When you’re considering building a small form factor PC, there are some extra considerations regarding its components. Sizing constraints mean you have to find the right hardware for the job that actually fits inside the constrained PC case. That’s why finding the best ITX GPU might be a bit of a struggle.

It does cut down quite a significant portion of the market already, with there being plenty of the best graphics cards around, it does limit your choices significantly, considering the increasing total board power of modern graphics cards, it’s hard to make it as small.

We’ve slowly seen a decrease in the availability of low-profile GPUs, so it’s hard to find cards with a low enough TBP to be cooled by a smaller heatsink and design. Yet there are a few lower-end models that might just do the job, so here’s our top selection of ITX graphics cards, ones that might need plenty of other case cooling to keep up with their limited size.

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 our 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. We’ve tried to find the most compact setups that are as thin as possible without sacrificing too much cooling potential. 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 being 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, some of which we have been able to review.

Our top picks

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Sparkle Intel Arc B570 Guardian OC

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4 /5

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As a relatively newer entry into the GPU market, the Intel Battlemage range swept up plenty of excitement by undercutting the high pricing of graphics cards. Although the Arc B580 takes the lead as the better-performing option, the Sparkle B570 Guardian OC fits the mark as a more set ITX card in terms of sizing that we have reviewed.

Offering a two-fan design, it is just 242x105x44mm, which makes it rather compact for fitting into tighter spaces. The BMG-21 GPU chip onboard gives the B570 18 cores to utilize to their full potential.

Even still, it provides an excellent 1440p performance, even though it does fall behind its bigger brother, with a price that doesn’t quite make sense. Yet with the driver and feature improvements Intel has made, its graphics cards are an appealing and valid option to go for.

As for the memory you get, Intel does cut back slightly on the B570 as it offers 10GB of GDDR6. That might be slightly hindered in terms of speed and capacity, but it still is plenty enough for the most part, as we saw in our testing.

So, as it comes in with an MSRP of $219, that makes it a rather appealing option compared to the competition that doesn’t quite reach that level of price or performance.

Sparkle Intel Arc B570 Guardian OC Counter Strike 2, Image by PC Guide

Sparkle Intel Arc B570 Guardian OC Doom Eternal, Image by PC Guide

Sparkle Intel Arc B570 Guardian OC Handbrake Time, Image by PC Guide

Sparkle Intel Arc B570 Guardian OC Handbrake FPS, Image by PC Guide

Sparkle Intel Arc B570 Guardian OC Indiana Jones, Image by PC Guide

Sparkle Intel Arc B570 Guardian OC Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Image by PC Guide

Sparkle Intel Arc B570 Guardian OC Blender, Image by PC Guide

Sparkle Intel Arc B570 Guardian OC 3DMark, Image by PC Guide

Sparkle Intel Arc B570 Guardian OC AC Mirage, Image by PC Guide

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Looking at the main lineup of graphics cards, AMD’s RX 9000 series has a great offering, even compared to Nvidia. The value proposition of the RX 9070 XT doesn’t quite fit the ITX sizing requirement. Instead, the later released 9060 XT has a power rating that is low enough to allow for a much smaller designed model.

In which case, the ASUS Dual RX 9060 XT measures 202 x 120 x 49mm, slightly longer but still compact in terms of modern GPUS, and a budget graphics card worth considering. The only drawback is the 8GB of VRAM onboard, and not the more appealing pick of 16GB.

But the ASUS Dual can provide a great design nd quality for a GPU. With the 2.5 slot design, vented backplate with two axial tech fans, it has all the cooling it needs for keeping the graphics card running well. Also offering a dual BIOS, if the fan behavior is a bit loud for your tastes, you can turn on quiet mode.

As for the rest of the specs, the 9060 XT comes with 2,048 stream processors, and the GDDR6 memory comes with a 128-bit bus to provide a bandwidth of 322GB/s. With a power rating of 150W, it’s not a too powerful card that can fit the smaller design without throttling.

