The short answer
Buy for the resolution and frame rate you'll actually play at. Your monitor sets both: a 1080p 144 Hz screen needs a very different card than a 4K TV. Below are today's cheapest cards that average a smooth 60 fps, or a high-refresh 100 fps, at Ultra settings.
- 1080p60+ fps: …
100+ fps: … - 1440p60+ fps: …
100+ fps: … - 4K60+ fps: …
100+ fps: …
Frame rates are averages at Ultra settings without upscaling. Lower settings, or DLSS/FSR upscaling, raise them a lot.
Every card we track, by resolution
Average fps from Tom's Hardware benchmarks · lowest in-stock price todayGreen rows average 100+ fps, plain rows 60–99 fps, and faded rows below 60 fps at that resolution. ★ Best value is the most fps per dollar at today's price among cards that reach 60 fps.
How much video memory (VRAM)?
VRAM holds textures and other game data. When a game needs more than the card has, frame rates drop and stutter, even on an otherwise fast card.
- 8GB is fine for 1080p, but newer games at high texture settings already push past it. At 4K, the 8GB RTX 5060 Ti averages about 28 fps against 40 fps for the identical 16GB version.
- 12–16GB is the comfortable range for 1440p and for keeping a card for several years.
- 16GB or more for 4K, heavy mods, or AI and video work.
If two versions of the same card exist (8GB and 16GB), the 16GB one is usually worth the extra money unless you'll stay at 1080p.
NVIDIA, AMD or Intel?
| NVIDIA (GeForce RTX) | AMD (Radeon RX) | Intel (Arc) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upscaling | DLSS 4. Widest game support and the best image quality. | FSR 4 on RX 9000 cards. Much improved, in fewer games. | XeSS. Good quality, in fewer games. |
| Ray tracing | Strongest | Much better on RX 9000, still behind NVIDIA | Decent for the price |
| Value | Usually costs more for the same plain (non-ray-traced) performance | Often the most frame rate per dollar | Strong value at the budget end |
| Worth knowing | Best choice for AI tools and most creative apps | Plenty of VRAM per dollar | Older games can run less smoothly; needs Resizable BAR turned on |
Before you buy: power, size and CPU
- Power supply. Check the card's board power and the maker's recommended power supply. That's roughly 550 W for entry cards and 750–850 W for an RTX 5070 Ti, RX 9070 XT or RTX 5080. The RTX 5090 needs about 1,000 W. Many newer cards use the 16-pin 12V-2x6 connector; push it all the way in.
- Length and thickness. High-end cards can be 330 mm+ long and three slots thick. Check the case's max GPU length (see the PC case guide).
- Match the CPU. At 1080p and high frame rates the CPU often limits performance. These benchmarks use a Ryzen 7 9800X3D, so a slower CPU will show lower numbers with fast cards. See the CPU page for gaming rankings.
- Brand of the same chip. An RTX 5070 from ASUS, MSI or Gigabyte performs within a few percent of any other. Pricier models mainly add quieter coolers, RGB and small factory overclocks, so the cheapest model of a chip is usually the smart buy.