Best Low Profile Graphics Card in 2021
Secure yourself a compact GPU with the best low profile graphics cards around
- Last Updated May 13, 2021
Low profile graphics cards are a great choice for those who have a smaller PC setup. These versatile LP GPUs may be smaller than the standard full-height graphics cards, but they can fit into pretty much any PC case. They’re a great space-saving alternative if you want to cram loads of other great components into your PC case.
While low profile graphics cards aren’t as powerful or high-end as the more traditional graphics cards, they’re still able to pack a punch in terms of power. Low profile graphics cards are smaller, quieter, and produce less heat than their full height counterparts. But if you’re new to building your own PC or are looking into low profile graphics cards for the first time, it can be tricky when trying to choose the best low profile graphics card for your needs.
Today, we’ll be taking a look at the best low profile graphics cards available to help you find the best model for your particular setup.
Products at a Glance
How We Picked
Trying to find the right low profile graphics card for your needs can be difficult. Especially if you’re not all that technologically minded and aren’t entirely sure what you should be looking for! How can you know what specifications to look for in a low profile graphics card? What kind of speeds should you be looking for? How does a low profile graphics card compare to a standard graphics card?
We’ve done all the research for you so that you don’t have to! We’ve taken a look at hundreds of low profile graphics cards available on the market and come up with a list of the 5 best low profile graphics cards that will be ideal for your PC setup. We took a look at factors such as power consumption, the size of the graphics card, its noise output, and many more to find the best models available.
There’s no need to worry about all the technical details. These low profile graphics cards will have everything you need for an efficient computer setup. So, let’s take a look at the 5 best low profile graphics cards.
Best Low Profile Graphics Card in 2021
The MSI GeForce GTX 1650 4GT LP OC graphics card is arguably one of the most powerful low profile graphics cards available. This particular low profile graphics card has a boost clock speed of 1695MHz and a memory speed of 8 Gbps for a truly powerful smaller model performance. The MSI GeForce GTX 1650 has been designed to be faster than its predecessors and takes advantage of Turing’s advanced graphics features.
The MSI GeForce GTX 1650 is quieter than other competitive models. Standard graphics cards tend to be quite noisy thanks to their larger fans, especially when the fans are hard at work trying to cool the graphics card down. However, the small stature of the MSI GeForce GTX 1650 low profile graphics card means that it doesn’t overheat as quickly as standard models, and the smaller fans give it a quieter performance overall.
Another great feature of this particular low profile graphics card is that it comes with the MSI Afterburner overclocking software. This helps with overclocking, benchmarking, video capture, and monitoring in-game graphics performance. MSI Afterburner gives you full control to monitor your PC system in real-time.
The MSI GeForce GTX 1650 also features an overclocking scanner for GTX 16 series graphics cards. This is an automated function that will find the highest possible stable overclock settings for your particular graphics card. Ideal if you’re after a graphics card that can give you a built-in performance boost for a smoother gaming experience with higher frames per second (FPS)!
Overall, the MSI GeForce GTX 1650 is a powerful low profile graphics card that is the creme de la creme of this type of graphics card.
The Gigabyte Geforce GTX 1050 Ti OC Low Profile 4GB graphics card is another great choice in terms of low profile graphics cards. This particular LP GPU comes with a base clock rate of 1328MHz and a boosted clock speed of 1442MHz while in OC mode. Its gaming mode also packs a punch in terms of clock speed, clocking in at 1303MHz at its base speed and 1417MHz when overclocked. This variety of clock speeds mean you can choose the optimum speed for your computer depending on the task you need it to perform.
This particular low profile graphics card will be an excellent choice if you’re looking for a smaller GPU. The card itself measures 167mm in length and comes with a range of outputs for you to use. Overall the low profile GPU measures 40mm (H) x 229mm (L) x 118mm (W). It features a 90mm fan design to keep the low profile graphics card cool while it’s in use.
The Gigabyte Geforce GTX 1050 Ti comes with dual-link DVI-D, HDMI-2.0b, and a DisplayPort-1.4 for you to choose from. Ideal if you want a low profile graphics card that will support a variety of display cables. The variety of display options means you can play lesser intensive high-quality graphics games with this particular low profile graphics card.
Another great feature of this particular graphics card is that it’s super quiet when it’s in use. Its single fan is able to provide more than adequate cooling and means the LP GPU is virtually near silent while it’s in use. This will be the ideal choice for your computer setup if you’re fed up with noisier graphics cards!
The Gigabyte Geforce GTX 1050 Ti’s high-quality performance makes it a worthy runner-up.
At a glance, the Gigabyte Geforce GTX 1050 OC Low Profile 2GB may seem very similar to its Ti counterpart. And while it does come with many of the same great features, the main difference is that the Gigabyte Geforce GTX 1050 comes with half the VRAM (Video Random Access Memory). Don’t be fooled, though – this particular graphics card is still able to deliver an outstanding performance in terms of low profile graphics cards.