In terms of clock speeds, the 9060 XT has a base clock of 1,700MHz, and the factory clock can reach up to 2,530MHz in-game, with a boost of up to 3,130MHz. While the ASUS Dual does boost that to a game clock of 2,620MHz and a boost up to 3,230MHz.

As for if you want a really small card from the latest generation, Nvidia’s RTX 5060 release has been allowed to reach these smaller dimensions. The ZOTAC RTX 5060 Solo truly takes advantage of the lower-powered card to create a single-fan version model, which has the dimensions of 164.5mm x 111.2mm x 36.4mm.

The card comes with a 145W TBP and does keep it to a single 8-pin power connector, so you can easily keep it running, and it won’t get too hot, which does allow it to use the single fan solution and become an optimal ITX card, and likely to be the smallest from the modern options.

But it’s not exactly the best GPU out there. The RTX 5060 has just 8GB of VRAM, which may not be enough for the modern games coming out with such high requirements. The thing going for it is being on Blackwell architecture and having access to DLSS 4 and plenty of upscaling that can push it further beyond.

In general, the RTX 5060 comes with 3,840 CUDA cores but a faster GDDR7 memory type that, with the 128-bit bus, provides a bandwidth of 448GB/s. So, even limited in capacity, it is very fast for it, while the clock speed is set with a base clock of 2,280 MHz with a boost clock of 2,497MHz, which the Solo sticks to as not an overclocked model.

For something a bit more powerful, the RTX 5060 Ti 16GB does, in fact, come with a lot more VRAM, which is more necessary for today’s standards, and a bit more processing power. But that does require it to be a bit of a bigger model, one of the smaller versions we’ve found is the Gigabyte Windforce Max, with dimensions of 208 x 120 x 40mm.

We have reviewed the 5060 Ti 16GB, not specifically the more ITX-friendly option, but it does show its prowess in being able to game at 1440p. Even with the 180W board power, Gigabyte manages to keep the card in a smaller package and even overclock it, albeit by just 15MHz, to a boost of 2,587MHz, with a base clock of 2,407MHz.

The card comes with 4,608 CUDA cores on Blackwell’s architecture, along with its associated features. Along with the 16GB of GDDR7 memory that is just on a 128-bit bus, which creates a bandwidth of 448GB/s.

Gigabyte uses the Windforce cooling solution on it to keep the GPU under wraps with just two Hawk fans on it. So you can expect the 5060 Ti 16GB performance from it, and it brings a lot for modern gaming.

The last option is a bit of a left field, but if you’re after an ITX GPU, the Gigabyte Aorus Xtreme Waterforce RTX 5090 does fit the bill, if you can fit its AIO into your case as well. There is also a basic water block version if you want to integrate it into your own custom water cooling solution.

The card itself comes in dimensions of 245 x 146 x 36mm, without the AIO, and is an impressive feat to cool down the massive 5090 that has an incredible total board power of 575W. Considering our RTX 5090 review was of the MSI Suprim SOC, the biggest we’ve ever seen, the AORUS just shows the power of water cooling over air cooling.

With all that cooling capacity, it of course comes in overclocked, with a boost clock reaching 2,655MHz compared to the reference 2,407MHz set by Nvidia, while the base clock sits at 2,017MHz. It also comes with a staggering 21,760 CUDA cores that make it the processing beast that it is.

Its VRAM setup is also what makes it such a powerhouse. Upping the count to 32GB of GDDR7, combined with a 512-bit bus, provides a bandwidth of 1.79TB/s and shreds through any task you throw at it. That is while looking rather impressive in the AROUS design that integrates liquid metal grease, thermal conductive gel, RGB, if you can fit the 360mm radiator into your build.

Things to consider with the best ITX GPU

There are plenty of factors to consider when you’re picking out the best ITX GPU for your needs. We’ve highlighted some of the most important choices from a wide array.

