Matt Safford John Burek The Best Graphics Cards for 4K Gaming You'll need a powerful graphics card (or two) to run cutting-edge PC games at 4K resolution. These 10 cards are the top performers we've tested for pixel-packed gaming. How to Buy the Best 4K Graphics Card Thanks to such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, and even YouTube, it's finally getting easier to find actual (also referred to as 'Ultra HD') video content. But as awesome as 4K video looks, if you're aiming to immerse yourself in a pixel-dense world, it's hard to beat playing cutting-edge in 4K. Consoles like the Microsoft Xbox One and Sony PlayStation 4 can't handle 4K gaming, a task left to the more premium.
The only other real 4K-capable console, of sorts, at the time of this writing was the Android TV-powered. It can run some Android games at 4K, as well as stream PC games from your home gaming PC at 4K (and even over the Internet if you have a fast connection). But really, if you want to play brand-new AAA games at 4K with the best visuals, you'll need a equipped with a very powerful graphics card—especially if you want in-game eye candy dialed all the way up.
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After all, if you're investing in a or a for gaming, you want things to look as good as they can. Running games at 4K resolution but dialing down the detail and effects settings in your games is working at cross-purposes. So the card you buy matters—a lot. 4K Gaming: High-End Cards and Dual-GPU At the moment, to deliver smooth frame rates at high settings at 4K (that's 3,840-by-2,160 resolution, for the record) with the most-demanding games, you'll need to opt for one of the most powerful consumer-grade graphics cards available.
These days, those cards include Nvidia's 'Pascal'-architecture, the one-step-down, or one of the many custom-cooled and/or overclocked models based on the GTX 1080 or GTX 1080 Ti graphics processor (GPU). Also in play: Cards based on. But those cards don't come cheap, generally starting at above $700 for the Ti models, with the most basic versions of the GTX 1080 models now selling for around $500, and the Radeon RX Vega 64's pricing well above its $499 launch price. (The cryptocurrency mining craze of the last year or two has put card prices all over the map, though they have begun to stabilize in mid-2018.) The GeForce GTX 1080 Ti is the card you'll want to opt for, though, if you want butter-smooth frame rates at or above 60 frames per second (fps), rather than 30fps. Alternatively, you could pick up two GeForce GTX 1080 cards and use them in an SLI arrangement.
In some games, that setup should deliver significantly better gaming performance than a single GTX 1080 Ti card. Note, though, that if you do go this route, multi-graphics setups can introduce side issues. Most games don't ship on launch day with the optimizations to take advantage of multiple-card graphics, and some games never deliver multi-graphics support at all.
So, if you're the kind of enthusiast PC gamer who likes to jump on games on the day they're released, multi-GPU options aren't ideal solutions. Also, you might run across issues with frame timing, in which onscreen game frames don't get delivered exactly in sync, resulting in a subpar experience. For this reason, we recommend buying the best single card for the performance level you're after, whenever possible. Not long ago, the current-generation was the most powerful consumer-accessible gaming card you could buy, and so also the best 4K gaming option for those without budget constraints. (Nvidia's suggested price is $1,200, and it sometimes sells for more.) But the launch of the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti knocked the Titan X out of contention for gaming purposes, because the GTX 1080 Ti is based around the same GPU, performs overall a little better (though about the same at 4K), and costs much less. Unless you have a specific non-gaming reason to shell out for the performance of a Titan X (say, for rendering or scientific work, with some 4K gaming on the side), this card makes little value sense at this point.
To be clear, though, it's still one of the most powerful cards you can buy for 4K gaming. 4K Gaming Cards: 'Budget' Options If your budget can't quite bear laying out $500 or more for a graphics card, you can find some less-expensive options that can handle 4K gaming at lower settings.
You won't get the absolute best visuals possible, but 4K gaming is technically attainable with these cards. If you don't mind running games closer to medium detail settings at 4K, but you still want to experience the pixel-dense glory of games running at 3,840-by-2,160 resolution, last-generation cards such as the GeForce GTX 980 Ti and AMD's Radeon R9 Fury X and are also capable options.
Just remember that you won't be able to play many games at the highest detail settings. These cards above fell in value due to rollout of the GTX 1080 and the lesser GeForce GTX 1070, both released in mid-2016, as well as with AMD's 2017 Radeon RX Vega cards. GeForce GTX 1070 cards start at around the $350 mark, with Nvidia's Founders Edition version at around $400. This card challenges cards like the older GeForce GTX 980 on performance. The GeForce GTX 1070 even beats the GeForce GTX 980 Ti at times, depending on the gaming matchup. The GeForce GTX 1070 and its companion, the slightly brawnier GeForce GTX 1070 Ti, mostly own the streets in this price range, but opting for one of the last-generation cards may seem tempting if their prices fall far enough.
