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The GPUs competing for your $300 budget in early 2026 are the following:
- Nvidia: GeForce RTX 5060 (8 GB)
- AMD: Radeon RX 9060 XT (8 GB)
- Intel: Arc B580 (12 GB)
In terms of performance and GPU options, the landscape is largely unchanged since mid-2025. While the RX 9060 XT 8GB generally delivers the best performance, the RTX 5060 remains competitive with advantages in specific games and ray tracing scenarios. Intel’s Arc B580 trails in raw performance but offers compelling value with its 12GB of VRAM.
What has changed, however, is the ongoing VRAM shortage driven by AI data center demand. Prices are already somewhat inflated and are expected to keep rising throughout 2026, potentially making this one of the last windows to buy at reasonable prices.
Keep reading for a comprehensive analysis of each option and what you need to know before making a purchase in early 2026.
The 2026 GPU Market Reality: Back to Shortages
Like all products that depend on RAM and other memory, the GPU market in January 2026 faces upwards price ppressure not seen since the pandemic. AI infrastructure is eating up production capacity for GDDR6 and GDDR7 memory, which is reflected in several ways:
- Nvidia has announced production cuts of 30-40% for RTX 50-series cards in early 2026
- 16 GB models (RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB, RX 9060 XT 16 GB) are seeing limited availability in some markets
- AMD and Nvidia have both signaled price increases to their partners, with reports suggesting increases of 10-20% starting in early 2026
- Memory costs now account for as much as 80% of a GPU’s manufacturing cost for high-end models, which is a huge increase
For any budget-conscious builder considering an upgrade, purchasing sooner rather than later is probably a good idea.
NVIDIA Vs. AMD Under $300
Nvidia launched the RTX 5060 in May 2025, followed by AMD’s RX 9060 XT in June 2025. Nvidia’s RTX 5050 arrived in late July 2025. Intel’s Arc B580, launched in late 2024, remains available and has kept improving with driver updates.
Last update on 2026-02-11 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
The main concern with all 8 GB options is VRAM capacity. Recent titles like Doom: The Dark Ages, Star Wars Outlaws, and Assassin’s Creed Shadows can exceed 8 GB even at 1080p with high settings, causing stuttering and performance issues. This limitation affects both the RTX 5060 and RX 9060 XT 8GB, though AMD cards seems to handle VRAM pressure slightly better in some scenarios.
Relative Gaming Performance with Current $300 GPUs
Based on aggregated test scores in UL’s 3DMark, here’s how these cards stack up in rasterization performance (no ray tracing or upscaling):
Average 1080p Performance (Indexed to RTX 5060 = 100):
- RX 9060 XT 8GB: ~107 (7% faster)
- RTX 5060 8GB: 100 (baseline)
- Arc B580 12GB: ~82 (18% slower)
Note that performance varies significantly by title. The RX 9060 XT shows strength in titles like Red Dead Redemption 2 (20% ahead), Baldur’s Gate 3 (15-20% ahead), and Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (20% ahead). The RTX 5060 pulls ahead in Counter-Strike 2 (30% faster) and maintains parity in Cyberpunk 2077 where AMD struggles.
Check out this excellent comparison by TechPowerup for more detail on how the 9060 XT and RTX 5060 compare in individual games.
The Arc B580’s positioning is even more variable. It trades blows with last-generation’s RTX 4060 and RX 7600 XT but falls significantly behind in certain titles like Spider-Man 2 (nearly 50% slower than competition) and Call of Duty (45% behind the RX 9060 XT). However, its 12GB VRAM buffer prevents the stuttering that could affect 8 GB cards in memory-intensive scenarios.
Relative Ray-Tracing Performance
AMD’s RDNA 4 architecture in the RX 9060 XT comes with substantial ray-tracing improvements over the previous generation, closing much of the gap with Nvidia. However, Nvidia still maintains a clear lead in ray-traced workloads:
- RTX 5060: Best-in-class ray tracing at this price point, but may struggle to keep up in demanding RT versus faster Nvidia GPUs
- RX 9060 XT: Vastly improved over RX 7000 series, now competitive with Nvidia in many RT titles
- Arc B580: Decent ray tracing performance but falls behind both competitors in RT-heavy games
If you consider solid ray tracing performance a must-have, then stepping up a tier or two is recommended. Neither AMD nor Nvidia can consistently maintain playable RT performance here in the most demanding titles without aggressive upscaling.
