How to Choose a Graphics Card

A graphics card is chosen for the screen it drives. The resolution and refresh rate you want to play at decide how much card you need far more than any single benchmark number does.

• 1080p: the most forgiving resolution. Entry and mid-range cards run most games well, and high refresh rates are within reach.
• 1440p: the point where a mid-range card starts to work hard. Worth aiming higher if the monitor is 144 Hz or faster.
• 4K: needs a high-end card for high settings in new games, and upscaling such as DLSS, FSR or XeSS helps a great deal here.

Video memory (VRAM) holds textures and the frame being drawn. Running out does not just lower the frame rate a little: it causes stutter and blurry textures. Higher resolutions and higher texture settings use more of it.

Two cards with the same chip can be sold with different amounts of memory, so check the memory size on the product page rather than going by the model name alone. For 1440p and above, more memory is the safer choice for the years you will keep the card.

Every card lists a recommended power supply size and the power connectors it needs. Check both against your power supply before buying.

• Wattage: the maker's recommended power supply wattage already allows for the rest of a typical system. Do not go below it.
• Connectors: older and mid-range cards use 8-pin PCIe plugs; many newer high-end cards use a single 16-pin 12V-2x6 connector, the updated version of 12VHPWR. Adapters are usually included, but a power supply with the native cable is tidier.
• Push power connectors fully home until they click. A half-seated high-power connector can overheat.

Our power supply guide explains how to size one properly.

Large cards are long, thick and heavy. Compare the card's length with the case's maximum graphics card length, and allow for front fans or a radiator that take some of that space.

• Length: listed in millimetres on both the card and the case.
• Thickness: a three or four slot card can cover other slots on the motherboard.
• Weight: heavy cards often come with a support bracket. Use it, because a sagging card strains its slot.

NVIDIA, AMD and Intel design the chips, and many brands build cards around them. Cards with the same chip perform within a few percent of each other. What differs is the cooler, the noise, the size, the factory overclock and the warranty.

So the cheapest card with the chip you want is often the sensible buy, as long as it fits and its reviews do not mention noise problems. The deals page shows parts where UK shops disagree most on price, which is where a little comparison saves the most.

A fast card paired with an old processor can be held back in games that lean on the processor. The PC builder checks the parts you pick against each other, including a bottleneck estimate, and choosing parts that work together explains the checks.