An essential computer component for every gamer is a good and compatible graphics card. Choosing the right graphics card is crucial because you need to be careful about the specifications of your card. From the type of monitor you have to its compatibility, it’s all a frustrating decision.
There are a million options readily available, and it can be overwhelming. To make the search easier, here’s our list of some of the best small form factor graphics cards.
Read on to know which one should be your pick.
Best Small Form Factor Graphics Card Comparison Table
Contents
- Best Small Form Factor Graphics Card Comparison Table
- Top 10 Best Small Form Factor Graphics Card To Buy 2022 Reviews
- 1 EVGA GeForce GT 740 2GB GDDR5
- 2 EVGA GeForce GTX 750Ti 2GB GDDR5
- 3 ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1050 with 2GB GDDR5
- 4 ZOTAC Gaming GeForce GTX 1660 6GB GDDR5
- 5 ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1080 Mini 8GB GDDR5X
- 6 Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2060 Mini ITX OC
- 7 XFX RADEON RX 480 8GB Custom Tuned OC Graphics Card
- 8 Gigabyte Radeon RX 550 D5 2GB Graphic Cards GV-RX550D5-2GD
- 9 Sapphire Radeon R9 Nano 4GB HBM HDMI/Triple DP PCI-Express Graphics Card 21249-00-40G
- 10 MSI Gaming Radeon GDDR5 DirectX 12 VR Ready CFX Graphics Card
- Conclusion
Name | RAM size | Memory speed | Graphics Coprocessor | Rating |
---|---|---|---|---|
Also Great EVGA GeForce GT 740 2GB GDDR5 View Price | RAM Size 2 GB | Memory Speed 5000 MHz | Graphics Coprocessor Nvidia GeForce | |
Also Great EVGA GeForce GTX 750Ti 2GB GDDR5 View Price | RAM Size 2 GB | Memory Speed 5,400 MHz | Graphics Coprocessor Nvidia GeForce | |
RAM Size 2 GB | Memory Speed 7000 MHz | Graphics Coprocessor GeForce | | |
RAM Size 6 GB | Memory Speed 1785 MHz | Graphics Coprocessor NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 | | |
RAM Size 8 GB | Memory Speed 10,000 MHz | Graphics Coprocessor NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1680 | | |
RAM Size 6 GB | Memory Speed 14000 MHz | Graphics Coprocessor NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 | | |
RAM Size 8 GB | Memory Speed 8,000 MHz | Graphics Coprocessor gddr5 | | |
RAM Size 2 GB | Memory Speed 7000 MHz | Graphics Coprocessor AMD | | |
RAM Size 4 GB | Memory Speed 500 MHz | Graphics Coprocessor AMD Radeon | | |
RAM Size 4 GB | Memory Speed 1196 MHz | Graphics Coprocessor AMD Radeon RX 560 | |
Top 10 Best Small Form Factor Graphics Card To Buy 2022 Reviews
1
EVGA GeForce GT 740 2GB GDDR5
The EVGA GeForce GT 740 has been designed to provide gamers with the additional power their GPU can offer. This card helps to make your video game graphics more enhanced so that you can enjoy a smoother motion without missing a detail. It also provides computing assistance to the increasingly large number of GPU-aware applications.
With the help of APIs such as OpenCL and CUDA, you carry out heavy activities such as transcoding videos without having to take much of your CPU’s resource. All of this can be shifted to GPU which will actually perform operations faster than the CPU could do initially.
The GT 740 version offers a 1085 MHz GPU along with 384 CUDA cores. This acts as a general-purpose shader for supplying display graphics. It also allows applications to perform multiple simple computations at once.
For transferring data as effectively as possible, it features 2GB of 1250 MHz GDDR5 RAM over a 128-bit memory interface. Moreover, the GDDR5 Ram moves data at four words per cycle, which is why the memory clock speed works out to 5000 MHz and results in a memory bandwidth of up to 80 GB/s.
Moving on to the compatibility of the card, it can be connected to an array of displays that range from computer monitors to HDTVs. In fact, even projectors, 3D, and 4k devices can be connected.
Along with a DVI-I port which supports digital and VGA display, the card also features DVI-D port and a mini-HDMI port. With the help of HDMI, it can project displays with resolutions up to DCI 4k (4096 x 2160) and analog displays up to 2048 x 1536.
On the other hand, this card takes a lot of power, almost three times more than its siblings. Not only that, but it is also very noisy. If you’re someone who needs complete silence to work, this card’s fan will not let you so remember that before making a decision.
Pros
- Solid quality.
- High display resolution.
- Great for computing and Photoshop.
Cons
- Doesn’t support Microsoft platforms.
