Best Low Profile Graphics Card in 2023
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
Best Low Profile Graphics Card in 2023
- Powerful low profile graphics card
- Quieter than competitor models
- MSI Afterburner overclocking software
- Overclocking scanner
- Expensive compared to some standard graphics cards
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.
- Choose between OC mode and gaming mode
- Smaller design than standard GPUs
- Variety of display options
- Quiet to use
- Pricier than standard graphics cards
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.
- Various clock speeds in OC and gaming modes
- Easily monitor performance via XTREME engine utility
- Supports up to 4 displays
- Smaller than standard GPUs
- Only 2GB of VRAM
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.
- Overclock speed 1544MHz
- Includes low profile bracket
- 2 times faster than Intel Core i5 integrated graphics
- 3 year warranty
- Only 2GB of memory
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.
- 1203MHz when overclocked
- MSI Afterburner overclocking software
- Dual fans for quicker cooling
- Supports 2 displays
- Not as fast as competitive LP GPUs
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.
How to pick the best low profile graphics card
There are many factors when it comes to picking the right low profile graphics card for your setup. Let’s take a look at some of the most important..
Size
The size of your chosen low profile graphics card will likely be the most influential factor when choosing the best fit for your PC case.
While these aren’t as fast or high spec as their standard full-sized counterparts, they are a great choice for those who have a smaller PC case or want to pack as many different components into their computer as they can. The smaller stature of these LP GPUs means that they will take up less room, making them a great space-saving alternative if you have your heart set on a smaller PC case.
Take a look at the measurements of your chosen low profile graphics card. Is it small enough to fit into your PC case? Does it give you plenty of space to add all the other components that you want in your computer setup? Some of these may be longer than other LP GPUs, so you should ensure that your PC case has enough room to accommodate your model of choice. It will also be worth double-checking if your chosen LP GPU comes with the low profile bracket you need to fit it into your PC case, as not all of them will include this.
Cooling and noise
One of the best features of a low profile graphics card is that they are so much quieter than their standard, full-sized counterparts. Whereas a standard GPU could potentially make a lot of noise when the fans are whirring to try and cool the unit down, an LP GPU will be able to keep itself cooler at a much-reduced volume. These types of graphics cards don’t tend to produce as much heat as their full-sized counterparts, which could also play a factor in why they’re not as noisy as the fans have less work to do.
However, while most low profile graphics cards come with only a single fan thanks to their smaller stature, some more budget-friendly versions carry passive heatsinks for them to cool efficiently. This will be an important thing to look out for if you want a truly quiet graphics card as they often produce very little noise as a result.
Power
The great thing about low profile graphics cards is that they require less power in order to work efficiently. While this is mostly due to the fact that they tend to be less high spec than their full-sized counterparts, it does make them more energy efficient. This is mostly down to several factors, such as additional features, thermal design, and the LP GPU’s overall makeup.
This helps to reduce the overall cost of your computer build. Because low profile graphics cards consume less power, you’ll need a smaller overall PSU (power supply unit). In fact, most low profile graphics cards don’t tend to use the PSUs to draw power. Instead, they tend to use the PCI-e 16x slot directly. They shouldn’t require any external PCI-e connectors unless the model specifically mentions this.
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!