There are plenty of reasons to go out looking for the best graphics card prices and deals. Maybe you took one glance at the system requirements for CyberPunk 2077 and shed a single tear for your ailing GPU. Perhaps you’re trying to make some cash on the side through cryptocurrency mining. Whatever you’re planning on doing with it, you should be able to get the best deals and prices on graphics cards.
As you probably already know if you’re visiting this article, there’s a huge worldwide shortage of graphic cards deals right now due to a myriad of supply and demand issues.
We’re going to try our best to find you a cheap graphics card here on this page by checking retailer pages for the best deals possible and giving up-to-date, no-nonsense advice to help you out. It’s tough, but don’t give up on your perfect gaming PC dreams – it is possible to find a fairly priced graphics card with a bit of know-how, luck, and perseverance.
Early signs in 2022 suggest that prices are somewhat stabilizing but as of yet, prices remain eye-wateringly high. For more detailed information and predictions, see our FAQ section at the bottom of the page.
Note: TechRadar, like many other editorial sites, makes affiliate commissions from purchases made via its retailer links. That, however, does not mean that we advocate buying a new graphics card at a price that’s in some cases double or triple its MSRP. We strongly recommend that readers really think about their options and make the decision that’s best for them.
TechRadar’s graphics card buying advice
First up, before you head into today’s best graphics card prices – a few observations and words of advice for prospective buyers.
1. Check local computer stores
Often, your best bet for finding a brand new graphics card for a reasonable price is to do the leg-work and check local computer stores in your area. Generally speaking, more remote branches or quieter stores can hold better stock than inner-city stores, although your mileage may vary. We’d recommend getting on Google, doing a little research in finding your local stores, then calling in to see if they have any cards.
2. Consider second-hand
Tough one, but snapping up a hand-me-down can be a good way to get a reasonably priced card – especially if you’re just wanting something to cover the basics. Older cards like the Nvidia GTW 1060 and AMD RX 580 are practically ancient now but will still handle 1080p and can be picked up for around $250 / £200 if you’re lucky.
This advice, of course, comes with a massive buyer beware warning sign on it. You’ll absolutely want to make sure the card is clean and in good working order. If not, be prepared to clean it and replace the thermal paste on it (fairly advanced, so heads up).
Also, be aware on eBay and other auction sites, people like to list images as real listings under the guise of fighting bots and generally pull other scam-like shenanigans. We highly recommend you don’t purchase via these auction sites unless you’re absolutely sure the listing is legitimate.
3. Consider going pre-built
Pre-built gaming PCs from Dell, HP, or any number of smaller vendors often come with questionable quality components but they can be a good source of reasonably priced graphics cards. Generally speaking, you’ll pay MSRP for all the components inside, including the GPU, which then can all be upgraded accordingly or even separated out for parts. If you’re not doggedly attached to the idea of building your own PC then this is definitely a strong option.
For more advice on this, check out our sister site TomsHardware’s excellent article on buying a pre-built for its GPU.
Alienware Aurora R12 gaming PC: $1,979 $1,812.99 at Dell
Looking for a gaming desktop that’s going to handle pretty much any game you can throw at it? This Alienware Aurora comes with an RTX 3060 Ti graphics card, Intel Core i7-11700F processor, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD – absolutely amazing specs for the price considering how premium this brand is. Note, we’ve seen these machines go for as little as $1,370 before, so it’s worth waiting until the next sale for this one.
HP Pavilion TG01 gaming desktop: $1109 $1009.99 at HP
Save $100 – If you’re looking for something a little cheaper, you can customize yourself a really cost-effective gaming PC over at HP right now. For maximum bang for the buck, we’d recommend an RTX 3060, AMD Ryzen 5-5600H, 8GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD. Those aren’t super high-end specs, but they’ll get you some great performance for 1080p gaming.
iBuyPower RDY SLMRG205 gaming PC: $1449 $1,299 at iBuyPower
Save $200 – If you’re on a (relatively) small budget, you could consider this excellent mid-range iBuyPower PC. A fairly hefty discount today makes it a fairly priced machine considering it’s got an RTX 3060, 16GB of RAM, 512GB SSD, and a Ryzen 5 3600. The CPU is a little on the weaker side in our opinion, but everything else here is great – especially the GPU, which as we know is what you’re really paying for here.
