Best Budget Graphics Cards for eSports Gaming in 2024

If you are into eSports gaming then you don’t really need an expensive graphics card for it, because most of the eSports titles are not that demanding and can be played comfortably on some of the powerful modern budget graphics cards. eSports, e-sports, or electronic sports is a term associated with specific multiplayer games that are largely played online, in LAN, or in video gaming competitions. eSports gaming is very popular across the world because these games are very engaging and it is fun to compete against real people and not just AI (artificial intelligence). The most common video game genres associated with eSports include Real-time strategy (RTS), Fighting, First-person shooters (FPS), and Multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA).

Some of the most popular e-sports games include Dota 2, Overwatch, Counter Strike, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO), League of Legends, Heroes of the Storm, FIFA 17, StarCraft / StarCraft II, Call of Duty, Halo, Tekken 7, Street Fighter V, Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, Smite, PUBG, etc. eSports gaming is also known as competitive (video) gaming, professional video gaming or pro gaming. To enjoy most of the eSports titles you can get away with a decent affordable video card and here in this post, I am going to list down the best budget graphics cards for eSports gaming. These graphics cards will let you play most of your favorite e-sports games on decent graphics settings (medium or higher) at 1080 resolution with comfortable frame rates. Also, you can use these graphics cards in a LAN Party Case to build a decent LAN Party PC.

Related:

• Best Graphics Cards under 100 Dollars
• Best Graphics Cards under 200 Dollars

Best Budget eSports Graphics Cards from Nvidia

Here are the best budget graphics cards from Nvidia for eSports gaming.

Gigabyte GeForce GT 1030 OC 2G

GeForce GT 1030 is the youngest member of the GeForce 10 graphics card series from Nvidia. It is an entry-level budget graphics card and is based on the Pascal GPU architecture from Nvidia. The card comes with 384 CUDA Cores and 2GB GDDR5 memory having an interface of 64-bit. Here we have an OC or Overclocked version of GT 1030, which is Gigabyte GeForce GT 1030 OC 2G. This Geforce GT 1030 card from Gigabyte comes with a higher GPU Core clock and performs better than a reference GT 1030 card. The card performs almost equal to the GeForce GTX 750 Ti, which was a very good mid-range graphics card quite a while back.

This is a very compact and small form factor graphics card and is cooled down by a single 80mm fan. This is a pretty powerful budget graphics card and can play all of your eSports titles on medium graphics settings at 1080p with comfortable frame rates (around 50FPS or more). It is also a great card for video editing, HTPC, and for 4K video playback.

The card can be overclocked to the highest tested OC frequencies using One-click Super overclocking via Gigabyte’s Aorus overclocking software. The card consumes very little power and it does not require any external power connectors from the PSU. You can run this card comfortably on a decent 300W power supply. Connectivity options for this card include DVI and HDMI ports. Highly Recommended for users on a tight budget.

Check out: Best GeForce GT 1030 Graphics Cards for Gaming & Work

Gigabyte GeForce GT 1030 OC 2G Specifications
CUDA Cores	384
GPU Clock	1544 MHz / 1290 MHz in OC Mode
Memory Clock	6008 MHz
Memory Size	2GB GDDR5
Memory Interface	64-bit
Bus Interface	PCI Express 3.0
DirectX	12
OpenGL	4.5
Output Ports	DVI-D, HDMI

Buy Gigabyte GeForce GT 1030 OC 2G

ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1050 Mini

If you want something more powerful than Geforce GT 1030 then the answer is Geforce GT 1050. GeForce GTX 1050 is a very good budget mid-range graphics card based on the Pascal GPU architecture. It comes with 640 CUDA Cores and 2GB GDDR5 memory having a 128-bit interface running at  7GHz clock speed.  Here we have ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1050 Mini which is an SFF graphics card (only 145mm in length) and can fit in all small form factor and mini-ITX cases. For cooling, the card comes with an aluminum heatsink and a single 90mm fan.

This card packs a good amount for performance and offers great value for money. In fact, this is one of the most preferred budget graphics cards for eSports gaming. The card can handle games like Overwatch, Dota 2, WOW, etc. with ease at medium-high settings at 1080p. It can also play AAA titles like GTA 5, Assassins Creed Unity / Rogue, Battlefield 1, COD Infinite Warfare, etc. on medium settings @1080p smoothly.

This is a non-OC card but you can overclock this card for more performance using good overclocking software. The card is also well suited for HTPC, 4K video playback, and for setting up triple display / multi-monitors setup. The card has lower power consumption and does not need external power from the power supply. The recommended PSU for this card is 300W only. Connectivity options include DVI, HDMI, and DisplayPort.

