Best 2016 budget graphics cards

[I am an SSD]

It would be great if we come up with a list of some of the best bang for the buck cards in the market for less than 200 USD.  The 750ti has held a strong position for a long time, is it still worth it?

[Epiclol86]

i think in 2016 the arrival of polaris and pascal cards will change the dynamics of pricing of GPUs a lot. just wait a few months and see

[Festive]

Titan X

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

/s

[DarkJShadow]

I would say the R9 380 is pretty much the top one as for right now.

At amazon.com there's one for 199$. 

Just now, Epiclol86 said:

just wait a few months and see

That is sure too. We'll see what happens.

[KettyKoala]

I'd say you're best off going with the R9 380, which you can pick up for around $180-$200. You can spend around $20 more though and get the 380x for a little better performance.

[Morgan MLGman]

Two R9 380s 4GB
169,99$ after MIR
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/powercolor-video-card-axr93804gbd5ppdhe

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-video-card-r9380p4255

[Epotheros]

1 hour ago, Epiclol86 said:

i think in 2016 the arrival of polaris and pascal cards will change the dynamics of pricing of GPUs a lot. just wait a few months and see

I definitely hoping that is the case, because I'd love to grab another R9 390 for cheap ($200 USD would be great) to crossfire with my existing one when Pascal and Polaris come out.

 

As for the main topic, the GTX 750ti is the best $100 card, the GTX 950 is the best $150 card, the R9 380 is the best $200, and the R9 390 is the best $300 card. If you wait for Polaris/Pascal you can probably get something for $200 on par with the current R9 390 and GTX 970. Still that all depends on how much you want to wait for them to come out. You could also buy something cheap, like a used GTX 750ti for $80, now and then sell it when Polaris/Pascal come out as you won't lose much of your investment that way.

[ivan134]

R9 380 and gtx 950

[aisle9]

R9 380, GTX 960, GTX 950

[afyeung]

Used R9 290. Wouldn't accept anything less for the performance it offers. 

[SteveGrabowski0]

4 minutes ago, afyeung said:

Used R9 290. Wouldn't accept anything less for the performance it offers. 

I don't think I'd buy a used R9 290 unless it was from a friend who I know used it only for gaming. I don't want to buy a used mining card that was running 24/7 at 100% load. No video card is designed to handle that. It sucks that a year and a half ago you could buy them brand new for $230 or less even for the really nice ones like the Tri X and PCS+, whereas now $230 gets you a much weaker 380x. R9 290 for $230 is about the best GPU deal I have ever seen. Especially since it came with 4 games at the time.

[afyeung]

Just now, SteveGrabowski0 said:

I don't think I'd buy a used R9 290 unless it was from a friend who I know used it only for gaming. I don't want to buy a used mining card that was running 24/7 at 100% load. No video card is designed to handle that. It sucks that a year and a half ago you could buy them brand new for $230 or less even for the really nice ones like the Tri X and PCS+.

Nah. I wouldn't buy a reference 290 period which were the ones primarily used in mining rigs because they were a lot cheaper. I just saw a Vapor X 290 used for $220. Definitely not used for mining considering it came out long after the mining craze and wouldn't make sense to use for max profits. 

[SteveGrabowski0]

7 minutes ago, afyeung said:

Nah. I wouldn't buy a reference 290 period which were the ones primarily used in mining rigs because they were a lot cheaper. I just saw a Vapor X 290 used for $220. Definitely not used for mining considering it came out long after the mining craze and wouldn't make sense to use for max profits. 

When did the Vapor X 290 come out? That's an amazing card. It's too bad Sapphire stopped making them in October 2014 once the R9 290's price cratered. I remember seeing the Vapor X 290 for $250 on newegg on Thanksgiving and then I never saw it for sale again except at amazon where they jacked the price way up since no one else had it. I can't believe Thanksgiving 2014 you could get a 290 Vapor X for $250 plus get Civ BE and then three games chosen from Tomb Raider 2013, Hitman Absolution, Sleeping Dogs, Star Citizen, Alien Isolation, Payday 2, Just Cause 2, and a bunch of other games I forget. I was so pissed when they pulled that promotion right as I was getting ready to order a new GPU. I ended up getting a 970 instead since it came with Far Cry 4.

[afyeung]

Just now, SteveGrabowski0 said:

 

Summer 2014. But the Vapor X was an absolutely stunning card. Even the most insane person wouldn't put that in a mining rig. If you look at the PCB, that thing was designed so well to handle the requirements of Hawaii. That card is designed better than any of the custom 390 series. I think it was a bit under $600 when it came out and that was after mining inflated all the prices. 970 is a good card. I personally love my 290. It keeps up with my 390x very well and has stood quite a beating.