Updated on May 28, 2023
Although the Great GPU Shortage has continued into 2022, it’s unfortunate that this has happened. Availability has improved recently, but prices are still far below what they were a few years ago (or MSRPs).
A year ago in this price range, you would have been able to get a much better graphics card than what you’ll get now for less than $300.
Arc is expected to exert pressure on the market later this year. This used to be a mid-range pricing point, but AMD and Nvidia’s entry-level cards are now pricey.
On this page:
NVIDIA Vs. AMD
Buy Now or Wait? Navigating the Shortage
Best GPU below $300: GeForce RTX 3050
Best AMD alternative: Radeon RX 6500 XT
Previous-gen/used GPUs
Summary
CPU Pairing and PSU Requirements
NVIDIA Vs. AMD Below $300
The release schedules of AMD and Nvidia have remained unchanged, despite the lack of availability and street pricing.. The $300 Cards we expected to see at this point were the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 and AMD RX 6600 XT.
Intel’s entry-level Radeon RX 6500 XT and Nvidia’s Nvidia RTX 3050 are what we see below $300. A good price is practically unlikely to obtain by on the latter at this time.
Best AMD
Best NVIDIA
1024-bit Stream Processors
2825/2425MHz Core/Boost Clock: 1552/1552/1777Mhz 1552/1552/1777Mhz Predicted Outcomes
a total of 5,786 GFLOPS and 9,098 GFLOPS respectively
Memory Type and Size
As many as four gigabytes of DDR6
64-bit and 128-bit Memory Bus Clocks (Effective)
a download speed of 14 GB/s
More than 140 GB/s of memory bandwidth
A rate of 224 GB per second
Recommendation: TDP 107W 120W Power Supply
300 watts 300 watts
Connector for Power (s)
2 Outputs: 6 pin and 8 pin
1 DP and 1 HDMI
A single HDMI and three DP ports are available.
Avg. Score
User Reviews There are 19 Reviews and 2 Reviews.
Image copyright Amazon Product Advertising API; last updated on 2022-02-28
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The Radeon 6500XT graphics card is available in two different configurations from Amazon and Newegg.
There is no justification for the $249 Rrp price tag, given its evident superiority.
Due to its low bandwidth pricing (initially $199), the RX 6500 XT looks to be dense and can be acquired for less than $300. This low-end GPU is compatible with PCIe Gen3 systems due to its PCIe 4.0 x4 target.
First few months of 2022 may be best served by a $300 GPU.
Today’s entry-level and mid graphics cards achieve the following scores in our tests of their performance:
Nvidia’s RTX 3050 can now compete with the GTX 1660 Ti in term of gaming performance. In order to get the most out of new Radeon Rx 6000 XT graphics card, USB Gen 4’s bandwidth must be fully utilised. Using a PC from the third generation causes the device to run slowly.
There was an NVIDIA GTX 1050 Ti available for roughly $200 only a little more than a year ago. My heartfelt condolences go out to the victims and their families.
Buy Now or Wait? Navigating the GPU Shortage
Another of the better and more cost ways to improve your PC’s gaming skills is to replace your video card. Once every 1–2 full product generations, the early adopter market prefers a “refresh,” which really is usually only a minor design tweak. Stuttering in a huge AAA title is the most prevalent reason for an update.
Putting off the purchase of new graphics cards is one of the most typical reasons for this. Due to a lack of supply, the cost of GPUs has increased dramatically, thus it is better to wait until mid 2022.
Intel’s Arc platform.
Purchase a card at the MSRP on the day of release. Nvidia’s RTX 30 and AMD’s Radeon RX 7000 series are extremely sought-after by gamers. Availability
In the near future, it’s possible that you won’t need a graphics card. The Intel Arc Alchemist GPU line has not yet been priced, but we expect it to be available in the second half of Q1 2022 to fix this problem.
You can also resell your used items. It is possible to find AMD RX 5600 and Nvidia GTX 1660 class cards for about $300, if you’re lucky. Increased demand for secondhand gpus has led to an increase in the price of used GPUs.
Best GPU Under $300 (Theoretically): GeForce RTX 3050
Nvidia’s newest GeForce RTX 3050 would’ve been a fantastic buy at its (very hypothetical) MSRP of $249. Unfortunately, as of early February 2022, it is extremely difficult to locate in stores, let alone at MSRP.
The RTX – 300 would have been a popular entry-level GeForce RTX card had it been widely available. In terms of RTX features, it is the first of Nvidia’s low-cost XX50 cards to get hardware compatibility. It may not be sufficient to run AAA titles with ray tracing at resolution over 1080p, but with the addition of Nvidia’s DLSS super-sampling technology, it’s more exciting.