Upscaling Technologies: DLSS 4, FSR 4, and XeSS
All three manufacturers now offer competitive upscaling solutions, and most AAA titles support multiple options:
- DLSS 4 (Nvidia RTX 5060/5050): Includes Multi Frame Generation, which can create up to three AI-generated frames per rendered frame. Results in dramatic frame rate increases but requires stable base performance and introduces some latency.
- FSR 4 (AMD RX 9060 XT): AMD’s latest iteration brings significant improvements to both upscaling quality and frame generation. Unlike DLSS, it works across all GPU brands. Performance is competitive with DLSS in most cases.
- XeSS (Intel Arc B580): Intel’s solution also works on all GPUs but performs best on Arc hardware with dedicated XMX engines.
The practical reality is that upscaling has become essential at this price point, especially for newer titles. All three solutions work well enough that this shouldn’t be a primary decision factor unless you have specific title preferences where one technology excels.
The Fastest GPU Under $300: Radeon RX 9060 XT
AMD’s RX 9060 XT 8GB delivers the strongest overall rasterization performance in the sub-$300 space, leading the RTX 5060 by 5-10% on average. The generational improvement over the RX 7600 series is roughly 40-45% faster than the RX 7600 and 30% faster than the RX 7600 XT.
Strengths:
- Best average gaming performance at 1080p
- Much better ray tracing than the previous generation
- FSR 4 support with frame gen
Weaknesses:
- 8GB VRAM limitation affects certain titles at high settings
- Ray tracing still trails Nvidia on average
Best for: Gamers who prioritize raw rasterization performance at 1080p and play a variety of titles. Also ideal for those on slightly older AM4 or Intel 10th/11th-gen platforms where the full PCIe compatibility provides more consistent performance.
Shopping links:
Best Nvidia Card: GeForce RTX 5060
The RTX 5060 delivers solid performance and is a significant upgrade if you come from an RTX 3060 or GTX 1660-series card. It’s roughly equivalent to an RTX 4060 Ti in rasterization while adding DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation support.
Strengths:
- Leading ray tracing performance
- DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation
- GDDR7 memory bandwidth advantages
- Nvidia’s mature software ecosystem (Broadcast, Reflex, etc.)
- Lower power consumption (145W vs 150W)
Weaknesses:
- 8GB VRAM is limiting in newest titles
- Slightly lower average rasterization performance versus RX 9060 XT
- Severe performance loss on PCIe 3.0 systems in some VRAM-heavy games (40-60% drops observed)
Best for: Users who value ray tracing, prefer Nvidia’s software features, or play titles optimized for DLSS. Also suitable for content creators who benefit from Nvidia’s encoder.
Shopping links:
The Value Leader: Intel Arc B580 12GB
Intel’s Arc B580 is the most affordable entry into current-generation gaming, typically priced $50 below the competition (but with an equivalent drop in performance in most cases). On the other hand, its 12 GB VRAM capacity provides future-proofing that 8 GB cards lack.
Strengths:
- Best price-to-VRAM ratio
- Solid 1080p and 1440p performance
- Continuous driver improvements have addressed many launch issues
- Adequate for most esports titles where it hits 150+ FPS
Weaknesses:
- 18-27% slower than RTX 5060/RX 9060 XT on average
- Inconsistent performance across titles
- Higher power consumption (190W)
- Requires ReBAR support (Resizable BAR) for optimal performance (older platforms may struggle)
Best for: Budget-conscious builders who prioritize VRAM capacity over peak performance, or those willing to accept slightly lower frame rates in exchange for more consistent performance in VRAM-demanding scenarios. Also attractive for users who primarily play esports titles where the performance deficit is less noticeable.
Note that Resizable BAR (ReBAR) support is critical for the Intel Arc GPUs to perform well. This feature is normally available in systems based on 10th-gen Intel Core/AMD Ryzen 3000-series or later. Read more here.
Previous-Generation Cards: Still Relevant?
GeForce RTX 4060 8GB
With RTX 5060 available at similar or lower street prices, the RTX 4060 has limited appeal for new purchases. However, if you find one significantly discounted (sub-$250), it’s still a capable 1080p card. Performance sits roughly 20-25% behind the RTX 5060, but it lacks DLSS 4 support.
Current status: Mostly cleared from retail channels, with remaining stock priced too close to RTX 5060 to recommend. Better options available in the used market at $180-220.
