Ready to throw down some cash for a new graphics card for your gaming rig or laptop? Don't spend a single cent on a graphics card for gaming until you read this buying guide of the best graphics card, wherein we considered everything from video memory, refresh rate, and frame rate to power consumption, memory clock and gaming performance. Plus, our general GPU shopping tips at the end to help you make your choice. We'll update this periodically.
$100: Replace an integrated GPU
Gigabyte
Sure, it's a reasonable price. But if you're planning to spend around $100 on a budget graphics card, don't expect to game with the GeForce GT at 1080p -- 720p at best unless a game is very lightweight, though Fortnite, CS:GO, League of Legends and other multiplayer competitive games generally fall under the "can play on a potato" umbrella. Many games may simply go from unplayable to a little less unplayable. This Nvidia graphics card does for a gaming PC what Nvidia's MX chips do for laptops. In other words, plenty of the latest games will run on it, but many users won't benefit. Cards can come with the chip overclocked, which gives it a little extra oomph as well.
If you've got an old desktop with integrated graphics that don't support the current versions of graphics programming interfaces such as DirectX 12 or Vulkan, or if you just want to make your Windows experience feel a little more snappy or smooth, a GT 1030-based card can help. The GT line is designed with lower power requirements than the more popular GeForce GTX models, so it can fit in systems with lesser power supplies and compact designs. Unlike most gaming graphics cards, 1030-based cards can be low-profile and take up just a single slot for connectivity, and are quieter because they only require a single fan.
You may see a random AMD Radeon RX 550 card drop down below $100, and that's a good choice if you're looking for something with a little extra gaming oomph over the 1030 or support for two monitors. But it takes a lot more space and power than the simple GT half-height replacement cards.
No comments: