Best GPU Under 200$ In 2021 Reviews & Buying Guides

GPUs have always been the most expensive PC component. While leaving a thousand dollars on the table hurts your pockets quite a bit. But that’s what professional gaming enthusiasts do. Whereas, here we are grappling with affordability so that the best graphics card fewer than 200 can meet the requirements of your mid-range gaming rig.

Speaking of brands, Nvidia has always been on top. These cheap but good graphics cards from Nvidia have enough boost clock, base clock, cores, and bandwidth to offer decent frame rates in some newer titles.

We have also included the best video cards, fewer than 200 from other companies like AMD, Saphire, ASUS, Gigabyte, and a few others that have influenced gaming enthusiasts over the years. The real question is, is this the cheapest graphics card?

Without beating around the bush, they are. However, we have many expensive graphics cards available in the market that most people cannot afford. While graphics cards under $ 200 are replacing those on a budget. With that said, let’s quickly move on to the list of affordable GPUs.

Best Nvidia Graphics Cards Under $ 200

Here are the best and best video cards under $ 200 from Nvidia for gaming. The graphics cards mentioned below are compatible with DirectX 12, Vulkan, OpenGL, and Windows 10 operating systems.

Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1050 OC 2G

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The GeForce GTX 1050 is, without a doubt, one of the best graphics cards to buy for under $ 200. It’s an inexpensive mid-range graphics card based on Nvidia’s Pascal GPU architecture.

It has 640 CUDA cores and comes with 2GB of 128-bit bus width GDDR5 memory. You can play most of the latest games on high graphics settings at 1080p resolution with respectable frame rates on this card.

The card supports G-Sync variable refresh rate technology to reduce screen tearing in games with a G-Sync compatible monitor. Here we have Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1050 OC 2G, an overclocked GTX 1050 graphics card, and has better performance.

The card comes with the WINDFORCE 2X cooling system with two 80mm fans that control the card’s temperature even during intense gaming sessions and overclocking. You can overclock this graphics card via One-Click Super Overclocking using Gigabyte’s XTREME Engine Utility.

It supports displays up to 8K @ 60Hz. The board also consumes little power and requires no additional power connectors, and only needs a good 300W power supply for proper operation. Connectivity options include DVI, HDMI, and DisplayPort.

EVGA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti SC GAMES 4GB GDDR5

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The GeForce GTX 1050 Ti is a powerful mid-range GeForce 10 graphics card from Nvidia. The GTX 1050 Ti is based on the new Pascal GPU architecture that guarantees maximum performance with reduced power consumption. It is much more powerful than older mid-range graphics cards, such as GTX 750 Ti and GTX 950.

The GTX 950 and GTX 1050 Ti have the same number of 768 CUDA cores, but the newer and better GPU architecture of the GTX 1050 Ti makes it a winner in terms of gaming performance and benchmarks. It’s also roughly 25% (roughly) faster than the aforementioned GeForce GTX 1050 graphics card.

Here we have EVGA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti SC GAMING which comes with 4GB of GDDR5 memory. This is the Superclocked Gaming Edition of the GTX 1050 Ti that offers additional performance over the reference design. It can allow you to play the latest demanding games with high settings in 1080p at 60 FPS or more with high settings at 1080p resolution.

The board remains fairly quiet even under full load, and the large fan keeps the temperature under control. It is a small form factor graphics card and can fit in mini-ITX cases. So if you are looking for the best mid-range GPU under $ 200 from Nvidia, you should go for this one.

Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB GDDR5 OC

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Another Geforce GTX 1050 Ti card but from another brand that is Gigabyte. This is an overclocked version of the GTX 1050 Ti, and it comes with 4GB of GDDR5 VRAM. It features dual WINDFORCE 2X fans with a Blade fan design for efficient and faster cooling even under full load.

The model number of the card is (GV-N105TOC-4GD). It requires a 6-pin power connector, and the required power is only 300W. You can’t just play modern titles on Strix, but you can on the Gigabyte GTX 1050 Ti.

Additionally, this inexpensive GPU has 4GB of V-RAM, and its clock speed is measured at 1468MHz. The GPU stays cool with WINDFORCE 2X fans that dissipate heat more efficiently using their own mechanism. Therefore, overheating is not a problem here.

In addition, this best graphics card for less than 200 euros allows optimization by integrating the utility of the Xtreme engine. It is a one-click process to optimize your GTX 1050 Ti.

