Best Budget Graphics Cards Under $200

The sub-$200 price range for graphics cards has always been a great range for budget-oriented gamers looking to get solid results at 1080P resolution.

However, during the pandemic and GPU shortage, the $100-$200 price range was abysmal for GPUs. The only real option during that ~2-year span was the terrible RX 6500 XT.

Fortunately, with prices stabilized, the sub-$200 category is once again a great range to grab a solid 1080P card. And, in this guide we’ll go over a handful of the best graphics cards under $200 currently available.

Also, if you need help choosing the right GPU for your needs and budget, be sure to check out our graphics card buyer’s guide, or you can watch it below.

1. ASRock Intel Arc A750

Good raw performance, not as good drivers

With every new driver update, Intel’s GPUs get better and better. They still aren’t perfect… they are far more power hungry than their AMD and NVIDIA counterparts and there are some games (like Starfield) that just won’t run well on Intel GPUs.

But the raw performance is there as made evident by the numerous benchmarks that show both the A750 and A580 outperforming options like the similarly-priced RX 6600.

Right now you can pickup this ASRock ARC A750 for a bit under $200. This card comes with 8GB of VRAM and a 2200 MHz core clock rate. It does require a hefty 700-watt power supply to run (although, I’m sure you could get by with a 600- or 650-watt unit), which will tack on to the cost when compard to the RX 6600 listed below.

But, if raw performance is your main objective, and you don’t play any of the games that Intel GPUs struggle with, then this A750 might be the right graphics card choice for you.

On the other hand, if you’d prefer a more efficient GPU that you can count on for good performance in all titles, then the RX 6600 below would be the better option for you.

2. GIGABYTE Radeon RX 6600 Eagle

Good drivers, good enough raw performance

While the RX 6600 might trail a bit behind both the Intel ARC A750 and A580 in terms of overall performance, it doesn’t suffer from the driver issues that have plagued Intel GPUs and it doesn’t require nearly as big of a power supply in order to run.

And, of the RX 6600 options out there, Gigabyte’s Eagle edition card seems to be the best value option at the moment. With a sub-$180 pricetag, it is about ~$10 less expensive than the ASRock A750 listed above.

The Gigabyte Eagle RX 6600 also only requires a 500-watt power supply, so you can save a lot of money there as well.

And, although you might not get quite as high of an average framerate with the RX 6600, it is still good enough to deliver an excellent in-game experience.

So, if you want to save some money, get more reliable drivers, and get adequate 1080P performance, then an RX 6600 is probably your best bet in this price range.

3. Sparkle Intel Arc A580 ORC OC

Solid performance in the mid $200s

I used this Intel ARC A580 from Sparkle in a $500 gaming PC build I put together and I was happy with the performance it provided for the price I paid for it.

This card is currently about ~$20 more expensive than when I purchased it, and so it isn’t quite as good of a value proposition at the moment. In fact, it comes in at the same price as the Gigabyte Eagle RX 6600 listed above.

Both the RX 6600 and ARC A580 will provided similar results in games where Intel drivers are supported, but the A580 does require a bigger power supply (minimum 500-watts), and, again, suffers from less reliable drivers.

So, in my opinion, as long as the A580 and RX 6600 are priced the same, the RX 6600 is the better option as it will offer the better overall experience. If the A580 were to come back down in price, though, I think you could make a case for choosing it over the RX 6600, especially if Intel continues to work out the kinks with their driver support.

You can watch my full review on the Sparkle ORC A580 below.

4. MSI Gaming RTX 3050 Gaming X

Best option for upgrading low-end prebuilts

I wouldn’t recommend an RTX 3050 to anyone who is building a new budget-oriented PC or to anyone who is upgrading an older desktop that has a decent power supply in it.

For the price of the RTX 3050, you’d be much better off spending a little more on one of the options above.

However, the unique feature of the RTX 3050 is how power efficient it is. For instance, this MSI RTX 3050 only requires a minimum of a 300-watt power supply and it doesn’t even need a PCIe connection from your PSU. It draws power directly from the PCIe slot.

This makes it the perfect option for anyone who is looking to upgrade their GPU, but who doesn’t have a great power supply in their current system. You can simply drop-in this graphics card and see an immediate boost to your in-game performance.

It’s also an incredibly compact card, measuring in at just 205mm, meaning it should even fit in some smaller Optiplex systems, too.

So, overall, I’d only consider an RTX 3050 if you’re looking for a quick and easy upgrade to an older system. And, of the RTX 3050s out there, this MSI card comes in at the lowest price point.

Conclusion

While there are some really expensive graphics cards out there, it doesn’t mean that you have to spend a ton in order to get something that will allow you to play games at higher settings on a 1080P display.

There are a number of great budget-oriented GPUs available in the $100-$200 price range. We’ve listed the best options above.

If you’d like help choosing a graphics card that will suit your needs and budget, post your questions in the comment section below.