5 Nvidia Graphics Cards You Should Steer Clear Of (According To Users)

Buying a new video card can be quite the experience. There are a lot of product specifications and reviews to dig through before settling on a card, while also trying to find the best possible deal as PC component prices fluctuate. And with 2026 seeing component prices increase, evidenced by GDDR memory costs jumping 172% year-over-year, finding the right card at a good price might be harder than ever.

This makes knowing which video cards to avoid even more crucial for consumers. The last thing that anyone wants is to drop a lot of money only to be left underwhelmed, especially given the pace at which GPUs face comparative obsolescence.

Nvidia is often hailed as the top dog in the graphics card space, and we've showcased the best value cards from the company before, but its cards aren't always free from issues. The company has several GPUs on the market that are criticized as being questionable in terms of value proposition. One upside to Nvidia's popularity: Users have snapped up a lot of "team green" GPUs, and consumer reviews are prevalent. This allows for examination of which Nvidia video cards worth steering clear of.

Nvidia isn't doing consumers any favors with the release of the RTX 5060 Ti. This interesting graphics card from Nvidia comes in an 8GB or 16GB model but retains the same model naming convention. Doing so created some confusion in the market, with many users and experts noting that the 8GB model is essentially obsolete in terms of future performance. 

The limited VRAM boasted by the 8GB model means that the GPU will be bottlenecked on newer titles, making the 8GB and 16GB very different cards in terms of power — even though they share the same name. In the past, a pair of cards like these would most likely be classified as separate models. Nvidia likes to differentiate their Ti cards as being more mid-step boosts, but the RTX 5060 Ti puts forth a much larger gap within its own model structure. 

The difference between the RTX 5060 Ti 8GB and 16GB editions feels huge, the two cards achieving very different benchmark scores. Market data indicates that gamers are beginning to avoid 8GB cards in general, with 16GB models starting to become the standard. If you are looking at spending hundreds of dollars on a graphics card, make sure to purchase one with lasting power.

The RTX 5090 is the cream of the crop when it comes to graphics cards. There are very few GPUs that come close in terms of raw power, making this card a dream for many PC builders. However, that power comes with an insane price attached to it — a price that only increased after launch. 

With refurbished cards starting at around the $2,600 mark, it's hard to justify the cost for what you are getting, especially when the RTX 4090 exists. If you are a professional and engage with heavy workloads surrounding AI, 3D modeling, or massive 4/8K video projects, then the RTX 5090 might be a financially responsible option.

If you are strictly a gamer looking to get the best visuals, many users say the sky-high sticker price may be hard to justify. And, given that the RTX 5090 draws over 600 watts of power, expensive cooling hardware is non-negotiable. The RTX 5090 also requires a high-end power supply and full-sized (or at least a larger mid-tower) case to handle, making that the initial $2,600 investment — or ~$3,000 for new-in-box examples — balloon quickly.

Those who purchase an RTX 3050 6GB model graphics card could be doing themselves a disservice in today's market. While this card might look like a good deal at around $200, if you do a little bit of research, you will find competing options offering more power for less money. As an example: AMD's RX 6600 will give you around a 40% boost in performance while setting you back less cash than if you'd purchased the RTX 3050 6GB edition.

And if you're sticking to the used market, via sites like eBay, you can find more powerful cards — like the Intel ARC A750 — for as low as $140, a card that's roughly 34% faster. This makes the RTX 3050 6GB model a really poor choice, even if you are on a budget and looking to save money. 

An 8GB graphics card should be the bare minimum when looking to upgrade, so unless you're moving up from an ancient GTX 1050, the RTX 3050 6GB makes little sense. And users across the PC building space seem to be in agreement, with dozens of comments steering users away from the 6GB model of the card. The only reason to maybe think about this card is if you have one of those small Dell office machines, and are looking to turn it into a sleeper gaming build. 

When a new piece of PC hardware comes along with the purpose of replacing an older model, people expect the newer iteration of a product to have features that aren't present, or possible, on previous hardware. For example, moving from a 16 series GTX to a 20 series RTX provided a sizeable jump in performance and technology. 

Even something like the RTX 4060 showed clear advantages over the RTX 3060 for those looking to make an upgrade, especially in terms of energy efficiency. One might then expect the RTX 5070 to definitively outclass the RTX 4070 that it's meant to surpass, but you'd be wrong. PC forum members have noticed this, telling prospective buyers to avoid the 5070 and stick to the older 4000 series instead.

The RTX 5070 sees only around a 7% boost over the RTX 4070 that it was meant to replace. Thankfully, the RTX 5070 has seen prices stabilize since its launch, but it's still hard to recommend one — typically priced at more than $500 — for what little it has to offer over the previous generation. For around $100 less, you should consider a used 4070, and put the money you saved into other components down the line.

The RTX 2060 might sound like a good card on paper, particularly for those looking to save money while taking advantage of modern features that the Nvidia GTX line of cards lack. The 2060 features the RTX branding, so you'll have access to modern features such as DLSS and other Nvidia offerings.

The RTX 2060 remains a solid card that can be found on the refurbished market for around $150. Why, then, should you avoid the RTX 2060 in 2025? The answer once again comes thanks to that pesky VRAM limitation. While the RTX 2060 is a fine card for 1080P gaming, the paltry 6GB of VRAM means you'll be bottlenecked when attempting to run games at higher resolutions.

With 4K gaming slowly becoming the industry standard, it's hard to recommend that anyone purchase a graphics card that's limited by 6GB of VRAM. Having access to DLSS will help to mitigate the lack of VRAM, but it will only get you so far — and for so long. You'll be better served spending marginally more to purchase a more modern card.