If you’re seeking to buy the finest gaming PC or build one yourself, getting the best graphics card is critical. Even more crucial than the CPU is the graphics card. Unfortunately, figuring out how to purchase a GPU may be a daunting task. There’s a lot to think about, from the monitor you’re using, to the size of your PC case, to the game settings you’ll be utilizing.
Following are some considerations by Best Gaming Tips to make before purchasing your new GPU. See our top graphics cards list of current alternatives for particular suggestions, as well as the GPU Benchmarks Hierarchy to see how today’s GPUs compare to previous cards you might be seeking to upgrade or replace.
Some quick hints
Set aside some funds for the CPU.
If you spend all of your money on graphics and ignore the finest CPUs, your system will perform highly in synthetic benchmarks but not so well in real-world games (due to lower minimum frame rates).
Match the resolution of your display.
Many common cards are suitable for gaming at 1080p resolutions at 30-60 fps, but for resolutions near 4K with high in-game settings on the most demanding titles, you’ll need a high-end card. As a result, make sure your GPU is paired with the finest gaming monitor for your needs.
Take into account your refresh rate.
To get the most out of a display with triple-digit refresh rates, you’ll need a strong graphics card and CPU. If your panel only supports 60Hz and 1080p, there’s no use in paying more for a powerful card that can push pixels faster than your display can handle.
Is there enough electricity and room for you?
Make sure your PC case has enough room for the card you want to buy, and that your power supply has enough watts to spare, as well as the right power connections (up to three 8-pin PCIe, depending on the card).
How Much Can You Spend?
Video cards are extremely expensive, with super low-end versions starting at around $100 and high-end models costing more than $1,500 for RTX 3090s. And that’s before you factor in the latest price hikes. Top-end cards, as is typically the case, aren’t worth the money unless you really need the highest performance available for whatever reason. Dropping a teir or two will offer you the majority of the performance for a fraction of the cost. And, to be honest, the whole question of price is up in the air till current stock difficulties settle. Because unless you’re lucky or quick (or both), you’ll either be paying more than MSRP or waiting for prices to drop as supply increases.
Is it capable of supporting virtual reality?
If you wish to utilize your GPU with a PC VR HMD, you’ll need at least a mid-range card, with the Nvidia RTX 2060 Super/AMD RX 5700 or above providing the best performance. The AMD Radeon RX 570 and Nvidia GTX 1060 are the entry-level GPUs compatible with these headsets. As newer, higher-resolution headsets become available, the card requirements will inevitably increase.
Recommendations for Cards Based on Resolution/Use Case
After you’ve thought about everything above and are ready to narrow down your options, check out our GPU Benchmarks and Best Graphics Cards to help you make your final selection. For typical resolutions and game settings, we’ve included a simplified version of our current best cards below. Keep in mind that all of these cards have third-party choices, so you might want to utilize our recommendations as a starting point for selecting, say, the finest AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT model for your specific gaming setup.
Conclusion:
This article has been a detailed guide on how to choose a graphics card that is right for you. It may not be a simple task, but with the information provided in this article, you will have a better chance of finding the best graphics card for your budget and gaming/computing needs. Before we end off this article, if you feel we have missed something, please feel free to share and discuss your thoughts and recommendations in the comments below.