Due to the worldwide pandemic (Covid-19), prices of many things raised unconventionally. With the rising prices of many products, prices of some electronics have also gone high. Graphics cards are one of those products whose prices have skyrocketed. A good GPU is getting harder to find when you are under a tight budget.
Even in these hard times, we have managed to bring 7 best graphics card under 150.
After researching for continuous hours, we have come up with a list of graphics cards that are under 150 USD. So, this article is going to present you with the 7 best graphics cards that you will find under 150. Among all the GPUs, we want to entitle the XFX Radeon RX 550 4GB as our overall best choice as this card is able to give maximum service within this price range.
Overall Best Choice The XFX Radeon RX 550 Core Edition has beaten other graphics cards in terms of features and taken the top spot on our list. Enjoy smooth gameplay with the highest settings and watch movies in exclusive resolution. With the revolutionary FinFET 14 technology, this card will keep the performance at its highest peak. Engineered with the amazing GCN architecture that can be found in the next-generation graphics cards. This card is compatible with popular AMD utilities such as Eyefinity, LiquidVR, CrossFire, and other technologies. After all, you are getting a 4GB GDDR5 under $150.
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7 best graphics card under 150 you can find during the pandemic
Before we go any further, let’s take a look at the comparison table so that you can get an overall idea of all the graphics cards that we have selected. Viewing this comparison table will be helpful when you are in a hurry.
GPU | Memory Size | CUDA Cores/Stream | Core Clock (MHz) | Boost Clock (MHz) | Memory Clock | Buy Now |
Gigabyte GeForce GT 1030 OC | 2 GB | 384 Units | 1290 | 1544 | 6008 | |
ASUS Phoenix GeForce GT 1030 OC Edition | 2 GB | 384 Units | 1278 | 1531 | 6008 | |
XFX Radeon RX 550 Core Edition | 4 GB | 512 Units | 1100 | 1203 | 6000 | |
Sapphire Radeon R9 270 | 2 GB | 1280 Units | 920 | 945 | 5600 | |
MSI NVIDIA GEFORCE GT 1030 AERO ITX OC | 2 GB | 384 Units | 1265 | 1518 | 6008 | |
ASUS GeForce GTX 750Ti | 2 GB | 640 Units | 1072 | 1150 | 1350 | |
AMD RADEON PRO WX 2100 | 2 GB | 512 Units | 925 | 1219 | 1500 |
1. Gigabyte GeForce GT 1030 OC: Compact GPU, good for overclocking
Product Specification:
- Clock Speed (MHz): 1290
- Boost Speed (MHz): 1544
- Memory Clock (MHz): 6008
- Memory Size: 2 GB GDDR5
- Memory Bus: 64 bit
- Resolution: 4096×2160 @60 Hz
- Multi-Screen Supports: Yes (up to 2)
- Interface: PCI Express 3.0
- Dimensions: 6.6” x 4.4” x 1.05”
- CUDA Cores: 384 Units
- Outputs: 2 (DVI, HDMI)
- Recommended PSU: 300W
- OS Compatibility: Windows 7-10 (32 & 64-bit), Linux (64-bit)
Key Features:
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Negatives:
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The Gigabyte GeForce GT 1030 OC is a really good graphics card for under 150 dollars. For editing or other graphics work, you can definitely go for this card. It may not be the best choice for gaming, but it is able to offer 4k resolution. With a compact design and custom fan, this card will provide a swift look to your system.
This card can serve you for a long period of time as it certainly has some of the durable components. The high-quality capacitors and chokes will enhance the performance while the fan and aluminum base will keep it cool at all times.
2. ASUS Phoenix GeForce GT 1030 OC Edition: Best for compact setup and home entertainment
Product Specification:
- Clock Speed (MHz): 1278
- Boost Speed (MHz): 1531
- Memory Clock (MHz): 6008
- Memory Size: 2GB GDDR5
- Memory Bus: 64 bit
- Resolution: 7680 x 4320
- Multi-Screen Supports: Yes (Up to 3)
- Interface: PCI Express 3.0
- Dimensions: 7.3” x 4.4” x 1.4”
- CUDA Cores: 384 Units
- Outputs: 2 (DVI, HDMI)
- Recommended PSU: 300W
- OS Compatibility: Windows 7-10 (32 & 64-bit), Linux (64-bit)
Key Features:
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Negatives:
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The ASUS Phoenix GeForce GT 1030 OC Edition is just excellent for outstanding performance and gaming. Built with Super Alloy Power II components that will reduce power loss, decrease buzzing under load, reduce temperature, and enhance power for bringing unsurpassed reliability. Moreover, the IP5X-certified dust resistance fan comes with dual ball bearings that increase its lifespan up to 2 times.
You can enjoy 11x better performance while you are editing videos or photos. Again, this card will level up your gaming experience up to 6x compared to iGPU. As a result, this graphics card is certainly the best choice for home entertainment or compact PC build.
ASUS Phoenix GeForce GT 1030 OC Edition
3. XFX Radeon RX 550 Core Edition: Editor’s Choice
Product Specification:
- Clock Speed (MHz): 1100
- Boost Speed (MHz): 1203
- Memory Clock (MHz): 6000
- Memory Size: 4GB GDDR5
- Memory Bus: 128 bit
- Resolution: 4096 x 2160
- Multi-Screen Supports: Yes (up to 6)
- Interface: PCI Express® 3.0
- Dimensions: 6.7” x 4.8” x 1.6”
- Stream Processors: 512
- Outputs: 3 (DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort)
- Recommended PSU: 450W
- OS Compatibility: Windows 10 (32 & 64-bit), Linux (64-bit)
Key Features:
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Negatives:
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Most people are not used to the term ‘XFX’ and they often ask a common question, that is – “Is Xfx a good brand?”. To be totally honest, we will say – Yes, XFX may be new to the industry but it is a good brand. This American company focuses on making power supplies, graphics cards, motherboards, and other PC components. Before manufacturing AMD graphics cards, they used to produce only Nvidia cards. They switched to make AMD video cards in 2009.
The XFX Radeon RX 550 Core Edition is made to get you an optimized resolution for the most popular displays out there in the market. Engineered with the 4th generation GCN architecture, this card will surely provide high-quality graphics by supporting native asynchronous shaders. This card is a very good choice when you are under a limited budget and looking for a suitable GPU for your mini-ITX or micro-ATX system.
XFX Radeon RX 550 Core Edition
4. Sapphire Radeon R9 270: Relatively old but packs quite a punch
Product Specification:
- Clock Speed (MHz): 920
- Boost Speed (MHz): 945
- Memory Clock (MHz): 5600
- Memory Size: 2GB GDDR5
- Memory Bus: 256 bit
- Resolution: 4096 x 2160
- Multi-Screen Supports: Yes
- Interface: PCI Express 3.0
- Dimensions: 9” x 4.3” x 1.4”
- Stream Processors: 1280
- Outputs: 4 (2xDVI, HDMI, DisplayPort)
- Recommended PSU: 500W
- OS Compatibility: Windows 8/8.1, Windows 10 (32 & 64-bit), Linux (64-bit)
Key Features:
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Negatives:
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The Sapphire Radeon R9 270 is a true graphics card that can offer 1080p gaming with the highest settings. Although it can support a maximum of DirectX 11.2, it can do the job quite well. This card is built with AMD 28nm GCN architecture, which is highly acclaimed. Therefore, whether you are using a 4K display or combining multiple displays, you will surely get an outstanding resolution.
This graphics card not just only stops by providing higher resolution but also offers you some of the innovative technologies from AMD. Technologies like App Acceleration, AMD ZeroCore, AMD HD3D, AMD PowerTune are enough to elevate your gaming experience to another level.
5. MSI NVIDIA GEFORCE GT 1030 AERO ITX OC: Good choice for mini-ITX system
Product Specification:
- Clock Speed (MHz): 1265
- Boost Speed (MHz): 1518
- Memory Clock (MHz): 6008
- Memory Size: 2GB GDDR5
- Memory Bus: 64 bit
- Resolution: 4096 x 2160 @ 60 Hz
- Multi-Screen Supports: Yes (up to 2)
- Interface: PCI Express 3.0 x16
- Dimensions: 5.8” x 4” x 1.5”
- CUDA Cores: 384 Units
- Outputs: 2 (HDMI, SL-DVI-D)
- Recommended PSU: 300W
- OS Compatibility: Windows 7-10 (32 & 64-bit), Linux (64-bit)
Key Features:
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Negatives:
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The MSI NVIDIA GEFORCE GT 1030 AERO ITX OC is an excellent choice for micro-ATX or mini-ITX systems. It will provide the amount of power you need to do any graphical work smoothly. This GPU is built with the award-winning NVIDIA Pascal™ architecture, which is certainly a state-of-the-art technology.
Furthermore, you will get some of the solid components that are MIL-STD-810G certified and some durable capacitors that can run under heavy load for 10 years. Honestly, we haven’t found any major issues or negatives for this graphics card. Just make sure to run this card downloading the latest drivers.
MSI NVIDIA GEFORCE GT 1030 AERO ITX OC
6. ASUS GeForce GTX 750Ti: A really good alternative for 1050 ti
Product Specification:
- Clock Speed (MHz): 1072
- Boost Speed (MHz): 1150
- Memory Clock (MHz): 1350
- Memory Size: 2GB GDDR5
- Memory Bus: 128 bit
- Resolution: 2560×1600
- Multi-Screen Supports: Yes
- Interface: PCI Express 3.0
- Dimensions: 8.6” x 4.5” x 1.5”
- CUDA Cores: 640 Units
- Outputs: 4 (2xDVI, HDMI, VGA)
- Recommended PSU: 450W
- OS Compatibility: Windows 7-10 (32 & 64-bit), Linux (64-bit)
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Negatives:
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The ASUS GeForce GTX 750Ti will keep your system cool even under intense gaming or under heavy load with its twin optimized fans that are expertly placed by the engineers. Also, it is equipped with some exclusively-formulated alloy materials in order to boost performance to the next level.
NVIDIA Boost 2.0 is another great technology letting you monitor the clock speed and ensuring the GPU remains at its highest peak while you are playing games. On top of that, GPU TWEAK comes with an intuitive interface offering a new level of customization, which includes overclocking, targeting GPU temperature, and unlocking voltage.
7. AMD RADEON PRO WX 2100: A hidden gem from AMD for graphics works
Product Specification:
- Clock Speed (MHz): 925
- Boost Speed (MHz): 1219
- Memory Clock (MHz): 1500
- Memory Size: 2GB GDDR5
- Memory Bus: 64 bit
- Resolution: 5120 x 2880
- Multi-Screen Supports: Yes
- Interface: PCIe® 3.0 x16
- Dimensions: 9.5” x 6.4” x 2.5”
- Stream Processors: 512
- Outputs: 3 (Display Port 1.4, 2x Mini-DisplayPort 1.4)
- Recommended PSU: 300W
- OS Compatibility: Windows 7 (64-bit), Windows 10 (64-bit), Linux (64-bit)
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Negatives:
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You may not have heard much about AMD RADEON PRO WX 2100 graphics card as it is a limited edition card built mainly for running professional applications. However, it is not like you can’t do gaming at all. Rather, you will be surprised with its performance while playing some of the latest games. It is truly a hidden gem from AMD.
Compared to the previous AMD FirePro W2100 graphics cards, this particular version has undergone some upgrades. Therefore, it is capable of performing 20% better than other cards, which are in the same row. Here is a competitional chart between RADEON PRO WX 2100 and NVIDIA P600 graphics card –
Workstation Compatibility:
And here is a list of Workstations that are suitable with this GPU –
Work Station |
Precision Workstation T3620 MT |
Precision Workstation 7820 Tower |
Precision Workstation T7820XL Tower |
Precision Workstation T7920XL Tower |
Precision Workstation 7920 Tower |
Precision Workstation 5820 Tower |
Precision Workstation T5820XL Tower |
Precision Workstation 3630 Tower |
Precision Workstation 3630XL Tower |
Conclusion
These are certainly some of the best graphics cards available in the market in 2021 at this price point. Yes, we agree that you may find a better choice than these 7 GPUs. In that case, we welcome your choice and encourage you to buy it. But we can assure you these 7 graphics cards won’t let you down and you won’t regret purchasing any of these cards. If you are looking for a graphics card for Ryzen 5 3600 processor, then we suggest you read our Best Budget Graphics Card for Ryzen 5 3600 article. We hope reading this article has benefited you a lot and thanks for being with us.