Under £250: ASUS Dual RTX 5050 8GB OC
Under £250 in mid-2026 buys you a capable 1080p card with current-gen features, but the market is tight. The ASUS Dual RTX 5050 8GB OC sits at around £248 and is the only new current-generation card consistently available under the cap. The used RX 7600 and RTX 4060 hover around £200–£230 refurbished and remain worth considering for pure raster value. The RTX 5060 briefly dips under £254 on deals but generally sits above this tier. VRAM is a real constraint at this price: every card here uses 8GB or less, which means 1080p High is comfortable but 1080p Ultra textures and any 1440p ambition will push limits in heavier 2026 titles.
Why it wins: The ASUS Dual RTX 5050 8GB OC launches at around £248, making it the only new Blackwell card reliably under the £250 cap. Its GB207 die delivers 2,560 CUDA cores and 320 GB/s GDDR6 bandwidth at a 130W TDP, meaning it runs cool on a 550W PSU. Crucially it carries DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation — a Blackwell exclusive — which can multiply displayed frame rates well beyond native, giving it a meaningful longevity edge over older cards at this price. The compact 2-slot form factor fits virtually any case. The honest caveat is 8GB GDDR6: fine for 1080p High in most titles today, but Ultra textures in demanding AAA games will cause VRAM pressure. For esports and mainstream 1080p gaming it is comfortably the best new card under £250.
Current price: £248 (checked 2026-06-11)
See the ASUS Dual RTX 5050 8GB OC on Amazon UK
Runner-up: MSI RTX 3050 VENTUS 6GB
| Game | RTX 5050 | RTX 3050 |
|---|---|---|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 72 | 45 |
| Alan Wake 2 | 47 | 31 |
| Baldur's Gate 3 | 80 | - |
| Starfield | - | 36 |
| Hogwarts Legacy | 70 | 60 |
| Call of Duty | 60 | - |
Benchmark sources: ofzenandcomputing.com · gpu-monkey.com · asus.com
Under £400: Sapphire Pulse RX 9060 XT 16GB
Under £400 in 2026 is where GPU buying gets genuinely exciting. The Sapphire Pulse RX 9060 XT 16GB lands at £399 and brings AMD's latest RDNA 4 architecture with a class-leading 16GB of GDDR6 — double the VRAM of its nearest rival at this price. The RTX 5060 (8GB) from ASUS, MSI and Gigabyte sits around £254–£280, making it a strong runner-up, but its 8GB cap is a real long-term concern. The RX 9060 XT 8GB variant is cheaper but reviewers consistently recommend paying for the 16GB model. FSR 4 on RDNA 4 closes the upscaling quality gap with DLSS 4 significantly compared to earlier generations.
Why it wins: The Sapphire Pulse RX 9060 XT 16GB wins this tier on a combination of raw performance, VRAM headroom and price discipline. GamersNexus confirms the RX 9060 XT 16GB is anywhere from 2% to 17% faster than the RTX 5060 at 1080p rasterized — typically around 10% — and the same to 22% faster at 1440p, while costing roughly £120–£140 more than the 5060. At £399 that delta buys 16GB GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus at 320 GB/s, PCIe 5.0, DisplayPort 2.1a, and RDNA 4's FSR 4 ML upscaling. The 150–160W TDP is easily handled by a 550W PSU. With a single 8-pin connector and a compact 240mm dual-fan cooler, it is broadly compatible. For anyone playing at 1080p Ultra or making early moves toward 1440p, 16GB of VRAM is a meaningful longevity advantage over every 8GB card in this bracket.
Current price: £399 (checked 2026-06-11)
See the Sapphire Pulse RX 9060 XT 16GB on Amazon UK
Runner-up: ASUS Dual RTX 5060 8GB
| Game | RX 9060 XT | RTX 5060 |
|---|---|---|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 111 | 100 |
| Alan Wake 2 | 31 | 36 |
| Starfield | - | 55 |
| Hogwarts Legacy | 105 | 101 |
| Call of Duty | 120 | - |
Benchmark sources: hwcooling.net · alktech.co · pcper.com
Under £550: ASUS Prime RTX 5070 12GB OC
Under £550 in 2026 is the sweet spot for serious 1440p gaming. The ASUS Prime RTX 5070 12GB OC sits at £539 and delivers full Blackwell RTX 5070 performance — one of the strongest price-to-performance propositions NVIDIA has produced in years at this tier. The MSI RTX 5060 Ti 16GB VENTUS is a credible runner-up: its 16GB of GDDR6 gives it a VRAM advantage over the 5070's 12GB, and it costs noticeably less, but the 5070 pulls clear on average framerates. The RX 9070 XT also competes in this window on deals but typically sits above £550. DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation and strong native raster make the 5070 the headline pick.