The GeForce GTX 1050 Ti is, without a doubt, one of the best versions of Gigabyte. Equipped with 4GB of RAM, 128-bit GDDR5 memory, and Nvidia Pascal GPU architecture, it enables gamers to enjoy fanatical gaming performance and the latest graphics enhancements.

The unit is definitely a high-performance graphics card, and its built-in video memory and memory clock speed make it one of the best graphics cards under $ 200 on the market.

Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1650 WINDFORCE OC 4G

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The GTX 1650 is a budget graphics card from Nvidia’s GTX 16 series. The card is based on the latest Turing GPU architecture and comes with 896 CUDA cores and 4GB of GDDR5 memory with a 128-bit interface.

The card is around 70% faster than the GTX 1050 and around 35% faster than the GTX 1050 Ti on average. It’s quite a powerful graphics card, and in it, you can play all the latest games at super-high settings with ultra 1080p graphics with 50FPS to 60 FPS on average.

Here we have Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1650 WINDFORCE OC 4G, an OC Edition card with 1785MHz GPU Boost Clock, and it is one of the best GTX 1650 cards for under $ 200 that you can buy for your gaming PC on a low budget.

The board comes with a WINDFORCE 2X cooling system that includes two 90mm fans with a single blade design. It rotates in alternate directions to reduce turbulent airflow and provides a smoother airflow for better cooling and better heat dissipation.

The card also features 3D Active Fan technology that provides semi-passive cooling for quieter operation. Here, the fans remain off when the GPU load is low or idle and automatically start when gaming or working in GPU-intensive applications.

The card requires a single 6-pin PCI-E connector and a 300W power supply for operation. It has a 3 + 1 power phase design that allows for better stability, especially during overclocking. You can overclock this card a bit more using the Gigabyte AORUS Engine or other good graphics card overclocking software.

ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1060 Mini 3GB GDDR5

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ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1060 Mini 3GB GDDR5 is the most powerful Nvidia graphics card you can get for just over $ 200. The GeForce GTX 1060 is a powerful upper mid-range graphics card based on the Pascal GPU architecture and can run the latest games with very high graphics settings at 1080p.

It can also run modern games at 1440p resolution, but some graphics settings need to be lowered depending on the resource consumption of the game. This is a VR-compatible graphics card, which means you can run your VR games and applications without any lag or hassle and get the best virtual reality performance.

The 3GB variant of the GeForce GTX 1060 is more powerful than the Radeon RX 470, and its performance is comparable to that of the Radeon RX 480 graphics card. ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1060 Mini is a compact or small form factor (SFF) graphics card with 1152 CUDA cores and 3GB of GDDR5 memory.

Due to its compact size, it can perfectly fit in mini-ITX and mini-tower cases. For cooling, it comes with a single fan and aluminum heat sink. The card is a dual-slot design and requires a 6-pin PCIe power connector for operation.

This Zotac GTX 1060 Mini graphics card has a lower power consumption of 120W and only requires a good 400W power supply to operate. It offers a wide range of connectivity options, including three DisplayPort ports, one HDMI port, and one DVI port.

MSI GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER GAMING X

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Currently, the best graphics card you can get for under $ 200 is the GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER. It is roughly 40% faster than the GTX 1650 and beats the 6GB GeForce GTX 1060. The GTX 1650 SUPER is based on the Turing GPU architecture and comes with 1280 CUDA cores and 4 GB of GDDR6 memory with a 128-bit interface running at 12 Gbps.

This is a great 1080p gaming card that can run all of your latest games at 1080p ultra-graphics settings and can deliver around 60 frames per second on average.

Also, the board consumes less power at 100W and only requires a good 350W power supply to operate. Here we have MSI GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER GAMING X, hands down the best GTX 1650 SUPER card.

This is an overclocked card that uses the MSI TWIN FROZR thermal design for the cooler, consisting of a heatsink with large aluminum fins, three copper heat pipes, a copper motherboard, and dual 85mm TORX 3.0 fans with dispersion and traditional fan blade design to provide high airflow and static pressure for better cooling performance.

Zero Froze technology provides semi-passive cooling and keeps the card very quiet during low GPU loads. When the GPU temperature exceeds 60 ° C, it automatically starts to cool the card actively.

The card requires a 6-pin PCIe connector for power and includes three DisplayPort ports and one HDMI port for connectivity. You can overclock, change or adjust various parameters and monitor various board parameters using the MSI Afterburner utility.

