Graphics card deals of the week - 7th October 2020

The best graphics card deals from around the web

Deals by Katharine Castle Former Editor-in-chief

Published on Oct. 7, 2020

You'd think that the arrival of Nvidia's RTX 3080 and the imminent announcement of AMD's Big Navi GPUs would result in a spate of great graphics card deals from retailers looking shift old stock, but alas, you'd be wrong. Indeed, with prices either staying the same or going up, now is not a great time to be buying a new graphics card.

Still, if you simply cannot wait and are in desperate need of a new GPU, then I've gathered together all the cheapest graphics card deals from around the web right now so you can see exactly how they stack up against the competition. I’ll also tell you exactly what each card is capable of when it comes to gaming performance, and how much prices have changed week-on-week. As I said, you should almost certainly wait a few weeks before you buy a new GPU if you can help it (or at least see what Amazon Prime Day might bring next week), but here's how things currently stand for those who need one right this second.

If you're not sure what kind of graphics card you should buy, one of the best ways of working out what card you need is to think about the resolution of your gaming monitor. If you've got a 1920x1080 monitor, for example, then there's no need to buy one that's intended to play games at 4K. On the other hand, if you're also thinking about upgrading your monitor soon, then you'll want to get a graphics card that can make the most of that future resolution as well. To find out more about our favourite graphics cards for each resolution, have a read of our top graphics card recommendations for 1080p, 1440p and 4K gaming.

The other thing to think about is what kind of gaming experience you actually want from it. Are you dead set on playing games at the very best graphics settings? Or do you just want something that will get the job done on Medium? If you're not that bothered about playing on Ultra, you don't need to spend nearly as much as on your new graphics card as you would if nothing but max settings will do - all of which I explain below. With that in mind, let's take a look at the cheapest graphics card deals of the week.

Graphics card deals

Nvidia graphics card deals:

Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 deals: (DO NOT BUY)

Another $10 rise for the GTX 1660 in the US this week, with static prices in the UK. As a result, it's still not a great buy when it's so close in price to its Super-fied sibling. It's a decent graphics card for 1080p gaming, capable of hitting 60fps on Medium to High settings in nearly all of today's most demanding games (as well as a bit of 1440p potential as well as long as you're happy with playing on Medium quality settings on today's big blockbusters), but at these prices your money is still better spent elsewhere - either on the GTX 1660 Super, or AMD's Radeon RX 5500 XT. For more information, have a read of my Nvidia GTX 1660 vs 1660 Super comparison article.

Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super deals:

The GTX 1660 Super hasn't changed in price this week, but it's still the Nvidia graphics card to buy right now if you're after a good 1080p GPU. The GTX 1660 Super is a bit faster than the regular GTX 1660, capable of producing at least 60fps on High graphics at 1080p in today's biggest games, and at least 60fps on Medium at 1440p, and nigh on identical performance to the GTX 1660 Ti. It's a good option if you've got a 1080p monitor with a high refresh rate as well, although AMD's RX 5500 XT is arguably better value.

Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti deals: (DO NOT BUY)

Up £7 in the UK, although no change in the US again. Still, even at this price, you're better off choosing the cheaper GTX 1660 Super. You're not gaining much by opting for the Ti - just have a read of my GTX 1660 Super vs 1660 Ti article to see why. Sure, it's capable of hitting 60fps on max settings at this resolution, and it's also able to deliver a consistent 60fps on Medium to High settings at 1440p, but right now it's not a particularly good deal.

Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 deals:

Alas, despite the arrival of Nvidia's new RTX 30-series, the price of the RTX 2060 has remained exactly the same this week. The RTX 2060 is still a better buy than both the GTX 1660 Ti and RTX 2060 Super right now, but you should probably wait to see if Nvidia announce their inevitable RTX 3060 before buying. If you can't wait, this is a great GPU for hitting well over 60fps on Ultra settings at 1080p, and it's currently our top Nvidia pick for the best 1440p graphics card on a budget. To see how it stacks up, have a read of my GTX 1660 Ti vs RTX 2060 article.

Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 Super deals: (DO NOT BUY)

With stock levels dropping dangerously low for the RTX 2060 Super, prices are getting increasingly high for this card, with many retailers out of stock in the US. Really, though, you should wait for the inevitable RTX 3060 with these kinds of prices, or take the plunge on the RTX 3070. Sure, the Super is a bit faster than the regular RTX 2060, capable of hitting 60fps on max settings at 1440p more regularly, but most of the time you'll get a very similar gaming experience. For a closer comparison of how the RTX 2060 Super stacks up against its non-Super sibling (and its closest AMD competition), have a read of our RTX 2060 vs RTX 2060 Super vs RX 5700 article.

Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 deals:

The RTX 2070 is another Nvidia card that's becoming increasingly scarce now the RTX 3070 is on the way, but with prices still £100 / $100 less than what the RTX 3070 is going to cost, you might think it's a decent buy, especially compared to other RTX 20-series prices right now. Alas, the only good US price I could find is on a refurbished card this week, as low stock levels have driven the prices of new cards through the roof. UK prices are also down £10 this week (for a new card, to boot). However, given that the RTX 3070 is meant to offer RTX 2080 Ti levels of performance for just a bit more at £469 / $499, you're probably better off spending the extra and getting this instead of the RTX 2070 - or waiting for that inevitable RTX 3060. The RTX 2070 is a great 1440p graphics card and can pretty much hit 60fps on max settings in every big game you can play today (and definitely 60fps+ if you knock it down to High), but it's right on the edge of being a good buy or not.

Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super deals: (DO NOT BUY)

The RTX 2070 Super is the best Nvidia graphics card for 1440p gaming right now, capable of hitting 60fps on max settings in every big blockbuster going, but with the RTX 3070 arriving at the end of October for around $469 / $499, you should really wait and get that instead.

Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 deals: (DO NOT BUY)

The RTX 2080 is capable of delivering a flawless 60fps+ 1440p experience on max settings, as well as a decent Medium experience at 4K, but when it still costs as much as the newer, more powerful RTX 3080, it's really not a good buy right now (and that's even with the RTX 3080 out of stock practically everywhere). If you're after a 4K graphics card, you should absolutely wait for the RTX 3080, or wait and see what AMD have up their sleeve with their big Navi GPUs, which are due to be announced on October 28th.

Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super deals: (DO NOT BUY)

The RTX 2080 Super delivers exceptional 1440p performance, or 60fps on Medium to High at 4K, but you definitely should put your wallet away until the RTX 3080 comes back in stock, or wait for AMD announce their Big Navi cards.

Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti deals: (DO NOT BUY)

The RTX 2080 Ti is completely redundant now the RTX 3080 has arrived, and no one should be spending over a grand on a 4K graphics card. Plus, the RTX 3070 will soon be able to deliver the same amount of performance as the RTX 2080 Ti for a lot less, so you should wait for that instead.

AMD graphics card deals:

AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT deals:

No change in price this week for UK buyers, but US prices have risen by $10. Still, the RX 5500 XT continues to be a fantastic graphics card for the money, offering brilliant 1080p performance on Medium to High settings in all of today's biggest games. It's considerably better value than Nvidia's GTX 16-series cards at the moment, plus you get a free copy of Godfall with it, too.

AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT deals:

The RX 5600 XT is another great buy, especially when it's quite a bit cheaper than its equally fast rival, the RTX 2060. UK prices have remained the same this week, but it's risen by $20 in the US. Still, you do get two free games with it - Godfall and WOW's Shadowlands expansion to help take the edge off a bit.

AMD Radeon RX 5700 deals: (DO NOT BUY)

AMD have rather shot themselves in their own foot with the RX 5700 now the almost-as-fast RX 5600 XT has arrived. The RX 5700 is still a great card for top notch 1080p gaming and Medium to High 1440p performance - if you can find one, as stock levels have been very low of late - but when its faster, more powerful sibling, the RX 5700 XT isn't that much more, you may as well spend the extra and get a faster card in the process.

AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT deals: (DO NOT BUY)

With the RTX 3070 on the horizon, the RX 5700 XT isn't such good value any more. US prices have dropped by $10 this week, but UK prices have stayed the same. It's still a better buy than the existing RTX 2070, though, as it's more than capable of delivering 60fps on High to max settings at 1440p, as well as well over 60fps when gaming at 1080p - just look at our RTX 2070 vs RTX 2070 Super vs RX 5700 XT comparison piece for more info. Really, though, you should probably hold off if you want to make your money go further.

How to get a great graphics card deal:

When you're buying a new graphics card, there are two important things you need to consider: the resolution of your monitor, and what kind of quality setting you'd like to aim for when playing games. The AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT is by far the best 1080p graphics card for max settings at the moment, for example, but Nvidia's GeForce GTX 1660 Super or AMD's Radeon RX 5500 XT are also excellent budget options as well that will get you smooth frame rates on Medium to High settings.

As for 1440p, my top picks at the moment are AMD's RX 5700 XT and Nvidia's RTX 2070 for flawless 60fps gaming on max settings at this resolution, but this will likely change once Nvidia release the RTX 3070 and we know a bit more about AMD's upcoming Big Navi cards. Right now, AMD's RX 5600 XT and Nvidia's RTX 2060 will also do you just fine at this resolution if you're happy with Medium to High quality at this resolution. This makes the RX 5600 XT quite a good card to go for at the moment, especially if you currently have a 1080p monitor but are thinking about upgrading to a 1440p in the near future.

If you've got a 4K monitor, on the other hand, then you should probably consider an RTX 2080 Super as an absolute minimum - although again, this will likely drop down to an RTX 3070 come the end of October. The current RTX 2070 Super can make a decent fist of 4K gaming, but only on Low-Medium settings, so if you've got the budget, I'd currently recommend waiting for an RTX 30 card or one of AMD's Big Navi GPUs.