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The sub-$300 gaming GPU market is one of the hottest right now. Intel, AMD, and Nvidia all have launched several cards targeting lucrative price points with competitive 1080p and 1440p performance metrics. There's cut-throat competition to match specs lists, rendering technologies, and more, which has prompted companies to devise some of the best price-to-performance offerings ever.
To help you purchase the best entry-level pixel pusher this Holiday season, we have drafted this list of graphics cards. It contains everything from dirt-cheap GPUs to the best-in-class offering. Choose based on how much you have to splurge.
What are the best budget gaming GPUs under $300?
1) Nvidia Geforce RTX 3050 8 GB ($169)
The RTX 3050 8 GB desktop gaming GPU continues to be a capable option for 1080p gaming. Lately, it has been discounted to just $169 across leading online stores, making it a suitable choice for entry-level setups. We found multiple deals on single and dual-fan 3050 AIBs for under $180, making it the only modern GPU with DLSS and ray tracing support at this price point.
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In regards to specs, the RTX 3050 is based on the cut-down Ampere-based GA106 graphics processor. It packs 8 GB of GDDR6 memory based on a 128-bit bus. The card draws up to 130W. It is not the most efficient, latest, or capable pixel pusher in the market and loses to the RTX 2060 in certain titles. However, at the price point, this is all you'll get.
Pros:
- At $169, it is an affordable sub-$300 gaming GPU with ray tracing support.
- The 130W power design makes it pretty efficient for 1080p gaming.
- Widely available with decent build quality.
Cons:
- Limited performance in the latest AAA titles.
- The 128-bit memory bus is a significant bottleneck.
- Newer and more powerful GPUs beat the 3050 by a huge margin.
2) Intel Arc B570 10 GB ($219)
The newly-launched Arc B570 10 GB is available in the sub-$200 range. It is based on the brand-new Battlemage architecture, and for now, is the lowest-end offering from Team Blue. The card outpaces multiple older and similarly-priced options like the RX 6500 XT and the GTX 1650 Super. You can expect decent FHD rasterization performance with the GPU without spending a fortune.
In terms of specs, the card is based on the BMG-G21 graphics processor. However, the number of Xe2 cores has been cut down to 18 from 20 on the higher-end B580. This makes it slightly less effective in ray tracing and more demanding scenarios. However, the 10 GB memory buffer is a welcome change that helps future-proof the graphics card.
Pros:
- At $219, the card packs a competitive price for the performance.
- It features solid 1080p gaming with XeSS support for upscaling.
- Battlemage is a modern architecture with good driver updates.
Cons:
- Driver issues with older games, specifically DirectX 9 and DirectX 11-based titles.
- The number of third-party AIBs is quite limited compared to NVIDIA and AMD.
- Ray tracing capabilities are behind AMD and Nvidia gaming GPUs.
3) Intel Arc B580 12 GB ($249)
The Intel Arc B580 12 GB is the highest-end sub-$300 offering from Team Blue. This card is based on the Battlemage architecture like the B570 listed above. However, it packs slightly bumped-up specs, which helps it push out much better framerates at both FHD and QHD resolutions. At $249, it is competitively priced to beat both the RX 7600 and RTX 4060. However, there are some caveats.
The card packs the same BMG-G21 graphics processor as the B570. That said, the number of Xe2 cores has been bumped to 20 instead of 18 on the weaker SKU. The power consumption has gone up significantly with this move, with the GPU drawing 190W under maximum load. Moreover, the ray tracing and upscaling (XeSS) performance aren't up to par with competitors.
Pros:
- With 12 GB VRAM, the card packs high memory capacity in the sub-$300 range.
- The card packs one of the best price-to-performance ratios.
- Unlike the B570, this GPU features decent ray tracing for its price.
Cons:
- Limited availability in multiple key regions across the world.
- At 190W, the card comes with much higher power consumption than competitors.
- Driver optimizations have been an issue with Intel GPUs.
4) AMD Radeon RX 7600 8 GB ($269)
The RX 7600 8 GB is a fantastic 1080p and 1440p gaming GPU. The card has been built from the ground up to play the latest titles with little to no compromises to the video settings. The card is priced competitively as well: at $269, it is much cheaper than the costlier RTX 4060 while delivering similar rasterization performance.
This gaming GPU is powered by the Navi 33 graphics processor. You get 8 GB GDDR6 VRAM with it, which can be quite limiting, especially if you want to future-proof your system. Moreover, the GPU doesn't feature best-in-class upscaling or ray-tracing performance.
Pros:
- Excellent 1080p and 1440p gaming performance for its sub-$300 price.
- At 165W, it packs efficient power consumption under full load.
- FSR 3.0 support helps attain higher framerates in demanding titles.
Cons:
- Ray tracing performance isn't up to par with Nvidia.
- The 8 GB VRAM buffer isn't future-proof for gaming.
- The card costs about as much as the more superior RTX 4060 GPU.
5) Nvidia Geforce RTX 4060 8 GB ($299)
The RTX 4060 8 GB is Nvidia's $299 gaming GPU offering in the Ada Lovelace lineup. It's the cheapest GPU with DLSS 3.0 offering, which happens to be a sought-after feature for its unmatched output image quality and high-performance gains.
This gaming GPU is based on the severely cut-down AD107 graphics processor. You get the same 8 GB GDDR6 VRAM as the AMD offering, which can be quite limiting in more demanding titles and higher resolutions.
However, the card packs support for DLSS 3.0 with frame generation, which delivers high-performance gains in the latest titles. Moreover, the 115W power design makes it the most efficient in this list while being the most capable.
Read more: Nvidia RTX 4060 laptop vs RTX 4050 laptop
Pros:
- At its price range, the RTX 4060 features superior ray tracing for mid-range gaming GPU.
- DLSS 3.0 support is a key selling point.
- At just 115W, it packs best-in-class power efficiency.
Cons:
- The limited 8 GB memory bus impacts framerates in some titles.
- Despite the VRAM buffer, it costs $299.
- Competitors like the Arc B580 and RX 7600 outpace it in many key aspects.
These are some of the best sub-$300 gaming GPUs. You can get superior value and the latest technologies in the market like upscaling with frame generation on most of these cards. Many of these cards are capable of playing modern AAA titles without hiccups, so choose the option that fits your budget.
