I'm planning my first gaming PC on a fairly tight budget and I'm deciding between an ASRock Intel Arc A750 Challenger SE OC 8GB and an ASUS GeForce RTX 5050 Dual OC 8GB. I can buy the A750 for about €70 less, and I would put the savings toward upgrading to 16GB of RAM with a 2x8GB kit.
Most of the games I play are older or relatively undemanding DirectX 11 titles, with Team Fortress 2 being the main DirectX 9 exception. I know Intel Arc cards have historically had weaker compatibility and higher CPU overhead in older games, although drivers have improved. I am considering pairing the card with a Ryzen 5 5600 or possibly a Ryzen 7 5700.
Would you choose the RTX 5050 instead, and what are the main reasons I should avoid the cheaper A750 for this kind of system? I'm also open to considering a reliable used GPU if that offers significantly better value.
3 Answers
The A750 can be good value, but Intel still tends to have more driver and CPU-overhead variables than AMD or Nvidia, especially in older DX9 and DX11 games. A Ryzen 5 5600 would help, but it won't completely remove those issues. If you want the least hassle for a first build, the RTX 5050 is the safer choice; if the €70 saving matters and your specific games have been tested on current Arc drivers, the A750 is still reasonable.
Before choosing between those two, check the used market and older new-old-stock cards. A properly tested used GPU from a seller that provides a warranty can give you noticeably more performance for the same money. Depending on local prices, cards from one or two generations ago, including some AMD models, may be better value than either an A750 or a 5050.
I'm a little hesitant to use a used card for my first build, but I could consider it if the seller is reputable and the warranty and condition are clear.
The A750 isn't automatically a bad purchase, but compatibility is the main reason to avoid it rather than raw performance or price. Some older games can behave unpredictably on Intel, and Intel's CPU overhead is generally higher than on Nvidia or AMD. If the games you care about run well in benchmarks and you aren't chasing newer demanding releases, saving €70 for RAM is a defensible choice. On the other hand, if cards such as a 16GB Radeon model are only slightly more expensive in your area, the extra VRAM and stronger performance could make them a better long-term buy.
The newer AMD cards I've checked cost roughly €100–€200 more, which feels excessive for the games I play. With the A750 and a Ryzen 7 5700, the system would cost about €329 for those parts, so the budget advantage is hard to ignore.
That makes sense. I was planning on using a Ryzen 5 5600 specifically to reduce the overhead, and I don't expect to play many other DX9 games. I'm willing to accept some risk if the savings are worthwhile.