Check out: Best GeForce GTX 1050 Graphics Cards for Gaming

ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1050 Mini Specifications
CUDA Cores	640
GPU Clock	1354 / 1455 MHz
Memory Clock	7 GHz
Memory Size	2GB GDDR5
Memory Interface	128-bit
Bus Interface	PCI Express 3.0
DirectX	12
OpenGL	4.5
Output Ports	DL-DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort

Buy Zotac Geforce GTX 1050 Mini

ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mini

GeForce GTX 1050 Ti is a mainstream and powerful mid-range graphics card built on the Pascal GPU architecture. It comes with 768 CUDA Cores and 4GB GDDR5 memory having speed of 7GHz and bus interface of 128-bit. Here we have Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mini which is a small form factor graphics card and shares the same design as that of the above-mentioned ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1050 Mini card. GTX 1050 Ti is significantly faster than the GTX 1050 and it also comes with an additional 2GB VRAM which can really help in the latest AAA games that demand higher video memory.

The card has got a single 90mm fan and aluminum heatsink for cooling. This graphics card is great for eSPorts as well as for the latest AAA games and can run them on high graphics settings at 1080p with very good frame rates (60 FPS or more).  You may also overclock this card for extra performance using Zotac Firestorm or any other good overclocking utility. The card does not require external 6-pin or 8-pin power connectors and needs only a good 300W PSU for its working. Connectivity options include DVI, HDMI, and DisplayPort. Highly Recommended by me.

Check out: Best GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Cards for 1080p Gaming

ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mini Specifications
CUDA Cores	768
GPU Clock	1303 / 1417 MHz
Memory Clock	7 GHz
Memory Size	4GB GDDR5
Memory Interface	128-bit
Bus Interface	PCI Express 3.0
DirectX	12
OpenGL	4.5
Output Ports	DL-DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort

Buy Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mini

MSI GeForce GTX 1650 AERO ITX 4G OC

If you want a fast-budget graphics card for eSports gaming then MSI GeForce GTX 1650 AERO ITX 4G OC is a perfect choice. This is a budget graphics in the GTX 16 series lineup from Nvidia, based on the Turing GPU architecture. The card comes with 896 CUDA Cores and 4GB GDDR5 memory, having a 128-bit interface. MSI GeForce GTX 1650 AERO ITX 4G OC is a compact GTX 1650 card that is overclocked mildly. The card is only 170mm in length and can fit in almost all the mini-ITX and SFF cases (not the low-profile ones). It has got GPU Boost clock speed of 1740 MHz, which is 75 MHz more than that of the reference GTX 1650 card.

The card is 70% more powerful than GTX 1050 and about 30% more powerful than GTX 1050 Ti. It can run all your eSports games at ultra-graphics settings at 1080p with 60 FPS or more (on average). The card has got dual-slot design, and for cooling, it comes with a single large fan over an aluminum heatsink. The card does not require any external PCI-e connectors for power and the PSU requirement is of 300 Watt only. Display connectivity options include DVI, HDMI, and DisplayPort.

Check out: Best GTX 1650 Cards for eSports Gaming at 1080p

MSI GeForce GTX 1650 AERO ITX 4G OC Specifications
CUDA Cores	896
GPU Clock	1740 MHz (Boost)
Memory Clock	8 Gbps
Memory Size	4GB GDDR5
Memory Interface	128-bit
Bus Interface	PCI Express 3.0
DirectX	12
OpenGL	4.6
PCI-E Power Connector	NA
Output Ports	DisplayPort v1.4, HDMI 2.0b, DL-DVI-D

Buy MSI GeForce GTX 1650 AERO ITX 4G OC

Best Budget eSports Graphics Cards from AMD

Here are the best budget graphics cards from AMD for eSports gaming.

Gigabyte Radeon RX 550 D5 2G

Radeon RX 550 is a budget graphics card from AMD based on the Polaris GPU architecture. It comes with 512 Stream Processors and 2GB/4GB GDDR5 memory having 128-bit interface. Here we have Gigabyte Radeon RX 550 D5 2G that comes with 2GB GDDR5 memory and is an overclocked edition card. It is a compact card and has got one 90mm fan along with an aluminum heatsink for cooling.

