Best GPU Under £500 (2026) — United Kingdom

£500 is the most popular price point for a reason: it's comfortably enough for 1440p gaming at high settings across most modern titles, with enough performance headroom to handle a game or two above their recommended specs.

The default recommendation for 1440p gaming at high settings, and a strong 1080p choice for anyone chasing very high refresh rates.

Prices updated August 30, 2026

New

Top Pick

Highest benchmark performance among in-stock new GPUs priced within £500. Ties break on value score.

Radeon RX 9070 GRE

12 GB GDDR6 · Performance 38/100

£500

GPU comparison and selection table
GPU Name	Performance Normalized benchmark score vs. the fastest GPU in our database (100%). Aggregated from 3DMark-style results across multiple tests.	Value Score	VRAM	Price
Radeon RX 9070 GREAMD	38/100	0.450	12 GB	£500
Radeon RX 6800 XTAMD	37/100	0.376	16 GB	£500
Radeon RX 7700 XTAMD	32/100	0.472	12 GB	£475
Radeon RX 6800AMD	31/100	0.348	16 GB	£447
Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GBAMD	28/100	0.521	16 GB	£414

See every GPU under £500 →

Used

Top Pick

Highest benchmark performance among in-stock used or refurbished GPUs priced within £500. Ties break on value score.

GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8GB

8 GB GDDR7 · Performance 31/100

£449

GPU comparison and selection table
GPU Name	Performance Normalized benchmark score vs. the fastest GPU in our database (100%). Aggregated from 3DMark-style results across multiple tests.	Value Score	VRAM	Price
GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8GBNVIDIA	31/100	0.538	8 GB	£449Used £370
Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GBAMD	28/100	0.521	16 GB	£442Used£414
GeForce GTX 1650NVIDIA	7/100	0.289	4 GB	£444Used £199

See every GPU under £500 →

Frequently Asked Questions

Is £500 the best value tier for GPUs right now?

It's typically the most contested tier — several manufacturers compete hard here, which tends to produce strong Value Scores. Check the live ranking above rather than assuming any one card holds the title for long.

Can a £500 GPU handle ray tracing?

Entry-to-mid ray tracing effects are usually playable at 1080p/1440p with upscaling (DLSS/FSR) enabled; full path tracing at native resolution generally needs a higher tier.

Should I wait for a sale instead of buying now?

If the top pick's current price is below its typical 12-month price (see its GPU detail page for the price-history verdict), it's usually not worth waiting — UK sale events don't always beat the best day-to-day pricing.