Best PCIe 3.0 graphics cards in 2024

When new PC components arrive, manufacturers usually discount the prior-generation products. So, while the latest generation GPU upgrades are costly, the discounted PCIe 3.0 supporting graphics cards can still offer stellar gaming performance. Instead of choosing the best graphics card available on the market, you could seriously consider picking up a PCIe 3.0 GPU for your PC.

Luckily, there are some excellent graphic cards with PCIe 3.0 options as we wait for the PCIe 4.0 GPU market to settle down. Like most PC parts, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all offering from any brand. Some may prefer an ultimate 4K gaming experience, while others may want to settle for an affordable, less power-hungry option. Whether you want the best PCIe 3.0 graphics card for gaming, video rendering, or 3D work, here are our top recommendations.

Our picks for the top PCIe 3.0 graphics cards

Best overall

ASUS ROG STRIX GeForce RTX 2080

Strikes a perfect balance between power and cost

The ROG STRIX GeForce RTX 2080 is an ideal offering from Asus to play 4K titles on a budget. It offers overclocking and a better cooling system than the RTX 2080 Founders Edition.

Pros

• Low temperatures in default BIOS
• Silent operations in quiet BIOS
• RGB headers

Cons

• Memory is not overclocked
• Large size

Not everyone has a high budget to complete their PCIe 3.0 setup. If you want a mid-range GPU capable of playing 4K titles, go with Asus ROG GeForce RTX 2080. It’s similar to RTX 2080 Ti in many ways, but compromises in certain aspects, such as video memory, CUDA cores, and memory bandwidth, to keep the pricing in check. While you can ignore other aspects, RTX 2080’s 8GB VRAM compared to RTX 2080 Ti’s 11GB could haunt you in the future, so weigh this factor for yourself. Being a GeForce RTX 20 series GPU, it does support ray tracing and DLSS for a smooth 4K gaming experience at 60FPS.

Asus equipped the ROG Strix RTX 2080 with a dual BIOS switch feature that lets you alternate between two profiles with a single switch on the side. The ROG GeForce RTX 2080 runs on Performance mode by default, but you can switch to Quiet mode to dial down the aggressive fan noise. While both modes may appear identical, there’s a difference between the temperatures and noise levels in the profiles.

While Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 2080 Founders Edition sets the standard, Asus’s offering outshines it with a better design, a higher boost clock of 1,890MHz compared to 1,800MHz, and a superior cooling system. However, it does struggle a bit to offer better framerates. Its price was on the higher side at launch but is now affordable enough to let you play 4K titles on a budget.

Premium pick

EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti XC ULTRA

A no-nonsense, powerful GPU from EVGA

Equipped with Nvidia’s DLSS and ray tracing, the EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti XC ULTRA delivers uncompromising gaming performance for your PCIe 3.0 PC.

Pros

• Quiet performance
• DLSS and hardware-based ray tracing
• Low temperatures

Cons

• High price
• Room for manual overclocking

If you are looking for a no-compromise PCIe 3.0 GPU for your desktop PC, EVGA RTX 2080 Ti XC Ultra easily sets the bar high — but only if you have the budget for it. Although EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti XC Ultra is based on an Nvidia reference design GPU, the company has bumped up Boost to 1,650MHz (compared to 1,625MHz on the Founders Edition) and a dual-fan thermal solution to keep the temperatures and fan noise in check.

Based on Nvidia’s Turing microarchitecture, and with support for ray tracing and DLSS, you’re in for a fluid 4K gaming experience. If you upgrade from the older RTX-10 series, the ray tracing support will result in superior gaming visuals with more realistic lighting. Remember that RTX 2080 Ti isn’t just an overclocked version of RTX 2080. It packs extra CUDA, Tensor, RT cores, and more video memory and bandwidth to justify the high asking price.

Since EVGA XC Ultra uses the Founders Edition reference design, the stock power limit rests at 260W, so it remains quiet during basic tasks, even in demanding games. In fact, the fan speeds never reach a noisy level. While it doesn’t have the biggest heatsink, you’ll find a commendable balance between the fan noise and temperatures.

Best entry-level

ASUS TUF GeForce GTX 1660 Super

A go-to GPU for someone tight on the budget

The Asus TUF GeForce GTX 1660 Super is a capable GPU to create a smooth 1080p setup. It’s targeted at gamers with a tight budget.

Pros

• Great value
• Lots of customization options via the Asus utility

Cons

• Lacks RGB lighting
• Wide and thick physical design

Thanks to dual 80mm fans and a neat copper-to-heatsink configuration, the TUF gaming model is quite compact and can slide into any case. When it comes to power, it can draw up to 125W. It will cover up the connectivity with a DVI-D, HDMI, and a DisplayPort. You can also boost its clock speeds to up to 1,845MHz for a glitch-free 1080p gaming setup.

While you miss out on the ray tracing and the Tensor cores of the GeForce RTX series, the card includes support for variable rate shading and cache hierarchy improvements. The 6GB VRAM can handle your basic multimedia tasks and 1080p gaming. You can use the GPU Tweak II utility to tweak GPU core clocks, memory frequency, voltage control, and fan speeds.

