While a lot of folks really love the idea of having a high-end GPU like the latest RTX 4090 from the RTX 40-series cards, you don’t really need to have the best of the best to get some good-quality graphics. In fact, if you’re building a new PC from scratch, you may want to consider aiming for a high-refresh 2K monitor rather than going with 4K, which can still be a bit of a struggle to handle for most GPUs. Either way, there are a lot of excellent GPUs on the market you can pick from, and while some of them can be quite expensive, we’ve gone out and selected some of our favorite GPU deals across the board.
- MSI RTX 3050 Super Ventus 2X XS OC Edition with 8GB GDDR6 — $200, was $220
- EVGA GeForce RTX 2060 KO Ultra Gaming with 6GB GDDR6 (renewed) — $230, was $290
- XFX SPEEDSTER SWFT210 AMD Radeon RX 7600 Core 8GB GDDR6 — $250, was $270
- XFX Speedster SWFT319 AMD Radeon RX 6800 with 16GB GDDR6 — $360, was $430
- MSI NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti Gaming X Slim 16GB GDDR6 — $390, was $420
- XFX SPEEDSTER MERC319 AMD Radeon RX 7800XT BLACK 16GB GDDR6 — $470, was $520
- PNY NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 12GB GDDR6X — $590, was $680
- XFX Speedster MERC310 AMD Radeon RX 7900XT 20GB GDDR6 — $681, was $800
- MSI Gaming RTX 4080 Super 16GB GDRR6X Gaming X Slim — $1,181, was $1,308
- How to choose a GPU
If you are building a whole new PC or are looking for some upgrades, you may want to check out these SSD deals and RAM deals, and if you’d rather avoid the whole thing and get something pre-made, then these gaming PC deals will be right up your alley.
MSI RTX 3050 Super Ventus 2X XS OC Edition with 8GB GDDR6 — $200, was $220
This little GPU still manages to cram dual fans into the system for improved cooling. And you’re going to need it with its out of the box overclocking support. It has 68B of dedicated GDDR6 VRAM with a memory speed of 14 Gbps and a boost clock of 1845 MHz. The max supported digital resolution is 7680 by 4320 but it’s a good contender for 1080p and full-HD gaming. It has three DisplayPort (v1.4) and a single HDMI 2.0B output. MSI Afterburner is the overclocking software you’ll use to adjust and fine-tune settings, with automated options available for those who don’t want to dig in manually. Just be aware that you need My Best Buy Plus to get the discount.
EVGA GeForce RTX 2060 KO Ultra Gaming with 6GB GDDR6 (renewed) — $230, was $290
This RTX 2060 KO Ultra Gaming from EVGA delivers a sleek design with dual fans, plenty of cooling, and solid performance. The real boost clock is rated at 1,680 MHz with 6GB of GDDR6 dedicated VRAM available. It offers real-time Ray Tracing for hyper-realistic graphics in compatible games and supports up to three monitors — via DVI, HDMI 2.0, and DisplayPort 1.4. The all-metal pre-installed EVGA precision X1 backplate takes the design, and performance, up a notch.
XFX SPEEDSTER SWFT210 AMD Radeon RX 7600 Core 8GB GDDR6 — $250, was $270
XFX is a pretty well-known brand that makes AMD Radeon GPUs, so you’re getting a good-quality device right out of the gate. It has an impressive 8GB GDDR6, at least for this price bracket, and will give you a bit longer life out of it when games start using up a lot more VRAM, even at lower graphical settings. While the base clock runs at 2.0 GHz, the boosted clock speed is 2.5 GHz which is pretty good, and the whole thing is unlocked, so you could theoretically boost it higher if you have the right cooling. This RTX 7600 can support resolutions up to 8K, but really, this is an ideal 1080p gaming GPU.
XFX Speedster SWFT319 AMD Radeon RX 6800 with 16GB GDDR6 — $360, was $430
With the current prices, AMD’s cards have become a lot more competitive. This RX 6800 from XFX with 16GB of dedicated GDDR6 VRAM is no exception. Besides Sapphire, XFX is one of the better AMD-focused brands. It’s VR-ready, supports PCI Express 4.0, and AMD RDNA 2 architecture for powerhouse graphics performance. Additionally, you get HDMI and DisplayPort outputs, Direct X 12, Vulkan, Open GL, and Open CL support out of the box. It’s ideal for 1080p and some 1440p gaming with high frame rates and widescreen formats.
MSI NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti Gaming X Slim 16GB GDDR6 — $390, was $420
If you’re looking to do some mid-tier gaming on 1080p or some gaming on 2K but with lower graphical settings and refresh rates, then the RTX 4060Ti isn’t a bad choice. This version comes from MSI and has a triple cooler, which helps avoid thermal throttling, especially with its 2.55 GHz clock speed, which is already quite close to its base close speed anyway. That said, it only has 8GB of VRAM, which is perfectly fine for now and the next year or so, but it doesn’t make it future-proof, as games require more and more VRAM to run, that is unless you don’t plan to play the latest AAA games.
