Best graphics card deals in Australia (March 2022)

If you put off buying a new GPU in 2021, you’re far from being alone. Horrendous pricing meant that 2021 was something of a lost year for PC gamers. Thankfully, that’s changing. Graphics card prices are finally falling and that means there are some ‘bargains’ to be found. Bargain is a relative term, as prices are still well above RRP in Australia, but the worst of the price gouging appears to be behind us.

Graphics cards, like all PC components, have been hit by pandemic-related supply chain issues, but there’s another reason that buying a GPU has been so difficult: mining demand. Graphics cards are once again being used for mining crypto currencies, with Ethereum currently being the most profitable. There are signs that mining demand is softening as crypto prices fall and Ethereum looks to move away from energy intensive proof of work mining. That means more stock on shelves, more cards in the hands of gamers and falling prices.

Like most consumer products, graphics cards have recommended retail prices, but sadly, you can pretty much disregard them. Nevertheless, we’ve listed RRPs here as it gives you an idea of how inflated (or not) a particular card is and whether buying it is a good idea.

 How much should I pay? 

Although graphics card prices are on a downward trend, for many models they are still priced well above where they should be. With that in mind, we’ve come up with some general advice on what a good deal is at this point in time. We’ll be updating our recommendations regularly based on the latest pricing.

Our ‘good deal’ pricing is based on what we see popping up on deal sites or intermittent flash sales. If you’re prepared to be patient and stay ready to snap up a great deal when it appears, these will be the best prices that you’re likely to find in the short term. As pricing is trending downward, however, you still might come across an even lower price if you're prepared to wait it out.

Our ‘I can’t wait’ pricing generally shows the best deals that are listed for in-stock models that you can buy right at the time of writing. Of course, you can expect to pay more than this for premium overclocked models.

Entry-level cards (under AU$350)

 Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 

The GTX 1650 mightn’t be the latest and greatest GPU on the market but it’s a good step up from integrated graphics, and it will allow you to play modern games at 1080p – albeit with lower settings.  

Australian RRP: AU$309
Recommended 'good deal' price: AU$249 (20% below RRP)
'I can’t wait' price: AU$299 (3% below RRP)

Top deals we've found:

• MSI GeForce GTX 1650 4GT LP – AU$249 @ Computer Alliance
• Asus GeForce GTX 1650 Dual OC 4GB – AU$339 @ Mwave
• Palit GeForce GTX 1650 Gaming Pro – AU$346 @ Kogan

Read our full Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 review (MSI Gaming X).

 AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT 

The RX 6500 XT has its limitations but it's one of the few cards that never experienced massive price inflation. It can do a job if you don’t ask too much of it.

Australian RRP: AU$399
Recommended 'good deal' price: AU$319 (20% below RRP)
'I can’t wait' price: AU$349 (12% below RRP)

Top deals we've found:

• Asus Radeon RX 6500XT 4GB Dual OC – AU$349 @ Computer Alliance
• XFX Radeon RX 6500 XT Speedster QCK210 4GB – AU$369 @ PLE
• Sapphire Radeon RX 6500 XT Pulse 4GB – AU$379 @ Mwave

Read our full AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT review (Gigabyte Gaming OC).

Lower mid-range cards (AU$400 to AU$600)

 Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 

The RTX 3050 brings Nvidia’s best tech including DLSS and ray tracing to a relatively affordable price point. With its 8GB of VRAM, it's well placed to play games at 1080p now and into the future. 

Australian RRP: AU$429
Recommended 'good deal' price: AU$449 (5% above RRP)
'I can’t wait' price: AU$499 (17% above RRP)

Top deals we've found:

• Asus Phoenix GeForce RTX 3050 – AU$499 @ Scorptec
• Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3050 Eagle OC 8GB – AU$509 @ Ebay
• Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3050 Eagle 8GB – AU$499 @ Mwave

 Read our full Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 review (Gigabyte Eagle). 

 AMD Radeon RX 6600 

If you don’t care for things like DLSS, then AMD’s RX 6600 is an option that allows you to play games at 1080p with high settings in most cases. It's also very power thrifty.

Australian RRP: AU$499
Recommended 'good deal' price: AU$499 (RRP)
'I can’t wait' price: AU$549 (10% above RRP)

Top deals we've found:

• Asus Radeon RX 6600 Dual 8GB – AU$579 @ Ebay
• Asrock Radeon RX 6600 Challenger D 8GB – AU$549 @ Mwave
• Asus Radeon RX 6600 Dual 8GB – AU$579 @ Mwave

 Read our full AMD Radeon RX 6600 review. (Powercolor RX 6600 Fighter)

Mid-range cards (AU$600 to AU$800)

Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060

The RTX 3060 is a good option for use with a high refresh rate 1080p screen. Its 12GB frame buffer means it can happily game away at 1440p too. 

Australian RRP: AU$529
Recommended 'good deal' price: AU$629 (20% above RRP)
'I can’t wait' price: AU$649 (23% above RRP)

Top deals we've found:

• Asus Phoenix GeForce RTX 3060 V2 12GB – AU$629 @ Scorptec
• Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3060 Gaming OC 12GB – AU$649 @ Amazon
• Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3060 Eagle OC 12GB – AU$639 @ Mwave

 Read our full Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 12GB review (Zotac Twin Edge). 

 Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti 

RTX 3060 Ti availability and pricing has been affected by mining demand more than any other card. As it claws its way back towards its RRP, it becomes a very potent 1440p option.