Radeon RX 7600 8GB / RX 7600 XT 8GB
The RX 7600 8GB (non-XT) can sometimes be found around $230-249, making it a potential value pick for budget builds. The XT 8GB variant ($270-289) offers about 15% more performance but is uncomfortably close to RX 9060 XT pricing while delivering noticeably lower performance (especially with RT enabled)
Current status: RX 7600 makes sense only if priced at least $50+ below RX 9060 XT.
Wrapping Up
The $300 GPU space in early 2026 offers solid gaming performance. While the RX 9060 XT 8GB delivers the best performance per dollar, the RTX 5060 8GB provides somewhat better ray tracing, and the Arc B580 12GB offers compelling value for budget-conscious builders prioritizing VRAM capacity.
However, the elephant in the room is the ongoing VRAM shortage. Unless the AI bubble pops, prices will almost certainly increase throughout 2026. 16 GB models may become scarce, and supply constraints will tighten.
In general, the 8GB VRAM limitation across most sub-$300 options is this segment’s key weakness and is noticeable in certain AAA titles. But any of the three main options are certain to deliver acceptable 1080p gaming performance with the right setting adjustments.
Choose based on your priorities: raw performance (RX 9060 XT), ray tracing and features (RTX 5060), or best price-to-VRAM ratio (Arc B580).
CPU Pairing and PSU Requirements
To get the most out of your new mid-range GPU, the rest of your PC build should correspond reasonably well to your choice of video card.
The best gaming CPUs are currently AMD’s X3D lineup, although the latest Ryzen 9000 series is quite expensive relative to a $300 video card. There are alternatives like the Ryzen 7 5700X3D, however, which offer an affordable entry point in combination with a B650 motherboard. You may also want to consider Intel’s 14000-series Intel Core i5 or Core i7 CPUs.
As for the power supply (PSU), the latest mainstream GPUs are relatively frugal and an 80 Plus-rated 500 W PSU should be enough in most cases. Any such power supply on the market will provide you with the single 8-pin PCIe power connector that you need to hook up your GPU.
For smaller or larger budgets, check out our guides to the best GPUs under $200 or under $500.
$300 GPU FAQ
Is 8GB of VRAM enough in 2025?
For most 1080p gaming at medium-high settings, 8 GB remains functional but is increasingly borderline. Titles like Star Wars Outlaws, Doom: The Dark Ages, and Assassin's Creed Shadows already struggle with 8 GB at higher settings, requiring quality compromises even with upscaling enabled. If you plan to keep your card for 2+ years or regularly play the latest AAA titles, 12-16 GB is the safer choice. For esports and less demanding titles, 8 GB will suffice for the near term.
Should I get the RX 9060 XT 8GB or 16GB version?
Both AMD and Nvidia offer 16 GB variants at higher price points:
- RX 9060 XT 16GB: MSRP $349, street price $340-369
- RTX 5060 Ti 16GB: MSRP $430, street price $430-479
The frame rate difference between 8GB and 16GB variants in the same family ranges from minimal to substantial in recent titles.
Choose 16GB if:
- You regularly play the latest AAA titles at high/ultra settings
- You plan to keep the card for 3+ years
- You game at 1440p
- You create content or run memory-intensive applications
- You're sensitive to occasional stuttering in VRAM-limited scenarios
Stick with 8GB if:
- Budget is tight and every dollar counts
- You primarily play esports titles or older games
- You're comfortable adjusting settings to stay within VRAM limits
- You plan to upgrade again i a couple of years
Given the VRAM shortage and expected price increases, the gap between 8GB and 16GB models may widen further in 2026. If you can afford the RX 9060 XT 16GB now, it might be worth the investment. The RTX 5060 Ti 16GB at $430+ is harder to justify.
How does the Intel Arc B580 compare to the AMD and Nvidia cards?
The Arc B580 is a value champion at $250, offering solid 1080p and 1440p performance and 12 GB of VRAM. It's about 20% slower than the RTX 5060/RX 9060 XT but also far cheaper, making it ideal for budget-conscious gamers. Intel is steadily improving its driver support and performance compared to the competition and should not be ruled out. Check this out:
Can these GPUs handle 1440p gaming?
Yes, but with caveats. The RX 9060 XT and RTX 5060 can both can achieve 60+ fps in most games with some settings adjustments and/or upscaling. More than 8 GB of VRAM is usually better for 1440p gaming.
Which GPU is better for ray tracing?
