Best video card (GPU) for gaming PC under $500

After the introduction of the latest Nvidia RTX 40 series and AMD Radeon RX 7000 series video cards, last-gen cards have been massively discounted. This makes the sub-$500 range more interesting than it has ever been in the last two years, the majority of which had turned graphics cards into toys that can only be afforded by the extremely wealthy.

However, gamers can choose between multiple GPUs for fairly cheap today. While the primary target resolution is 1440p, some of these cards can easily play games at up to 4K resolutions without breaking a sweat.

This makes budget PC builds fairly powerful. With any of the cards listed below, your build can easily run the latest games for the next two to three years.

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Multiple high-end video cards are selling for less than $500 today

1) AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT ($309+)

The XFX Speedster SWFT309 Radeon RX 6700 XT (Image via Newegg)

The AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT isn't the most powerful graphics card on this list. But, thanks to the recent price reductions, it is a solid option for gaming at 1080p and 1440p without breaking the bank. The GPU is almost as powerful as the new RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB, costing way less than the new Nvidia pixel pusher.

GPU Name	RX 6700 XT
Graphics processor	Navi 22
Memory	12 GB GDDR6 192-bit
Base clock	2,055 MHz
Base clock	2,410 MHz

RX 6700 XT listings start from as low as $309 these days. In the used market, it is going for $220-250. This makes it a solid offering, thanks to the 12 GB of onboard VRAM.

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2) AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT ($369.99+)

The ASRock Phantom Gaming D RX 6750 XT (Image via Newegg)

The AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT is a slightly overclocked version of the 6700 XT listed above. TechPowerUp's hardware survey charts show it is about 2% faster than the older 700-class card from Team Red. Thus, most gamers might not notice any difference between the cards.

However, we are listing it since it beats the new RTX 4060 Ti GPU. In addition, the 6750 XT video card packs a bigger 12 GB memory buffer, which is enough for most modern video games. The card can even run titles up to 4K without major performance issues.

GPU Name	RX 6750 XT
Graphics processor	Navi 22
Memory	8 GB GDDR6 192-bit
Base clock	2,150 MHz
Base clock	2,600 MHz

The RX 6750 XT video card starts from $369.99 on Newegg. This makes it a must-buy for gamers who don't want to spend a lot on a GPU.

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3) Nvidia Geforce RTX 3070 ($399.99+)

The Gigabyte Gaming OC RTX 3070 (Image via Newegg)

The Geforce RTX 3070 was launched as Nvidia's $500 video card in 2020. Fast forward three years, and it starts from $399.99, making it as expensive as the new RTX 4060 Ti. The GPU is faster than the RX 6700 XT and the refreshed 6750 XT; however, its biggest issue is the relatively smaller 8 GB memory buffer.

GPU Name	RTX 3070
Memory	8 GB GDDR6 256-bit
Base clock	1,500 MHz
Boost clock	1,725 MHz

In our testing, we found these new GPUs to be as powerful as each other, with the last-gen 70-class card beating the 8 GB Ada Lovelace card by a slight margin in some workloads. Thus, we are recommending the last-gen card over the 4060 Ti.

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4) AMD Radeon RX 6800 ($469.99+)

The AMD Radeon RX 6800 is the fastest but not the costliest video card on this list. It beats the RTX 3070 Ti and gets pretty close to the RTX 3080 10 GB in terms of overall performance. This makes it a must buy for 4K gaming on a budget.

GPU Name	RX 6800
Graphics processor	Navi 21
Memory	16 GB GDDR6 256-bit
Base clock	1,700 MHz
Base clock	2,105 MHz

In addition, gamers get 16 GB of video memory with this GPU, which is plenty for the next couple of years. It starts from around $469.99 on Newegg. It will be even cheaper on second hand marketplaces like eBay and Craigslist.

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5) Nvidia Geforce RTX 4060 Ti 16 GB ($499.99)

The RTX 4060 Ti 16 GB video card will likely outperform the RTX 3070 8 GB thanks to its much larger memory buffer. The card was announced last month and won't launch until July 2023. Nvidia hasn't given a launch date for this GPU yet, which means we are still about a month away from its release.

GPU Name	RTX 4060 Ti 16 GB
Graphics processor	AD106
Memory	16 GB GDDR6 128-bit
Base clock	2,310 MHz
Base clock	2,535 MHz

Priced at $499, the graphics card will bring the improved efficiency of the Ada Lovelace graphics card and a larger memory buffer for those who want their budget PC to last a few years to come. The video card also supports DLSS 3, which brings frame generation and improved Super Resolution techniques, making it a mid-range paradise.