The 6 Best PC Video Cards for Under $250 in 2021

Best Overall, Nvidia: MSI GTX 1660 Super

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This Nvidia GTX 1660 Super from MSI may be confusing for its name’s resemblance to that of the previous generation of Nvidia graphics cards, but make no mistake, this is a modern graphics card. The GTX 1660 Super rivals the older mid-range GTX 1070, especially in this model, given MSI’s efforts to boost its clock speed up to 1815-MHz. It’s equipped with 6GB of GDDR6 VRAM and is capable of powering through most modern games with high settings at 1080p, and can even push higher resolutions with lower graphical settings.

It also features a quiet and effective cooling system to handle those higher clock speeds while not overwhelming the room with noise. It’s not quite as good a value as our pick for the best overall AMD card, but it has the edge in terms of raw power. The MSI GTX 1660 Super is the perfect pick to power any budget PC.

Runner-Up, Best Nvidia: ASUS TUF GeForce GTX 1650

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If your budget is really tight and you want a recently released GPU, then the ASUS TUF GeForce GTX 1650 is an excellent pick for high quality 1080p gaming for very little money. It’s only got 4GB of GDDR6 VRAM and its boost clock only goes up to a maximum of 1680-MHz in OC mode, but that’s enough to get you gaming at 60fps in most games in FullHD quality with high settings. It’s cool and quiet, which is a bonus for low noise rigs, and the card feature’s ASUS’s TUF manufacturing quality, which includes IP5X dust resistance, and this should extend the lifetime of this GTX 1650.

Best Overall, AMD: MSI Radeon RX 5500 XT

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The MSI Radeon RX 5500 XT is a fearsome, modern graphics card that packs a punch at a remarkably low price point. This card features a crazy 8G of DDR6 Vram, which is ideal for modern games and creative applications. With some tweaking you can also boost the clock speed up to a blazing 1845-MHz, making this card capable of playing the latest games on high settings at 1080p. It’s not quite as fast as the GTX 1660 Super, but it’s significantly cheaper.

Despite all that power, this card is actually quite power-efficient, thanks to AMD’s unique architecture, and RGB lighting pairs with an attractive design that is perfect for PC builds that show off your internal components. The MSI Radeon RX 5500 XT offers a lot of bang for your buck.

Runner Up, Best AMD: Sapphire Radeon Pulse RX580

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AMD cards are often a good bet for value for money, and Sapphire's Radeon Pulse RX580 is no exception. This inexpensive card packs in 8GB of VRAM, which is important for more modern games with higher VRAM requirements and graphically intensive applications. This also makes it an attractive budget card for VR gaming. It’s capable of running games in 1440p at up to 60fps, though it isn’t up to the task of 4K gaming. There are plenty of ports, and this card supports up to five displays.

If you’re looking to build a dual GPU setup, this RX580 is well suited to that task by way of AMD Crossfire and can use AMD XConnect to be used as a portable external GPU to supercharge your laptop. Additionally, this card supports AMD Freesync, which reduces screen tearing.

Best Budget: EVGA GeForce GTX 1060

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This GeForce GTX 1060 from EVGA may be old in the tooth, but for under $250 it’s an absolute bargain that provides a premium gaming experience at a low price tag. It’s particularly notable for its low power draw, consuming just 120-135 watts. This is made possible by Nvidia’s Pascal GPU architecture, and it’s ideal for low power systems. You’ll also be able to save money, as you only need a less costly 400-watt power supply to run it. It’s only seven inches long and runs cool, making it a good candidate for mini-PC builds.

With 6GB of DDR5 VRAM and boost speeds of up to 2GHz, this GTX 1060 can handle most games at high or even maximum settings at 1080p resolutions and has enough power to play less advanced titles on the Oculus Rift or HTC Vive. This makes it one of the less costly ways to get into VR gaming.