5 Of The Best, Cheap Graphics Cards Users Say Are Worth Buying In 2025

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Trying to build a capable gaming computer can be exceedingly difficult for the average person. Components underwent massive price hikes compared to just a few years ago, and recently-released products are still having difficulties in offering a decent price. A graphics card is a must-have component for your gaming PC, but the most recent releases tend to have some issue holding them back, either due to performance or cost.

Thankfully, computer enthusiasts love to share their opinions on graphics online, including which ones offer the best price to performance ratio. Some of the ones we selected will be barely capable enough to run recent new games at mid-range settings, while others can handle the most intense titles released this year at high settings. You might not find them to be all that inexpensive, with some coming in at just under $500, but they are among the cheapest, capable GPUs that you can buy right now; unless you want to look for a used GPU, that is.

Intel has made a few shockingly capable graphic cards, despite only getting back into the market in 2022. That trend has continued with newer releases like the Arc B580, a $270 graphics card with 12 GB of VRAM and excellent reviews across the board. Enthusiasts have referred to it as a top-tier budget pick with healthy stocks and no price hikes in sight, and it stands up well against other similarly-priced picks like the RTX 5050. At this price point, you'll struggle to find any brand-new card that's better than this one.

A sub-$300 graphics card with 12 GB VRAM is fantastic in 2025, especially if you have a high-resolution monitor and need more VRAM. For a variety of reasons, high-profile modern games tend to be very resource-hungry, sometimes relying on technologies like DLSS for smoother frame rates. Luckily, the Arc B580 is able to use similar technologies without harming the full potential of its performance. If you have the money (and a large screen), this 12GB graphics card is one of the best choices in its price range.

The AMD 9060 XT 16 GB can be found for just under $400 today — even though the MSRP is only $350 — leading to some potential arguments over how "cheap" it actually is. That hasn't stopped positive press from both official reviewers and the average buyer. On NewEgg, few models of the card have any reviews lower than four stars, and complaints from avid PC builders mostly just refer to how unimpressive it is as an upgrade from the previous generation. It's also extremely competitive against its Nvidia competitor, the 5060 Ti, sometimes even beating its performance despite the massive difference in price.

The 9060 XT 16 GB is often considered to be one of the cheapest 4K graphics cards you can buy, though it does fall a bit short from having the smoothest experience at that resolution. It also struggles with ray tracing compared to Nvidia cards, but it does manage to beat out the Arc B580 pretty consistently. It still costs around $100 more than that, though, so you might have to stretch your budget a bit to make the 9060 XT fit as an entry-level GPU. You'll also have to make sure you avoid its 8 GB counterpart, which doesn't get nearly as much love in the community.

The 5060 Ti's 8 GB variant is one of the worst graphics cards you can buy in 2025. On the other hand, its 16 GB version is perfectly capable, though it's also the most expensive card on this list, at just around $430. You'll have to determine yourself if the extra features of DLSS 4 and advanced frame generation are truly worth the extra cost. Still, the relatively low price makes it one of the cheapest new graphics cards that's worth buying today.

Those who purchased a 5060 Ti for themselves have few things to say that aren't positive. Many agree that, with how much uncertainty there is over higher-end GPU prices today, this card is a fine pick that will handle just about anything you throw at it. That extra cost could very well be worthwhile in the long run, especially if you're playing some of the most demanding games out there. Just don't expect your custom PC to come in at less than $1,000 unless you heavily cut costs for the other components.

No matter where you look, you almost certainly won't find a Geforce RTX 2070 Super, unless it's refurbished. On the plus side, if you do get a used 2070, their price has come down significantly, reaching the price of a new Arc B580. Although higher resolutions might be hard for it to handle, owners agree that it performs decently enough at 1080p. It surpasses the recommended system specs for especially-demanding games like Monster Hunter Wilds, even if its performance isn't all that impressive.

According to various enthusiasts, a 2070 Super isn't a bad card if you aren't worried about maxing out your settings. With how inexpensive it's become, you could feasibly use it as an "in-between" card to hold over into the next generation. It's not exactly future-proof anymore, especially with its 8 GB VRAM, but for such a low price, it doesn't need to be. The Arc B580 is still a better choice overall, but if you can find the 2070 Super for under $200, you'll get much more value out of it.

The RTX 3060 is another graphics card that's generally considered outdated, but this one can be found brand-new from official sellers. And although its current price of around $300 is still quite high for a GPU released nearly five years ago, it's able to justify that price with stellar 1080p performance. It ends up going toe-to-toe with the 2070 Super in a lot of areas, but that extra VRAM buffer matters quite a bit for more recent releases. While a 2070 Super will keep you satisfied for a few years, the 12 GB 3060 will double that time without much issue.

The 12 GB 3060 is a good deal because it's relatively inexpensive, but don't let that fool you: The 8 GB VRAM version isn't worth the extra savings, since the price is so close between the two. The Arc B580 beats this graphics card in a number of games, though owners find Nvidia's driver support to be better overall. Despite these shortcomings, the 3060 12 GB is one of the most highly-rated GPUs by buyers, boasting over 4,000 positive Amazon reviews and over 600 on NewEgg. Even if it might not be the best entry-level graphics card, it's still worth considering, at least until a newer generation of GPUs arrives.

The information used to make this list was taken from various resources such as professional reviews, storefront ratings, and community discussions. We only considered graphics cards under $500, as that has historically been considered the price of a mid-range GPU. Meanwhile, the "best" cards were determined by a combination of price and performance, as cheaper, older cards have simply fallen too far behind to run most modern games well. A cheap GPU can only be labelled as the best if it's able to get modern games working at playable frame rates without too much headache.

As far as choosing the absolute best of cheap GPUs, it is simply impossible, as their price to quality ratio depends too much on regional availability. Additionally, the differences in features and driver support influence how well some cards perform with certain contexts, meaning that your choice of video games and software will influence the decision. In the end, the true best graphics card for you is the one that offers the features you actually find worthwhile for the lowest price.