Top 5: Best Video Cards Under $300

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Do you need a better and more affordable graphics card which allows you to enjoy high performance in your favorite games?

Not everyone has the time to dig in the tests and read detailed reviews of video cards, comparing specifications and prices. Therefore, in this article you will find the result of a careful comparison of performance tests on different video cards.

We took into account the graphics card used in gaming PCs as a basis OF chosen criteria of performance in games. If you do not plan to play higher end games, the purchase of any of the recommended video card models is not an effective use of money. Remember that in any evaluation of any video card, there are no absolute criteria. In each game, cards behave differently; all game developers create their games to be optimized for AMD (ATI) or Nvidia video cards. Of course, we try to average performance of both manufacturers. It is quite possible that you will have to slightly reduce the quality settings in some games, or, conversely, to increase them in others, depending on performance and preference. You should also take into consideration the age of the game. As a rule, the older the game, the higher you can set the configuration of visual quality. Many manufacturers produce models with its own design, which may be factory overclocked, has a better cooling system or other improvements. In this case, we recommend using our recommendations as a starting point, and then to choose the manufacturer, depending on the benefits it provides.

GeForce GTX 560
 

There are not too many competitors for GeForce GTX 560 video card with the price of $230. Aside from the Radeon HD 6950 1024MB, which is slightly faster than GTX 560 in some games, it is also slightly more expensive. Why do we still recommend the GeForce GTX 560? This performance is not always below the Radeon HD 6950, depending on your video card settings, but it is also often cheaper. In addition, The Asus Nvidia GeForce GTX 560 has decent overclocking potential.

AMD Radeon HD 6950 1024MB
 

The AMD Radeon HD 6950 1024MB Graphics Card costs on average MSRP $250. However, it outperforms GTX 560 in some games, so by purchasing it, it may be a more attractive option for you. On the other hand, we recommend considering paying a little extra and getting the full version of the HD 6950 with 2GB of memory.

AMD Radeon HD 6950 2048MB
 

After the recent driver updates, the performance of AMD 6xxx graphics cards family has increased significantly, and the Radeon HD 6950 2048MB performs much faster than GeForce GTX 560 Ti in most games. Therefore, we recommend considering the Radeon HD 6950 2048MB at an average price of $270. The Radeon HD 6950 2048 MB, in many cases can be converted to the Radeon HD 6970 through overclocking.

GeForce GTX 570
 

The new GeForce GTX 570 offers unparalleled performance in the $300 price range, competing with the Radeon HD 6970 that sells for $ 350. In many cases, the performance of these cards was a little lower than a pair of GeForce GTX 460 SLI or Radeon HD 6850 in CrossFire. However, they do not cause difficulties with the installation of multiple cards.

2 x Radeon HD 6870 in CrossFire
 

A bunch of AMD Radeon HD 6870 video cards in a Crossfire configuration is a very powerful solution that is capable of high end performance. But keep in mind that if you plan to play at resolutions higher than 1080p with antialiasing enabled, then you should choose a model with more than 1 gigabyte of memory.

Remember, its always good practice to download the latest drivers directly from AMD or Nvidia. This is the only way you can squeeze the maximum performance from your graphics card and in the latest driver fixes many bugs. Finally, new games sometimes cannot just run with the old drivers. Use GPU-Z utility to test the video card at default speeds. The utility also allows you to determine whether the mode of Crossfire or SLI is on if you have more than one GPU. Most cards require additional power connection in the form of one or two 6 – or 8-pin PCI Express connectors from the power supply. Before buying a card, make sure that your power supply provides enough power connectors.