The RX 5600 XT and the GTX 1660 Ti/Super are comparable in terms of performance, however the RTX 2060 is roughly 10% slower on average than the RX 5600 XT.
on Amazon and Newegg, respectively
Best AMD GPU Under $300 (Unfortunately): Radeon RX 6500 XT
Using AMD’s RDNA 2 Navi 24 GPU as its foundation, the AMD RX 6500 XT was introduced on the market in January 2022. Replaces RX 5500 XT as the RX 6000 series’ entry-level model.
Technically, the RX 6000 XT falls behind the RX 5500 XT in some areas. This card’s GDDR6 VRAM and 64-bit memory bus can only deliver 143.9 GB/s of bandwidth, as opposed to the RX 5500 XT’s 224 GB/s (128-bit).
As a result, the card’s PCI-Express 4.0 x4 interface bandwidth is reduced to PCIe 4.0 x4 rather than PCIe 4.0 x8 in a PCIe 3.0-based system.
AMD may be trying to discourage cryptocurrency miners by not offering an 8 GB graphics memory (VRAM) model at launch (4 GB being insufficient for Ethereum mining).
The performance of the RX 6500 XT is comparable to that of the older Radeon RX 580 as long as it has access to the full bandwidth of a PCIe 4.0 x4 interface. The PCIe 3.0 x16 interface on the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Super should improve performance marginally.
Specs: RX 6500 XT Vs. RX 5500 XT Vs. GTX 1650S
Radeon Amd 6500 XT from AMD. RX 5500 XT by AMD Super Image XFX Speedster QICK210 Nvidia Geforce 1650 4 GB GDDR6 HDMI, AMD RDNA 2 RX-65XT4DBDQ Black Gaming Graphics Card graphics card has 4GB of GDDR6 memory, a 1.61GHz core clock speed, 128-bit bus width, and ports for DisplayPort, HDMI, and DVI (901315) ZOTAC Zt-T16510F-10L Gaming Nvidia Geforce 1650 GDDR6 128-Bit Super Twin Graphics Card
Boost (clock): Core (clock): Gaming
2310 MHz, 2610 MHz, 2815 MHz, 1607 MHz, 1717 MHz, and 1845 MHz, respectively; 1530 MHz, 1725 MHz, and 1845 MHz
18 Gbps 14 Gbps FP32 Memory Speed Predicted Outcomes 5.76 TFLOPS. It is capable of doing 5.196 trillion floating point operations per second (TFLOPS).
143.9 GB/s 224 GB/s 192 GB/s
Recommended \sPSU
Power Connectors 300 W 300 W 300 W
a single 6-pin display output, one 8-pin display output, and one 6-pin display output
A single HDMI port
A single DP.
a single HDMI cable
3 times the DP
a single HDMI cable
A single DP.
1 DVI port
RX 6500 XT-based graphics cards, in contrast to many others, are more widely available and frequently sell for less than $300.
Both the Newegg and Amazon versions of the 6500-XT are available.
Previous-Gen/Used Graphics Cards
Add 6500 XT, AMD’s Radeon. Inno3D R9 Fury X2 by AMD Radeon R7 390 DisplayPort, HDMI, and DVI connectors are all supported by the Nvidia Geforce 1650 4gb GDDR6 HDMI, AMD RDNA 2 RX-65XT4DBDQ Black Gaming Graphics Card graphics card (901315) T16510F-10L ZOTAC Gaming Overclocking (clock) of the Nvidia Geforce 1650 GDDR6 128-Bit Super Twin graphics card Playing games at full speed
It is possible to distinguish between the frequencies of 2310.2610.2815.1607.1717.1845 MHz, as well as between 1530.1725.and 1845.MHz.
14 Gbps FP32 18 Gbps Speed of Memory Assumptions of the Future 5.6 TFLOPS. At 5.196 trillion floating point operations per second, it’s quite fast (TFLOPS).
224 GB/s 192 GB/s 143.9 GB/s
Power Connectors for PSUs One 6-pin display output, one 8-pin display output, and one 6-pin display output are all capable of drawing 300 W each.
Only a single HDMI port
The only DP.
a solitary HDMI cord
The DP is tripled.
The use of just one HDMI cable
The only DP.
A single DVI connection on an RX 6500 XT-based graphics card is more commonly available than many others and may be purchased for less than $300.
The 6500-XT is available from both Newegg and Amazon.
Alternative #1: Radeon RX 5600 XT (Used)
Vega and Polaris have been replaced with the significantly more efficient first-generation Navi (RDNA) architecture in AMD’s Radeon RX 5600 XT GPU, which was released in 2020. Originally, the GeForce Geforce 1660 Ti was supposed to be the main competition for this GPU. Nvidia, on either hand, slashed the price of its GeForce RTX 2060 to directly compete with the RX 5600 XT’s performance and ray tracing capabilities.
