It’s no secret that NVIDIA’s price hike for the latest-gen GPUs upon release triggered a rut in the GPU and PC gaming market. Now, second-hand options for GPUs, namely previous-gen GPUs are looking more appealing than ever for a lot of PC gamers and enthusiasts who want a more reasonable alternative to the more expensive mess of current-gen GPUs.
And you’re in luck if you’re in that boat because right now, there are still plenty of previous-gen GPUs flooding the market, just waiting for their forever home.
We’re here to inform you which ones are the most promising despite being previous-gen GPUs. They still offer plenty of power for your gaming needs and will last a good three to four years before you’re enticed to upgrade once more.
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XFX Speedster QICK319 Radeon RX 6750XT
PROS
- Amazing value
- Affordable price
- Can be almost as good as a card that's almost double the price
- Triple-fan cooler with a sleek and sexy design
- Runs quiet and cool, relatively
- 12 GB VRAM allows it to keep up with today's graphical standards
- Great at overclocking
CONS
- Big and chunky
- Random but minor coil whine issues, depends on the batch
- Sub-optimal ray tracing performance
Specs:
- 2623MHz boost clock
- 12GB GDDR6
- 12.72 x 5.2 x 2.01 inches
- Triple fan
For the $390 (USD) price point, something that’s only marginally weaker than the $600 RTX 4070 sounds like a pipe dream, but the RX 6750 XT from AMD proves that that’s a reality. This affordable beast of a graphics card can go toe-to-toe with the current-gen GPUs at nearly half the price.
Of course, the that narrative shifts more towards NVIDIA’s favor once you throw in ray tracing and DLSS 3.0 into the mix, but if price if a major concern, then the RX 6750 XT is the clear winner here. And not just any 6750 XT, this one has one of the best coolers in its lineup!
XFX Speedster QICK319 Radeon RX 6750XT
XFX Speedster MERC319 AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT
PROS
- Great at overclocking
- Reasonable price
- Good value
- Runs quiet and cool, relatively
- Triple-fan cooler with a sleek and sexy design
- Significantly faster than a more expensive current-gen GPU
- Can handle ray tracing well enough
CONS
- Sub-optimal ray tracing performance
- Big and chunky
- Random but minor coil whine issues, depends on the batch
Specs:
- 2365MHz boost clock
- 16GB GDDR6
- 13.39 x 5.12 x 2.05 inches
- Triple fan
Again, here we have another XFX Speedster cooler card but this time, it’s the 6750’s bigger brother, the venerable RX 6900 XT. It certainly aged well, just like most of the Radeon cards. If you’re looking for a sub-$600 GPU that’s considerably more powerful than the $600-RTX 4070, then the RX 6900 XT wins with flying colors.
At least when talking about rasterized performance. At times, the 6900 XT’s performance average even reaches around 20 frames more compared to the RTX 4070– which is more expensive.
XFX Speedster MERC319 AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT
ZOTAC Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Twin Edge OC
PROS
- Good value
- Somewhat compact card
- Has lighting
- Good ray tracing performance
CONS
- Noisy fans
- Cooler doesn't cool perform as well as slightly more expensive brands
- 8 GB VRAM won't last long for 1440p and higher in the coming years
Specs:
- 1695 MHz boost clock
- 8GB 256-bit GDDR6
- 8.74 x 4.55 x 1.5 inches
- Dual fan
If you really like ray tracing then you’re honestly better off going with the RTX 4000-series cards. But if you like ray tracing on a budget, then you still can’t go wrong with the RTX 3060 Ti, which is the best-value GPU of the previous generation.
It’s overkill for 1080p and handles 1440p like a charm. More importantly, it will let you enjoy ray tracing on a considerable budget as long as you’re fine with using DLSS. Just don’t expect the 8 GB of VRAM to last you more than five years if you’re looking to max out every game.
ZOTAC Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Twin Edge OC
MSI Gaming Radeon RX 6650 XT
PROS
- Cheap price
- Minimalist backplate
- High boost clock
- Compact card
CONS
- Noisy fans
Specs:
- 2669 MHz boost clock
- 8GB GDDR6
- 9.7 x 2 x 5.2 inches
- Dual fan
And last but not least, we have the refresh of the RX 6600 XT, the 6650 XT. It’s the better option if you’re looking for a mid-range card. You could go for an RTX 3060, but at mid-range, just throw away your dreams of gaming with ray tracing on since even the RTX 3060 won’t perform well.
So the advantage here goes to the RX 6650 XT. And for the price, you really can’t complain. This is the 1080p champion, and with 8GB, you might even get away with 1440p while maxing out some games.
MSI Gaming Radeon RX 6650 XT
Frequently Asked Questions
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How long can previous-gen GPUs last?
They'll last indefinitely if you clean them regularly (at least once every quarter). As for their relevance, expect them to stay strong (high/ultra preset) for three to four years. -
Are previous-gen GPUs better value?
Some of them are, like the ones we recommended. But if you want the latest features, then the current-gen NVIDIA cards have more to offer for you.