Australian RRP: AU$699
Recommended 'good deal' price: AU$759 (11% above RRP)
'I can’t wait' price: AU$799 (17% above RRP)

Top deals we've found:

• Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Eagle OC 8GB  – AU$759 @ Computer Alliance
• Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Eagle OC LHR 8GB – AU$759 @ PLE
• Asus Dual GeForce RTX 3060 Ti V2 8GB – AU$769 @ Scorptec

 Read our full Nvidia RTX 3060 Ti review (Founders Edition). 

 AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT 

The RX 6700 XT was also affected by mining demand, though not as much as the 3060 Ti. It lacks the ray tracing performance of the 3060 Ti, but if you don’t care for that, the 6700XT is a good 1440p gaming option. 

Australian RRP: AU$899
Recommended 'good deal' price: AU$929 (3% above RRP)
'I can’t wait' price: AU$999 (12% above RRP)

Top deals we've found:

• MSI RX6700 XT 12GB Mech 2X OC – AU$939 @ Ebay
• ASRock Radeon RX 6700 XT Challenger Pro OC 12GB – AU$999 @ Mwave
• Sapphire Pulse AMD Radeon RX 6700XT 12GB DDR6 OC – AU$999 @ Mwave

 Read our full AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT review (reference card).

Mid-high end cards (AU$800 to AU$1200)

Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 

Stocks and prices of the RTX 3070 are improving and if you’re looking to game at 1440p with high frame rates, it's a strong option.

Australian RRP: AU$809
Recommended 'good deal' price: AU$999 (23% above RRP)
'I can’t wait' price: AU$1,099 (31% above RRP)

Top deals we've found:

• Asus RTX 3070 8GB KO Gaming – AU$999 @ Ebay
• Gigabyte RTX 3070 8GB Gaming OC – AU$999 @ Computer Alliance
• Asus TUF GeForce RTX 3070 V2 OC 8GB – AU$1,059 @ Mwave

 Read our full Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 review (Founders Edition). 

Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti 

The RTX 3070 Ti enjoys  a core count and memory bandwidth upgrade over the RTX 3070 making it a better 4K option than the regular 3070. 

Australian RRP: AU$959
Recommended 'good deal' price: AU$1,099 (15% above RRP)
'I can’t wait' price: AU$1,149 (20% above RRP)

Top deals we've found:

• Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Vision OC 8GB – AU$1,099 @ eBay
• Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Vision OC 8GB – AU$1,099 @ Amazon
• PNY GeForce RTX 3070 Ti XLR8 Gaming Revel Epic-X 8GB – AU$1,099 @ Mwave

Read our full Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti review (Founders Edition). 

AMD Radeon RX 6800

The 6800 will play most titles at 4K with high settings and its 250W TDP is welcome in an era of ever higher power consumption ratings. 

Australian RRP: AU$949
Recommended 'good deal' price: AU$1,199 (26% above RRP)
'I can’t wait' price: AU$1,499 (58% above RRP)

Top deals we've found:

• Asus Radeon RX 6800 TUF Gaming OC 16GB – AU$1,499 @ Mwave
• MSI RX 6800 Gaming X Trio 16GB – AU$1,599 @ Computer Alliance
• MSI RX 6800 Gaming X Trio 16GB  – AU$1,599 @ Kogan

Read our full AMD Radeon RX 6800 review. 

High-end cards (above AU$1200)

Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080

The RTX 3080 wowed us when it launched thanks to its very strong 1440p and 4K performance. It made ray tracing and DLSS technologies truly relevant and 18 months after its launch it remains a desirable card. 

Australian RRP: AU$1,139
Recommended 'good deal' price: AU$1,299 (14% above RRP)
'I can’t wait' price: AU$1,399 (22% above RRP)

Top deals we've found:

• Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3080 Eagle OC 10GB – AU$1,299 @ Mwave
• Galax RTX 3080 10GB LHR SG 1-Click OC – AU$1,399 @ Computer Alliance
• Asus ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3080 V2 10GB – AU$1,479 @ Scorptec

Read our full Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 review (10GB Founders Edition). 

AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT

AMD’s RX 6800 XT is a genuinely competitive 4K gaming card and with its 16GB of memory you won’t have any issues running any game with all of its options turned up. 

Australian RRP: AU$1,049
Recommended 'good deal' price: AU$1,399 (34% above RRP)
'I can’t wait' price: AU$1,499 (43% above RRP)

Top deals we've found:

• Asus Radeon TUF Gaming 6800 XT OC – AU$1,613 @ Ebay
• Gigabyte Radeon RX 6800 XT Gaming OC 16G – AU$1,649 @ Ebay
• MSI RX 6800 XT 16GB Gaming Z Trio – AU$1,699@ Computer Alliance

Read our full AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT review. 

Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti

The 3080 Ti delivers performance that all but matches the RTX 3090, but at a relatively more attractive, though still steep price. 

Australian RRP: AU$1,920
Recommended 'good deal' price: AU$1,899 (1% below RRP)
'I can’t wait' price: AU$2,199 (15% above RRP)

Top deals we've found:

• Galax GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 1-Click OC 12GB – AU$2,099 @ Mwave
• MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Ventus 3X OC 12GB  – AU$2,059 @ Ebay
• Zotac Gaming GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Trinity OC 12GB  – AU$2,199 @ Scorptec

Read our full Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti review (Founders Edition)