MSI GeForce GTX 1050 OC 2GB

us.msi.com $110

Although lacking in extras, this GTX 1050 still puts in a solid performance for the price. If the EVGA card was basic, this MSI is positively barebones. You still get a black PCB but otherwise there are no adornments, just a metal IO plate and heatsink. Meanwhile the plastic fan shroud is a rather clunky combination of black and white, plus it commits the cardinal sin of unnecessarily overhanging the edge of the back of the card in an effort to look bigger and more impressive. Like its more expensive sibling, though, one of the big boons of this card is that, unlike the GTX 950 that it replaces, it doesn’t require any extra power cables.

When it comes to performance, the 2GB of memory on this card, plus its relatively small 128-bit memory bus, mean that it struggles even more than the EVGA card with the 8x MSAA and extreme settings of Titanfall2, though it still just about delivers a playable set of results.

As for TheWitcher, the lower resolution and lack of AA mean that it takes proportionally far less of a hit compared to more expensive Nvidia cards.

As a result, despite its modest appearance, this is the best value card on test, with a bang for buck score that far exceeds any other card. For 1080p gaming it’s ideal. 85%