A good graphics card is an essential part of a gaming computer, and often the most expensive.
To play modern titles on the “ultra”, you have to fork out, but you still need a good processor, which is able to unleash the potential of "vidyashki", not to mention good cooling, etc.
We decided to browse Yandex Market for inexpensive video cards that would allow us to play with comfortable FPS at least in popular projects like World of Tanks, Dota 2 and others.
So that the descriptions do not consist entirely of numbers and technical specifications (which we will not forget too) that are not understandable to everyone, we will focus on games that are available to the owner of a particular card.
So, the cheapest video cards for games: which one to take and why?
List
- 10. GIGABYTE GeForce GT 710 (2048MB, 64 bit) from 2 649
- 9. MSI GeForce GT 730 (2048Mb, 128 bit) from 3,661
- 8. ASUS Radeon R7 240 (2048MB, 128 bit) from 3,880
- 7. MSI GeForce GT 1030 (2048MB, 64 bit) from 4 160
- 6. PowerColor Radeon RX 550 (2048Mb, 128 bit) from 5 520
- 5. Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 550 (4096Mb, 128 bit) from 6,200
- 4. ASUS Radeon RX 550 (4096MB, 128 bit) from 7,440
- 3. ASRock Radeon RX 560 (4096MB, 128 bit) from 7,664
- 2. GIGABYTE Radeon RX 580 (4096Mb, 256 bit) from 8 500
- 1. MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (4096MB, 128 bit) from 9 159
10. GIGABYTE GeForce GT 710 (2048MB, 64 bit) from 2 649
Card GIGABYTE GeForce GT 710 It boasts support for DirectX 12 and OpenGL 4.5, which is commendable for its price.
However, the bus bit width is 64 bit, the frequency of the graphic processor is 954 MHz and the old type of video memory GDDR3 allows calling it gaming only conditionally.
It’s possible to play in “Tanks”, but the settings will have to be reduced, as in other games. She definitely won’t pull modern projects, but at least you can play something.
It also does a good job of playing 4K video and is also undemanding to the power supply: a standard 300 W PSU is enough.
9. MSI GeForce GT 730 (2048Mb, 128 bit) from 3,661
Model GeForce GT 730 performed by MSI is already more powerful, but also costs 1,000 r more. The 128bit bus is its main advantage over the low-end card, but otherwise they are about the same level.
Performance rests on the old type of GDDR3 memory and the low frequency of the GPU and the frequency of video memory (700 and 1800 MHz, respectively).
A typical “gag” for an office PC, which allows you to launch not only solitaire, but also “little ones”, unpretentious shooters, RPG, etc. in your free time.
8. ASUS Radeon R7 240 (2048MB, 128 bit) from 3,880
Video card ASUS Radeon R7 240, like almost all of our top, is considered primarily an office solution, but tests prove that you can play it too. Not at all and not at high graphics settings, but still it is possible.
For example, in HD resolution at low settings, it is able to “stretch” the third part of The Witcher, and in WOT even at medium settings it provides stable 50-60 frames per second.
All games until 2015-2016 will be quite playable, and in more recent titles, the ASUS Radeon R7 240 is unfortunately not capable of anything.
7. MSI GeForce GT 1030 (2048MB, 64 bit) from 4 160
The low memory bus frequency (only 65 bit) is partially offset by the more recent GDDR4 type, as well as 2100 MHz video memory frequency, 1189 MHz GPU frequency and 16x 3.0 PCI-E interface (previous models have a 2.0 interface with lower bandwidth).
In the notorious "Tanks" MSI GeForce GT 1030 can produce 50-60 frames per second at Full HD resolution, which is not so bad.
6. PowerColor Radeon RX 550 (2048Mb, 128 bit) from 5 520
Video card PowerColor Radeon RX 550 - The first truly gaming, albeit entry-level.
It is built on the basis of the Polaris 12 GPU and is equipped with support for a resolution of 7680 × 4320 pixels, which is not close to previous copies.
There is also GDDR5 memory here, and the core / memory frequency is 1190 and 6000 MHz, respectively. For power, a 400 W unit is required.
5. Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 550 (4096Mb, 128 bit) from 6,200
Starting from the fifth line of the rating, cards are becoming more interesting: Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 550 allocates at least that it has 4 GB of video memory with a frequency of 7000 MHz.
If at least a second generation Intel Core i3 and 8 GB of RAM will work in conjunction with it, then this will be enough to get stable 60-80 frames per second in World of Tanks on a Full HD monitor.
More demanding games feel great at medium-low settings, and if you lower the resolution to 1270x720, then the sliders in the graphics settings can be twisted even more.
4. ASUS Radeon RX 550 (4096MB, 128 bit) from 7,440
ASUS Radeon RX 550 received faster memory and increased bandwidth, which increased not only the price of the card, but also its performance.
In fact, this particular instance can be considered a necessary minimum for playing in Full HD resolution.
Mass Effect: Andromeda, Assassin’s Creed: Origins, Hitman: Absolution, GTA V, Witcher 3 and other popular AAA-class games with this video card do not become a dream, but a reality.
If you tinker with the sliders in the graphics settings, then everywhere you can get a minimally comfortable frame rate of 30 frames, and somewhere even higher.
As for CS: GO, WoW, WOT and other online projects, here you can safely twist everything to the maximum.
3. ASRock Radeon RX 560 (4096MB, 128 bit) from 7,664
At the heart of the video card ASRock Radeon RX 560 lies the Polaris 21 graphics processor, the frequency of the graphics core is 1176 MHz (memory - 7000 MHz), and the maximum supported resolution is 5120 × 2880 pixels.
Game industry hits such as Battlefield 1, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, For Honor, Gears of War 4, Grand Theft Auto 5, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands and others will launch on the RX 560 in Full HD with medium-high settings.
2. GIGABYTE Radeon RX 580 (4096Mb, 256 bit) from 8 500
Dual cooler GIGABYTE Radeon RX 580 It boasts 256-bit video memory bus, 1340 MHz core frequency and 7000 MHz memory frequency.
Other advantages:
- Gigabyte RX 580 4GB the cheapest in the RX 560 line
- The card fits easily in compact cases.
- Hynix memory installed on the card overclocks well. You can get 2250/9000 MHz without problems.
- A small jump in speed brings it closer to its largest competitor - the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 (although the gap between them is still huge).
1. MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (4096MB, 128 bit) from 9 159
Nvidia GTX 1050 Ti Is the map that best reflects the progress Nvidia has made in Pascal architecture in recent years.
Extremely effective, with support for Full HD, a card costing less than 10,000 rubles fits perfectly into any system that requires an affordable increase in gaming performance.
You get 768 CUDA cores along with a base clock frequency of 1290 MHz and a maximum clock speed of 1392 MHz. There is 4 GB of GDDR5 memory with a frequency of 7000 MHz and a 128-bit memory bus.
What is interesting is the number of games that you can run with a resolution of 1080p and the cherished 60 frames per second, even at the highest settings.
The already mentioned Battlefield 1 (although here you can also add Battlefield V, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, For Honor, Gears of War 4, Grand Theft Auto 5, and Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands will “fly” at high settings.
With tougher game loads, like Rise of the Tomb Raider in DX12, you have to tinker with it, since the card does not cope with the default high graphics preset easily: there may be fries and drawdowns of FPS.