Best Budget GPU for Gaming (Great Options Under R6,000)

Are you building or upgrading a gaming PC but short on cash? That’s no problem. You don’t need enthusiast-grade cards or high-end systems to have fun as a PC gamer. There are plenty of video cards (GPUs) on the market that can support your gaming hobby without depleting your bank account. 

The following AMD Radeon RX and Nvidia Geforce RTX GPUs may not run all the latest games at max settings, but they offer respectable 1080p gaming performance and up to 60 frames-per-second (FPS) for some of the top titles of the last few years. You can enjoy all of them at a great price point—under R6000.

We’ll start our picks with the most expensive cards that match this budget and cover even more affordable options for your PC build as we approach the end. 

GPU #1: Gigabyte Radeon RX 6500 XT Gaming OC 4GB Graphics Card 

Gigabyte’s Radeon RX 6500 XT Gaming OC is a solid budget entry that’s still ready to handle many modern titles like Farcry 6. It is one of the most premium AMD RX cards with a price tag under R6000. 

This card was released in January 2022 and offered several improvements over the reference RX 6500 XT released by AMD. One standout feature of this card is the addition of the WINDFORCE cooling system. This system introduces an extra fan that spins in an alternating direction with the other 2, providing superior cooling. 

Like other RX 6000 cards, it comes complete with AMD’s FelityFX™ Super Resolution (FSR) technology that can boost frame rates by 2.4X across select supported games.

Shop the Gigabyte Radeon RX 6500 XT Gaming OC 4GB Graphics Card 

GPU #2: Gigabyte Radeon RX 6400 Eagle 4GB Graphics Card

The next budget card on this list is another option from Gigabyte. The Radeon RX 6400 Eagle still offers you 4GB of VRAM, but at an even lower price point. 

This card was released in April 2022. While playing newer titles at 1080p may push this card to its limits, it has some impressive cooling options to keep it running, including WINDFORCE alternating fans, and a pure copper heat pipe. 

In addition to being a great budget option, this compact card is perfect for small cases. Reviewers have praised its low power consumption, quiet operation, and exceptional cooling.

Shop the Gigabyte Radeon RX 6400 Eagle 4GB Graphics Card

GPU #3: Asus Dual Radeon RX 6400 4GB Graphics Card

You have the opportunity to save even more with this next budget card. Asus’ version of the RX 6400 arrived in April 2022 and has won some fans with its low price point and performance.

Like the Gigabyte card from the last section, this one has some advanced cooling features to give it an edge when working hard to support your gaming. The two fans on the card have smaller hubs, allowing for longer fan blades. A barrier ring has been added between the fans and the card to increase downward air pressure. 

Reviewers have reported that this card can play recent titles on medium-to-high settings, including Call of Duty: MW2 and Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla. 

Shop the Asus Dual Radeon RX 6400 4GB Graphics Card

GPU #4: MSI Radeon RX 6400 Aero ITX 4GB Graphics Card

This is the last card on this list built on the Radeon RX 6400 architecture, and it’s often available at the lowest price compared to the other two. It was released on January 19, 2022, and has won a lot of fans for both its price point and size. 

While highly affordable, this card is capable of delivering great 1080p performance. MSI’s Afterburner utility helps you push this card to its full potential with effortless overclocking. 

This card is one of the most compact cards on this list. It’s nearly 40% smaller than the RX 6400 reference card. It is recommended as a perfect card for small form factor systems. Reviewers have also praised its excellent compatibility with older PCIE buses—making it an effective choice when upgrading an older gaming computer. 

Shop the MSI Radeon RX 6400 Aero ITX 4GB Graphics Card

GPU #5: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1650 D6 4GB Graphics Card

This last card is one of the oldest, having been first released in April 2020. However, it is one of the best Nvidia cards you can get at this price point, and it remains a popular option due to some unique features. 

First, this is one of the most compact cards on this list and measures only 170mm across. This allows it to fit into nearly all popular cases. Additionally, the card is so power efficient that it doesn’t need auxiliary power. It can draw the power it needs from the PCIe slot. 

These two features have made this card popular with users who want to add a second card to their gaming PC. Reviewers have also complimented the card’s ability to run recent titles like Diablo 4 effectively. 

Shop the Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1650 D6 4GB Graphics Card

Find a GPU That Fits Your Budget

You don’t need a high-end GPU to play many popular video games. When matched with the appropriate motherboard, CPU, PSU, SSD, and other components, these cards will give you respectable 1080p performance on many top single-player and multiplayer titles.  

There are many other cards available in different price ranges that are perfect for a budget to mid-range gaming experience. Now that you know the options, you may have decided that your budget can manage cards that offer better performance and future-proofing. 

No matter what you need, you can shop the best budget graphics cards here.