What £300 buys in 2026
This is the entry-to-mid tier, aimed squarely at 1080p gaming. The standout is that Intel's Arc B580 brought real competition here: 12GB of VRAM at a price where NVIDIA and AMD historically offered 8GB. That extra memory ages better as textures grow.
If you value the broadest game and streaming feature support, the RTX 5060 is the safe pick thanks to DLSS and NVENC. If you want maximum raw frames for the money and can live with a slightly smaller software ecosystem, the Arc B580 or RX 9060 XT 8GB stretch your budget further.
Watch the VRAM at this price
- Arc B580: 12GB, the most future-proof memory in this bracket.
- RX 9060 XT: sold in 8GB and 16GB versions. If the 16GB fits under £300 it is the smarter buy.
- RTX 5060 / RTX 5050: 8GB. Fine for 1080p today, but the first thing to limit you in heavier games.