- Noisy fan.
- High power consumption.
2
EVGA GeForce GTX 750Ti 2GB GDDR5
Like many cards from the 700-series, the 750 Ti card also supports G-sync. This is a new technology that lets you play games without refresh rates stutters or any screen tearing with the help of GeForce video cards.
To connect your card for the G-sync, you will need a G-sync capable monitor and GTX 650 Ti boost video card. It doesn’t even need any additional power connectors, which means it’s ready to go as soon as it’s out of the box. In addition, it supports three displays and features one mini-HDMI port and two Dual-link DVI ports.
It’s also a very efficient video card regarding its power-usage. Its bolt takes up to 60W. Consequently, this mini GPU is all good on its own and doesn’t need a 750W beast to power it. Besides, NVidia’s PSU requirement is only 300W.
When it comes to specs, this card is not one to disappoint. It features 512 CUDA cores, a base clock of 1020MHz, and a boost clock of 1085MHz. More importantly, this card provides more video RAM bandwidth, it’s perfect for using it while you run multiple monitors. Even if you take this card for a fast ride, it won’t create any stability issues.
When it’s overclocked by 1169MHz, it doesn’t seem to stop working, but instead, it boosts the performance by 5%. Since it’s so compact, this may just be the best small form factor graphics card for you.
That being said, there’s nothing much to whine about regarding this card; however, if you need a card that supports dual-GPU capabilities, you may want to keep searching. It also doesn’t support SLI. The card doesn’t come along with a game bundle which may not be a deal-breaker, but it is a minor let down.
Pros
- Quiet.
- No additional power connectors.
- Consumes very little power.
- Small and compact.
Cons
- No SLI option.
- No game bundles.
- Doesn’t support dual-GPU capabilities.
3
ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1050 with 2GB GDDR5
Something that makes this card stand out is its size, which is quite ironic. Its circuit board is only 14.5 x 11.1 cm, and it doesn’t even need an additional PCI Express power supply. Thanks to these features, it makes the GPU for situations where space is limited, and the power is restricted as well.
Moreover, the heatsink is made up of aluminum. It disperses the heat from the core with the help of a star-shaped fan that doesn’t produce the slightest noise.
It features a Dual-link DVI, HDMI 2.0b and a DisplayPort 1.4. The best part is that all the ports can be used simultaneously as the card supports a 3-monitor setup. As for how much heat it can take, it can be rounded up to 56 degrees Celsius.
Besides, with this card, throttling won’t be an issue since its performance remains the same throughout whatever game you wish to play. In terms of power consumption, it is really efficient as it uses only 64.5W.
There aren’t many cons to buying this card. But if there is it’s just that you’ll have to use lower than the maximum graphic setting on new games so that it doesn’t mess with your frame rate. It can’t always maintain 60fps at 1080p as it can be a bit much for the card to handle.
All in all, it does perform really well for a mini card, and it’s perfect for gaming on a budget. If you want to upgrade your computer without the hassle of making space for a large graphics card, then the ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1050 is your best bet.
Pros
- Compact build.
- Great for gaming.
- 3-monitor setup.
Cons
- Difficulty with maintaining 1080p consistently.
4
ZOTAC Gaming GeForce GTX 1660 6GB GDDR5
This series has caused quite an uproar, and there are many good reasons for that. The 1660 series have been based on the Turing architecture. It has been based on the same 12 nm “TU116” silicon as their previous model, which was GTX 1660 Ti.
This card has two less streaming multiprocessors (SMs) out of 24, which are paired with a GPU that has GBPS GDDR5 memory instead of 12 GPBS. Besides, the Zotac’s card’s gaming power consumption is highly impressive too.
It uses only 108 W, which in this case is super-efficient as it does much better when compared to the GTX 1060. Additionally, it also performs better at the same time.
Its unique design is really compact and also features two fans with a dual-slot cooler along with the three standard DisplayPort 1.4a and one HDMI 2.0b. Other than that, the heatsink uses a copper base and three heat pipes to keep the card cool.
Another thing that was found useful about this card was that during heavy gaming, the fans remained pretty quiet. Its two fan design helps to keep the heat in control, and the temperature is kept as low as 68 degrees Celsius.
One of their most disappointing shortcomings was the fact that they didn’t include the idle-fan-off feature, which allows the fans to stop working during internet browsing or light gaming. After some overclocking tests, the results were… rather unfortunate. It only resulted in mediocre improvements that weren’t worth bothering over, so it’s better to just work with the setting you get when its right out of the box.
Basically, our conclusion is that although there are some sweet features hidden in the card, it’s just best to use if for a home theatre PC system if you need help with handling 1080p gaming. The main component of your decision should be whether it is compatible with your needs and what sort of devices you have.