Best AMD Graphics Cards Under $ 200

Here are the best and best graphics cards under $ 200 from AMD for gaming. The AMD graphics cards mentioned below are compatible with DirectX 12, Vulkan, OpenGL API, and Windows 10 operating system.

ASUS ROG STRIX Radeon RX 460 4GB GDDR5 OC

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The Radeon RX series is the latest series of graphics cards from AMD. Radeon RX series cards are based on the latest Polaris architecture, which, like Nvidia’s Pascal architecture, offers excellent performance with low power consumption.

Pascal and Polaris use the latest FinFET process technology, but technically their architecture is very different. The Radeon RX 460 is a great value mid-range card faster than the GT 750 Ti but slightly slower than the GTX 1050 Ti.

The Radeon RX 460 over the GTX 1050 Ti is that it is much cheaper than the GTX 1050 Ti and offers almost similar performance. Here we have overclocked ASUS ROG STRIX Radeon RX 460, which comes with 4B of GDDR5 memory.

The graphics card is cooled by two fans that keep the temperature well under control. According to ASUS, DirectCU II with a Patented Wing-Blade 0dB fan design offers 30% more cooling and 3 x quieter performances.

Other cool features include industry-exclusive Auto-Extreme technology with Super Alloy Power II and Aura RGB lighting. The card comes with ASUS GPU Tweak II with XSplit Game caster for overclocking and improves performance.

The exact model number of the card is STRIX-RX460-O4G-GAMING. So if you’re looking for a good modern mid-range graphics card from AMD, you can’t go wrong with this one.

Gigabyte Radeon RX 560 Gaming OC 4G

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Radeon RX 560 is a powerful low-budget mid-range graphics card from the Radeon RX 500 series. It is the successor to the old Radeon RX 460, one of the affordable mid-range graphics card products that offer excellent performance and excellent value.

Radeon RX 560 ships with 1024 stream processors, which are 128 more than Radeon RX 460. Higher stream processors and higher clock frequencies make the Radeon RX 560 performance better than the Radeon RX 460 above. It is also based on AMD’s Polaris GPU architecture.

The Radeon RX 560 is better than that of the GeForce GTX 1050 but lower than that of the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti. Here we have a Gigabyte Radeon RX 560 Gaming OC 4G graphics card with 4GB GDDR5 memory and a WINDFORCE 2X cooling system with two 80mm fans.

This card is fairly quiet, and the cooling system works very efficiently to keep the temperature of the card low. This is an overclocked Radeon RX 560 card, which means it offers better performance than the reference RX 560.

You can play the latest games in medium to high settings at 1080p in higher frequencies on this card. The board requires a 6-pin power connector from the power supply and a good 400W power supply for its operation.

MSI Radeon RX 560 AERO ITX 4G OC

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This is a compact Radeon RX 560 graphics card for small form factor (SFF) enclosures. This small but powerful card is as powerful as the larger Radeon RX 560 graphics card. The card is only 155mm long and will fit in almost any mini-ITX enclosure.

Also, due to its size, this card is perfect for use in HTPC systems. The card is based on the Polaris GPU architecture and comes with 1024 stream processors and 4GB of GDDR5 video memory. For cooling, it comes with a single fan on an aluminum heatsink.

The card ships slightly overclocked out of the box. It supports AMD FreeSync and CrossFire (2-Way Bridgeless) multi-GPU support. It consumes less power and does not require 6 or 8-pin PCIe power connectors from the power supply. The recommended power supply for this card is 400W and includes DVI, HDMI, and DisplayPort for connectivity.

Some things to consider when buying a graphics card under $ 200

Don’t try to look to the future

As much as it hurts to say this, it’s the complete and honest truth that a $ 200 GPU can’t sustain your gaming rig, not even for a few years. The gaming industry is changing dramatically, and each new title is more demanding than the last.

With a price of 200 dollars, the best thing you can do is play the games of the current generation. We recommend that you create a wish list of the games you want to play on your gaming PC with the best graphics card for less than $ 200.

Ensure to add a good variety of games that you usually play rather than just one type of game. Next, check the official game requirements on your wish list and choose a GPU that at least meets the minimum requirements.

Don’t worry about the evolutionary part. Just enjoy the games that are available right now. That said, even a $ 200 GPU will be able to support competitive shooters like Overwatch or Valorant and MMOs like League of Legends coming out in the next five years.

Be aware of power requirements.

The simplest and most obvious reason to go for such an affordable GPU is the limited budget. However, the savings will disappear if you opt for a power-hungry GPU.

