Top-10

The incredible popularity of modern games is due to many factors, not the least of which is amazing graphics. All the most famous games require decent resources, which means that you will definitely need a high-quality and powerful discrete graphics card to fully enjoy it. However, choosing the right model is not always easy: you need to take into account the video memory, the quality of the board, and, of course, its price. To make it easier for gamers, we have selected some great graphics cards that are suitable for gaming and can give a great experience to the player.

To understand what we are talking about, to begin with, we note that a video card consists of a GPU — a graphics processor and high-speed video memory VRAM. The latter also reflects the memory mark that we meet next to the name of the card model. The most modern cards include 8 GB of video memory and more. But graphics card performance in most cases will depend on the combination of resolution, model, and memory. 4GB is more than enough for gaming at 1080p, the most popular monitor resolution at the moment.

Prices for video cards rose after the popularization of cryptocurrency mining, but so did the power, and the choice of available options expanded significantly.

It is worth noting that a new series of Nvidia video cards (GTX 1180 and 1170) will go on sale soon and, according to rumors, these cards will take the highest line in the power and performance rating. This means that if you are aiming to purchase the highest-end model, you should wait and wait for new products for now. If you definitely decided to purchase a card, then our list will definitely help you decide.

1. Gigabyte Radeon RX 460 Windforce

The first graphics card is designed for those who are building their first gaming PC or just looking to improve the graphics quality without spending a lot of money. The Gigabyte Radeon RX 460 will let you play a lot of games, even if not always at the highest settings. With 2GB of memory or 4GB of memory, this card can perfectly complement the beginner’s gaming set-up. Windforce has a frequency of 1,200 MHz. It does not heat up, thanks to the cooling system, consisting of two coolers. Both coolers have a unique design with pointed blades, which the manufacturer claims increases system efficiency by 23%. The video card also has a user-friendly interface that allows you to adjust the speed, power consumption, cooling, etc. That is, in real time, you can adjust the performance of the video card.

A Gigabyte video card will provide you with a lot of possibilities, in addition to games, it will allow you to work with graphics, 3D models and, of course, perform other tasks that do not require a high load on the video card. This is a great budget option.

2. ASUS GeForce GTX 1070

This unique graphics card isn’t just designed for gamers, it’s designed to handle the high workloads of VR applications. Designed as a printed circuit board, the ASUS GeForce GTX 1070 delivers image quality, reliability and high performance. It will allow you to fully immerse yourself in virtual reality without a hitch. The card includes a dual HDMI 2.0 port that allows you to connect a monitor and a VR headset at the same time.

Not without design quirks, the card includes the Aura RGB lighting system, which aims to create a unique and personalized user experience. The lighting system is able to react and change depending on the settings, in accordance with the sounds, breathing or the rhythm of the music.

Such power requires good cooling, so the card is equipped with special DirectCU III technology, which blows the card, ensuring a quieter and more efficient operation.

The video card is rated for 8GB of GDDR5 memory and a frequency of 1.860 MHz with 1920 CDU cores. When choosing this card, there is one point that should be taken into account separately — this is its size. The card is quite large, with three coolers, and quite long, so make sure both the motherboard and case are sized to accommodate it.

3. AMD Radeon RX 560

Returning to the budget options of cards, the two main contenders are the AMD Radeon RX 560 and Nvidia GTX 1050. At the moment, AMD’s version of the card wins both in terms of price and performance. This becomes especially noticeable at low or medium resolutions, and, which is especially important for gamers, at 1080p. Thus, the choice often falls on this card, although this does not mean that you should forget about its opponent — the price can always change.

However, the AMD Radeon RX 560 has proven itself to be a quality graphics card especially suited for amateur esports. With it, you can easily enjoy games such as CS:GO, LoL, Overwatch and many others. The card effortlessly handles 60fps at 1080p at low to medium settings. At its price, these figures are really impressive. Perhaps it is worth noting that the performance of the AMD Radeon RX 560 is lower than that of the previous generation (R9 380) and closer to versions such as R9 or R7 370.

4. AMD Radeon RX 570

One of the most affordable graphics cards that allows you to enjoy graphics in games, mostly at 1080p. With AMD’s Polaris architecture, this graphics card combines 4GB of memory and a clock speed of 1.168MHz. If you choose an analogue of this card, then it will be the GTX 1060 3GB. Although, of course, for many, the lack of memory will be a key point. It is worth considering that in practice the difference is insignificant, since performance is not limited to the number of available gigabytes. The card uses more power than its counterpart, but most PCs will get the job done with ease. The video card is designed for games and is equipped with two coolers with a special design and a very spectacular appearance. Let’s say it doesn’t have a bright backlight and it’s not one of the powerful devices, but it copes with its tasks perfectly well.

AMD Radeon RX 570 is suitable for those who do not plan to play the heaviest games, but appreciate performance and economy.

5. AMD Radeon RX 580

AMD has consistently provided gamers with a wide selection of cards that are very affordable on a budget. Well, even though we all want to get the fastest graphics card possible, at Full HD 1080p resolution, this is sometimes simply unnecessary. The difference will not be noticeable, so you can stop at the average option and not regret anything. AMD’s performance is several percent higher than that of its main competitor GeForce GTX 1060. At the same time, energy costs are not much higher. But the price and amount of memory really speak in favor of Radeon.

This card was advertised as being suitable for VR and is also quite impressive at 1440p. On games such as Battlefield 1 and Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, the performance is ahead of the Radeon R9 380, giving 65 and 62fps, respectively, against 43 and 41. The card’s frequency is 1.257MHz.

All in all, the AMD Radeon RX 580 is great for gamers, especially those who are worried about their own budget and gaming experience.

6. Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060

In principle, this card is the most common alternative to the AMD Radeon RX580 card with 8GB of video memory. In most cases, this loss will be almost imperceptible, especially for those who prefer to play at 1080p, and it is at this resolution that these cards really shine. In principle, it is permissible to use the card at 1440p, but of course the graphics settings will need to be set lower. Nvidia’s biggest advantage over its main competitor is that the card uses about 50W less power than the Radeon. This means that it will heat up less and also run quieter. Let this have little effect on the electricity bill, except for an avid gamer, but still good news.

The card also has disadvantages, and the main one is the new generation models that are advancing on the heels. That is, this fall, a better and more modern option may appear. So in the case of this card, it makes sense to wait and see what its followers will offer. It is likely that at a similar price you will soon be able to choose something more powerful. It is worth noting that the card has 1280 GPU cores and a frequency of 1.506 MHz.

7. Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti

Perhaps the last option is designed for the most determined and confident gamers. For those who value quality and speed, power and quality above all else. If you want the fastest and most powerful graphics card available today, then the choice is very simple — it’s the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti. It should be noted right away that such power affects the price tag, so the card is quite expensive. Of course, if you’re willing to spend even more, consider Titan Xp and Titan V, but these cards cost 3-4 times more, so we’ll stick with the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti.

With this amount of power, it is clear that the video card is not designed for 1080p, but for 1440p or 4K, so make sure that the equipment is ready for the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti. The card includes 3,584 cores, and the frequency is 1,480 with the possibility of overclocking to 1,582. The model we offer has 11GB GDDR5X memory.