The RTX 5060 maintains Nvidia's traditional ray tracing advantage, but the RX 9060 XT is a huge improvement over its predecessor with ray tracing and path tracing workloads. But if ray tracing is really important to you, stick with Nvidia.
What power supply do I need for these GPUs?
Both the RTX 5060 and RX 9060 XT are efficient. A quality (80+) 500W PSU is more than enough for most (mid-range) systems with these cards.
Should I wait for RTX 50-series Super cards or RDNA 5?
Normally, waiting for the next generation or mid-cycle refresh makes sense. However, 2026 is not normal. Rumors suggest RTX 50-series Super cards may not arrive until mid-2026 at earliest, and when they do, VRAM shortages will likely mean limited availability and higher MSRPs. RDNA 5 is even further out, unlikely to appear before late 2026 or 2027. Meanwhile, current cards are expected to increase in price throughout 2026. Unless you can comfortably wait 12+ months, purchasing current-generation cards now is advisable.
Is it worth upgrading from an RTX 3060 or RX 6600 XT?
From an RTX 3060 to an RTX 5060, you're looking at roughly 40-45% higher performance in rasterization, though you're unfortunately trading 12 GB VRAM for 8 GB. From an RX 6600 XT, the RX 9060 XT offers a 40-50% performance increase, which is reason enough for an upgrade. The generational jump is even more significant from GTX 1660 Super or older cards (70-100%+ improvements).
Which AIB brand/model should I buy?
All manufacturers use the same GPU dies from AMD, Nvidia, or Intel. There's no binning process where better chips go to specific brands. Differences come down to cooling design, noise levels, and warranty coverage. For these power-efficient GPUs, even basic dual-fan designs offer adequate cooling. Focus on:
- Price: Don't overpay for factory overclocking as the gains are minimal (2-3% at most)
- Size: Ensure the card physically fits your case
- Warranty: Most brands offer 2-3 years; EVGA's absence from market means one less option
- Noise: Larger coolers generally run quieter, but any dual-fan design works well for these GPUs
Be careful with single-fan "ITX" designs unless you have actual space constraints. These cards typically run hotter and louder without significant cost savings.
Hi, I was thinking on buying the Arc A770 or the RTX 4060 my main use is going to be for ML which would you recomend more? Also would you reconed paring it with a Ryzen 7 5800x or Ryzen 5 7600x? If im buying a dedicated GPU does having an iGPU matter?
Hi Massimiliano, that’s a hugely interesting question. When just looking at compute performance, the A770 should be faster. But thanks to the Tensor cores (and possibly other factors), Nvidia GPUs perform way better in e.g. Stable Diffusion (https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/gpus/stable-diffusion-benchmarks). Developer preference and optimizations for Nvidia also makes it easier in general to get up and running with RTX cards.
Unless I had a highly specific use case where Intel is known to perform well, I would personally go with Nvidia even if it has 50% less VRAM. The choice of CPU (or iGPU) should have little to no effect on these types of GPU workloads.
I made the mistake of buying a 3050 in a laptop. I now see my mistake as the lifespan is shortened a lot by this limiting GPU. Since you cannot upgrade a laptop in any significant way you’re stuck with an earlier end of life. Even mid-range gaming is not affordable in my opinion. But if you go that route don’t get caught up in buying a laptop. Go with an affordable desktop you can at least upgrade and extend out its life better than a laptop. I certainly won’t buy a laptop for gaming again. You need some deep pockets to keep upgrading to next gen laptop hardware.
As someone looking to spend £200 max (the actual price most people spend on a GPU), I find the vast majority of cards which would have been released at that price a year ago are now priced at double this.
So we end up with the only new “mid-range” card the 6600xt being released pretending its a “high-end” card, so it can justify a ludicrous mark up. Its not worth MSRP, let alone the “because its 2021 lets add another 50%” issue.
So what is there for folks to buy at £200? Because I’m quite simply refusing to spend that on a second hand 3-4 year old card that’ll be outdated within 12 months.
Finding a mid-range card at a normal mid-range price is still nearly impossible, unfortunately. The miner-created shortage a few years ago was nothing compared to today’s market.
Availability has improved, but as you mentioned, prices are still extremely inflated. And there is so much pent-up demand now that this could go on for quite some time.