Today’s best graphics card prices and deals
High-end graphics card prices and deals
The RTX 3080 is Nvidia’s latest flagship ‘consumer’ graphics card, and the current performance king in regards to 4K gaming (well, aside from the bonkers RTX 3090).
Rocking the new ‘Ampere’ architecture means the RTX 3080 boasts a fairly significant performance advantage over the now older Turing RTX 2000 series, although perhaps not quite the ‘double’ that Nvidia claimed in its marketing. That said, if you’re looking for incredible 4K gaming, DLSS support and Ray-tracing performance, the RTX 3080 is going to your card of choice.
Nvidia planned on keeping the price fairly static at launch with a price of $699 / £649 / AU$950 on the founders edition – roughly the same as the previous Turing generation of cards, but still more than the $599 the GTX 1080 launched at. Considering the power on display here, these are actually very reasonable prices although as you’d expect people are snapping these up and those remaining cards fetch a kings ransom.
Currently, prices in the upwards of $1,200 / £1,200 are not uncommon on auction sites and we expect those to hold for for the foreseeable future until supply can start to step up. We’ve rounded up the best prices we can find right here, although we recommend holding off unless you find something reasonable.
Read more in our Nvidia RTX 3080 review
With the RX 6800 XT, AMD is looking to stick to Nvidia with a high-end Ray-tracing ready beast capable of firing out some serious 4K gaming performance.
Benchmarks put it within a hairs breadth of the RTX 3080 at launch, with a slight edge to team green when it comes to 4K and Ray-tracing performance. Still, with a launch price of $649 / £649 / AU$960, AMD are looking to do what AMD does best with the RX 6800 XT – provide a ton of power for a respectable price point.
Unfortunately, like the RTX 3080, prices for the RX 6800 XT are significantly upscaled right now thanks to the incredible demand for performance GPUs. On auction sites, prices of $1,200 / £1,200 are not uncommon right now, and we wouldn’t recommend paying out for these scalped prices if you can hold off waiting for a few months.
Read more in our AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT review
Mid-range graphics card prices and deals
Like it’s predecessors, the Nvidia RTX 3070 is going to be that card that brings incredible enthusiast-level performance to a much more reasonable price point. With 4K performance roughly equivalent to last generations RTX 2080 TI, the RTX 3070 is definitely one very, very speedy card for even the most intensive of applications.
A launch price of $449 / £469 / AU$809 puts it smack bang right in the middle between the RTX 3080 and the more budget orientated RTX 3060 Ti, making it the choice for 4K enthusiasts who want to still want a bang for the buck GPU. Considering this card looks to outstrip the RTX 2080 Ti on performance with less power consumption, a smaller chassis, and half the launch price, it’s good value on paper.
We say on paper because, as expected, demand is massively outpacing supply currently on this card like the other new releases on our list. Current scalper prices can fetch upwards of $800 / £800 right now, which are absolutely exorbitant prices to pay for a card that isn’t at the very top-end of the market. We recommend checking in regularly, as we’ll be updating this article every day with the latest prices.
Read more in our Nvidia RTX 3070 review
For those looking for shear power to price ratio, the AMD Radeon RX 6800 looks to bring a hefty specs sheet to the consumer GPU market and a viable alternative to the Nvidia RTX 3070.
