Cheapest DX12 GPUs

I wanted to see how much performance you can squeeze out of the absolute cheapest DirectX 12 compatible GPUs, so I gathered five low‑cost cards and put them through a full benchmark gauntlet. If you’re trying to build or revive a budget gaming PC, these results show which DX12 cards deliver real value without breaking the bank:

We’ve gathered together five of the cheapest DirectX 12 GPUs we could find to battle head to head to see who reigns supreme. To qualify for this benchmarking competition, each GPU must be commonly available and must be fully DirectX 12 compatible.

So let’s run through the lineup and take a look at each of our promising contestants. First up is the AMD Radeon RX 460. Next up is the Nvidia GeForce GT 1030. Next is the AMD Radeon RX 550. Next up is the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050. Last but not least is the AMD Radeon RX 560D.

Now let’s run our contestants through five different benchmark tests to see how they stack up. First up is 3DMark running the Time Spy test at default settings. Looking at the results, the GTX 1050 comes out on top, while the RX 460 just edges out the RX 560D to take second. The GT 1030 takes a distant fourth place, and the RX 550 trails behind.

Now let’s take a look at some of the other benchmarks and see if the results stay the same. Next up is Unigine Superposition running at the 1080p Medium preset. Looking at the results, the order remains the same here, though the GTX 1050 jumps out quite a bit ahead of the other contestants. The RX 460 and RX 560D run neck and neck, while the RX 550 struggles to keep up, sliding further behind the GT 1030.

Next up is GraphicsBench 5 running the Aztec Ruins test in 1080p Normal mode. Looking at the results, things change slightly here. The GTX 1050 remains in front; however, the RX 560D now edges out the RX 460 to take second. The GT 1030 and RX 550 once again trail significantly behind.

Next up is Shadow of the Tomb Raider running at 1080p and the lowest preset. Some interesting results here, as the top three competitors all tighten up and run within five percent of each other. The GT 1030 and RX 550 also bunch up, though they fall far behind the top three.

For the next test, it’s the CS:GO Benchmark map running at 1080p in the lowest settings. Results here show the GTX 1050 with a modest lead over the RX 460, which manages to regain its second place position over the RX 560D. The GT 1030 scores a solid fourth place, while the RX 550 once again comes up a bit short.

So there you have it. Congratulations to the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050, winner of the cheap DirectX 12 contest. That being said, both the AMD Radeon RX 460 and RX 560D look to be solid choices as well.

If you currently have or previously had one of these graphics cards, please leave a comment in the video and thanks for watching!

Programs used for benchmarking:

https://benchmark.unigine.com/superposition
https://store.steampowered.com/app/223850/3DMark/
https://gfxbench.com/result.jsp
https://store.steampowered.com/app/750920/Shadow_of_the_Tomb_Raider_Definitive_Edition/
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=500334237