Best GPU Under $300 (2026)
Two legitimate GPUs under $300 and two strong options just above it. Here's what to buy in April 2026.
The state of budget GPUs in April 2026
The sub-$300 GPU market looks different in April than it did at the start of the year. The Arc B580 has crept up to $309, pushing it just above the threshold — but the Arc B570 has stepped in at $259 to fill the gap. The RTX 5060 and RX 9060 XT sit just above $300 and are worth considering if you can stretch.
Here’s the full picture:
| Card | VRAM | Price | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intel Arc B570 10GB | 10GB | $259 | Best under $300 |
| Intel Arc B580 12GB | 12GB | $309 | Best under $320 |
| RTX 5060 8GB | 8GB | $329 | Best ray tracing under $350 |
| RX 9060 XT 8GB | 8GB | $339 | Strong rasterization, pricey |
Under $300: Intel Arc B570 10GB — the pick
At $259 the Arc B570 is the only genuinely capable GPU under $300 right now. Built on the same Battlemage architecture as the B580 — same driver stack, same XeSS 3 support — with slightly lower clock speeds and 10GB of VRAM instead of 12GB.
| Spec | Arc B570 |
|---|---|
| Architecture | Battlemage (Xe2) |
| VRAM | 10GB GDDR6 |
| Memory bus | 192-bit |
| TDP | 150W |
| Street price | ~$259 |
Why it’s worth buying:
10GB of VRAM at $259 beats every 8GB card available at any price in this range. Games are increasingly pushing past 8GB at higher settings — the B570 has enough headroom to handle modern AAA titles at 1080p high without hitting a memory wall that competing cards are already running into.
Performance sits around 10–15% behind the B580 in most titles. At 1080p high settings expect smooth framerates in competitive titles and 55–75fps in demanding AAA games. 1440p is workable with some settings adjustments.
The same driver caveats apply as the B580 — most games work perfectly, occasional titles have Arc-specific issues. On a Ryzen 5 5500 or newer the CPU overhead issues from launch are fully resolved.
Who it’s for: Anyone with a hard $300 ceiling who wants more VRAM than any competing card at this price.
Buy it if: You need to stay under $300 and primarily game at 1080p.
Skip it if: You can stretch to $309 — the B580’s extra performance and VRAM are worth the $50 premium.
Just above $300: Intel Arc B580 12GB
At $309 the B580 is $50 more than the B570 for 2GB more VRAM and roughly 12% better performance. If you can stretch even slightly past $300 it remains one of the best value GPUs available at any price right now.
| Spec | Arc B580 |
|---|---|
| Architecture | Battlemage (Xe2) |
| VRAM | 12GB GDDR6 |
| Memory bus | 192-bit |
| TDP | 190W |
| Street price | ~$309 |
12GB of VRAM at $309 is unmatched at this price. The RTX 5060 and RX 9060 XT both cost more and ship with only 8GB. For a card you want to keep for 2–3 years, the B580’s VRAM headroom is a real long-term advantage.
Read our full Arc B580 buying guide for the detailed breakdown including driver notes and game-by-game performance.
Buy it if: You can stretch $10 past $300. The jump from B570 to B580 is worth it.
Skip it if: Ray tracing matters to you — the RTX 5060 at $329 is the better pick for RT-heavy games.
The $329–$339 tier: if you can stretch further
RTX 5060 8GB (~$329) — best ray tracing under $350
The RTX 5060 at $329 is $20 more than the B580 for better rasterization performance, significantly better ray tracing, and DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation. The trade-off is 8GB of VRAM versus the B580’s 12GB — a real consideration for games that push past 8GB at higher settings.
If ray tracing, DLSS 4, and Nvidia’s mature driver ecosystem are priorities, the RTX 5060 is worth the extra $20 over the B580. If you primarily play rasterized games and want maximum VRAM longevity, stick with the B580.
Check price — RTX 5060 8GB (~$329) ↗ Check price on Newegg — RTX 5060 ↗Buy it if: Ray tracing and DLSS 4 matter to your gaming library and you can stretch to $329.
Skip it if: You play primarily rasterized games — the B580 at $309 gives you more VRAM for less money.
RX 9060 XT 8GB (~$339) — strong rasterization, harder to justify
The RX 9060 XT 8GB delivers faster rasterization than the B580 and RTX 5060 in most titles, with FSR 4 upscaling and AMD’s mature driver stack. At $339 it’s the fastest card in this price range for pure rasterized gaming.
The problem is the price. At $10 more than the RTX 5060 and $30 more than the B580, it needs to clearly justify the premium. For pure 1080p rasterization performance it does — but the 8GB VRAM is the same limitation as the RTX 5060, and at $339 you’re close enough to better options that it’s worth pausing.
Check price — RX 9060 XT 8GB (~$339) ↗ Check price on Newegg — RX 9060 XT ↗Buy it if: Raw 1080p rasterization performance is your only priority and you prefer AMD’s ecosystem.
Skip it if: VRAM longevity matters — the B580 at $309 gives you 4GB more for $30 less.
Decision tree
Hard $300 ceiling: Arc B570 10GB at $259. Best VRAM per dollar under $300, solid 1080p performance, same driver stack as the B580.
Can stretch to $310: Arc B580 12GB at $309. The better buy — more VRAM, better performance, and still the best value GPU in this entire price range.
Want ray tracing: RTX 5060 8GB at $329. DLSS 4, better RT performance, Nvidia’s mature ecosystem. Accept the 8GB VRAM trade-off.
Want fastest rasterization: RX 9060 XT 8GB at $339. Fastest card in the group for rasterized games, but hard to justify over the B580 at $30 more for less VRAM.
Our recommendation
For most builders the Arc B580 at $309 is the right call. 12GB of VRAM at that price beats everything else in this tier on longevity, and the performance is strong enough for 1080p gaming well into 2027–2028.
If $300 is truly your ceiling, the Arc B570 at $259 delivers. 10GB of VRAM at that price is genuinely impressive and no 8GB card at any price in this range beats it on future-proofing.
For complete builds with these GPUs already specced in, check our build guides at every budget. For more performance, see our best GPU under $400 guide.