I'm not surprised, but the RTX 5090 pretty much has everyone's attention right now. But, I know a few casual PC players who're wondering where the $300 graphics cards are, so I've had a peek to see what's out there. I'm actually glad I did, as I just came across a 16GB AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT for far less than you'd expect.
Right now at Amazon, Gigabyte's Radeon RX 7600 XT OC is down to $260 from $329.99. I'm really not used to seeing many graphics cards break past the $300, but this discount sends AMD's budget conscious GPU to an all new low price. It's not like we're talking about an old card or one with bare minimum specs either, as I have no doubt this RDNA 3 model will pull off nifty frame rates at 1080p and even 1440p.
I've had a dig around the web for similar RX 7600 XT deals, but rival retailers aren't really keeping up. In fact, Newegg has the non-XT version with just 8GB VRAM for $264, and every other card with the same specs seems to be sticking with MSRP for now. I suspect it could be a while before we see any next-gen GPUs hit, so if I were you, I'd jump on this offer before last-gen stock starts to properly dry up.
Should you buy the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT?
At the right price, the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT feels like a sweet spot for cheap gaming PC builds. I know more than a few Steam players who simply need a GPU that won't have a breakdown when running anything from the past couple of years, and the Navi 33 model will happily do that.
In many ways, the XT edition is the entry level GPU that we should have got off the bat. I'm not saying the original AMD Radeon RX 7600 is a complete write-off, but being able to pick up a 16GB graphics card for under $300 feels like a much better deal. Both use the exact same GPU, meaning you'll end up with roughly the same frame rates, but the extra VRAM will safeguard the card against mean system requirements in the future.
So what exactly can the RX 7600 XT pull off in terms of frame rates? Well, hitting well over 60fps at 1080p is a given, and you'll find that you end up with averages over 100fps in games like Hitman 3 and even Sony's Returnal PC port. The card's 1440p abilities are pretty strong too, but you might want to tweak settings a little to boost fps to a more comfortable level.
It's worth noting that just like Nvidia's latest GPUs, the RX 7600 XT comes armed with upscaling abilities. Specifically, AMD FSR 3 is packing a feature dubbed "Fluid Motion Frames" that can provide frame generation tricks across a variety of games. I'd only use it to get yourself over the 60fps line rather than revive outings at super low frame rates since latency will be a huge issue. But, from what I've experienced, the tech can boost fps pretty nicely at a driver level, meaning it'll technically work with your whole Steam library.
Cheaper GPUs are slightly scarce right now, especially if you're looking for newish models. On the Nvidia side of things, the only card I could find that beats this RX 7600 XT deal is the RTX 3060, as you can grab one for $200 right now at Amazon. That really isn't too shabby at all seeing as it's a 12GB model with access to AI upscaling via DLSS, but the Ampere GPU inside is now two generations old. I'd keep that offer in your back pocket if you're on a really tight budget, but for $60 more, it's well worth picking up the newer AMD 16GB option.
Of course, if money isn't remotely an issue, checking out where to buy the RTX 5090 probably makes more sense. You should be able to buy the RTX 5070 soon too, and if your budget can stretch to $549, I'd recommend postponing any rig upgrades.
Looking for more components? Swing by the best gaming CPU and the best RAM for gaming for ways to revamp your rig. Alternatively, check out the best gaming handheld and escape the house with your Steam library.