I’ve managed to buy a couple of cards in the past year at somewhat reasonable prices (but still far from normal) by pre-ordering. Had to wait for 2-3 months each time though…
Need a new vid card but prices are out of hand dam bitcoin miners
Hey thx in advance Mr Jesper Berg
the guide is good , anyway do you have any relation with håkan berg the king of birds ?
Hey Pand, thanks! Haha, no I hadn’t even heard of this King of birds, so I had to look him up. A fun guy. His comedic use of Wittgenstein’s duck-rabbit makes me wish I was related 🙂
Could someone tell me the best build on a say 900-1000$ budget for a pc, monitor, keyboard, mouse thanks would be helpful
Thank you for this great article! I haven’t been able to locate the EVGA 2060 KO in Canada for my new build, so all the info here has been a huge help on figuring out a replacement. Thanks!!!
Hey Japser. I’m currently building my first gaming pc and having an issue with finding correctly advertised GPUs. The prices in your article was updated 12 days ago, but none of prices listed here reflect the actual prices. Some of the links you’ve shared take us to either site where the item is $150 to almost 2x the MSRP price you gave us. My question is, why are computer parts or accessories price points so unstable?
this is exactly the article I was looking for! Well put-together and extremely helpful, I’ll definitely be looking at a 5600xt for my current build. Your other article on choosing a 5600xt is also great
Thanks a lot! Glad that it helped 🙂
Hi Jesper!
I’m currently trying to figure out which graphics card is the best fit for my build for 200-300$. I was thinking about the gtx 1660 super but not sure if it’s too much or too little, I’m not really an expert 🙂
My current build has:
gtx1050 2 or 3 gb
ryzen7 1800x
asus b350-plus
16gb crucial ram
not sure about the power suply
I mostly play cs:go and want a card that can give me at least 200fps in every map at relatively low resolution but I’m buying mafia and also play gtaV sometimes so was wondering what was the best fit for me.
I also have 2 monitors (the one I play is 144hz) not sure if that makes any difference in the matter.
Thought you had great advice for the other people so maybe you can help me out.
Hey Seb!
The 1660S is my personal favorite from the current crop of mid-range cards. It’s almost as fast as the 1660 Ti, but usually much cheaper. By itself, this GPU will be able to give you a 200+ fps average in CS:GO, but CS:GO is also one of the older and less demanding games where your CPUs single-core performance (1st-gen Ryzen’s main weakness) might become a bottleneck, particularly at low resolutions.
I still have no doubts whatsoever that you can go above a 144fps average at 1080p to match your monitor. Mafia Definitive and GTA V will also run well. Not at such high frame rates but at least 60+ fps (more at lower settings, of course).
Thanks for the feedback and I will probably buy the 1660s when I can find one in sale. I also asked the same thing in the under 200$ guide so you can just ignore it :).
Also would you recommend any particular 1660s or are they all pretty much the same? Don’t really get why they have such difference in prices if they are the same model.
Sounds like a great plan, best of luck!
My personal preference when choosing a card (any GPU) is to go with a larger cooler if it fits and the price difference is minimal. They usually run cool and with less noise (though the 1660S TDP is only 125W, so no cooler will be taxed too hard). All 1660S cards use the manufacturers’ standard coolers, so there should be few surprises.
And I agree with you in questioning the large price differences. A small premium might be fine in my view if you get better cooling. But just a slight factory overclock, as is often the case, has never been much of a selling point.
Hi Jesper,
I consider myself to be the typical 60fps 1080p gamer when time allows, so these mid range cards are obviously the sweet spot. I don’t follow hardware or gfx card price movements as I generally just upgrade and forget about it.
I’m looking to upgrade and only recently became aware that Nvidia is soon to release the RTX 3000 series and AMD are doing something similar with their Big Navi cards. Historically do such releases have any downward pressure on mid range cards like those discussed in the above article, or is it more like a two speed economy with the impact largely resigned to those who want to game at 1440 or 4K?
tldr; should everyone be holding off from buying a new graphics card right now?
Grant,
From, what I have seen, yes, 4k and 1440 it is like a Corvette vs a Ferrari. Both are greater, just that one is greaterer.
Hi Grant,
That is a very good question. High-end releases typically don’t affect current mid-range card prices by much or at all in the short term. But the RTX 3060 is also likely to arrive soon (sooner than RTX 2060 did by comparison). It could also be aggressively priced if needed to undercut what AMD releases in the same performance bracket (Navi 22).
In that case, this should definitely put some downward pressure on the current mid-range cards in the relatively near future. But those are many ifs and buts, of course.