give you viable options for your new build or upgrade at multiple price points. These options will range from being 1080P powerhouses that can play any game on a budget 1080P monitor at medium-ish settings, to ultra-cheap entry-level cards that will be ideal for upgrading an older system that can no longer run games on a 1080P monitor.

Our Top Picks for the Best Budget Graphics Cards

The table below gives you our picks for the best budget GPUs. We’ve made our pick for the best graphics card under $200 overall, a runner-up pick, the best GPU under $150, and the best entry-level GPU option.

1. Gigabyte Radeon RX 5500 XT

If you’re looking for the best budget graphics card under $200, then an RX 5500 XT is currently your best bet. At times, you could find an RX 590 or GTX 1660 fr under $200, but as of right now the RX 590 is tough to find anywhere, and all of the GTX 1660s are over $200.

So, if you’ve got right at $200 to spend, the Gigabyte RX 5500 XT is your best bet. This Gigabyte card features Gigabyte’s dual fan WINDFORCE 2X configuration, a 1647MHz base block, and 8GB of VRAM.

With its dual fan configuration, this RX 5500XT only measures at 8.9-inches long, making it a good option for a small form-factor PC.

Ultimately, the RX 5500XT will be able to handle any game on a 1080P with no problems. You should expect to play most games at that resolution on at least medium settings.

2. Gigabyte Radeon RX 580

If you don’t quite have $200 to spend, your next best bet is probably another Gigabyte card, their Radeon RX 580 Gaming edition. The 580 has been around for a couple of years and it has always been a great option for gamers on a budget.

This card requires a 500-watt power supply, measures in at 9.1-inches long, and comes with 8GB of VRAM. It also has the same WINDFORCE 2X cooling configuration at the RX 5500 XT listed above.

While the RX 580 doesn’t quite match the performance of the RX 5500 XT, it isn’t that far behind it either. So, if you want to save ~$30 without having to sacrifice too much performance, this card is worth considering. It, too, will handle 1080P gaming just fine.

3. XFX Radeon RX 570

If you have a tighter budget and you can’t spend more than $150, this XFX Radeon RX 570 graphics card is a good option. The RX 570 lags a bit behind both the RX 5500 XT and the RX 580, but it will still run most games on a 1080P monitor on at least medium settings.

This card is actually the longest option on the list, measuring in at 9.6-inches long. However, it’s still compact enough to where it will fit in the majority of modern cases.

It also comes with a 1264 MHz base clock rate and sports 4GB of VRAM.

Overall, if you don’t have the budget to get an RX 5500XT or RX 580 (or GTX 1650 Super), an RX 570 is probably your next best option. And, of the RX 570s currently on the market, this XFX card offers the best price to performance as of the time of writing this article.

4. XFX Radeon RX 550

If you don’t have more than $100 to spend on a graphics card, you have a few options. As of right now, the best sub-$100 GPU is an RX 550. And, as of the time of updating this guide, the top RX 550 currently available is XFX’s Core edition.

This card comes with a 1203 MHz base clock rate, 4GB of VRAM, and a single fan cooling configuration. Due to the single fan configuration, this RX 550 measures in at just 6.7-inches long. So, it’s a great option for a budget-friendly mini gaming PC build.

For performance, you can expect to run most games on a 1080P monitor on at least lower settings. For non-demanding games like League of Legends, this card will work just fine and for more demanding games, you can play on lower settings until you have enough money to upgrade to something more powerful.

5. EVGA GeForce GTX 1650 Super

While it might seem that I have something against NVIDIA cards based on this article, the reality is that, at the current price points, AMD cards seem to make more sense in the sub-$200 price range.

The RX 5500 XT outperforms the GTX 1650 Super and the RX 580’s extra 4GB of VRAM and lower price than the 1650 Super make it a better buy as well.

However, if the GTX 1650 Supers were to come down in price to a level similar to or lower than the RX 580, they might be worth a look. And, if they do, this EVGA card would be one of the better options. It comes with a 1755 MHz base clock, 4GB of VRAM, and a dual fan configuration. It also measures in at 8.0-inches long.

Overall, though, you can either spend a little more to get a better performing card (the RX 5500 XT), or you can spend less and get virtually the same performance (RX 580.) So, for now, the GTX 1650 Super is an Honorable Mention.