If you play on PC, you already know that one of the most important (if not the most important) components is the video card; thanks to it you can play all the video games released for the Windows platform with superlative graphics to say the least and with very high frame rates.
But the video card is not only used for playing: it also manages the video effects of the operating system and is used to offer the acceleration necessary to play high definition movies or for graphic processing (many browsers and applications use a part of the card's capabilities video to not overload the CPU).
So, on a desktop PC, you cannot buy a video card at random, but you have to adapt it to your needs, your budget and the hardware you have available.
In this guide we see the best video cards for PC, trying to understand what features the graphics processor must have as needed.
READ ALSO: Which video card (graphics card) to buy for the computer
1)
If you don't have great demands but you want a dedicated video card to use for programs and to watch movies in high definition but that allows you to play occasionally some old title you must choose a model that has the following characteristics:
This video card boasts a 1257MHz Nvidia GPU, 2 GB video memory and has two ports, HDMI and DVI, to connect two monitors at a time.
The total absence of fans will guarantee you silence and tranquility even when the video card is used by the programs.
It is not suitable for playing modern games, but to give hardware acceleration what is required is a good choice, also considering the very low price.
You can buy the recommended video card from here -> Gigabyte GT 1030 Low Profile (101 €)
If you want a video card to be used mainly to play but you don't want to spend too much you have to orient yourself on the models that boast the following features:
This Asus video card is very compact in size and mounts a modern Nvidia GeForce GPU flanked by 4 GB of GDDR5 video memory, various video outputs (HDMI, DisplayPort and DVI) and the silent cooling system.
We have a Full HD monitor and we want to use it for games ">
At a price all in all acceptable you can get a very fast GPU flanked by 8 GB of GDDR5 video memory, ideal for pushing all the details of modern games to the maximum without fear of frame drops. The video card is decidedly massive (occupies two slots) and has numerous HDMI and DisplayPort video outputs, as well as a DVI output for older monitors.
You can buy the recommended video card from here -> Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 580 (€ 200).
4) Balanced video card (excellent performance and reduced consumption)
The best video card from a quality / price point of view is currently the EVGA GeForce GTX 1660 .
It has a resolution of 7680 x 4320 pixels, 6 GB of GDDR5 memory, double slot and double fan, compatible with all the latest generation motherboards and with energy consumption that requires a power supply of only 500 watts.
If we are interested we can buy this video card here -> EVGA GeForce GTX 1660 (260 €).
5) Medium-high end video card (support WQHD and basic VR)
Prices start to get interesting, especially for those who need to play any modern game with maximum settings and Full HD resolution. The cards in this price range support WQHD resolutions, i.e. 2560 x 1440 pixels, and virtual reality (VR) games for some games. The characteristics for this price range are the following:
This card is offered with the Turbo customization that maintains the design of the video reference cards and adds a slight overclock to the main components, that is video memory (8GB), GPU and bus frequency, for maximum performance in the gaming field. The new GDDR6 is also making its debut on this card, the new video memories that are very fast and capable of giving an extra gear with all the games. The card can be connected to one or more monitors via the DisplayPort outputs, the HDMI output or the DVI output.
You can buy the recommended video card from here -> Zotac ZT-T20610E-10M (440 €).
6) High-end video card (Ultra HD and advanced VR support)
In this price range we will find the most popular video cards, able to support Ultra HD resolutions for compatible games and excellent performance also to try some games in virtual reality.
The characteristics of a video card in this price range are as follows:
This video card has 8 GB of GDDR6 new generation video memory, much faster than the models with GDDR5 and GDDR5X video memory, a 352-bit bus and a video processor capable of holding any modern game without any compromise. The various DisplayPort outputs and the HDMI output complete the equipment.
You can buy the recommended video card from here -> Asus ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 (800 €).
READ ALSO: Dedicated or integrated (or external) video card
But the video card is not only used for playing: it also manages the video effects of the operating system and is used to offer the acceleration necessary to play high definition movies or for graphic processing (many browsers and applications use a part of the card's capabilities video to not overload the CPU).
