Having done a lot of reviews about top-end video cards, we seriously thought about the lower segment. Currently, many users are faced with severe budget constraints and a keen desire to get hold of a gaming computer. An additional incentive is given by the ongoing support of some series of video cards, for example, the software for the GTX 600 and 700 series is updated and supported by NVidia extremely reluctantly. We decided to choose for you the top 10 Best Budget Graphics Card in the price range up to 200$.
What should be remembered when choosing in this segment? Below 130$, only “stubs” are sold, capable of pulling ordinary and routine office tasks, as well as simple online games. The “Low” segment is mostly represented by distributors – Sapphire, Palit, KFA2, etc. The low price tag for them is due to structural features (as a rule, they have only one fan) and lower frequencies. Also for marketing purposes, “duck models” are produced. For example, the GTX 1050 3 GB went on sale at an attractive price. It would seem that you need to rejoice if the bus bandwidth and GDDR4 memory, not cut down to 96 Gb / s, are 2 times slower than GDDR5. Be careful when buying and check with sellers.
best Best Budget Graphics Card 2021
| 1 | MSI Radeon RX 570 8192MB | The best graphics card in the budget segment |
| 2 | Gygabite GeForce GTX 1050 Ti | The best value for money |
| 3 | Palit GeForce GTX 1050 | Lower Segment Game Card |
| 4 | ASUS Radeon RX 560 | Universal card |
| 5 | Gygabite GeForce GT 1030 | Quality office solution |
| 6 | Gigabyte Radeon RX 550 | The youngest heiress of the new series |
| 7 | ASUS Radeon RX 470 Mining | The most common mining model |
| 8 | ASUS Radeon R7 240 | Graphics card with graphics accelerator features |
| 9 | Gygabite GeForce GT 730 | The main card in the working system |
| 10 | ASUS GeForce GT 710 | Lower segment working model |
10 Best Budget Graphics Cards
10 ASUS GEFORCE GT 710
Here is the most budgetary office graphics card with passive cooling. She does not have a fan; an aluminum block will cool the chip. Therefore, there will be zero noise from it. This will seem like a minus to many, but let’s face it – TDP 19 watts do not need a turntable. Recommended power supply capacity – 300 watts.
The range of use of this inexpensive model is extremely narrow. Work in Photoshop, watch a video – this is her maximum, at which she will show 47 degrees. If you have a GTX 650 and its performance is enough, then the inexpensive GT710 will be an excellent successor. The model is low profile, occupies only 1 slot. There is support for DirectX 12. Another plus is the ability to connect old VGA monitors. Do not go beyond the scope of operation and the card will last for many years. Warranty period is 3 years. If you want to play, then STALKER or Need For Speed Pro Street here will be most appropriate.
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9 GYGABITE GEFORCE GT 730
GT 730 deservedly takes place in most office assemblies. It can stretch 4K images, the video memory frequency is an impressive 1800 MHz with a bus capacity of 64 bits. The stumbling block for games will be GDDR3, which is only enough for projects until 2008.
This low-cost model was a compromise between 1030 and 710, having received characteristics similar to the latter and a fan in addition. A big plus is the many slots for connecting monitors – VGA, DVI, HDMI. It is recommended to use the card when processing primitive graphics or creating electronic databases or maps.
8 ASUS RADEON R7 240
It’s hard to say why the Radeon R7 240 was released. It is at the junction of two worlds. For normal use, its capabilities may be redundant, but for games it is extremely difficult to use. The decisive factor will be the value in the market. It is created in a low-profile format and is equipped with an active cooling system with a high-quality elemental base. In the kit there are 2 standard plugs for the interface panel, that is, the R7 240 will feel good in compact assemblies.
The cooler’s small dimensions are not designed for lengthy stress tests and generally it is not recommended to “fry” the card, otherwise the temperature will rise to 77 degrees. The card is a direct competitor to the GT730 and slightly outperforms it in performance.
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7 ASUS RADEON RX 470 MINING
If you see the RX 470 on the counter – feel free to grab it and run to the cash register. The card chip is that you can reflash it and actually turn it into 570, having previously saved money. At the same time, this is a professional card, which means that you will not find an HDMI port for new monitors. 4 GB of video memory, coupled with a frequency of 7000 MHz with a bus width of 256 bits, are asked to test it in games. The graphics processor has a 926 MHz frequency with a boost up to 1206 and limits the gaming potential of the RyX.
A professional card is made of 2048 universal processors with 128 texture units. Additional power is also required, connected via an 8-pin connector. The card is characterized by a classic excess heat – 120 watts. The card is well suited for working with graphics. It is not suitable for games. As for mining, the issue is debatable. Buyers in their reviews were divided into 2 camps – someone considers it a profitable investment, and someone is a useless stump.
6 GIGABYTE RADEON RX 550
The 550 model caused a storm of emotions and controversy among buyers with the question: “Gaming or office”? Let’s put it this way: having pushed it up, you can get 35-40 frames in AAA projects, but we won’t focus on popular network games at all. Many consider it the main competitor of 1050 and are surprised by the constant defeats of 550. In fact, it is more logical to put this card against 1030, which is true for the price range and the element base.
Basically, this cheap card has the Polaris 12 architecture, which can be paired with 2 or 4 GB of video memory. The card’s advantage is a compact active cooling system, a cooler with increased wear resistance and dust protection. Among the plug-in interfaces, it is nice to highlight all 3 of the currently popular digital connection ports. It does not require additional power, it uses only 8 out of 16 PCI-E ports, which can cause problems with older platforms.
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5 GYGABITE GEFORCE GT 1030
Hard workers in the office or just fans to drive tanks or ships at minimum wages, this cheap option is best suited. Having paid about 80 dollars, you will get 2 GB of video memory with a bus cut to 64 bits and a reduced frequency of 6008 MHz. Due to its modest characteristics, power consumption is also low and is only 30 watts. For such a baby, a 300 W power supply is enough. It is worth noting that this is a low-profile card, which means that it can easily fit into any case, the main thing is not gaming, because everything is bad with performance.
If you want to play, save on the GTX 1050 Ti or be content with a playable frame rate in undemanding projects – it will be mastered by PUBG or Fifa 2018. It is analogous to the outdated GTX 750 Ti in performance. She will cope with games until 2016, with the exception of AAA projects. We will not recommend buying for games – this is not her destiny.
4 ASUS RADEON RX 560
The Reds made a big fuss, spoiling the life of NVidia and releasing an analog of the GTX 1050 Ti at a lower price. Despite the “game” status of the card, it can be called such with a stretch. Yes, it has 4 GB of video memory on board, and the memory bus capacity is 128 bits. The number of universal processors reaches 1024, texture units 64, and rasterization units 16. The need for additional power supply through a 6-pin connector and TDP is immediately evident that it is higher than that of a competitor and amounts to 80 watts. A more powerful power supply will also be required – from 400 W, and preferably 450.
Of the pluses – ASUS has a very high opinion of its products, which is why the warranty on the card is already 3 years. If desired, you can connect 3 monitors to it and organize a small working studio. In general, it is very similar to the GTX 1050, only the amount of memory here is more. By the way. There are also “cut” versions from Sapphire on the market – they are cheaper, more beautiful, but there are only 896 universal processors.
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3 PALIT GEFORCE GTX 1050
The “younger” budget version has 2 GB less buffer, which is already extremely small for games. At the same time, you can still play Free-to-Play projects and start The Witcher 3 at medium settings and ultra with low resolution. At one time, the model became the savior of the players, especially during the mining boom, when it was hard to buy a productive solution. In idle time, it only heats up to 28 degrees, because of which more than once it received the title of the coldest card.
Despite one turntable and its rotation speed of only 35% of the maximum, it heats up to only 60 degrees. The actual core frequency in boost reaches 1734 MHz, but at maximum load it can reset to 1696 MHz. In theory, in a single player, Battlefield 1 can show a playable FPS, but you should not rely heavily on it. It can be safely recommended for use in the office, but for games it is better to dig up 1050 Ti. An analog from Gygabite or ASUS, but there will not be much difference. Whether to overpay for a brand is up to you.
2 GYGABITE GEFORCE GTX 1050 TI
The 1050 Ti has become a walking legend and a favorite of most buyers due to its relatively low price and good performance. In the piggy bank of pluses we add not a large heat packet, lack of additional power and unpretentiousness in maintenance. To keep up with the times, the company stripped the DVD-D output card, which will make it impossible to connect old VGA monitors or have to buy an adapter.
If you do not play toys, then you can generally forget about noise, since passive cooling works up to 60 degrees, after which turntables begin to connect, accelerating to a maximum of 1300 rpm. Install an overclocking program and you can get up to 2000 MHz in memory frequency. In general, it’s cheap, cheerful and is perfect for the initial gaming systems. Dota 2, Counter-Strike and other popular games will start without problems. Paired with a high-frequency processor, the card will pull Fallout 4 and Need for Speed 2015. Today it is the minimum that can be recommended for gaming, but the card does not lose its relevance, occupying a leading position on Steam.
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1 MSI RADEON RX 570 8192MB
The best card in the world can not be found. The fall is due to the release of new generation cards from competitors with a large price tag, which is why AMD decided to go from the rear and conquer the consumer market with low prices. The Power Armor version has a huge amount of video memory – 8 GB, but this is still the “average” card. When buying it, you should immediately prepare for high temperatures, because despite 2 turntables there is only 1 heat pipe. The hum from the fans becomes audible at 50% of the load, so it is recommended to get a “deaf” case, high-quality headphones or immunity to external noise.
The card holder will be pleased with the possibility of overclocking. True, in order to resort to full acceleration, you will need an additional fan for cooling, which will have to be screwed on, since there is no additional power on it. It is weaker than 1060 by 6 GB, but for such a price it’s a sin to complain. If you wish, you can also have a hand in memory, increasing the frequency to 8800 MHz. Appearance – for an amateur, someone will like it, someone not. On the other hand, if you are not going to put it on the shelf as a souvenir, then the appearance can be neglected.