This led AMD to increase the 5600 XT’s specifications in order to keep it competitive. So as a result of this, it is nearly identical in performance to the original RX 5700 and far quicker than that of the GTX 1660 Ti, which it was originally designed to compete against.
The RX 5600 XT is now one of the most appealing graphics processors in the mid-range market from the previous generation, matching the performance of the GeForce RTX 2060. You’ll want to make sure you pick a card with the highest features, such as quicker memory (VRAM) which runs at an effective 14 Gbps rather than 12 Gbps like these:
| Sapphire Radeon Pulse RX 5600 XT | XFX RX 5600 XT THICC II PRO |
PowerColor Radeon RX 5600 XT |
|---|
| Image |  |
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Boost (clock): Core (clock): Gaming In addition to the frequencies listed above, there are three others: 1400, 1615 and 1750 MHz, 1465 and 1620 MHz, and 1355 and 1620 MHz.
The maximum memory speed is fourteen gigabits per second (GB/s). Predicted Outcomes A total of 8,064 GFLOPS 7,465 GFLOPS 7,465 GFLOPS
336 GB/s 336 GB/s 288 GB/s Memory Bandwidth
Recommended \sPSU
Power Connectors: 350 W, 350 W, 350 W
A single 8-pin
There are only a single 8-pin display output on this board.
There are three HDMI inputs and outputs.
A single HDMI and three DP ports
1 HDMI, 3 DP ports
Alternative #2: GeForce GTX 1660 Ti (Used)
Boost (clock): Core (clock): Gaming In addition to the frequencies listed above, there are three others: 1400, 1615 and 1750 MHz, 1465 and 1620 MHz, and 1355 and 1620 MHz.
The maximum memory speed is fourteen gigabits per second (GB/s). Predicted Outcomes A total of 8,064 GFLOPS 7,465 GFLOPS 7,465 GFLOPS
336 GB/s 336 GB/s 288 GB/s Memory Bandwidth
Recommended \sPSU
Power Connectors: 350 W, 350 W, 350 W
A single 8-pin
There are only a single 8-pin display output on this board.
There are three HDMI inputs and outputs.
A single HDMI and three DP ports
1 HDMI, 3 DP ports
A GIGABYTE GTX 1660 Ti and an EVGA GTX 1660 Ti XC MSI GTX 1660 Ti Gaming Graphics Card DisplayPort 1.4 HDMI 2.0B with Windforce 2X Cooling System graphics cards-Gv-N166TOC-6GD GIGABYTE GTX 1660 Ti OC 6G 192-bit EVGA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti XC, Overclocked, 2.75 Slot Extreme Cool, 65C Gaming, 6GB GDDR6, 06G-P4-1263-KR. Dual Fan VR Ready OC Graphics Card: MSI Gaming GeForce GTX 1660 Ti HDCP HDCP Support DirectX 12 Dual Fan VR Ready OC Graphics Card (GTX 1660 Ti Gaming 6G)
| Image |  |
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A GIGABYTE GTX 1660 Ti and an EVGA GTX 1660 Ti XC card An image of the MSI GTX 1660 Ti Gaming Graphics Cards-Gv-N166TOC-6GD GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 1660 Ti OC 6G 192-bit GDDR6 DisplayPort 1.4 HDMI 2.0B GeForce GTX 1660 TI XC, Overclocked, 2.75 Slot Extreme Cooling, 65C Gaming, 6GB GDDR6, 06G-P4-1263-KR EVGA Dual Fan VR Ready OC Graphics Card: MSI Gaming GeForce GTX 1660 Ti HDCP Support DirectX 12 Dual Fan OC Graphics Card (GTX 1660 Ti Gaming 6G)
Core / Boost Clock
In the frequency range between 1490 and 1845 megahertz
A frequency range of 1500 to 1800 MHz
Clock of the Mind (Effective)
One hundred and thirty-two gigahertz Predicted Outcomes A total of 5,530 GFLOPS In terms of performance, this processor is capable of 5,668 floating-point operations per second and 5,530 GFLOPS of memory bandwidth.
450 Watt 450 Watt 450 Watt Power Connectors are recommended.
(1) Display Outputs: (1) Display Outputs: (1)
a single HDMI cable
There are three DisplayPort outputs.
1 DVI port
a single HDMI cable
DisplayPort
a single HDMI cable
DisplayPort X3 ports
In between updates, prices are subject to change. *Prices are updated automatically. At the bottom of the page, look for the “Last update” information.
