As we all know GPUs are the most important element of a computer when it comes to gaming. The higher you spend on them the better performance you get(you’d have to pay more on the CPU as well, to avoid bottleneck issues), but not everyone has tons of money to spend on these parts. So if that’s the case with you, this article will help you choose the best Low budget GPU for gaming in 2022.
GPU prices have come down finally and availability is also better now, so this probably is the best time to pull the trigger on the purchase. Moreover, if you stay under a low budget you won’t give your wallet much misery.
1. Criteria for choosing the Best Low Budget GPU in 2022:
The GPU should have the following factors ticked to be considered the best in the low-budget category in 2022:
1) GDDR6 MEMORY
The GPU should have maximum memory bandwidth because the games these days rely on it a lot. Undoubtedly, as we want max gaming performance therefore we can’t go lower than GDDR6
2) VRAM MORE THAN OR EQUAL TO 4 GB
Obviously, a GPU’s access to graphics data increases with the amount of VRAM it possesses, which results in quicker frame rates and better-looking games. Also, these days 4GB is commonly being regarded as the bare minimum in 2022 and it should work well for 1080p high to ultra level gaming.
3) UNDER 300 USD
That is the set budget for this particular list because we think that should be an amount that a common number of people would invest in a GPU.
4) BRAND
It can be from any brand Nvidia, AMD, or Intel. We will list all the best ones from each brand and then finally compare them all on the basis of the price-to-performance ratio and then choose the best.
2. Best Low Budget GPUs in 2022:
1. Nvidia GTX 1660 Super
- Price: $274
- Graphics processor: TU116
- GPU cores: 1408
- Memory type: GDDR6
- Memory: 6GB
1660 Super is one of the most popular cheap cards according to Steam Hardware Survey and there s a solid reason for it. Unlike the RTX cards, it doesn’t have DLSS and RTX support it still performs well in games like God of War, Forza Horizon 5, Far Cry 6, and more at High settings and gives an average of 60 FPS.
If you cant get your hands on this you can go for 1660 TI but there will be a slight performance loss and you will have to spend 10 dollars more.
2. AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT
- Price: $199
- Graphics processor: Navi 24
- GPU cores: 1024
- Memory type: GDDR6
- Memory: 4GB
Radeon 6500 XT was launched in January 2022 fully focused on the low-budget market. Further, this GPU can give more performance than its counterpart 1650 super if paired correctly with a properly capable CPU like a Ryzen 5000 or 3000 series.
Despite its low VRAM of 4GB, this GPU can deliver 60 FPS in titles like Call of Duty: Vanguard, Kena: Bridge of Spirits, Forza Horizon 5, and Watchdogs Legion on 1080p Medium to High Settings.
3. AMD Radeon RX 6600
- Price: $289
- Graphics processor: Navi 23
- GPU cores: 1792
- Memory type: GDDR6
- Memory: 8GB
This is the big boy GPU in our list with the most loaded spec sheet. Also, this is competitively priced against its direct competition the RTX 3060 which costs around 480 dollars. Whereas, this comes at almost around 200 dollars less than the 3060. Additionally, the benchmarks show that the card is very capable of 1080p gaming at Ultra and 1440p gaming at High to Ultra settings as well. Besides all of this, the availability of this card is better than RTX 3060 which makes it an easy-to-grab option.
This card gives around 78 FPS at 1080p Ultra and around 60 FPS at 1440p Ultra on games like Borderlands 3, Far Cry 6, Flight Simulator, Forza Horizon 5 and Watch Dogs Legion.
4. Nvidia RTX 3050
- Price: $299
- Graphics processor: GA106
- GPU cores: 2560
- Memory type: GDDR6
- Memory: 8GB
RTX 3050 was released in 2022 as an “affordable” raytracing capable card aimed at 1080p or 1440p gaming. The GPU depends on DLSS for better performance in demanding games for 60 FPS performance.
This GPU gives around 60 FPS on 1080p Ultra and around 30 FPS at 1440p Ultra in games like Borderlands 3, Far Cry 6, Flight Simulator, Forza Horizon 5 and Watch Dogs Legion.
4. Intel Arc A380
- Price: $150
- Graphics processor: DG2-128
- GPU cores: 1024
- Memory type: GDDR6
- Memory: 6GB
This is Intel’s much-awaited entry into the desktop GPU space. Moreover, they decided to launch it in a Super low-budget segment, as this one is on sale at around 150 USD (1030 Yuan) in China. The A380 is pitted against the Nvidia GTX 1650 and AMD RX 6400. It comes at around 50 dollars less than the 1650 and gives about the same performance both at 1080p High and Ultra.
A point worth noting is that it performs nicely at around 60 FPS at 1080p High though it isn’t that great on 1080p Ultra giving about 20-25 FPS in games like God of War, Hitman 3, etc. The performance should get better with time as Intel refines the drivers with updates, although the availability of this card is the major issue as of now.
3. Which is the Best Low Budget GPU in 2022?
Although all the cards mentioned in this list are capable of giving you a good experience at 1080p level gaming, but all a human wants is the best and hence we will choose one. According to price to performance ratio each graphic card’s frames(1080p Ultra) per dollar are :
- Nvidia GTX 1660 Super – 0.16 frames per dollar
- AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT – 0.15 frames per dollar
- AMD Radeon RX 6600 – 0.26 frames per dollar
- Nvidia RTX 3050 – 0.20 frames per dollar
- Intel Arc A380 – 0.14 frames per dollar(buying this for 1080p High makes the most sense, as then the frames per dollar are 0.40)
Finally, judging by these numbers AMD Radeon RX 6600 should be your pick for under 300 Dollars for gaming at 1080p Ultra settings. We hope that this article helped you.
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