Pros
- Compact design.
- Power-efficient.
- Quiet during gaming.
- Low temperatures.
- Vesa adaptive-sync.
Cons
- No idle-fan-stop.
- No support for RTX and DLSS.
- Not overclocked readily.
- No game bundle.
- No backplate.
5
ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1080 Mini 8GB GDDR5X
Just like the name suggests, this mini card offers high quality and endless features wrapped up in one compact design. This tiny card includes 8 GB of GDDR5X readily clocked at 10Gbps. Its architecture is based on NVIDIA’S “Pascal’ model, which includes the streaming multiprocessors and indivisible subunits of an NVIDIA GPU.
Other than that, it also features more CUDA cores than its previous models, and more TMUs and even memory. This mini card has a dual fan system and a metal cooler. It’s connectivity options include a DVI and an HDMI port and three DisplayPorts. The DVI port doesn’t have an analog signal in this model, so you’ll have to use an active adapter.
The dual-slot and dual-fan design along with four heat pipes heatsinks work great at keeping the card cool, and if the card remains cool, there is no thermal throttling. Its heat control is very impressive. The fact that even under heavy gaming, temperatures only reach till 67 degrees Celsius is proof.
As for power consumption, it only requires a little bit more than the Founders Edition. This is actually an advantage as it prevents overheating due to a small space paired with little airflow. Out of the box, the card is already overclocked; that’s a huge relief! This tiny, tiny card truly deserves to be on our list of best small form factor graphics card.
Here’s the flip side though. As tiny as the card is, it seems to make more noise than any other card. It even lacks the idle-fan off feature, something that’s essential for silent light gaming and brewing.
Their memory chips have not been overclocked, but if they were, it’d be a great addition to its amazing number of features. Even if it’s a little card, its prices won’t be anywhere near little as it’s said to be one of the most expensive gaming cards.
Finally, the conclusion we’ve come to is that it’s perfect for all gaming purposes only if you’re fine with some serious racer noises.
Pros
- The smallest card.
- DVI port included.
- Overclocked out of the box.
- Good cooling system.
Cons
- Expensive.
- Very noisy.
- No idle-fan-off feature.
- Memory chips are not overclocked.
6
Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2060 Mini ITX OC
It’s no secret that the GeForce RTX 2060 performs greatly at 2560 x 1440. Not to mention, it can even hold at 1920 x 1080 with real-time ray tracing in games like Battlefield V. You can also play games like Overwatch or FIFA 17 with complete ease with this card. It features a 90 mm unique blade fan and 3 copper composite heat-pipe.
Along with 3D active fan functionality, this makes the cooling down performance effective and completely effortless. The best part about this petite card is that it only measures up to 170 mm, which has been the latest trend in the design of the cards. Most of the time, this mini card works better than the rest of its siblings.
Its heat tolerance is up to 75 Celsius; any further than that, the card may suffer from some damage. Another good thing is that the fan virtually seems like it’s not even there, that’s how silent it is. Its intuitive interface software, Arous Engine, lets you adjust the clock speed, voltage, and even fan performance
Even though it’s a small little piece of hardware, it holds in a lot of functions which results in high power consumption. It needs about 500 watts to work properly. That is definitely a lot!
All in all, if you’re not one to worry about the electricity bill, then this card will be perfect for you in every way.
Pros
- Extremely compact.
- Arous engine helps with overclocked graphics performance.
Cons
- Requires a lot of power.
7
XFX RADEON RX 480 8GB Custom Tuned OC Graphics Card
The RADEON RX 480 wasn’t designed for just good old gaming; it was designed for amazing VR performance.
Based on the Polaris architecture, it uses FinFET technology to shrink it from 28 nanometers to 14. It features 3 DisplayPort 1.4 connectors and an HDMI 2.0 port. The new design gives it increased clock speeds all with a minimum amount of heat production.
It supports all of AMD’s existing technologies such as FreeSync, Crossfire, and Eyefinity. Additionally, it provides you with 1080p gaming, and its frames fall under 60fps. It even maintains a 2560 x 1440 display while providing you with smooth gameplay.
Its sleek design does take the aesthetic award home, especially when you pair it with its subtle texture. Secondly, it’s really power-efficient as it only uses up to 150 watts.
But then again, it can’t be completely perfect. As pretty as the card is, it can’t take our focus away from how loud it is. Its method of cooling, which is by blowing hot air out, is not very pleasing to listen to.
AMD seems to be copying NVidia’s way of overclocking. Since NVidia’s way of overclocking is quite complex, AMD’s way becomes complex too.