XFX SPEEDSTER MERC319 AMD Radeon RX 7800XT BLACK 16GB GDDR6 — $470, was $520
If you want something that’s solidly in the 2K resolution range, then the RX 7800XT is a solid option that will see you hitting 100Hz or so, even with higher graphical settings. The RX 7800XT competes with the RTX 4070 and actually does a better job of it, which might be a bit surprising given Nvidia’s general dominance in the space. This version from XFC has a triple-fan setup and comes with a boosted clock of 2.56 GHz, which is pretty fast, although the big selling point is the whopping 16GB of VRAM which makes it very future-proof.
PNY NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 12GB GDDR6X — $590, was $680
One of the downsides of something like the RX 7800XT is that, even though it’s somewhat better than the RTX 4070, it doesn’t come with DLSS 3.0, so if you want that tech, then you have to go with the latter. This PNY version has the triple-fan you’d expect, as well as some great aesthetics and lighting, making this a great buy if you want to show off the internals of your case as well. It has a solid 2.47GHz boosted clock speed and 12GB of VRAM, which isn’t too bad, all things considered, but you might struggle a bit a couple of years down the line. Just be aware that you need to have a My Best Buy Plus or Total membership to get the discount.
XFX Speedster MERC310 AMD Radeon RX 7900XT 20GB GDDR6 — $681, was $800
The second best card offered by AMD is the RX 7900XT, which is at roughly the same level as the RTX 4090, with a ton of power under the hood. With a 2.53GHz boosted clock, the RX 7900XT is the way to go if you want a non-Nvidia graphics card that’s perfect for gaming at 4k. Even more impressively, it has a whopping 20GB of VRAM, making it a card that will easily last you three or more years into the future, especially since AMD has gotten a lot better with its own version of DLSS called FSR, has been a lot more competitive recently.
MSI Gaming RTX 4080 Super 16GB GDRR6X Gaming X Slim — $1,181, was $1,308
The RTX 4080 Super is really the graphics card that should have been originally released, with a great balance between performance and price, and while it has gotten a little bit more expensive, this deal helps get you back to where it should be. It has solid 4K performance for those who want to play the most modern AAA games, while also giving you access to the latest DLSS 3.5, as well as being more power efficient overall. The 16GB of video RAM also makes it more future-proof, as games require more and more of it to run properly, so this should last you a few years at least.
How to choose a GPU
The cryptocurrency mining boom caused a crisis in GPU availability for several years (video cards being necessary to mine things like Bitcoin) causing prices to skyrocket, and if you remember that, then you know it was a dark time for PC builders for awhile. Thankfully, things have stabilized in recent years; on top of that, there are now plenty of surprisingly cheap GPUs that make 1080p/60 fps PC gaming more accessible than ever — and if you want to get into 1440p Quad HD or 4K Ultra HD gaming, you’ve got more than a few options there, too.
When shopping for GPU deals, the two big names you’re going to see are AMD Radeon and Nvidia GeForce. These are often sold under different brand names (such as XFX, MSI, Asus, and so on), but the GPU hardware itself — that is, the stuff that actually does the heavy lifting when it comes to graphics processing — is pretty much the same. The differences between card manufacturers will come down to details like heat sink efficiency and cooling capabilities. Be sure to read plenty of customer reviews, but generally speaking, you’re in safe waters sticking with a highly rated card from a reputable maker.
As far as choosing between AMD and Nvidia, you can’t really go wrong with either. Both companies make great graphics cards, and today, you can find cheap GPUs from either one that are capable of running modern games at 1080p resolution and 60 frames per second (the standard for PC gaming). AMD Radeon cards are typically touted as the superior value, but Nvidia cards aren’t typically priced much higher and GPU deals mean you can often find the latest GeForce video cards for the same price you’d pay for an equivalent Radeon GPU. Also, don’t assume that because you have an AMD CPU that you need an AMD GPU. AMD CPUs pair perfectly well with Nvidia video cards.
Of all PC components, graphics cards cover perhaps the widest range of capabilities and price points. The AMD Radeon RX 500-series and 5500 cards deliver excellent 1080p performance and are a great value. In the same bracket are the Nvidia GeForce GTX 16-series cards (1650, 1650 Super, 1660, 1660 Ti, etc.). Expect to pay around $150-$250 for a cheap GPU in this category. On the higher end of the spectrum are the AMD Radeon RX 5000- and 6000-series cards and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 20-series and 30-series cards. These are naturally pricier, but are a better choice for enthusiast PC builds where 1440p or 4K gaming are a priority. We generally advise against the last-generation Nvidia GTX 10-series cards unless your budget is tight and you find a really good GPU deal on one.
One final consideration (but one that’s no less important for a gaming PC setup) is your monitor. A proper gaming monitor will have built-in vertical sync technology — either AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync — that’s made to work with one of the two GPU brands. Generally speaking, a FreeSync monitor is made for AMD cards while G-Sync monitors work best with Nvidia cards, but this isn’t a hard rule. Nvidia has been offering more cross-compatibility support for its cards lately, and many FreeSync monitors work fine with Nvidia GPUs (although you may have to use a DisplayPort cable instead of HDMI for the best results, so make sure your monitor supports that). Again, be sure to do your research when shopping for monitor deals to ensure your display is fully compatible with your GPU and vice-versa.
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