Now that NVIDIA and AMD released their new cards - the RTX lineup for NVIDIA and Radeon VII for AMD, and the mining craze is over, this is now the best time to buy new graphics card, be it for a whole new system or just an upgrade. Prices have stabilized back to their MSRPs and more cards to choose from.
In this article we will give you the best graphics card under $500. These $400 to $500 cards target the 60fps, 1440p resolution at ultra settings. Though these cards can still play in 4k resolution, you will have to turn down some settings to reach 60fps.
EVGA GeForce RTX 2070 Black Gaming Edition

First, we give you the EVGA GeForce RTX 2070 Black Gaming graphics card. This is the best card under $500 for several reasons. First its build. EVGA completely redesigned its RTX 20-series with new features and technologies. They put their first ever Hydro Dynamic Bearing VGA Fans and new fan blades with Rotation Direction and hub for lower noise and longer lifespan. They also redesigned and updated their overclocking utility - the new EVGA Precision X1. This utility has completely redesigned layout for easier navigation, new OC Scanner for stress testing, Multi-GPU Fan Control, and RGB LED Control. This card has customizable trim options in black or red to match your PC’s theme. And if you buy one of this now, you can get Battlefield V or Anthem, and GRIP for free. All of these for only $499. Great deal isn’t it?
ZOTAC Gaming GeForce RTX 2070 Blower Edition

ZOTAC Gaming GeForce RTX 2070 Blower Edition has all the standard features of the RTX lineup. Equipped with large heatsink and a blower fan, heat are push out of the case immediately so you don’t have to to worry about its temperature. Nothing really flashy about this card. It has the same specifications of the EVGA GeForce RTX 2070 Black Gaming Edition and it is also $499. You can also get Battlefield V or Anthem if you buy one of this now.
GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 2070 Windforce Mini ITX Edition

If it happens that you have a Micro-ATX or Mini-ITX build, the GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 2070 Windforce Mini ITX Edition will fit right into your case and you don’t have to worry about losing performance because this card has the same clocks and features of the reference RTX 2070. Temperature will not be your problem as it has GIGABYTE custom-deisgned cooling with 90mm unique blade fan, 4 copper heat pipes with direct contact on the GPU, and 3D Active Fan functionality fan speed and noise control. This card has something that the two cards we mentioned above doesn’t have - a backplate. Backplate covers the exposed components at the back of the card and also enhanced the card’s structure and durability. This card sold at $499 and you can also get Battlefield V or Anthem if you buy one of this now.
Gigabyte Radeon RX Vega 56 Gaming OC

If all of the three cards we already mentioned are not available in your area, or you already have a FreeSync monitor, or you have some specific task that needs a Radeon card, then the Gigabyte Radeon RX Vega 56 Gaming OC will fill it in for only $415. Radeon Vega 56 is slower than RTX 2070 and 2060, still it can play 60fps on AAA titles at 1440p ultra.
Add $30

If you can squeeze $30 more out of your pocket, you can get
GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 2070 Gaming OC for $530. You get the same features and freebies of the previous RTX 2070 we mentioned above, and more. This is one of the fastest RTX 2070 around - overclocked at 1740 MHz in OC mode, and 1725 MHz in Gaming mode, compared to 1620 MHz reference clock. You don’t have to worry about overheating in OC mode as it has 3x 80mm fan and bigger heatsink with 4 copper heatpipes. If you want aesthetics, it has RGB Fusion 2 feature to control 16.7 million color options. It also has a back plate for additional protection and has a longer warranty of 4 years, compared to 3 years for other Gigabyte graphics cards. Be sure to have a capable power supply for this one as it requires 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin power connectors.
Under $400

If you can’t squeeze more than $400 out of you pocket, then the
GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 2060 Gaming OC Pro is your card. At $390, this is one of the fastest RTX 2060 around and still capable of 60+ fps in 1440p, just like its older brother RTX 2070. You get the same features of the Gigabyte RTX 2070 - overclocked, 3 fans, bigger heatsink with 4 heatpipes, back plate, and RGB Fusion 2 feature. You can also get either Battlefield V or Anthem for free.
*For free Battlefield V or Anthem for GeForce RTX 2070 / 2060 graphics cards, offer expires at 11:59 p.m. (PT) February 25, 2019.