So, on a desktop PC, you cannot buy a video card at random, but you have to adapt it to your needs, your budget and the hardware you have available.
In this guide we see the best video cards for PC, trying to understand what features the graphics processor must have as needed.
READ ALSO: Which video card (graphics card) to buy for the computer
Best video cards
1)
Low-cost video card (for programs, browsers, films etc.)
If you don't have great demands but you want a dedicated video card to use for programs and to watch movies in high definition but that allows you to play occasionally some old title you must choose a model that has the following characteristics:
- Minimum 2 GB of video memory
- Compact dimensions
- Possibly with small cooling system (minimum noise).
This video card boasts a 1257MHz Nvidia GPU, 2 GB video memory and has two ports, HDMI and DVI, to connect two monitors at a time.
The total absence of fans will guarantee you silence and tranquility even when the video card is used by the programs.
It is not suitable for playing modern games, but to give hardware acceleration what is required is a good choice, also considering the very low price.
You can buy the recommended video card from here -> Gigabyte GT 1030 Low Profile (101 €)
Mid-range video card (HD resolutions)
If you want a video card to be used mainly to play but you don't want to spend too much you have to orient yourself on the models that boast the following features:
- Minimum 4 GB of video memory
- GDDR5 video memory type
- HDMI and DisplayPort ports
- Possibly with compact dimensions
This Asus video card is very compact in size and mounts a modern Nvidia GeForce GPU flanked by 4 GB of GDDR5 video memory, various video outputs (HDMI, DisplayPort and DVI) and the silent cooling system.
Mid-range video card (Full HD support)
We have a Full HD monitor and we want to use it for games ">
At a price all in all acceptable you can get a very fast GPU flanked by 8 GB of GDDR5 video memory, ideal for pushing all the details of modern games to the maximum without fear of frame drops. The video card is decidedly massive (occupies two slots) and has numerous HDMI and DisplayPort video outputs, as well as a DVI output for older monitors.
You can buy the recommended video card from here -> Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 580 (€ 200).
4) Balanced video card (excellent performance and reduced consumption)
The best video card from a quality / price point of view is currently the EVGA GeForce GTX 1660 .
It has a resolution of 7680 x 4320 pixels, 6 GB of GDDR5 memory, double slot and double fan, compatible with all the latest generation motherboards and with energy consumption that requires a power supply of only 500 watts.
If we are interested we can buy this video card here -> EVGA GeForce GTX 1660 (260 €).
5) Medium-high end video card (support WQHD and basic VR)
Prices start to get interesting, especially for those who need to play any modern game with maximum settings and Full HD resolution. The cards in this price range support WQHD resolutions, i.e. 2560 x 1440 pixels, and virtual reality (VR) games for some games. The characteristics for this price range are the following:
- Minimum 8 GB of video memory
- Video memory type GDDR5 or the new GDDR6
- 256-bit bus frequency
- Optimized for virtual reality
This card is offered with the Turbo customization that maintains the design of the video reference cards and adds a slight overclock to the main components, that is video memory (8GB), GPU and bus frequency, for maximum performance in the gaming field. The new GDDR6 is also making its debut on this card, the new video memories that are very fast and capable of giving an extra gear with all the games. The card can be connected to one or more monitors via the DisplayPort outputs, the HDMI output or the DVI output.
You can buy the recommended video card from here -> Zotac ZT-T20610E-10M (440 €).
6) High-end video card (Ultra HD and advanced VR support)
In this price range we will find the most popular video cards, able to support Ultra HD resolutions for compatible games and excellent performance also to try some games in virtual reality.
The characteristics of a video card in this price range are as follows:
- Minimum 8 GB of video memory
- GDDR6 video memory type
- 352-bit or 384-bit bus frequency
- Optimized for virtual reality
This video card has 8 GB of GDDR6 new generation video memory, much faster than the models with GDDR5 and GDDR5X video memory, a 352-bit bus and a video processor capable of holding any modern game without any compromise. The various DisplayPort outputs and the HDMI output complete the equipment.
You can buy the recommended video card from here -> Asus ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 (800 €).
READ ALSO: Dedicated or integrated (or external) video card
