I'm not a heavy gamer and mostly play indie games or older AAA titles from before 2013 at 1080p on low to medium settings. My GTX 650 has served me well, especially compared with my old integrated graphics, but it is starting to struggle. It also lacks a full-size HDMI port, which makes it inconvenient to use.
I have roughly $90 to spend on a used graphics card and don't think I need ray tracing or anything designed for demanding modern games. Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag and Battlefield 3 have started stuttering increasingly after a few minutes and eventually crashing, both on Windows and Linux. I'm considering cards from the GTX 900 through GTX 1600 generations, but I'm unsure which models are common and worthwhile on the used market. Power consumption matters too, since I'd rather avoid buying a hot, power-hungry card for games I rarely play.
5 Answers
If you can find one around your budget, a GTX 1660, 1660 Super, or 1660 Ti would be a strong 1080p upgrade. The 1660 Ti and Super are considerably faster than a 1060, but most cards need an external power connector. At around $90, the regular 1660 or 1660 Ti may be possible depending on local used prices.
A GTX 1070 can also be a good used option and is usually much faster than the older cards you mentioned. However, it typically needs an eight-pin connector and uses more power. Older high-end cards such as the GTX 980 Ti may cost about the same but generally are not worth choosing over a 1660-class card because of their power consumption.
Before buying anything, check the power supply’s wattage, available PCIe connectors, and the physical space inside the case. This is especially important with prebuilt systems, which may have limited power headroom. Also check temperatures and memory usage, since the crashing and progressively worsening stutter could indicate overheating or a failing card rather than simply insufficient performance.
A used GTX 1060 6GB is probably one of the best value upgrades in this price range. It is much faster than the GTX 650 and should handle older 1080p games comfortably. Just make sure your power supply has the required six-pin connector and enough wattage.
The GTX 1650 is a good low-power option, especially if your system does not have an available GPU power cable. Check the exact model before buying, because some versions use only the 75W provided by the PCIe slot while others have an additional connector. A GTX 1050 Ti is another safe choice if you find one cheaply, though it is slower.
I’m aiming for about $90 and was already expecting to buy used. I don’t think I need anything as expensive as an RTX 3050, especially since prices are high where I live.