Radeon RX 550 is a very good budget graphics card and has a performance equal to or slightly better than the GeForce GT 1030. Also, it offers a higher memory bandwidth than GT 1030 because of its 128-bit wide memory bus. This card can play almost all your favorite eSports titles (Overwatch, CS:Go, WOW, etc.) on medium-high graphics settings at 1080p resolution with respectable frame rates. It is also a great graphics card for HTPC, 4K/8K video playback, and for general use. The card also supports Hardware-accelerated H.265 encode/decode. This Radeon RX 550 graphics card consumes a bit more power than its rival GT 1030, but still, it does not require any external power connectors for its working. The recommended PSU for this card is 400W. Display connectivity options include DVI, HDMI, and DisplayPort.

Check out: Best Radeon RX 550 Graphics Cards for Gaming & Work

Gigabyte Radeon RX 550 D5 2G Specifications
Stream Processors	512
GPU Clock	1195 MHz (OC Mode)
Memory Clock	7000 MHz
Memory Size	2GB GDDR5
Memory Interface	128-bit
Bus Interface	PCI Express 3.0
DirectX	12
OpenGL	4.5
Output Ports	DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort

Buy Gigabyte Radeon RX 550 D5 2G

MSI Radeon RX 460 2G OC

Radeon RX 460 is Polaris based budget mid-range graphics card from Nvidia. The card comes with 896 Stream Processors and in 2GB or 4GB GDDR5 variants with a memory interface of 128-bit. The main competitor of this card is GeForce GTX 1050 which performs a bit better than this card. Here we have MSI Radeon RX 460 2G OC which is a compact and overclocked Radeon RX 460 having 2GB GDDR5 VRAM. This dual-slot graphics card comes with a single fan and aluminum heatsink for cooling. The card supports AMD FreeSync and AMD CrossFire (2-way) multi GPU technology.

This is a great budget graphics card for eSports and for playing the latest AAA titles at medium-high settings at 1080p resolution. Also, it can be also used for video editing, 4K display, multi-monitor setup, and in HTPC. The card has a power consumption of 75W and it does not need external power connectors from the PSU. It can run fine with a decent 400W power supply. Connectivity options for this budget eSports graphics card include DVI, HDMI, and DisplayPort.  

MSI Radeon RX 460 2G OC Specifications
Stream Processors	896
GPU Clock	1210 MHz Boost Clock
Memory Clock	7000 MHz
Memory Size	2Gb GDDR5
Memory Interface	128-bit
Bus Interface	PCI Express 3.0
DirectX	12
OpenGL	4.5
Output Ports	DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort

Buy MSI Radeon RX 460 2G OC

Asus Radeon RX 560 4GB EVO OC Edition

Radeon RX 560 is just a refresh of Radeon RX 460. Earlier Radeon RX 560 used to come with 1024 Stream Processors but now it has been downgraded to 896 Stream Processors from AMD. The card is based on the Polaris GPU architecture too.  Here we have got Asus Radeon RX 560 4GB EVO OC Edition, which comes with 896 Stream Processors, 4GB GDDR5 memory with a clock speed of 6GHz. It is an OC card and for cooling, it comes with dual fans that are IP5X dust resistant.

The performance of this card is similar to that of the Radeon RX 460 and it can easily play all the eSports and latest games at medium-high settings at 1080p with comfortable frame rates (around 50 – 60FPS or more). The extra video memory i.e. 4GB on this card can prove advantageous in the latest games because newer games do demand higher video memory. The card does not require external power from the PSU and it draws all its power from the PCIe x16 slot on the motherboard. It has got almost all the display connectors including DVI, HDMI, and DisplayPort.

Check out: Best Radeon RX 560 Graphics Cards for 1080p Gaming

Asus Radeon RX 560 4GB EVO OC Edition Specifications
Stream Processors	896
GPU Clock	1197 MHz Boost (OC mode)
Memory Clock	6000 MHz
Memory Size	4GB GDDR5
Memory Interface	128-bit
Bus Interface	PCI Express 3.0
DirectX	12
OpenGL	4.5
Output Ports	DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort

Buy Asus Radeon RX 560 4GB EVO OC Edition

Note: GeForce GT 1050 and GT 1050 Ti from Nvidia supports G-Sync, while all the above-mentioned Radeon RX graphics card mentioned here support AMD FreeSync variable refresh rate technology.  

See also:

• Best Budget Gaming CPU for 1080p & 1440p Gaming
• Best G-Sync and FreeSync Monitor for Gaming
• Best Budget 144Hz Monitors for eSports Gaming

Final Words

So, if you love eSports gaming and want a budget graphics card that can play all your favorite e-sports games at good graphics settings and resolution smoothly, then the above-mentioned budget graphics cards will not let you down at all. These e-sports graphics cards are easy on your pockets and are also good for most of AAA games too. If you have any doubts regarding graphics cards or gaming build, then you can ask me your queries by leaving a comment below.