Best Graphic Cards for $100-$1000 Budget

Muhammad Usman Habib
5 min readJun 9, 2023

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What is GPU aka Graphics Card? It is a computer component responsible for images, videos, and showing other visual content on display devices. Are you building your pc and looking for a top-of-the-line GPU that doesn’t break the bank?

The graphic card market is increasing rapidly worldwide. It was valued at $40bn in 2022 and is expected to rise to $400bn. For this reason, people building PCs are looking forward to investing in GPUs that will stay relevant in the coming years.

In this article, I will tell you about the best graphic cards for every possible budget under $1000. So it doesn’t matter if you are looking for the most cost-effective choice or a high-end card. Let’s delve into cards that can take your gaming or creative endeavors to the maximum level.

Budget Friendly (Under $100): MSI GT 1030 2GD4 LP OC Computer Graphics Cards

Most Popular ($150-$200): MSI GAMING GeForce GTX 1060

Performance Segment ($250-$300): MSI Gaming GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 192-bit

High-End ($475-$550): GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3070 Gaming OC 8G

Best Overall ($800-$1000): MSI Gaming GeForce RTX 4070 Ti

MSI GT 1030 2GD4 LP OC Computer Graphics Cards

GT 1030 is a budget-friendly MSI graphics card. It offers an overall a good experience for entry-level gamers and first-time pc builders. It can also be useful for people who want to do daily tasks. It can work just fine for gamers as well who don’t want to play high-end games.

This GPU can easily handle popular games like GTA 5 at 1080p resolution at medium or low graphic settings. This makes it suitable for casual gamers or those on a budget. Moreover, this GPU can save costs on display devices as it supports multiple screens. This makes this GPU the best budget graphics card available.

Price: $92.99

Pros:-

  • Affordable
  • Low power consumption
  • Multiple display support
  • Nvidia Chipset (popular company)

Cons:-

  • Limited Performance (Low VRAM)

MSI GAMING GeForce GTX 1060

Are you looking for a GPU that offers a compelling balance of price and performance? Then you should go for GTX 1060 which is a high-performance 6GB GDDR5 graphics card. It is a mid-range GPU that supports most games at high settings and some new games at low to medium settings.

This GPU by Nvidia is the most popular card in South Korea for gaming. As per reports of the 2022 survey, approximately 36.9% of PCs in gaming centers use this card. This data shows how this card is still relevant among gamers and shows its longevity.

Price: $199.99

Pros:-

  • Energy efficient
  • Advanced cooling solution
  • High fps in many modern games

Cons:-

  • Not suitable for extreme overclocking

MSI Gaming GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 192-bit

This MSI graphics card is based on NVIDIA’s 1660 ti GPU. It is a mid-range graphics card that offers a solid gaming experience and is most suitable for gamers and content creators. It supports most of the games at high graphic settings except for ones that launched in the last 1–2 years.

Its hardware includes AI-based rendering. GPU comes with 6gb GDDR6 memory. A high-speed memory type that offers faster data transfer and smooth graphics rendering. This card can also be used by professional editors to perform high-end tasks at its maximum potential.

Price: $275

Pros:-

  • Multiple display support
  • Smooth gaming performance
  • Custom cooling solution

Cons:-

  • High power consumption

GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3070 Gaming OC 8G

RTX 3070 graphics card is a high-performance card that offers an excellent gaming experience. This card is capable to provide advanced features for gamers such as ray tracing support. This feature allows for providing more realistic lighting and shadows in the supported game.

Moreover, this GPU includes RGB lighting features. This allows users to customize lighting effects and performance according to their desires. 3070 also features a large number of 5888 CUDA cores which is responsible for processing and executing computer tasks.

This GPU comes with 8gb GDDR6 memory ensuring smooth gameplay and high-resolution textures.

Price: $490

Pros:-

  • Smooth display at 4K
  • AI rendering
  • Future-proofing for upcoming games

Cons:-

  • Overheating under heavy workloads

MSI Gaming GeForce RTX 4070 Ti

4000 series is the latest in Nvidia graphic cards. It is a high-end graphics card with a memory size of 12GB GDDR6X. It has a maximum resolution of 7680x4320 and can support 4 displays simultaneously at a time.

In easier words, this GPU is an RTX 3080 with some additional benefits. Moreover, this card is $100 cheaper than 3080 and beats it in graphic card benchmarks. Its advanced cooling system makes it the first choice for buyers as it reduces the risk of overheating.

This GPU justifies its value for money as it is claimed to perform 3x better than 3090 Ti, which is almost $500 more expensive.

Price: $870

Pros:-

  • Better value for money
  • Better use of cooling and energy
  • Solid overclocking
  • Good power consumption

Cons:-

  • Other system parts must be high end too for better performance

What to Consider Before Selecting the Best Graphics Card for Your Budget

Are you searching for a GPU that provides exceptional value and ensures the most out of your investment? A graphics card is a crucial component of pc that significantly affects your system’s performance and visuals.

Let this buying guide be your roadmap to finding the best graphics card. A card that will take your computing experience to a whole other level. Keep the following factors in mind:

Budget

GPUs vary in price based on their performance and features. First, you should determine your budget. Then ensure that GPU you are going to buy aligns with your desired performance.

Reviews and Benchmarks

If you are buying your card online then you must ensure that your desired product has good reviews. Moreover, you should look for graphic cards benchmark report that shows the performance of your GPU in tasks relevant to your usage. Such as gaming or editing software.

Make sure that you check your GPU’s average benchmark score online and then buy if GPU meets the average score. If you buy from a retailer, you may ask him to stress test GPU on FurMark(benchmark and heating test software). If your GPU doesn’t overheat and meets the average score, you are good to buy it.

Connectivity

Most new GPUs support almost all display devices. If you are buying a low-budget GPU, you must ensure that its display output supports your monitor. Moreover, if you desire a multi-monitor setup then you must buy a card that offers a variety of display ports.

Manufacturing Company

Manufacturers play a crucial role in the world of GPUs. Manufacturers determine the quality and reliability we can expect from the card. There must be multiple manufacturers such as Nvidia and AMD.

Nvidia graphic cards are the most popular external GPUs which take around 17% market share. Right behind Intel which creates in-built processor GPUs and is mostly used in laptops without external GPUs.

Bottom Line

With this comprehensive GPU buying guide, you’re now equipped to make a wise decision that matches your specific requirements. You must read reviews and consider the overall reputation of the manufacturer too before buying. You’ll be able to access a whole new world of amazing visuals with the correct GPU by your side.

So are you ready to enter the realm of virtual reality? Are you ready to enhance your computing experiences with the best graphics card within your budget?

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