Overall, this card is suitable for heavy gaming with high resolutions.
Pros
- Fast and amazing performance.
- Offers high resolution.
- Sleek design.
Cons
- Complicated overclocking.
- Loud.
8
Gigabyte Radeon RX 550 D5 2GB Graphic Cards GV-RX550D5-2GD
This card features a compact form factor, which is ideal for those who use pre-built systems but want an upgrade in their graphic quality, as well as those that have small cases. Since it doesn’t need additional power connectors, you can just need to connect it to a motherboard, and it’s all set up.
It consists of a 90 mm fan which keeps the temperature in check. There no RGB lighting as it’s an entry-level card, but you will notice some sleek orange lines and carvings on the housing. Its connectivity options include a Dual-link DVI-D, one DP, and one HDMI port.
This card’s architecture was based on the Lexa chip, which was the same as the one used in Radeon RX 460. On the other hand, this card is only for light or casual gaming; it’s not something that can handle full-on gaming sessions.
The only issue that surfaces is that it has some sort of software issues with the game developers. It has an error margin of 3%.
All in all that this card is good for casual gaming. Besides, E-sports gaming is something that doesn’t need powerful hardware. Additionally, it doesn’t need a strong power supply, and it also doesn’t need a power connector.
Pros
- Compact
- No additional power connector.
- Nice details.
Cons
- Not suitable for heavy gaming.
- Error margin of 3%.
9
Sapphire Radeon R9 Nano 4GB HBM HDMI/Triple DP PCI-Express Graphics Card 21249-00-40G
This card was the starting of a new era. Before small form factor graphics cards were popular, there was no way high-end, and SFF would go together. Because you’d need a cluster of memory chips and other components for the high-end bit and for the SFF part, well it wasn’t possible.
Furthermore, the R9 Nano is a mix of high- bandwidth memory and a 4,096 SP pixel-grinder; it can run even the most pixelated display at 1440. However, it does need an 8-pin PCIe power connector and usually has a power rating of 175W.
AMD’s cooler takes advantage of a vapor chamber baseplate to dissipate heat from the GPU and a single heat pipe to cool down the VRM circulatory. Firstly, its idle fan noise is acceptable. Secondly, the gaming noise was actually above average as well. Additionally, the overclocking performance improved by 12%.
Weirdly enough, it’s not the fan noise that’s bothersome; it’s the coil noise. It keeps chirping all the time! An idle-fan-off feature is always appreciated, and it really would have made the card a little more likable.
Other than that, it lacks an HDMI 2.0 port, which means without it, you can run a 4k at a refresh rate of 30Hz. This is enough for video playback but not at all acceptable for serious gaming.
Considering how much the card it costs, they could have at least added a backplate. Not only would it look nicer, but it’d also even have an extra layer of protection.
In conclusion, use whatever works for you. Especially in this case, there are a lot of cons to overcome but if you can ignore them and work with this card, then go for it.
Pros
- Compact.
- Power-efficient.
- Supports AMD sync.
Cons
- Very expensive.
- No HMDI 2.0 support.
- Coil noise.
- No idle-fan-off feature.
- No backplate.
10
MSI Gaming Radeon GDDR5 DirectX 12 VR Ready CFX Graphics Card
This card is a power load in a tiny case and can fit into any case. Its small form and low weight are true benefits when you’re someone with limited space in a case.
As far as installation goes, it’s very easy; you just have to plug it in. It’s a very durable card as it can last up to 10 years, even under full load. It keeps at a low temperature but always keeps the efficiency high.
It supports AMD Eyefinity. Therefore, you can play on multiple screens for an unreal gaming experience. Other than that, it also supports AMD FreeSync. Consequently, this will help synchronize the display to your Radeon RX series GPU.
Lastly, it also supports HDR for a more visually pleasing gaming experience. It also doesn’t need any sort of power supplies or wires. It can easily power 2k resolution.
However, there were instances where the computer just shut down repeatedly after this card was plugged in.
It also needs a LOT of tweaking because right out of the box, it’s not suitable to give you your desired results. Due to this issue, it may take you longer to find stable settings for you. Another drawback is that it makes a considerable amount of sound, especially during gaming.
Pros
- Supports AMD FreeSync.
- Supports Eyefinity.
Cons
- Needs a lot of tweaking.
- Software issues.
- Loud.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the variety you have is extraordinary. All you have to do is do some research and know your specifications. This list just named a few of the many cards available in the market. If these didn’t meet your needs, don’t worry, just keep looking.
For us, the all-rounder was the ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1080 Mini. It is one of the most compact cards and highly efficient. It works like a charm. Its drawbacks aren’t too bothersome and can easily be overlooked.
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