Graphics cards

How to choose a graphics card

The graphics card sets the frame rate in games more than the processor does. Start with the monitor — resolution and refresh rate say how much power you need — then check five things.

• Resolution and VRAM. 8 GB is enough for 1080p (RTX 5060, RX 7600), though new games on high textures squeeze it. 1440p wants 12–16 GB (RTX 5070, RX 9060 XT 16 GB), 4K and ray tracing 16 GB (RTX 5070 Ti, RTX 5080, RX 9070 XT).
• Frame rate. To fill a 144 Hz monitor at 1440p you need the RTX 5070 Ti or RX 9070 XT class; a 60 Hz 1080p panel is fine with an RTX 5060.
• DLSS, FSR and frame generation. NVIDIA DLSS 4 (RTX 50) and AMD FSR 4 (RX 9000) rebuild the image from a lower resolution and add generated frames — in practice 1.5–3 times the FPS. The RTX 30 gets DLSS upscaling but no frame generation.
• Power supply. The RTX 5060 asks for 550 W, RTX 5060 Ti 600 W, RTX 5070 650 W, RTX 5070 Ti and RX 9070 XT 750 W, RTX 5080 850 W. The RTX 5070 and up use the 12V-2x6 (16-pin) connector — an adapter for 8-pin leads is in the box, an ATX 3.1 PSU is the cleaner answer.
• Length and slots. Dual-fan cards are 24–27 cm and 2 slots wide, triple-fan RTX 5080s up to 36 cm and 3.5–4 slots. Measure the free length in your case first.

Graphics cards in our range

The core of the shelf is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50 series with GDDR7: RTX 5060 8 GB (ASUS Dual, Gigabyte), RTX 5060 Ti 8 and 16 GB (ASUS Prime and Dual, Palit), RTX 5070 12 GB (ASUS Prime), RTX 5070 Ti 16 GB (ASUS, MSI) and the RTX 5080 16 GB in ASUS ROG Astral, TUF Gaming and Prime, Palit Infinity 3 and MSI Ventus 3X versions. AMD Radeon RX 9000 (RDNA 4, FSR 4): RX 9060 XT 16 GB ASUS Dual and Prime, RX 9070 XT 16 GB ASUS Prime OC, plus the affordable RX 7600 8 GB. The previous-generation RTX 30 — RTX 3050 6 GB, RTX 3060 12 GB, 3060 Ti, 3070 and 3080 — is a good-value 1080p choice; Intel Arc B570 10 GB and A310 4 GB cover budget gaming and media PCs. Office cards GT 730 and GeForce 210 merely add monitor outputs. Filter by GPU maker, model and VRAM.

Brands

ASUS covers every tier: Dual (compact, two fans), Prime and TUF Gaming (three fans, metal backplate) and ROG Astral (four fans, the flagship). MSI Ventus 3X is a quiet, sensibly priced triple-fan series. Palit Infinity 3 is the cheapest RTX 5080. Gigabyte offers a compact RTX 5060. Biostar brings RTX 30 and Radeon RX cards at low prices, ASRock is the Intel Arc partner.

Power supply, case and PCIe slot

RTX 50 and RX 9000 cards are PCIe 5.0 but also run on PCIe 4.0 and 3.0 boards, losing a couple of percent. Before buying, check PSU wattage and free 12V-2x6 or 8-pin leads, the case's maximum card length, and the number of free slots. Give a heavy card a support bracket.

Related products

Alongside a new card, look at power supplies (ATX 3.1, 750–850 W) and PC cases with enough length; so the card is not held back by the processor, pick at least 6 cores. A 144 Hz monitor shows the performance. All components are in PC components.

Frequently asked questions

How much VRAM do I need in 2026? 8 GB is the 1080p minimum, 12 GB is comfortable at 1440p, 16 GB is for 4K and ray tracing. To last 4–5 years, get 16 GB.

Which graphics card for 1440p? An RTX 5070 or RX 9060 XT 16 GB gives 60+ FPS on high settings; the RTX 5070 Ti and RX 9070 XT also fill a 144 Hz monitor.

NVIDIA or AMD? NVIDIA wins on ray tracing, DLSS 4 frame generation and creative software (CUDA); AMD gives more raw power and VRAM for the money.

Will my old power supply do? If the wattage is enough and you have three free 8-pin leads, yes — the 16-pin adapter is in the box. Replace a PSU over 5 years old along with the card.

Does an RTX 50 work on a PCIe 4.0 motherboard? Yes, the loss is 1–3%. Only the 8-lane RTX 5060 and 5060 Ti lose 5–10% on a PCIe 3.0 board.