Every real gamer understands the importance of great graphics for gameplay. Choosing from the many available options can be a tough experience which is why we try to make the decision easier for you by reviewing some of the very best hardware component for your gaming system. In this roundup, we are going to look at the best graphic cards for gaming you can find in the world today.
Contents
Top picks for best gaming graphics card
1. Best Graphics Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 TI
- Real Base Clock: 1569 MHz/Real Boost Clock: 1683 MHz; Memory Detail: 11264MB...
- EVGA iCX Technology - 9 additional temp sensors to monitor Memory and VRM
- GPU/Memory/PWM Thermal Status Indicator RGB LEDs. Resolution and refresh-...
- New vented heatsink fin design and pin fins for optimized airflow
The Geforce GTX 1080 Ti is the best graphics card for gaming. This is probably the fastest desktop graphic card in the market asides from the very expensive Titan V and Titan Xp. It is certainly the fastest in this list beating the likes of Radeon RX 580 and Radeon RX 570 8GB. For a 4K display, this is the best graphic card for smooth frame rates at its normal 3840x2160 resolution.
2. Best Graphics Card for Speed: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080
This graphic card is good enough for individuals that are passionate about VR gaming but are not ready to splash out the money on the much faster graphic cards meant to be used for 4K gaming. It is fast enough, however, to make for an interesting and exciting gameplay though not as great as what you can get with the GTX 1080 TI.
Read: Best HDD for Gaming
3. Best Performing Graphics Card: AMD Radeon RX 580
- The XFX RX 580 series graphics card feature the latest Polaris architecture...
- Equipped with XFX double dissipation cooling technology for optimal cooling and...
- Multiple factory GPU overclocked settings - 1366 MHz true clock and 1386 MHz OC
- AMD VR ready premium - Experience the new generation of compelling virtual...
You Should Buy if If: You are looking for the absolute best card on the market
This is a top-of-the-class graphic card with features that will make your gaming experience exceptional. You will experience the smoothest, fastest and most exciting gameplay that is needed in the world of Virtual Reality gaming without any form of screen tearing, display shutter or input lag. It offers ultra-high resolution images that are much sharper and crisper than what you will get with regular graphic cards.
4. Best Mini Graphics Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Mini
- New Pascal Architecture. NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti GPU
- 11GB GDDR5X 352-bit
- Virtual Reality Ready
- 3x DisplayPort (version 1.4), 1x HDMI (2.0b), 1 x DL-DVI-D
You Should Buy it If: You have a mini gaming pc
For a mini gaming PC, a great graphic card is also required to ensure that the gamer enjoys every aspect of the game. This is exactly what the Zotac GeForce GTX 1081 TI mini represents. It may not offer so much performance as the graphic card for bigger PCs like Radeon RX Vega 64, but it is still good enough for mini PCs.
5. Best VR Graphics Card: AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
- Compatible OS platforms : Windows 10 -- 32 /64 bit , Windows 8.1 -- 32/64 bit ,...
- ASUS Aura Sync RGB lighting provides a nearly endless spectrum of colors with...
- MaxContact plus Auto-Extreme manufacturing technology delivers 2X more GPU to...
- Memory clock: 945 MHz .Patented wing-blade 0 dB fans with FanConnect II...
The Radeon RX Vega 64 is an 8GB graphic card that can deliver top class virtual reality gaming experience. It is an ultra-fast and incredibly large graphic card that can conveniently handle massive texture and data set thanks to the hundreds or terabytes it can easily access. For the best VR experience, this is the card for you. Another great news is that the price has dropped.
6. Best Graphics Card for QHD: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070
- Powered by the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 graphics processing unit (GPU)
- 8GB GDDR5 (256-bit) on-board memory
- PCI Express 3.0 x16 interface
- NVIDIA CUDA technology
If your monitor or tv supports quad high definition (QHD) then the GeForce GTX 1070 is another excellent graphic card for gaming. With a 2560 x 1440 resolution it uses less power than the Radeon RX Vega 64. It also has a revolutionary high performance that is accompanied by cool temperature with quite fans. Generally, it is an impressive graphic card and the only concern is that it may appear dated in the nearest future.
7. Best For Gamers on a Budget: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 3GB
- New NVIDIA pascal architecture delivers improved performance and power...
- Classic and modern games at 1080P @ 60 FPS
- Base Clock: 1455 MHz/ boost Clock: 1569 MHz; Memory Detail: 3072MB GDDR5
- Fast, smooth, power-efficient gaming experiences
You Should Buy it If: You're on a tight budget but still want a stellar graphics card
This is a reasonable upgrade when compared to the 2GB version. Any extra money spent on getting this graphic card will be rewarded in terms of enhanced performance. It delivers better speed and the power efficiency is significantly high. This is definitely the perfect card for those that want enhanced performance but are on budget.
8. Another Good Budget Buy: Gigabyte GeForce GT 1030 Low Profile
- Powered by GeForce GT 1030
- Integrated with 2GB GDDR5 64 bit memory
- Supports HDMI 4K at 60 hertz. Digital max resolution 4096 X 2160
- Smooth 4K video playback and HTML5 web browsing
You Should Buy it If: You're on a really tight budget
For an even cheaper budget buy the Nvidia GPU - GT 1030 is another great option. It is tagged low profile for its compact size. Admittedly, this graphic card is not the most appealing card when you look at it but offers really impressive performance for a card in its price range. It features the Aorus Graphic Engine for convenient overlocking and will perform much better than most cards you can get at the price you will get it.
How to Buy a Graphics Card for Gaming
When you set out to buy a graphic card that will suit your gaming PC there are some important features you need to consider. We will briefly go over these factors so as to increase your chances of buying a card that will be compatible for your system and offer the sort of gaming experience you want.
Hardware Compatibility
You need to consider the compatibility of any card you are purchasing with the PC you have or considering to acquire. Any graphic card you wish to buy must be compatible with the following component of your PC:
Motherboard
You need to check the PCle slot in your motherboard to ascertain if a particular card will be compatible. The cooler of some graphic cards may also block off adjacent PCle slot so check it out especially when you plan on multiple GPU set-up.
Power Supply
The power draw of different graphic cards differs so you also need to find a GPU that will be compatible with the power supply of your PC. This is also more important when you plan to install multiple GPUs.
The Case
You may never feel that a graphic card may not fit into your computer case until you have to deal with such situations. Some GPUs have dual or triple fan stock cooler and may not really fit into your PC. Do check it this.
The Display
Your monitor and the graphic card you want to buy also need to be compatible. Getting a great graphic card that will be limited by your PC display does not make real sense so it is important that you consider your display first.
Pay attention to such things as:
- Resolution
The frame rates the graphic card can produce will be determined by the resolution
- Refresh Rate
The refresh rate of the monitor in Hz need to be higher than the frame rates in FPS you plan to hit with the graphic card
- Connectivity
There are different connectivity options such as HDMI, DisplayPort, DVI, and VGA. Your graphic card and the monitor must have one in common but pay more attention when you are planning multi-monitor set-up.
How We Made Our Picks
To help you get the best graphic cards for gaming, we have done the bulk of the research you need to do and have picked the right cards that will improve your gaming experience. We...
- Picked products with many reviews on Amazon and Newegg
- Are easy to purchase on those sites
- Talked to experts on gaming to build a consensus
- Tried to build a list to meet the needs for different gamers
They are carefully picked to ensure that you get the right card that is compatible with your gaming PC and can give you the sort of gaming experience you desire.