This card is basically for mainstream, budget-conscious gamers. It’s a trimmed-down version of 1660 Ti with fewer CUDA cores, slower memory, and a lower price tag. If you are sitting on a mid-range GPU like the GTX 970 or R9 380X, upgrading to the Asus TUF GeForce 1660 will significantly boost performance and tune down power requirements.

Best AMD

XFX AMD Radeon VII

AMD’s capable alternative to RTX 2080

Although power-hungry, the Vega-architecture-based XFX Radeon VII delivers an excellent bang for the buck.

Pros

• A competitive alternative to RTX 2080
• 16GB video memory

Cons

• Loud cooling fans
• High power consumption

XFX AMD Radeon VII is one of the best alternatives to Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080. Based on Vega architecture and manufactured on a 7nm FinFET process, AMD has equipped the Radeon VII with 16GB of VRAM. While XFX Radeon VII excels at QHD gaming, you may need to dial down some settings to play titles at 4K.

Though the Radeon VII appears to be a giant leap over the Radeon RX Vega 64, it still falls behind the Nvidia RTX 2080 in certain workloads. On the flip side, Radeon VII’s 5GB of extra VRAM helps in complex AAA titles and professional applications.

While you can boost clock speeds to 1,750MHz, that GPU muscle comes at a cost since the Radeon VII consumes a lot of power. Also, the triple-cooling fans can get loud. Lowering the voltage will help you control the noise and curb some power consumption. AMD Radeon VII doesn’t support ray tracing and DLSS, but the company is banking on extra RAM and FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution) to win over gaming enthusiasts. The latter is upscaling and frame generation tech to boost framerates in supported games.

Overall, the XFX Radeon VII might win you over if you want that extra GPU muscle, but keep in mind it comes at the cost of power and noise.

Best value AMD

Sapphire Radeon RX 580 Nitro+

Budget-friendly option from AMD to play 1080p titles

While it won’t win any awards for performance, Sapphire Radeon RX 580 Nitro+ is an efficient PCIe 3.0 GPU to play titles at full-HD resolution.

Pros

• Quite gaming
• Fans remain turned off in idle
• Faster than GeForce FTX 1060

Cons

• High power consumption
• Memory isn’t overclocked

When AMD launched the Radeon RX 480, it redefined the entry-level graphics card segment. It promised an uncompromising 1080p gaming experience and a respectable 1440p performance. The RX 580 builds upon the RX 480 with incremental bumps to peak compute speeds, memory bandwidth, and clock speeds (1,411MHz).

The Radeon RX 580 can pull 185W of power, a relatively punchy jump over the RX 480’s 150W. AMD’s Radeon Chill power-saving technology and Sapphire’s robust Nitro+ thermal solution aim to maintain the temperature during demanding games and tasks. Sapphire’s Nitro+ thermal solution’s efficiency is evident if you compare RX 580 with GTX 1060, which generates more heat under load while still drawing less power. As expected, it supports AMD FreeSync, enabling low-latency gameplay on your compatible monitor. Check out our dedicated post to learn more about AMD FreeSync.

Unlike the busy esthetics of a typical GPU, Sapphire keeps it simple with a classy silver and black look. Nitro+ features dual DisplayPorts and two HDMI 2.0 ports for connecting dual monitors. It also features a DVI-D port if you use an older monitor. Sapphire Radeon RX 580 Nitro+ is AMD’s affordable GPU when you want to game on a tight budget.

Best value Nvidia

ASUS GeForce RTX 2060 Overclocked 6G GPU

Play butter-smooth QHD titles with RTX 2060

Asus GeForce RTX 2060 is one of the affordable GPUs with ray tracing support. While it flies at QHD settings, 4K titles may require some tweaks.

Pros

• Excellent QHD gaming
• Runs quiet
• Ray tracing support

Cons

• 6GB video memory
• Not future-proof

The Asus GeForce RTX 2060 runs at 1,365MHz base clock speed on typical tasks, which can be boosted to 1755MHz when playing a demanding game. While it excels at QHD gaming, it might break a sweat to eke out better frame rates with AAA titles in 4K resolution. You can connect up to four monitors split between a DisplayPort, two HDMI 2.0 ports, and a DVI port.

Being an RTX 20-series GPU, it has the usual perks like ray tracing, DLSS, and DirectX12 to ensure better visuals and a smoother gaming experience. This overclocked RTX 2060 GPU can deliver a performance close to RTX 2070. While at it, Asus’s axial-technology fan design checks the temperatures and allows the Nvidia card to run cool during your gaming sessions.

Asus has packed in an advanced controller to keep the fans idle when the GPU core temperatures drop under 55 degrees Celsius. That means you can browse the web, edit RAW files, or play casual games, and the fans won’t bother you. The only downside is 6GB of VRAM, which means it’s not future-proof for some titles and may leave you wanting more when playing demanding games.

Best 1440p

EVGA GeForce RTX 2060 XC Gaming

Excellent bang for the buck for 1440p gaming

The EVGA GeForce RTX 2060 XC Gaming delivers butter-smooth 1440p gaming at low temperatures.

