Best video card (GPU) for gaming PC under $300

Video cards under $300 have been an interesting section for the last few years. Initially dominated by the GTX 750 Ti and then the GTX 1060, the section is filled with gamers willing to sacrifice visual fidelity for a few extra frames at the bare minimum resolution for modern gaming.

For the last few years, the sub-$300 section only consisted of graphics cards like the GT 1030 and the RX 550. However, now that prices have come down to normal, the section is more interesting than ever.

Both Nvidia and AMD have slashed the prices of their last-gen mid-range CPUs to make them more appealing to budget gamers. In this list, we will review the best graphic card options gamers have under $300.

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Multiple high-performance video cards can now be bought for under $300

Multiple high-performance video cards can now be bought for under $300. As of July 2023, the sub-$300 graphics card market has become increasingly interesting, offering budget gamers more options than ever before. Both AMD and Nvidia have reduced the prices of their last-gen mid-range GPUs to make them more appealing to cost-conscious gamers.

1) AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT ($149)

The MSI Radeon RX 6500 XT Mech 2x (Image via EliteHubs)

The AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT is an entry-level graphics card for 1080p gaming. It is barely faster than the old GTX 1650 Super. However, with dedicated hardware for temporal upscaling and support for ray tracing (although we don't recommend using it), this card is the best sub-$200 option for budget gamers.

GPU Name	RX 6500 XT
Memory	4 GB GDDR6 64-bit
Base clock	2,310 MHz
Boost clock	2,815 MHz

The RX 6500 XT video card has been slashed to just $149, making it a solid option for those who are cash-strapped. However, the card might need an upgrade within the next year or so.

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2) Nvidia Geforce RTX 2060 ($210)

The Geforce RTX 2060 continues to be a solid graphics card for 1080p gaming. The GPU is being restocked again for about $200-210 brand new. The card can be bought for as low as $130 in the used market.

GPU name	Nvidia RTX 2060
Memory	192-bit 6 GB GDDR6
Base clock	1,365 MHz
Boost clock	1,680 MHz
TDP	175W

With support for ray tracing that can actually be turned on in video games and DLSS 2 (which is way better than FSR 2.1 on the 6500 XT), this GPU is the best option for those who want an Nvidia card for about $200.

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3) AMD Radeon RX 6600 ($199.99)

The RX 6600 is among the most popular budget graphics cards in the market today. It has multiple plus points that make it a solid option: a considerably big 8 GB memory buffer, support for ray tracing, and better performance than the Nvidia RTX 3050. In addition, it also supports AMD FSR 2, which offers pretty solid results in supported video games.

GPU name	AMD Radeon RX 6600
Memory	128-bit 8 GB GDDR6
Base clock	1,626 MHz
Boost clock	2,491 MHz
TDP	132W

This video card was initially launched for $379. However, it can be bought for just $199 right now, making it a great deal for those on a budget.

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2) Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 ($219)

The ASUS ROG Strix RTX 3050 (Image via ASUS)

The Nvidia RTX 3050 isn't more powerful than the Radeon RX 6600 video card listed above. Instead, it costs about $20 more. For that money, you get support for DLSS 2, better ray tracing, and productivity performance. Thus, if you want your gaming set up to double up as a productivity rig, this is the card to go for.

GPU Name	RTX 3050
Memory	8 GB GDDR6 128-bit
Base clock	1,365 MHz
Boost clock	1,665 MHz

The 3050 video card was launched for $300 back in January 2022. Today, it can be bought for just $219, a solid price cut. However, AMD's offerings make this card look bad.

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1) AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT ($259)

The RX 6650 XT is the fastest video card on this list. It is a slightly overclocked version of the RX 6600 XT and brings about 2% more performance with a higher power draw and operating clock speed. In terms of performance, it is faster than the RTX 3060, which costs more than this GPU.

GPU Name	RX 6650 XT
Memory	8 GB GDDR6 128-bit
Base clock	2,055 MHz
Base clock	2,635 MHz

However, at about $260, the Radeon RX 6650XT is the best sub-$300 GPU you can buy right now. Nvidia will launch their RTX 4060 next month for $299.99, which will make it a solid buy too. Thus, we recommend budget gamers hold off on their video card upgrade until July 2023.