How to Pick the Right Graphics Card for Your PC
Getting the best graphics card is critical if you buy the best gaming PC or build your PC. Unfortunately, determining how to buy a GPU can be a daunting task. From the type of monitor, you’re using. When shopping for your next GPU. See our best graphics cards list of current options for specific recommendations.
It’s worth noting that stock of both Nvidia’s latest 30-series cards and AMD’s 6000 cards was extremely limited at the time we wrote this. Hopefully, as we get closer to launch and more silicon comes off the fabrication lines, issues with availability and bots buying cards to sell at higher prices will ease.
Set aside some funds for the CPU. If you spend all of your money on graphics and ignore the best CPUs, your system may perform well on synthetic benchmarks but not as well in real-world gameplay (due to lower minimum frame rates).
Match the resolution of your monitor. Many mainstream cards are adequate for gaming at 1080p resolutions at 30-60 fps, but for resolutions at or near 4K resolutions with high in-game settings on the most demanding titles, you’ll need a high-end card.
Alternatively, if your monitor is limited to 60Hz and 1080p, there’s no point in spending extra money on a powerful card that pushes pixels faster than your display can keep up with.
Do you have sufficient power and space? Check that your PC case has enough room for the card you’re thinking about getting, and checking the launch price or MSRP of the card you’re considering before purchasing is an excellent way to tell if you’re getting a good deal. However, due to supply issues and increased demand, most recent cards have been selling well above their MSRP in recent months.
Don’t get dual cards; they’re not worth the money. For years, game support for multi-card SLI or CrossFire configurations has declined. Get the most expensive single card you can afford. Adding a second card is almost always more trouble than it is worth.
Overclocking will not provide significant performance gains. Buy a more powerful card if you require better performance. Overclocking headroom on graphics cards is typically limited to 5-10 percent.