Size

When we say ITX, we mostly refer to mini-ITX as in small-form-factor gaming PC builds. Traditionally, these motherboards are significantly smaller than those found in mini-ATX boards, measuring 6.7 x 6.7 inches (17cm x 17cm) across. It’s also the mini-ITX case compatibility to worry about.

That means you have far less room for the likes of massive graphics cards, which are usually limited to just dual-channel RAM configurations, too. Although with modern components, things have gotten more accommodating, and sizing spans a lot more options.

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. Those might even benefit from considering a low-profile GPU instead to fit them inside an SFF case. There is a handy SFF PC Master list to reference, with handy dimensions of various models across PC components.

Cooling

With such a small size, there is always going to be a worry as to the cooling capacity of the ITX GPU designs. Usually fitting just one or two fans with a thinner heatsink, you can expect them to run hotter than their bigger counterparts. However, these do have the benefit of usually having a much lower total board power, which means it has less heat to actually deal with. Meaning, as long as the rest of your setup works to cooling your GPU it might not even be a big worry to deal with, even if they run a bit warmer.

Budget and power

You can expect plenty of ITX cards to be more budget-friendly GPUs to choose from. With the fact that they are much smaller with lower cooling capacity, they can’t quite accommodate the large TBP of the higher-end graphics cards. Instead, the low and mid-tier options are more common, having a lower power level that can be chilled by the smaller design.

Of course, with that lower power, you don’t need a massive power supply either, with an easier cabling situation, where you usually have just one or two cables that might not have many cable melting issues.

Use cases

When picking out your graphics cards, you do want to make sure they can achieve what you want from them. Be it a choice of a 1440p graphics card or something a bit simpler, like being able to utilize your GPU for dual monitors. In which case do you want to check reviews and benchmarks to see what they are capable of and if they can achieve what you need from them.

You may even find use for them as streaming GPUs, either standalone or as a secondary device with their encoding abilities. They are even highly likely to be able to be used as a VR card, so it’s certainly not one to look down upon, considering the improvements that even the lower end has received over the years.

What is the maximum GPU size for mini-ITX?

While many dual-slot cards can comfortably fit inside 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. The maximum GPU size will depend on your case more than anything, as these have a usual maximum GPU length and thickness that they might support.

Looking at some of the top-selling mini-ITX cases, we can see what kind of GPU sizes they support. The Fractal Terra, for example, says it supports GPU lengths of 322mm, with a max width of 72/43mm depending on setup. At the same time, the Lian Li A4-H20 can accommodate up to 322mm and a triple-slot GPU, whereas the Cooler Master NR200P v2 can accommodate up to 357mm cards.

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 a graphics card limits your case size, hence why we recommend either a single-slot or dual-slot GPU, and compact options at that.

Although if you are trying to fit a huge card like a 5090 onto a smaller ITX motherboard, it may be best to give the card some support with a sag bracket. This way you can ensure to keep the card and motherboard in a bit better quality without bending or breaking.

Can a mini-ITX fit a GPU?

Yes, you can expect a mini-ITX board and case to fit a graphics card. You may be limited in what size and power GPU you can use, but it doesn’t mean you can’t get anything out of it. With lower-tier cards sporting a lower power rating, they can quantify a smaller size to fit into these builds.

Is ITX good for gaming?

Yes, an ITX GPU and build can be good for gaming. Even though they are likely going to be less powerful than full-size counterparts as they are lower-tier options, they are able to push gaming performance. You may be limited to what you can do for it, such as running 1080/1440p, but you can expect good framerates with plenty of features to utilize from modern graphics cards, just in a smaller size.

Why is Mini-ITX so expensive?

Due to being a more niche segment of the market, with likely fewer sales and models to choose from, it means a higher price for the privilege. Being a more specialized set of hardware, it’s unfortunately the price you have to pay for it, much like white components seem to have their own tax added on.

About the Author

Sebastian Kozlowski

With a fascination for technology and games, Seb is a tech writer with a focus on hardware, news, and deals. He is also a tester and reviewer for the site. Contact him @ [email protected]