Every possible size of the 1660 Te was available, and many of them were factory overclocked. Keep in mind that it is rarely the cause of a big increase in price.
Alternative #3: GeForce RTX 2060 (Used)
The RTX 3060, an upgraded version of the 2060, was launched in 2019. Nvidia has decided to bring back the RTX 2060 in 2022 with such a new 12 GB model due to supply issues.
For 1080p and 1440p gaming, this card has much more than enough power to satisfy your needs.
When it comes to memory, the Radeon RX 5600XT has 6 GB of Display and a 192-bit storage bus like the RTX 2060.
MSI Nvidia RTX 2060 Ventus XS OC vs. ZOTAC GeForce RTX 2060 KO
| Image |  |
 |
 |
| Clock: Core / Boost |
1365 MHz / 1680 MHz |
1365 MHz / 1680 MHz |
1365 MHz / 1710 MHz |
| Memory Clock (Effective) |
14000 MHz | 14000 MHz | 14000 MHz |
| FP32 Theoretical Performance | 6,451 GFLOPS | 6,451 GFLOPS | 6,566 GFLOPS |
| Memory Bandwidth | 336 GB/s | 336 GB/s | 336 GB/s |
| Recommended PSU |
450 W | 450 W | 450 W |
| Power Connectors | 1x 8-pin | 1x 8-pin | 1x 8-pin |
| Display Outputs | 1x HDMI 3x DP |
1x HDMI 1x DP 1x DVI |
1x HDMI 3x DP |
In between updates, prices are subject to change. *Prices are updated automatically. At the bottom of the page, look for the “Last update” information.
Find out about:
Newegg offers the RTX 2060, whereas Amazon offers the card.
Alternative #4: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super
It’s no secret that Nvidia’s introduction of the more affordable GTX 1660 Super (or following key areas) has undervalued current GeForce GTX 1660 Ti cards because it offers almost comparable performance to the older model.
In spite of its GTX 1660S’s GPU being the same, its GDDR6 video memory is substantially faster. A few percentage points distinguish the 1660 Ti from the 1660.
As a result, the GTX 1660 Super is often a good deal than both the 1660 Ti and the original 1660, as well as the 1660. The 1660S could be your best option if you’re wanting to get the most for your money.
RX 5600 XT Vs. RTX 2060 Vs. RX 5700
Assassin’s Creed: Ulysses, Metro: Exodus, and Battlefield V are all featured in this video from the internet that compares the actual performance of each game in comparison. The 1440p resolution rather than the full – hd level that these graphics are designed for is what makes this fascinating.
Summary and Recommendations
Mid-range A little more than a year ago, current pricing of $300 offered exceptional value as well as a wide selection of alternatives. AMD’s Radeon RX 5600 XT GPU competed with Nvidia’s GTX 1650 and RTX 2060 GPUs when it was announced in 2016.
The RX 5600 xt is no longer available, and the RX 3060 xt is now more than twice the price of its predecessors.
We’ll have to settle for low-cost cards like the RX 6500 XT if we want to spend less than $300. You might have bought an interesting alternative for $249, but so far it appears to be nothing more than a paper launch rather than a real working product. For those who could not wait for the GTX 1660 Ti to be publicly accessible, the Radeon RX 3050 with its RTX capabilities would have been an excellent alternative.
We can only hope that Intel’s Arc Alchemist lineup will be widely available and competitively performing at this stage. As of the beginning of 2022, we don’t know anything about these details at all.
Buying a used card may be a better option than purchasing a new one because of the limited supply. A secondhand GT 1660 Ti/Super or RTX 2060 can be had at a cheap price if the pricing is right. The GeForce GTX 1070 or AMD Radeon 570/580/590 could be a sensible investment even if the situation gets rough.
CPU Pairing and PSU Requirements
To get the most out of your midrange graphics card, your PC’s other components must match their specs. However, if you upgrade your CPU to a more powerful one, you will see no difference in gaming performance.
If you’re on a budget and considering Ryzen 5 3600 or the Core i5-11600K, your options are limited. When it comes to frame rates, you’ll see decreasing results as your CPU improves. Graphics card upgrades may be an option for gamers who want to play their games more quickly.
AMD recommends a 550W power supply for the RX 5600 XT, while the RTX 2060 requires a 350W power supply. The TDP (thermal design power) of both graphics cards is 160 watts. Overclocking and other components won’t be possible with a 350W PSU, but a 500W PSU should be sufficient for the majority of systems.
A single 8-pin PCIe power connector is required to power your graphics card (or, more likely, two).
Isn’t it becoming worse and worse for you financially? List of the top graphics cards under $200 has been collected by us.
