I'm putting together a PC with a Ryzen 5 5500 and mainly need advice on choosing the graphics card. I haven't decided on a specific budget or target resolution yet, so I'm looking for affordable options that pair well with the processor and can handle 1080p gaming, or possibly 1440p at reasonable settings. Which GPUs offer the best value without creating a major performance imbalance?
3 Answers
The RX 6600 is probably the safest budget recommendation. It pairs well with the Ryzen 5 5500 and is very capable for high-settings 1080p gaming. If you find a good deal, the RX 6600 XT or RX 6650 XT will provide noticeably more performance.
Depending on prices in your area, used cards like the RX 5700 XT, RTX 2060 Super, RTX 2070, or GTX 1080 Ti can offer good value. The RX 5700 XT is especially strong for traditional gaming, although it lacks newer features such as ray tracing and mesh shader support.
A used RTX 2070 Super is still a solid match for this processor. It should handle 1080p very comfortably and can play many games at 1440p with adjusted settings. The main thing is to compare current local prices, since an RX 6600 or RX 6650 XT may be a better buy if they cost less.

The RTX 3060 Ti is also worth considering if you can find one at a reasonable price. It performs well at 1080p and can handle 1440p better than the regular RTX 3060.