If you upgrade your system, you may also need to upgrade the power supply to support the high energy demands that will increase your bills. The same factor is still relevant even if you are building a new PC, and a more powerful PSU costs more.

Even if you manage to get a power supply within your budget, remember that a GPU is the most power-consuming PC component. So as soon as the GPU kicks in, it will firepower like a hungry hippo, racking up your electricity bills over the months.

New vs Used

If you’re working on a budget, a used GPU under $ 200 is likely to be more powerful than several new offerings for the same price. However, there is a small problem when opting for a used GPU, determining its condition.

If you can find a verified dealer, it is good to go for reconditioned models. We do not recommend buying a second-hand GPU on your own unless you are an expert in this area. One important thing to consider when opting for used GPUs is power consumption.

As mentioned above, don’t be fooled by a cheap but power-hungry GPU. It may seem like a good deal at first, but it will clear your pockets in the end. Explore your local markets and verified online resellers to determine if a used GPU is the right fit for you.

Meet your instructor

Since you are looking for a cheap graphics card, chances are you are using a cheap monitor as well. Many manufacturers will advertise features like crash reduction and high frame rate support to sell their graphics cards.

While these are legitimate features that improve the overall quality and gaming experience, they are worthless if your monitor doesn’t support them. If you buy a GPU that can support over 140 FPS, but your monitor is locked at a 30Hz refresh rate, then the extra money for high FPS is wasted.

The same applies to anti-tear technologies. The two most popular ripstop software are Freesync from AMD and G Sync from Nvidia. Find out if your monitor supports one of the two technologies.

This can be found in the instruction manual, the monitor box, the stickers on the monitor, and even the monitor settings menu. If your display doesn’t support either of the tear-proof technologies, avoid spending more on a GPU that has one of the two.

Dimensions

Dimensions are arguably the most important thing to consider when buying a new GPU. If this doesn’t work for you, it won’t be of much help. Graphics cards come in various sizes, but almost all modern designs are 2 slots wide, which means they take up two expansion slots on your motherboard.

You’ll need a minimum of about 10.5 inches of headroom to accommodate a quality graphics card, so the micro-towers may not be up to the task. Medium towers, on the other hand, are typically capable of accommodating large graphics cards.

Resolution and frames per second

That’s the exciting part, the performance of the games. When choosing a graphics card, you need to focus on what suits your gaming habits. The higher the resolution you want to use for gaming, the higher your GPU will be.

The desired target at any resolution is 60 fps or higher, enough to facilitate immersive and fluid gameplay. The minimum is around 30 fps. Anything below that is not considered really playable.

V RAM

It contains all the information your graphics card needs to smooth screen transitions. It acts as a buffer between your processor and your GPU. Expressed in GDDR format, the baseline for gaming is generally considered GDDR4.

If you’re playing at resolutions of 1440p or higher, a large VRAM capacity and efficient settings can help boost your frame rates.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

With various options available in the market, it is wise to gather as much information as you can get. We’ve done our best to briefly answer some questions that often spin on the minds of computer fans. Review your answers to clear up any confusion.

Is it okay to buy an already used graphics card?

The only reason to buy a used graphics card is to get your hands on a unit that doesn’t cost a lot. If there is a noticeable difference between the price of a used graphics card and the MSPR, you can buy a used one.

How long graphics do cards last?

Several factors are responsible for the reliability and durability of graphics cards. They generally last two to ten years. Among many other factors, it also depends on the use.

If you use your card every other day, it will last for about three years. The first component of the GPU that you may give up is its fan, but don’t worry, you can easily replace it.

Do graphics cards degrade over time?

No, graphics cards do not degrade over time, although some hard drives or SSDs become less efficient. Its performance remains constant over time. However, during constant use, the thermal paste will age, and the device will gradually heat up.

Should I choose AMD or Nvidia?

Having trouble choosing from our list above? It should help.

Choose AMD (one of the RX cards) if:

• Want the best performance in this price range
• You have enough power and space to spare on your PC
• Want the best performance per dollar in this price range

Choose Nvidia (one of the GTX cards) if:

• Need a smaller, more power-efficient GPU
• You don’t mind sacrificing a little power to do it
• Play mostly Nvidia’s favorite games (Fortnite and most modern emulators)

Final words

Well, at the end of the day, we would like to say that we have done our best to list the best graphics cards under $ 200 from NVIDIA and AMD. These graphics cards offer excellent performance, and you can really have a pleasant gaming experience at 1080p at 60fps or more in the case of older games.