Best GPU deals: MSI, XFX, EVGA

While this is an excellent deal already, it’s made even better thanks to a $10 promotional gift card you’ll get with your purchase — usable at Peladn’s online store. But even without that card, this GPU is ready to rock. It has 6GB of GDDR6 dedicated VRAM with a 1717MHz core clock speed and 1750MHz memory clock speed. It utilizes PCI Express 4.0, one of the latest standards, and employs a dual-fan cooling system with a few upgrades. For example, the built in cooling module heatsink, custom PCB board, digital HD interface, and aforementioned dual fan cooling system keep the performance high during use delivering stable frame rates. The unique white and orange styling doesn’t hurt either, especially if you’re going for a unique look inside your case.

XFX is a pretty well-known brand that makes AMD Radeon GPUs, so you’re getting a good-quality device right out of the gate. It has an impressive 8GB GDDR6, at least for this price bracket, and will give you a bit longer life out of it when games start using up a lot more VRAM, even at lower graphical settings. While the base clock runs at 2.0 GHz, the boosted clock speed is 2.5 GHz which is pretty good, and the whole thing is unlocked, so you could theoretically boost it higher if you have the right cooling. This RTX 6600 can support resolutions up to 8K, but really, this is an ideal 1080p gaming GPU.

This little GPU still manages to cram dual fans into the system for improved cooling. And you’re going to need it with its out of the box overclocking support. It has 6GB of dedicated GDDR6 VRAM with a memory speed of 14 Gbps and a boost clock of 1815 MHz. The max supported digital resolution is 7680 by 4320 but it’s a good contender for 1080p and full-HD gaming. It has three DisplayPort (v1.4) and a single HDMI 2.0B output. MSI Afterburner is the overclocking software you’ll use to adjust and fine-tune settings, with automated options available for those who don’t want to dig in manually.

Where 8GB used to be the sweet spot for GPU VRAM, that has now been pushed up to 12GB or more. If you’re looking to run most modern games on medium to high settings at 1440p, this is a great choice. The twin fans provide ample cooling and you’ll also get a 1710 MHz GPU clock speed with 1807 MHz memory clock speed. It features three DisplayPort (v1.4a) and an HDMI 2.1 output. Maximum support display resolution is 7680 by 4320 which is quite large. If you’re wondering, it does support Ray Tracing.

With the current prices, AMD’s cards have become a lot more competitive. This RX 6700 XT from XFX with 12GB of dedicated GDDR6 VRAM is no exception. Besides Sapphire, XFX is one of the better AMD-focused brands. It’s VR-ready, supports PCI Express 4.0, and AMD RDNA 2 architecture for powerhouse graphics performance. Additionally, you get HDMI and DisplayPort outputs, Direct X 12, Vulkan, Open GL, and Open CL support out of the box. It’s ideal for 1440p gaming with high frame rates and widescreen formats. Maximum supported digital resolution is 4K at 2160p, and it has a 2.42GHz GPU base clock frequency.

This RTX 2060 KO Ultra Gaming from EVGA delivers a sleek design with dual fans, plenty of cooling, and solid performance. The real boost clock is rated at 1,680 MHz with 6GB of GDDR6  dedicated VRAM available. It offers real-time Ray Tracing for hyper-realistic graphics in compatible games and supports up to three monitors — via DVI, HDMI 2.0, and DisplayPort 1.4. The all-metal pre-installed EVGA precision X1 backplate takes the design, and performance, up a notch.

If you’re looking to do some mid-tier gaming on 1080p or some gaming on 2K but with lower graphical settings and refresh rates, then the RTX 4060Ti isn’t a bad choice. This version comes from MSI and has a triple cooler, which helps avoid thermal throttling, especially with its 2.56 GHz boosted clock speed, which is already quite close to its base close speed anyway. That said, it does only have 8GB of VRAM, which is certainly on the lower end with how much VRAM games try to eat up these days. Even so, it’s not a terrible card if this is all you can grab.

Go big or go home. That’s certainly the idea here with 24GB of GDDR6X dedicated VRAM at 384 bits and with speeds up to 19.5Gbps. That’s really, really fast and powerful. Plus, you get clock speeds of 1,710 MHz, advanced cooling and metal front plate, a lighted backplate, and full ray tracing support. It’s also 8K-ready, supporting four displays, with HDCP 2.3, VR compatibility, three DisplayPort 1.4a ports, and an HDMI 2.1 output. If you grab this thing you’ll be ready to run any game you throw at it, at max settings, with incredible framerates and performance.

The cryptocurrency mining boom caused a crisis in GPU availability for several years (video cards being necessary to mine things like Bitcoin) causing prices to skyrocket, and if you remember that, then you know it was a dark time for PC builders for awhile. Thankfully, things have stabilized in recent years; on top of that, there are now plenty of surprisingly cheap GPUs that make 1080p/60 fps PC gaming more accessible than ever — and if you want to get into 1440p Quad HD or 4K Ultra HD gaming, you’ve got more than a few options there, too.

When shopping for GPU deals, the two big names you’re going to see are AMD Radeon and Nvidia GeForce. These are often sold under different brand names (such as XFX, MSI, Asus, and so on), but the GPU hardware itself — that is, the stuff that actually does the heavy lifting when it comes to graphics processing — is pretty much the same. The differences between card manufacturers will come down to details like heat sink efficiency and cooling capabilities. Be sure to read plenty of customer reviews, but generally speaking, you’re in safe waters sticking with a highly rated card from a reputable maker.