The RTX 2060 offers the best value within that group, and is poised to replace the GTX 1070 as the middle ground for great performance at a price that remains within reach of most enthusiasts. In the past few weeks we’ve seen requests on what’s the best GTX 1070 to buy replaced by what is the best RTX 2060 board. While some readers want to know which model is outright the best, others are more interested in best value or what options are suitable for Mini-ITX builds. Without further ado, here are the top four RTX 2060 cards in the market right now…
Best Priced RTX 2060
Gigabyte RTX 2060 OC or RTX 2060 Mini-ITX OC
As of writing, there aren’t many models selling at the $350 MSRP, in fact as I put this video together there’s just two Gigabyte models, the RTX 2060 OC and RTX 2060 Mini-ITX OC. A few days prior there was also the Zotac Gaming RTX 2060 Twin Fan, which we’d been recommending, but it’s now jumped a bit in price. The Gigabyte RTX 2060 Gaming OC features a triple fan cooler and it delivers where it counts. We’ve been watching this model for sometime now and pricing has been consistent, it came in as one of the cheapest models at $370 and for a month now it’s been available at all major online retailers for $350. If you can get the Zotac Twin Fan model for $350, it’s a worthwhile option, too. The Gigabyte is a basic model, packs some decent features such as alternate spinnings fans, direct touch copper heatpipes and a full length backplate. It’s by no means the coolest or quietest RTX 2060 out there and if you’re willing to spend $20-$30 more you will get a better product in that respect.
Best Premium RTX 2060
Asus ROG Strix RTX 2060 OC
If you’re not stretching the budget to get an RTX 2060 and have a little extra spending, we highly recommend the Asus ROG Strix RTX 2060 OC Gaming. At $400 it’s $50 more expensive than the few base models you can find at the MSRP, but you get a lot more graphics card for the money. Granted it’s not much faster, but it is significantly cooler and quieter. Out of the box it runs at just 62 degrees and that’s an 11 degree improvement over the similarly priced MSI RTX 2060 Gaming Z. VRM and GDDR6 memory temperatures were also very low relative to other high-end 2060 models and our card overclocked like a champ, holding an operating frequency of 2055 MHz with ease. Just be aware that this thing is the size of a high-end graphics card, it measures 300mm long, stands 132mm tall and is a whopping 50mm wide. There’s three 85mm fans, a full-size backplate and enough customizable RGB lighting to put your christmas tree to shame, though for those after a stealth look, you can kill the lighting with the press of a button. Overall the Asus ROG Strix RTX 2060 OC Gaming won’t disappoint those after a premium RTX 2060 experience.
Best Mini-ITX RTX 2060
Gigabyte RTX 2060 Mini ITX OC
There are two main choices here: the MSI RTX 2060 Aero ITX OC and Gigabyte RTX 2060 Mini ITX OC and we’re going with the Gigabyte model for a few reasons. MSI has announced the RTX 2060 Aero ITX OC, but good luck finding one, it doesn’t appear to be on sale yet. We’d probably recommend the Gigabyte anyway as it’s slightly shorter. The 126mm height of the MSI model will make compatibility with some Mini-ITX cases such as the Geeek A30 very difficult. The 121mm tall design of the Gigabyte version is more suitable for these smaller cases. The Gigabyte model also has a zero RPM fan mode and when under load is relatively quiet for a single-fan 2060. Perhaps best of all, it’s readily available at the MSRP, meaning you can buy one today for just $350.
Best Blower Style RTX 2060
Asus Turbo RTX 2060
We are not too fond of blower-style graphics cards, but in few scenarios they can make sense. Your options here are extremely limited though, and the only widely available version comes from Asus with their Turbo RTX 2060. For $390 it’s up there with the more expensive models and while we’d typically recommend avoiding it, if you must get a blower-style card this would be your best choice. The Turbo RTX 2060 features a 80mm IP5X rated dual-ball bearing fan, some subtle lighting, measures 268mm long and is, of course, a dual-slot card.
Closing Thoughts
Picking the right RTX 2060 is a little tricky and for the most part it’s all about the price. There are very few $350 options to choose from, and once you get up over the MSRP they all seem to jump up pretty close to $400. If you’re going to spend ~$380, for example, you might as well just go the full hog at that point and get the beastly Asus ROG Strix RTX 2060 OC Gaming for $400. It’s still at least $100 cheaper than a base model RTX 2070 and for the most part offers similar performance. The cheapest Vega graphics cards still cost a little over $400 and you’ll be hard pressed to get one that matches the quality of the ROG Strix RTX 2060 OC Gaming.