Why it wins: The ASUS Prime RTX 5070 12GB OC at £539 is the most affordable RTX 5070 variant available in the UK, sitting at the budget end of the Prime series which trades cosmetics for price. The RTX 5070 delivers strong 1440p rasterization and ray tracing performance, with DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation — generating up to three synthetic frames per rendered frame — pushing displayed frame rates dramatically higher in supported titles. GamersNexus data shows the RTX 5060 Ti trails the 5070 by 26% at 1440p in Black Myth: Wukong, a substantial gap. The 12GB GDDR7 configuration is a real consideration: the MSI 5060 Ti runner-up has 16GB GDDR6, which could matter in the most VRAM-hungry titles. For the majority of 1440p gaming in 2026, however, 12GB GDDR7 with its higher bandwidth comfortably holds its own, and the raw performance lead of the 5070 is decisive.
Current price: £539 (checked 2026-06-11)
See the ASUS Prime RTX 5070 12GB OC on Amazon UK
Runner-up: MSI RTX 5060 Ti 16GB VENTUS
| Game | RTX 5070 | RTX 5060 TI |
|---|---|---|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 89 | 68 |
| Alan Wake 2 | 58 | 43 |
| Baldur's Gate 3 | 72 | - |
| Starfield | 66 | - |
| Hogwarts Legacy | - | 79 |
Benchmark sources: gamersnexus.net · asus.com
Under £800: Gigabyte RX 9070 XT Gaming OC 16GB
Under £800 in 2026 offers exceptional 1440p performance and a genuine entry into 4K gaming. The Gigabyte RX 9070 XT Gaming OC 16GB punches well above its £599 price point, competing directly with NVIDIA's RTX 5070 Ti which costs considerably more. AMD's RDNA 4 architecture brings 16GB GDDR6, DisplayPort 2.1a, and FSR 4 ML upscaling to a card that sits £200 below the tier cap — leaving real money unspent. The ASUS Prime RX 9070 16GB is a strong runner-up at a lower price for buyers who want RDNA 4 with a lighter performance profile. The RTX 5070 Ti is the main NVIDIA rival but regularly exceeds £700.
Why it wins: The Gigabyte RX 9070 XT Gaming OC 16GB at £599 wins this tier decisively on value grounds. Research confirms it competes directly with NVIDIA's RTX 5070 Ti — a card that sits at or above the £800 tier cap — while arriving £200 cheaper. The 16GB GDDR6 framebuffer on RDNA 4's Navi 48 die is the full-fat implementation, not a cut-down variant, delivering the complete RDNA 4 feature set including FSR 4 ML upscaling, DisplayPort 2.1a for 4K 240Hz or 1440p 360Hz displays, and strong ray tracing hardware. At 1440p Ultra, this is one of the most capable cards available without crossing into enthusiast pricing. The £199 gap between the card's price and the tier cap means buyers are either saving money or have room to invest in better cooling, storage, or memory elsewhere in a build. For 1440p Ultra and entry 4K in 2026, it remains the standout choice.
Current price: £599 (checked 2026-06-11)
See the Gigabyte RX 9070 XT Gaming OC 16GB on Amazon UK
Runner-up: ASUS Prime RX 9070 16GB
| Game | RX 9070 XT | RX 9070 |
|---|---|---|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 109 | - |
| Alan Wake 2 | 77 | 68 |
| Baldur's Gate 3 | 68 | 81 |
| Starfield | 106 | 96 |
| Hogwarts Legacy | - | 153 |
Benchmark sources: gamersnexus.net · tomshardware.com
What changed recently
- 2026-06-11 - Under £800: Gigabyte RX 9070 XT Gaming OC 16GB holds the crown
- 2026-06-11 - Under £550: ASUS Prime RTX 5070 12GB OC holds the crown
- 2026-06-11 - Under £400: Sapphire Pulse RX 9060 XT 16GB holds the crown
- 2026-06-11 - Under £250: ASUS Dual RTX 5050 8GB OC holds the crown
- 2026-06-11 - First edition: June 2026 picks seeded - RTX 5050 / RX 9060 XT 16GB / RTX 5070 / RX 9070 XT, all stock-verified
How this page works: picks are re-researched on the 1st of every month against current UK prices and independent benchmarks; stock and prices are re-verified mid-month. Out-of-stock winners are replaced by their verified runner-up automatically. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases - it never affects which card wins.