Earlier-Technology Playing cards
Usually, I’d advocate a earlier era card, however the RTX 40 Collection and AMD 7000 playing cards are virtually completely out of inventory or massively marked up at main retailers. There are nonetheless a couple of older-generation playing cards you’ll be able to choose up comparatively simply, and so they’re a few of the solely choices beneath $500, with newer generations solely having the costlier playing cards stay. These playing cards are squarely focusing on 1,920 x 1,080 for gaming, so don’t get your hopes up when you have the next decision or refresh fee.
AMD
Earlier than the 50 Collection launch, I used to be utilizing a Sapphire Pulse 7900 XT, a card I’d like to advocate now, because it served me effectively for 2 years at 3,440 x 1,440 and was beneath $700 in June 2023. Sadly, it’s at present exhausting to search out in inventory, and restocks will decelerate significantly now that the brand new AMD playing cards are available on the market.
As a substitute, I would attain slightly additional down the facility scale and seize an RX 7600. Whereas I have not hung out with this mannequin, I’ve been traditionally happy with Sapphire’s playing cards, and it must be pretty succesful at 1080p in older titles, indie video games, and nice in your common night of Rocket League or Minecraft.
Once more, this card isn’t going to push 1440p, particularly in newer video games, and it’s going to lack a few of the options you’re seeing on the newest and biggest GPUs. It ought to get you down the highway till issues have hopefully calmed down a bit, although.
Nvidia
As of early April 2025, the one previous-generation card I can persistently discover in inventory from Nvidia is the RTX 4060, a GPU which can be approaching two years available on the market. It was a succesful card at 1080p, nevertheless it does not sustain fairly as effectively with at this time’s video games, and you will have to show the settings right down to even contemplate 1440p.
Of the accessible picks, I just like the MSI GeForce RTX 4060 Ventus 2X Black, a compact card with a low energy requirement that ought to match into principally any trendy system. MSI has an amazing observe document for dependable, easy graphics playing cards, and this one is in inventory and not too long ago discounted.
Of the 2, I feel the AMD is a greater purchase, though it’s efficiency is barely much less spectacular on paper than the RTX 4060. On the sub-$500 worth level, a $100 worth distinction might be huge, so maintain a watch out for reductions to be sure you’re getting the most effective deal, particularly as these generations start to shut out.
Shopping for Used
In relation to GPUs, I am typically a fan of shopping for new. Not solely will you guarantee you could have correct guarantee and RMA help if one thing goes unsuitable, however it may be exhausting to know if somebody misused the GPU, both via heavy crypto mining, poor temperature management of their system, or artifacts and points they did not disclose. I am typically a fan of shopping for utilized in different areas, however with demand and costs so excessive, it may be exhausting to belief strangers.
In case you do purchase used, make certain to do your legwork. Native meetups by way of Craigslist or Reddit can have nice offers and offer you an opportunity to examine the GPU, even if you cannot make certain it boots up. You can even ask for video proof of the cardboard working a sport that additionally consists of the serial quantity in a single steady shot. In case you’re contemplating shopping for a used card on-line, be sure you’re conscious of {the marketplace} and cost processors’ return and dispute insurance policies.
Whenever you get the cardboard dwelling, examine it instantly for any injury to the cardboard, notably on the PCIe fin and the facility connectors. As soon as put in, a software tool called GPU-Z can confirm the cardboard’s {hardware} to verify it matches the anticipated numbers for the mannequin. Run some video games on it instantly, in order that if something is unsuitable you’ll be able to attain out to the vendor instantly.
