The 7 Best Budget Graphics Cards for 2023

We rated, reviewed, & compared 7 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 higher 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.

So, if you don’t have a huge budget, but you need a new graphics card that will allow you to play your favorite games, one of the options below should do the trick for you.

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.

		NAME	SPECS	RATING
TOP PICK		ZOTAC GTX 1660	1785MHz 6GB VRAM 8.5-Inches 450W PSU	8.8/10	Check Price Read Review »
RUNNER-UP		XFX RX 6500 XT	2825MHz 4GB VRAM 9.2-Inches 450W PSU	8.7/10	Check Price Read Review »
SUB-$150		XFX RX 6400	2321MHz 4GB VRAM 6.3-Inches 450W PSU	8.5/10	Check Price Read Review »
ENTRY		PowerColor RX 550	1071MHz 2GB VRAM 6.0-Inches 350W PSU	8.2/10	Check Price Read Review »

*To read our full overviews on our top budget GPU choices, just click the “Read Review »” button. You can also keep scrolling down to find more options based on your specific budget.

If you’re looking for the best budget graphics card under $200, then this GTX 1660 from ZOTAC is not what you’re looking for. That’s because it comes in at just slightly over $200.

However, it is close enough and if you can stretch your budget just a bit, you’ll get a much more powerful GPU when compared to the true sub-$200 graphics cards on this list.

Also Read: Best Gaming PC Build for $600

This GTX 1660 Super comes with a 1530MHz core clock and a 1785MHz boost clock. It sports 6GB of GDDR6 VRAM and requires a minimum of a 450-watt power supply. It also measures in at just under 8.5-inches, making it a great option for smaller builds.

For performance, you can expect this GPU to max out any game on a 1080P monitor. And, it should achieve a high-enough average framete in most games to where you’d benefit by pairing it with a 144Hz monitor that has G-Sync technology.

If you don’t quite have $200 to spend, your next best bet is probably this Radeon RX 6500 XT from XFX. The RX 6500 XT isn’t the GPU in the world and it even loses in benchmarks to older generation cards (like the RX 5500 XT).

That’s mainly due to the fact that it comes with a lower VRAM capacity (only 4GB of GDDR6 VRAM). However, the RX 5500 XT is difficult to find and the RX 6500 XT is readily available. So, while 4GB of VRAM may not be ideal, at this price point, it’s still the best offering.

Also Read: Best Gaming PC Build Under $500

Furthermore, the RX 6500 XT is still powerful enough to allow you to play any games on a 1080P display (ideally, with AMD’s FreeSync technology) on at least medium settings. And, for non-demanding esports titles like Rocket League of League of Legends, or games like Minecraft, it is more than powerful enough to get the job done.

So, if you’re looking for a more budget-friendly GPU option, the RX 6500 XT is a decent option worth considering.

If you have a tighter budget and you can’t spend more than $150, this XFX Radeon RX 6400 graphics card is a good option. The RX 6400 lags a bit behind both the GTX 1660 Super and the RX 6500 XT, but it will still run most games on a 1080P monitor on at least medium settings.

This card is also one of the shortest options on this list, sporting a low-profile design, and measuring in at 6.3-inches long. So, that would make it an excellent option for a smaller form-factor system.

It also comes with a 2321 MHz base clock rate and 4GB of GDDR6 VRAM.

Overall, if you don’t have the budget to get a GTX 1660 Super, an RX 6400 is probably your next best option. And, of the RX 6400s currently on the market, this XFX card offers the best price to performance as of the time of writing this article.

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 sub-$100 RX 550 currently available is this low-profile option from XFX.

This card comes with a 1071 MHz base clock rate, 2GB of VRAM, and a single fan cooling configuration. Due to the single fan configuration and low-profile design, this RX 550 measures in at just 6.0-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.

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 GTX 1650 Super does provide a slight performance boost over the RX 6500 XT in most games, however it also comes in at—or just above—$200. And, at that point, the GTX 1660 Super listed above would be a better option.

However, if you’re able to find a GTX 1650 Super for the same price (or cheaper) than the RX 6500 XT, then you’d probably be better off choosing it instead. 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 GTX 1660 Super), or you can spend less and get virtually the same performance (RX 6500 XT.) So, for now, the GTX 1650 Super is an Honorable Mention.

Another NVIDIA card that doesn’t make it into our top picks due to the price it comes in at is the non-Super GTX 1650. The standard GTX 1650 costs close to the same amount as the RX 6500 XT. However, the RX 6500 XT provides quite a bit more performance than the GTX 1650.

So, as of right now, the RX 6500 XT has a better price-to-performance ratio.

Of course, with graphics card prices changing on a daily basis, it is worth taking a look at 1650 prices before you make your final decision. And, of the GTX 1650 options out there, this PNY card is a decent option.

Another sub-$100 graphics card option is this Gigabyte GeForce GT 1030. At just under $85, it is the most affordable option on this list. And, if you’re working with a tight budget to build a new gaming PC or upgrade an older computer, a GT 1030 is an excellent option.

Also Read: Best Gaming PC Build for $400

It won’t give you great in-game performance—especially in demanding titles—but it can hold you over until you can afford an upgrade.

Ultimately, the GT 1030 is an entry-level card that won’t work for most individuals. If you are strapped for cash, though, and need a cheap GPU to get you by, it should do the trick.

Which Budget GPU is Right for You?

While it is true that the better the graphics card you have, the higher the framerate you can get in your games, it is also true that even today’s top games can be run fairly well by a budget graphics card at 1920 x 1080 resolution. For instance, the three options in the $150-$200 price range (the GTX 1660 Super, RX 6500 Xt, and GTX 1650 Super) should be able to handle today’s most demanding games on medium settings on a 1080P monitor. And, even the options in the $100-$150 price range will serve you well for 1080P gaming as well.

If you’re playing non-demanding games, like Rocket League, League of Legends, or Dota 2, etc., you can save even more money by going with something like an RX 550 or GT 1030 without sacrificing much in terms of your in-game experience.

So, the bottom line is that, whether you’re looking for a decent upgrade for your older desktop, or you’re looking to build an affordable gaming PC, there are graphics card options for under $200 that will deliver you a pretty solid in-game experience.

Also Read:

• NVIDIA RTX vs GTX: Is RTX the Better Option?
• GPU vs. Graphics Card: What’s the Difference?
• Do You Need to Uninstall Old Graphics Drivers Before Installing A New Graphics Card?