Indeed, on most applications at 1080p and 1440p, the Radeon RX 6800 edges out the RTX 2070 in raw performance at launch on average, depending on your title. Its lead does, however, significantly narrow when it comes to 4K FPS, and another factor that may sway consumers toward the RTX 3070 is the more mature support for Ray-tracing and DLSS – new tech that’s becoming more widespread. Still, if you’re looking for huge frame rates right now, especially for 1440p, the Radeon RX 6800 is a solid mid to upper-mid range buy.
Prices at launch were slated at $499 / £469 / AU$809 although currently the Radeon RX 6800 fetches around the same street price at the RTX 3070 – around £800 / $800. Because this card isn’t quite as popular as its Nvidia counterparts however, you may have more luck finding it at the big retailer sites. Just here we’re updating our article daily with the best prices we can find for the Radeon RX 6800.
Read more in our AMD Radeon RX 6800 review
With a launch price of $399 / £299 / AU$540 the new Nvidia RTX 3060 Ti looks to be a great choice for those PC gamers who are looking to build a machine that’ll hold it’s own against the new consoles while coming in on budget.
Unlike the beefier RTX 3080 and 3070, the Nvidia RTX 3060 Ti provides only entry-level 4K performance, but when it comes to offering great frame rates at 1080p with ray-tracing, it’s actually faster than the previous generations RTX 2080 Super. So, if excellent future-proofed 1080p performance is your priority, the RTX 3060 Ti is an incredibly capable card that should give you plenty of bang for the buck.
Again, scalpers currently hold this card at around $650 / £600, so it’s probably going to be worth waiting for things to calm down a little before you pick one up. We’re updating this page with the latest RTX 3060 Ti prices just below as we find them, however.
Read more in our Nvidia RTX 3060 Ti review
Budget graphics card prices and deals
Released in late January 2022, the RTX 3050 is the last (and some would say least) card to be launched from the main-line RTX 3000 series of GPUs. It’s very much a scaled-down version of its siblings, and therefore can’t match them in outright performance, but it’s a great way to unlock Ray-Tracing on a budget…
Well, that’s if you can get one for its MSRP of $249/£239. Like all Nvidia releases in the past year or so the RTX 3050 was snapped up in quick order by miners, scalpers, and desperate gamers alike. It’s a shame really, because this card easily beats out the AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT – which is this generation’s budget offering from team red.
Still, keep your eyes peeled if you’re on a budget. It’s likely that supply on these lower-cost cards will improve over the course of the year.
Read more in our RTX 3050 review
Released in 2020, the Nvidia GTX 1660 Super was essentially a refresh of the existing GTX 1660, bringing it up to date with a fresh batch of GDDR6 memory under the hood to help it keep up with the latest games.
Even in 2021, The GTX 1660 Super is very much a solid 1080p gaming card. Of course, it forgoes the latest support for Ray-tracing and DLSS, but that’s easily forgiven for its retail price of $229 / £180 / AU$330.
Better news yet is the GTX 1660 Super is also a lot more readily available than the newest RTX 3000 cards right now. While prices can still be inflated at some retailers, if you can pick one of these cards up for around $300 / £250 you’ll be building a fantastic machine for 1080p gaming in no time.
Read more in our GTX 1660 Super review
If you’re really on a budget for that build, the Nvidia GTX 1650 Super provides an excellent low-cost card that also has the benefit of having really low power draw and cool temperatures.
Ok, so in 2022, this card isn’t going to blow you away with its performance, especially on those latest games, and Ray-tracing can only be dreamt of at this price. However, this card will run modern games at 1080p, and is more than adequate if you’re simply building a machine for casual use.
Also, supply on this lesser-known card tends to be a little better than that on the newer RTX cards. If you can manage to get one around the £180 / $200 mark then you’re looking at a decent deal.
Frequently asked questions
Why are graphics card prices so high right now?
Put simply, it’s because demand is massively outstripping supply at the moment. The global pandemic, chip shortages, and the continued popularity of using GPUs for cryptocurrency farming are generally agreed by experts as the main compounding issues right now.
