Which budget GPU will have the best discounts during Black Friday 2026?

Question

I've been building rigs since the GTX 970 days so I usually have a handle on the release cycles but looking at the roadmap for late 2026 is actually giving me some serious anxiety. My old 1660 Super is finally starting to throw artifacts and I'm trying to hold out for another year and a half to do a full refresh but man the price creep is killing me. I usually aim for that $250-300 sweet spot for 1080p high refresh gaming—mostly Valorant and some heavier single player stuff—but it feels like the entry level keeps getting pushed higher and higher every gen. Im over in the US so I usually camp out the Newegg or Best Buy sales.

With the 50-series likely being mid-cycle by then and rumors of the 60-series being right around the corner I cant tell if the old stock of the mid-range cards like the 5060 or maybe whatever AMD has in the RDNA 4 or 5 pipeline will actually see a deep cut or if they'll just discontinue them to keep prices inflated. I really dont want to get stuck paying $400 for a 'budget' card again like we saw a couple years ago. Based on how the inventory cycles are looking for late 2026 which specific budget GPU do you think is actually gonna hit the deepest discount during the Black Friday sales?

AllenFlorp · Accepted Answer

^ This. Also, what wattage is your current PSU? Just wanna make sure you wont have issues with the newer power connectors. Im super happy with the efficiency on the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 8GB GDDR7 lately, it works well for 1080p. Usually, Nvidia stays firm on price, but the AMD Radeon RX 8700 12GB GDDR6 will likely see the biggest drops to clear stock. AMD is always way more aggressive with those holiday sales.

mvmepxoerm · Answer

Late to the party but be careful with the 8GB limit on the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 8GB GDDR7 for those heavier single-player games. I learned the hard way when I tried to stretch my old mid-range card too far and hit a total VRAM wall.

Nvidia 5060: amazing efficiency, but memory is tight.

AMD Radeon RX 8700 12GB GDDR6: more headroom, usually steeper discounts. I suggest watching inventory levels closely so you dont miss out.

vrdgrqipqz · Answer

unfortunately, the price drops on new nvidia tech havent been as good as expected lately. ive had issues with them keeping stock low to inflate prices. the AMD Radeon RX 8600 12GB GDDR6 is probably gonna be the one that actually sees a real discount below $250. the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 8GB GDDR7 will likely stay stubborn, which is just disappointing tbh. youll get through it though! let me know if you need help hunting for deals.