This particular low profile graphics card comes with both OC mode and gaming mode in terms of clock speeds. The OC mode comes with clock speeds of 1392MHz base speed and 1506MHz when overclocked. The gaming mode features a base speed of 1366MHz and an overclocked speed of 1468MHz, which is an impressive range given the graphics card’s size. Haven’t got a clue how to overclock your LP GPU? There’s no need to worry – this card can do it all for you when you click on XTREME engine utility. Ideal if you don’t want a graphics card that has to be manually adjusted to make use of the higher speeds.
The great thing about this particular low profile graphics card is that it can support up to 4 displays. It comes with a dual-link DVI-D, a DisplayPort, and 2 HDMI ports for you to choose from. This will be a handy feature if you’re looking for a low profile graphics card that can support a variety of displays to suit your needs.
Another great feature of the Gigabyte Geforce GTX 1050 low profile graphics card is that it comes with the intuitive XTREME engine utility. This feature allows you to monitor clock speeds, fan performance, power target, and voltage in real-time. Perfect if you want to be able to easily check how your LP GPU is handling the workload.
All in all, the Gigabyte Geforce GTX 1050 is a versatile option at an affordable price.
The EVGA GeForce GT 1030 SC 2GB GDDR5 is another great choice for a low profile graphics card that delivers a solid performance. This particular LP GPU comes with a base clock speed of 1290MHz and an overclocked speed of 1544MHz. This will give you more than enough speed to use in your smaller PC case.
What’s really great about this particular low profile graphics card is that it comes with the bracket included. This will be especially handy if you don’t have any other spare brackets to hand, as not all low profile graphics cards come with these included. You’ll be able to simply fit your new EVGA GeForce GT 1030 SC 2GB GDDR5 graphics card into your PC case and it will be ready to go!
This particular low profile graphics card will give you everything you need to operate the most demanding PC applications. The EVGA GeForce GT 1030 SC 2GB GDDR5 comes with an award-winning NVIDIA Pascal architecture, state-of-the-art technologies, and a powerful graphics engine that will pack the punch your smaller PC needs to work efficiently. It can do a wide range of activities up to 2 times faster than with Intel Core i5 integrated graphics.
Another great feature of this particular low profile graphics card is that it comes with a 3 year warranty as well as 24/7 technical support from the manufacturer. Perfect if you’re looking for a graphics card that’s going to give you a little bit more peace of mind!
Overall, the EVGA GeForce GT 1030 SC 2GB GDDR5 is a great all-rounder compared to its competitors.
The MSI RX 550 4GT LP OC low profile graphics card is another great choice if you’re looking for a quality graphics card that’s smaller than the standard-sized counterparts. This particular low profile graphics card has a speed of 1203MHz when overclocked and a memory frequency of 6000MHz, all with 4GB of VRAM to boot.
What’s great about the smaller design of this low profile graphics card is that it produces less heat than standard-sized graphics cards. This means the MSI RX 550 4GT LP OC can offer you a higher efficiency all at a lower temperature. So, you won’t have to worry about your graphics card going into thermal shock every time you ask it to complete a demanding task. The graphics card itself features a dual-fan design for efficient cooling.
This low profile graphics card supports 2 display outputs. You can choose between the HDMI and dual-link DVI-D for the best display options for your particular computer setup, ideal if you want to be able to choose between multiple display options.
Another great feature of the MSI RX 550 4GT LP OC low profile graphics card is that it comes with MSI’s Afterburner overclocking support. This means you can effortlessly monitor the state of your low profile graphics card while it’s still in use.
This particular graphics card is another great option if you had your heart set on a smaller PC case setup.
Things To Consider
Our Verdict
First up is the MSI GeForce GTX 1650. This particular low profile graphics card is a worthy investment if you’re looking for a powerful low profile GPU. It comes with a variety of great specs that means it can do an impressive job despite its size.
Next up is the Gigabyte Geforce GTX 1050 Ti. This low profile graphics card is a more than viable option if you need a smaller graphics card to fit in your PC case. It’s a worthy runner up to the speedier top pick.
The Gigabyte Geforce GTX 1050 may appear similar to the Ti counterpart, but it comes with many great features of its own. This particular low profile graphics card is perfect if you’re looking for an LP GPU that comes with a variety of clock speeds that can support several displays.
Next in our lineup is the EVGA GeForce GT 1030 SC 2GB GDDR5 low profile graphics card. This particular model is a great all-rounder if you’re looking for a low profile graphics card that’s capable of taking on varied tasks.
Last but not least is the MSI RX 550 4GT LP OC. This low profile graphics card comes with a range of great features from MSI that will make it a worthy investment for a smaller PC case setup.
And so our best low profile graphics card guide comes to an end! The 5 low profile graphics cards that we’ve chosen as our top picks will be more than a match for your particular computer setup, but we hope you now feel more confident in your purchase. Have any questions for us about low profile graphics cards? Let us know in the comments below and we’ll be happy to assist you!