While there are a lot of disagreements in regards to these factors, it seems likely that cryptocurrency is the main culprit. For example, The Economist last year published a report that found a strong correlation between the rise of second-hand GPU prices and the value of Ethereum – the most popular cryptocurrency for GPU mining. Interestingly, they also compared these values to CPU prices, which were seemingly unaffected by the rise of Ethereum, suggesting increasing demand from gamers isn’t to blame overall.
That said, no one can deny that the popularity of PC gaming hasn’t boomed over the past few years. For context, Steam, the world’s biggest online PC gaming platform saw a 20% increase in the number of titles purchased via its store in 2021 and a staggering 50% increase in hours played. Subsequently, it’s no surprise that graphics cards – the most vital component in any respectable gamers rig – have found themselves in exceedingly short supply.
When will graphics card prices return to normal?
The short answer, we don’t know. It’s extremely hard to predict with any certainty when things will change. Plus, we don’t want to feed into any false hope for our readers.
That said, there have been reports recently to suggest that the graphics card price market is at least stabilizing, if not outright improving. TechSpot, a site that runs monthly GPU price reports, has recently stated that GPU prices are no longer rising – a small piece of good news in an otherwise uncertain landscape.
Another morsel of good news is that the Ethereum Foundation has recently reminded its users that its much-delayed proof-of-stake merge is still coming. For gamers out there who don’t know crypto-lingo, that basically means that GPU mining will no longer be profitable for the most heavily mined cryptocurrency. Don’t worry, it confuses us too – just know that at some unconfirmed point in the not-to-distant future gamers won’t have to compete with Ethereum miners for graphics cards.
So, fingers crossed for 2022 – hopefully things get better from here. Either way, we’ll be updating this article with any useful information in our quest to find the best graphics card deals so feel free to check in regularly.
What’s the best bang for the buck graphics card?
Unfortunately, it’s the one you already have in your system. While that sounds facetious, it’s a wise policy to try and make that aging card last just a little bit longer given the circumstances if you can. Lower settings, clear out that dust, and, if you’re reasonably technically inclined – consider re-applying your GPU’s thermal paste and thermal pads (this will void warranty, so make sure you know what you’re doing).
Failing that, the best value graphics cards to buy right now tend to be slightly older mid-range graphics cards from a few years ago. In particular, it’s worth looking for something like an Nvidia GTX 1060 GB or an AMD RX 580 8GB. While these cards are both from 2016 they’re still serviceable for budget 1080p builds and should only set you back about $250 / £200 if you’re lucky. Just make sure it’s a legitimate listing that’s fully operational if you’re going via an auction and be prepared to give it a good clean when you get it.
The best online retailers for graphics cards
Here’s a list of the best retailers to check in for graphics card prices specifically. We’ve linked directly to the relevant pages, so all you need to do is follow these links and bookmark them.
- In the US:
- Nvidia
- Best Buy
- Amazon
- B&H Photo
- Newegg
- In the UK:
- Nvidia
- Overclockers
- Scan
- Novatech
- Ebuyer
- In Australia:
- Scorptec
- Mwave
- PLE Computers
As a first port of call, for Nvidia cards we’d recommend checking in at the official site primarily for both the US and UK. They sell founders edition cards for their retail price, so you absolutely won’t get upcharges for buying direct. As you’d expect, however, Nvidia sells out very quickly indeed and you’ll have to be prepared to jump on a card if you see one for a normal price.
Best Buy, B&H Photo, Amazon and Newegg are all good retailers to check in on in the US, although you’ll want to keep an eye out for inflated prices at the latter two. In the UK, we’d recommend going to Overclockers specifically and signing up to price notifications on the specific graphic card deals your looking for.
If you’re looking for an RTX 3080 specifically, we’ve got a separate where to buy Nvidia RTX 3080 guide that’s updated daily with the latest information – we recommend checking in there if you’re looking for this premium card.
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