Products at a Glance
How we chose the best ITX GPUs
We’ve made our choices for the best ITX GPUs based on a combination of our knowledge, experience, and own testing. Because you’re going for a smaller form factor build here, you can’t exactly make do with a super thick triple or quad slot video card, and while triple fan cards are great for extra cooling, they are considerably longer which means they won’t be ideal. Because of this, our options are either single or dual fans, and we’ve tried to find the most compact dual fan setups which are as thin as possible without sacrificing too much cooling potential. We’ve excluded low-profile options as they aren’t up to the task in 2024.
Another plus of smaller GPUs like this is a smaller power draw, but the trade off is power. If you want to effortlessly max out games in the highest resolutions available then there will be better offerings than these. Instead, think about all these AMD and Nvidia video cards as enough for specific use cases. You’ll be able to push 1080p and 1440p, but 4K may be more of a struggle, so keep that in mind. Let’s get into our choices.
Product Reviews
- Compact dual-fan design
- Premium build quality
- Low TDP
- Pricier than some other options
The Zotac RTX 4060 Ti Twin Edge OC takes the top spot for the best ITX GPU and that’s for a very good reason. It combines power and affordability with a compact design that’s hard to beat for the asking price. It’s available for around the $400 but has frequently been discounted. We’ve opted this version over the base RTX 4060 thanks to the former’s vastly improved performance in both 1080p and 1440p with strong ray tracing support, too.
That’s due in part to the RTX 4060 Ti being built on the larger AD106 die with 4,352 CUDA cores. It’s once again limited to 8GB GDDR6 RAM and a 128-bit memory bus, but this GPU can do a lot more with the hardware thanks to a higher power draw with its 160W TDP, allowing for a total bandwidth of 288GB/sec. In contrast, the base model’s 115W TDP meant for only 272GB/sec. We think it’s worth the extra money to really get to push the latest games in high and ultra settings without worry, especially when factoring in DLSS 3, too.
- Aggressive pricing
- 8GB RAM
- Super small form factor
- Struggles in 1440p
- A little pricier due to form factor
If you find yourself on a tighter budget but still want decent 1080p performance from the latest games then the ASUS Phoenix RTX 3050 holds up well enough. It’s now commonly available around the $230 mark with a single fan setup meaning it’s ideal for those particularly small builds. Keep in mind that this is far from a powerhouse GPU, but if you smartly utilize DLSS you can expect 1080p60 at high and even ultra settings if you’re smart with your setting sliders.
Built on the GA106 GPU and featuring 2,560 CUDA cores on a 128-bit memory bus with 8GB GDDR6 VRAM, there’s enough under the hood to keep playing today’s games with few compromises. We’re recommending the RTX 3050 over the likes of the GTX 1650 and GTX 1660 due to the fact that the Turing cards are really struggling now in 2024. If you’re after a card to slot in and game conservatively in 1080p then this one has all you need as long as you keep your expectations tempered.
- Powered by a single 8-pin PCIe
- 8GB GDDR6 VRAM
- Compact design
- Two slot GPU
- Not ideal for 1440p
Team Red has many solid GPUs which would be ideal for an ITX build but we’re confident in recommending the XFX Speedster SWFT210 Radeon RX 7600 above all. The most recent mainstream card from the company has a lot going for it including 8GB GDDR6 VRAM, a dual-slot and dual-fan design, as well as a low power usage of 165W. What’s more, it requires just a single PCIe power connector which means you can minimize the amount of cables going from your PSU to the card; ideal if things are a little more cramped.
This particular RX 7600 is among the cheapest options available as it can be found around the $260 mark. It’s a card that’s on the thinner side even as far as dual-slot GPUs go, if you’re running a rig with limited space, it shouldn’t be too tight a squeeze. Then we get onto the performance capabilities and 1080p is where this graphics card shines. Specifically, you can expect to push up to 1080p60 and above in titles such as God of War, Red Dead Redemption II, and Spider-Man: Miles Morales when maxed out. Other titles may hover more around the 30fps mark, and that’s where the implementation of FSR can really do some heavy lifting.
- Leading 1440p performance
- Good in 4K
- Lean build
- May be a tight squeeze fit
- On the expensive mid-range end
We’re kind of pushing the definition of an ITX GPU with the ZOTAC Gaming RTYX 4070 Super Twin Edge OC, but it’s worth including all the same. This card is compact, but definitely the largest and heaviest as seen in our roundup so far, but with vastly increased power under the hood. This card is built upon the AD104 die and features 20% more CUDA cores from the original variant with 7,168. It’s also running 12GB GDDR6X memory with a 192-bit memory bus which makes it ideal for not only high-end 1440p gaming, but also gaming in 4K as well.
That’s the biggest strength of the RTX 4070 Super as a whole because it’s technically a dual-slot GPU, with this ZOTAC model being a dual fan offering. That means it’s a fair bit shorter than some triple fan alternatives, meaning it should fit better in more cramped PC cases. There’s a higher power draw than some cards in our list, however, with its 220W TDP, for a suggested PSU of at least 550W and up, so keep that in mind if you’re considering the upgrade. All that power results in a bandwidth of 504.3 GB/sec which is more than enough to hold up against today’s demanding games.
Things to consider with the best ITX GPU
When we say ITX, we are mostly referring to mini-ITX as in small form factor gaming PC builds. Traditionally, these motherboards are much smaller than what you’ll find from ATX boards and measure across at 6.7 x 6.7 inches (17cm x 17cm). That means you have far less room for the likes of massive graphics cards and are normally limited to just dual-channel RAM configurations, too. The trade-off is that you can make machines that are similar in size to the likes of the Xbox Series X and PS5 (or smaller) for rigs that could easily be a part of a home theater PC or sit under a monitor setup.
We strongly recommend checking out the best mini-ITX cases for a more thorough look to pair with your new ITX GPU. Fortunately, there are many strong models from trusted manufacturers such as Lian Li, Fractal, and Corsair so there’s no shortage of offerings. At a time where graphics cards are getting larger and there’s more of a need for bigger cases, such as the best full tower cases, scaling things down to a compact PC can be a preferred route. Especially when mini-ITX builds are growing in popularity.
What is the maximum GPU size for mini-ITX?
While many dual-slot cards can comfortably fit inside of a mini-ITX build, you may struggle with a triple slot card. Because of this, we’ve recommended dual slot, and dual fan cards for maximum compatibility.
Can a GPU be too big for a motherboard?
No, a GPU cannot be too big for a motherboard as most gaming graphics cards use a standardized PCIe 16x port. The problem you may run into, however, is if your case size with a graphics card, hence why we recommend either a single slot or dual-slot GPU, and compact options at that.
Our Verdict
The Zotac RTX 4060 Ti Twin Edge OC takes pole position for its aggressive pricing, strong performance, sleek design, and widespread availability. If you’re in the market for a truly remarkable, and low power video card, then this one holds up remarkably well. It’s one of the best GPUs for its price point and should be ideal for compact cases for mini-ITX PCs. It’s a powerful GPU for your PC build and is available through Amazon and other trusted retailers.