5 Best Graphics Cards Under $500: Reviews For Laptops & More

Choosing A Quality GPU Under $500

Intended Application

A $200 graphics card is ideal for recreational gaming and basic graphics work.

If you plan to play games at high settings or use 3D modelling software like Maya or SolidWorks, you’ll need a graphics card that costs $500 or more.

When it comes to 3D modelling and gaming, a mid-range or even high-end graphics card is the best option. Compared to this, a budget of up to the entry-level unit would be sufficient for standard use;

CPU And GPU Balance

There is no denying that a higher-end graphics card will perform better. Even so, you should check to see if your CPU is capable of supporting a high-end graphics card.

Using a graphics card that isn’t suitable for your computer will cause a slowdown in performance due to the sudden shifts in text and visuals that will occur. That necessitates a delicate balancing act.

Bottlenecks occur whenever there is an imbalance between what can be processed and what is actually needed to be processed.

This bottleneck calculator can assist you in selecting the most appropriate graphics card for your needs.

Graphics Card Features

Brand

GPU chips from NVIDIA or AMD are commonly found in brand-name graphics cards priced around $500. Some of the many leading manufacturers permitted to employ AMD and NVIDIA graphics processing units include Asus, EVGA, Gigabyte, MSI, XFX, Sapphire, and Zotac.

GPU Cores

Cores are available in two flavours. NVIDIA’s are referred to as CUDA cores, whereas AMD’s are referred to as stream processors. Stream processors are smaller and have distinct architectures. In contrast, CUDA cores are more larger and function at a much higher rate of speed than the ARM cores.

Clock Speed

How fast your GPU would run depends on clock speed, which shows how many processors each core uses per second.. A graphics card with many cores and a high clock speed will provide the best performance.

Memory & Bandwidth

Bandwidth & Memory
Video memory, or VRAM, is a type of specialised memory found in high-end graphics cards. There are several types of VRAM now available, including DDR3, GDDR5, GDDR5X, HBM, and HBM2.

For video memory, GDDR5 is the most extensively utilised and can be found in all price ranges, from entry-level laptops to gaming desktops. VRAMs get better as you go up the ranks.

You can get by with a graphics card that has 3 to 4GB of video memory if you’re looking to play games at medium to high settings and enjoy the experience. A graphics card with six gigabytes of video memory (VRAM) or more is required for smooth high-resolution gaming.

Thermal Design Power

After continuous use, GPUs tend to overheat, therefore it’s crucial to keep them at the proper temperature to ensure long-term use.

TDP readings let you know precisely how much power would be required by your chosen graphics card to run on stock or higher settings. A GPU with a low thermal design power (TDP) is ideal since it can be used in machines with lower power supplies.

Design

An aftermarket cooler can recycle heat, but only if there is adequate airflow in the area. A reference cooler, on the other hand, dissipates heat from your computer by forcing it to escape through the case, but it makes a substantial amount of noise in the process.

To ensure compatibility with your PC, make sure the graphics card you choose has the correct number of 6-pin or 2×9-pin connections.

Form Factor

You need to be sure that the graphics card you choose will fit in your computer whether you’re building a new one or simply upgrading your current one. Low-profile cards are recommended for thin computers and low-profile casings.

For small form factor and mini-ITX cases, a small form factor or compact card is allowed. On the other hand, a full-tower case would be ideal for larger cards.

You may need to acquire half-height or standard brackets if your PC doesn’t have the proper slot size for the card.

Learn more about low-profile graphics cards by reading this article.

Warranty

When it comes to finding the finest graphics card for the money, the warranty is a critical consideration.

It’s a more practical purchase because you have the peace of mind knowing that the card will be serviced or replaced if something goes wrong.

Additionally, a warranty is a sign that you are purchasing a high-quality goods, since it shows that the producers have entire faith in the product they are selling..

Be sure you read the tiny print and understand when the warranty applies and when it becomes null and void, though.