For those who love playing the latest game releases on their computer, a graphics card is the most important component of any custom build. While there are other must-have components for a gaming PC, GPUs are what you'll rely on most — especially with today's releases having questionable optimization practices. Unfortunately, either due to underpowered specs, overpriced models, or some inherent design flaw, some graphics cards available today are among the worst you can buy. Even if they'd be perfectly
fine otherwise, there's usually at least one problem that cripples their value.
It's hard to define the "worst" graphics card objectively, but there are some noteworthy issues that everyone should look out for. Low VRAM has become a major issue in many modern cards, and skyrocketing prices have made certain models way more expensive than they should be. Even those willing to compromise with a higher budget could struggle to enjoy recent releases on anything but the lowest settings. Those GPUs should simply be avoided by the average buyer, even if they can justify their price during sales.
Read more: The Most Expensive Game Consoles Of All Time, Ranked By Launch Price
AMD Radeon RX 9060 8 GB
The 9060 XT itself isn't a bad card, but when looking at the newest games, its 8 GB VRAM model simply can't keep up. This isn't entirely the GPU's fault, as it can actually perform quite well in titles like Cyberpunk 2077. However, a game like Monster Hunter Wilds that is heavy on VRAM won't let you reach 60 FPS even at 1080p settings. This is why you should avoid Nvidia and AMD's new 8 gigabyte graphics cards, as their stripped-down capabilities just aren't worth the cost.
While these low-end cards are in stock more often than others, their price isn't very welcoming. The XFX Swift 9060 XT 8 GB has a list price of over $350, and its 16 GB version is just around $50 more. While the performance difference between the two cards isn't exactly massive, it can still be a huge factor in how well your game runs, especially if the rest of your components are old or underpowered as well. If you've already been going cheap on the rest of your build, it's worth spending the extra money on this card's 16 GB counterpart.
GeForce RTX 5060 Ti WindForce 8 GB
The reasons to avoid the 5060 Ti's 8 GB model are, as you might expect, very similar to the 9060 XT. 8 GB of GPU VRAM just isn't enough for modern gaming unless you turn down every setting as far as it can go. However, the reason this card makes it on this list while the non-Ti version doesn't is because of pricing. Gigabyte's Twinforce 5060 Ti 8 GB model is priced at around $380, while the Windforce 5060 is just around $300. They're both less than ideal, but at least the second is affordable.
Although the 5060 Ti consistently outperforms its non-Ti model, the price difference isn't as justifiable as the upgrade from 8 GB to 16 GB VRAM. That option will matter a lot more for future game releases down the line, and it's likely that a similar argument could be made for AMD's non-XT 9060. As it stands, the 5060 Ti and 9060 XT aren't able to fill any competitive niche in the GPU market with their limited 8 GB variants. Especially at their price of $350 or higher, there are better alternatives, some even cheaper than these cards.
MSI Gaming RTX 3050/5050
You'll find the RTX 3050 and the RTX 5050 at the absolute lowest-end of modern graphics card performance. They go for $200 and $250 respectively. Although their prices are the lowest of any card here, they really are among the worst available graphics cards simply because of their performance. The 3050 can hardly even handle its own ray-tracing capabilities, and the 5050 is considerably worse than last generation's 4060 on many levels, including power consumption. Meager savings don't matter much when these cards struggle to run modern titles at 1080/60 FPS.
Worse yet, the 3050 has two different versions. The 6 GB VRAM model is the cheapest, but the 8 GB version (which is just $30 more expensive) is vastly superior. The lesser model only really wins out in power consumption, but if you're looking at a $250 graphic cards, this is probably not going to be much of an issue. Even if you have a tight budget and decide to go with the 3050, the 6 GB variant should be avoided without hesitation.
Asus ROG Astral RTX 5080/5090
To many, it might seem unthinkable to include the RTX 5080 and 5090 in a list of the worst graphic cards you can buy. Indeed, both of these cards are extremely capable in just about anything, but their biggest problem is the price. Limited supply has made these cards nearly impossible to find at their MSRP, and many of the "available" 5090s are priced at over $3,000. Since rumors of upcoming "Super" variants of the 50 series have begun to spread, these flagship models have been at risk of becoming obsolete, too.
These higher-end graphics cards are also victims of the dangerous Nvidia cable melting issue. As reported by some users, normal use of these cards can lead to their unique connectors damaging the GPU and the PSU, thanks to their extreme power draw. In August 2025, a 5090 was even reported catching fire while its owner was playing a game. Another potential issue is that those cards might be needlessly powerful for most players. New releases hardly ever make graphics cards completely obsolete nowadays, begging the question of whether you will ever end up using the full power of these high-end cards in the first place.
Low-End Old-Generation Cards
Although previously-mentioned cards are mostly bad in subjective terms, the undeniably worst graphics cards you can buy today are the ones that are still being sold after years and years. To be clear, we're not talking about cards that are a few years old, but a full decade old. For example, Nvidia's GeForce GT 710 can still be purchased brand new from official stores and sellers for just $50. That's really cheap, but as you might expect, their performance is absolutely abysmal. Even when compared to modern integrated graphics, the GT 710 loses in nearly every confrontation.
This is one of those instances where you should follow your instinct. Does it seem unlikely that an affordable GPU from over 10 years ago could play a modern video game? Yes, it does; and yes, it is. As technology progressed, these old cards have become worse than a laptop's integrated GPU. However, those who don't keep up with the PC technology might simply see the low price and think it's good enough as a cheap upgrade. If that's you, then this is your warning: don't buy and ancient GPU just because it's cheap.
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Read the original article on SlashGear.