Pros

• Excellent performance per dollar
• Ideal for 1440p gaming

Cons

• Some may find the design boring
• Compromised performance with 4K titles

When Nvidia announced a mainstream GeForce RTX 2060, EVGA quickly expanded its lineup with several models. Among them, the EVGA GeForce RTX 2060 XC stands out due to an unusual form factor. It runs at the same base clock speed of 1365MHz, and the boost clock speeds are higher at 1755MHz compared to 1680MHz on the Founders Edition.

While the 2060 XC uses the same memory and graphics-related features as the 2060 Founders Edition, it differentiates from Nvidia’s design in several ways. It uses a shorter PCB comparatively, and a deep, dense heatsink keeps the temperatures in check. A beefy cooler coupled with a higher boost clock translates into smooth gaming performance. In terms of port selection, it’s rocking a full-sized DisplayPort, one HDMI port, and a DVI slot.

Even under sustained load, the EVGA GeForce RTX 2060 XC does remarkably well to keep the GPU temperatures down to the peak target. It’s marginally faster than the Nvidia GeForce 2060 across the board and can be a welcome upgrade for GeForce 1070 or 1060 users.

Best 1080p

Asus ROG Strix Radeon RX 580

Enjoy glitch-free 1080p gaming

The ROG Strix Radeon RX 580 is an affordable GPU from Asus to run your favorite titles at 1080p resolution.

Pros

• Ideal for 1080p gaming
• Robust build quality
• 8GB of VRAM

Cons

• Not suitable for QHD gaming
• Fan noise
• Large size

The ROG Strix Radeon RX 580 has two DisplayPort 1.4 ports, two HDMI 2.0b ports, and a single DVI-D port. Since the GPU bundles the overclocking capability (boostable to 1,380MHz), fans crack up frequently. However, the noise isn’t as annoying and loud. Under heavy load, it draws around 144 watts of power, making it more efficient than the Sapphire Radeon RX 580 Nitro+ card. The Asus ROG Strix Radeon RX 580 supports FreeSync and APIs such as OpenCL and OpenGL. These APIs can take advantage of GPU’s Stream processors to handle computing tasks.

That said, the ROG Strix Radeon RX 580 is primarily focused on 1080p gaming. Although 8GB of video memory is sufficient for 1440p gaming, the GPU struggles to deliver respectable frame rates.

In a classic Asus fashion, the ROG Strix Radeon RX 580 adds the bling with cool RGB effects. The large GPU size can be bothersome to fit inside compact cases though.

Best budget

Showkings Radeon RX 580

A wallet-friendly solution for beginners

The Showkings Radeon RX 580 8GB is a budget-friendly graphics card based on AMD’s Polaris architecture. It delivers a decent 1080p gaming performance and can even handle some 1440p gaming with optimized settings.

Pros

• Affordable
• Decent 1080p gaming performance
• Dual-fan cooling solution

Cons

• Not ideal for 1440p or 4K gaming
• Runs a bit hot under load
• Doesn’t future-proof your PC

Are you on a tight budget and mainly looking for a graphics card that can handle 1080p gaming? Look no further and get the Showkings Radeon RX 580 GPU. It’s suitable for eSports titles and standard image editing in apps like Lightroom and Photoshop. That said, if you want to play 1440p or 4K titles, you may need to look elsewhere. It is strictly an entry-level PCIe 3.0 graphics card and gets the job done for the asking price.

It is based on AMD’s Polaris architecture and has 8GB of DDR5 RAM, one DisplayPort, one HDMI, and a single DVI port to connect all the essential hardware and boost clock speed of up to 1340MHz.

Best PCIe 3.0 graphics cards to buy: Final thoughts

Thanks to PCIe 4.0’s backward compatibility, you can technically use a PCIe 4.0 GPU on a PCIe 3.0 slot, but it’s not an ideal match due to bandwidth limitations on Gen 3. However, picking out a top PCIe 3.0 graphics card can be trickier than you think. Apart from your gaming needs, you also need to consider the GPU’s physical size to ensure sufficient space to slot in the graphics card on your PC case.

EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti remains our top pick for 4K gaming. It has all the bells and whistles to play your favorite titles without glitches. However, since it’s two-generations old at this point, you may need to sacrifice a bit on graphical fidelity to get respectable framerates at 4K with newer AAA games.

Asus GeForce RTX 2060 is another option if you don’t mind lower frame rates just to taste 4K gaming. It runs quietly, supports hardware-based Ray Tracing and DLSS, and plays QHD titles comfortably. If you primarily want a GPU for 1080p gaming, the ROG Strix Radeon RX 580 or TUF GeForce GTX 1660 will serve well and save you some money for other PC parts like a high-capacity SSD.

Best overall

ASUS ROG STRIX GeForce RTX 2080

The ROG STRIX GeForce RTX 2080 is an ideal offering from Asus to play 4K titles on a budget. It offers overclocking and a better cooling system than the RTX 2080 Founders Edition.