But as newer games arrive in 2018 and beyond, you'll have to dial things back more and more to keep the frame rates at or above a clean 30fps at 4K. As a result, unless you're getting an older card cheap through some kind of unofficial channel, we recommend only current-gen cards if you're really serious about 4K play. Aside from gauging raw performance, you should keep a few other factors in mind when shopping for a powerful 4K-capable graphics card. Let's run through these one by one.
Consider (and Match) the Target Monitor The first consideration has to do with the kind of display you'll be using. If you opt for a 4K monitor with a DisplayPort input (which has the bandwidth to deliver 4K content at 60Hz, or up to 60fps), any of the above options should serve you well.
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But if you are thinking of using a 4K television as a large-screen gaming display, you may not want to opt for an older AMD Radeon-based card. Most 4K TVs lack DisplayPort connectors, instead relying upon HDMI input. Many newer 4K TVs have HDMI 2.0 ports, which also have the bandwidth to deliver 4K content at 60Hz. Nvidia's current-generation middle-to-high-end cards have HDMI 2.0 ports, as well. In AMD's case, though, only the newest-generation Radeon RX 400- and RX 500-series cards, as well as its Radeon RX Vega cards (the Radeon RX Vega 64 and ), have an HDMI 2.0-capable port. The older Radeon R9 300-Series and Radeon R9 Fury cards don't. And the RX 480 or RX 580 are not ideal cards for 4K play, though they may suffice at 4K at low detail settings.
As a result, if you opt for an older AMD card and plan on plugging your PC into a 4K HDTV, you'll be stuck doing things at 30Hz, or dialing the resolution back to 1080p or 1440p. This will bother some buyers and gamers more than others. Many games are certainly playable at 30Hz. But competitive twitch gamers (think of titles like League of Legends and DOTA 2) will want a higher refresh rate in order to remain competitive. And even if you're fine with playing games at 30Hz, you may be annoyed by things like choppy mouse-cursor movement if you're computing or gaming on a 4K screen limited to just 30Hz. Mind the Video Memory The other thing to watch for while shopping for a 4K-ready gaming card is the amount of dedicated video memory your card has.
Generally, 2GB of memory is plenty if you're gaming at 1080p or below. But when you step up to 4K, a graphics card needs to handle much more data. To keep your gaming sessions running smoothly at 4K and high detail settings, you'll want a card with at least 4GB of memory. A card with 6GB or more can be a better bet, especially if you're the type who likes to download game mods and/or high-resolution texture packs, which are sometimes specifically created to deliver a greater level of in-game detail for high-end cards that have extra memory capacity. But you usually need to specifically download these additional files, either from the game developer's Web site, Steam, or other gaming-community sites. Consider Card Length If you're rocking a full-tower PC, card size is probably not an issue. Most high-end, 4K-capable video cards are two slots wide and a little more or less than 10 inches long.
That said, if you're trying to build a gaming PC in a MicroATX- or Mini-ITX-styled chassis, we've seen a few 'short-barrel' cards that can squeeze in where full-size cards can't. On the AMD side of the aisle, that card has been the, but it's getting up there in years. (As we wrote this, PowerColor had just announced at Computex 2018.) On the Nvidia side, we have seen 'short' GTX 1050, GTX 1060, GTX 1070, and even GTX 1080 cards, though really the GTX 1070 is the bare-minimum 'real' 4K card of that lot. (Gigabyte and Zotac both offer short-board GTX 1070 cards.) We tested a short-board, which is the best current compact card for 4K play. Check the Power Requirements If your existing system already has a video card in place, you'll likely be fine, but check the recommended minimum power-supply wattage for any 4K-capable card you're considering.
(A 500- or 600-watt supply ought to be able to keep most any current single 4K-capable card juiced.) Many of the latest cards also require just a single power-supply lead (six- or eight-pin) from your supply, but make sure you have the proper cabling in place, or adapters on hand. Some factory-overclocked or amped-up third-party cards might require two power-supply connectors. Overclocked, Out of the Box? The distinctions among the many high-end third-party cards that are capable of 4K play can be esoteric. One of the big ones, though, is the presence (or not) of enhanced cooling hardware on the card to handle user-initiated overclocking of the GPU, or sometimes even overclocking done at the factory.
Reviews of individual cards will get down into the weeds of exact clock rates or factory overclocking. But know that an overclocking focus is often a key reason why some cards of the same class (such as different GTX 1080 cards) vary so much in price. Overclocking-minded cards will tend to be larger than their same-GPU kin, with more fans and/or more elaborate heat pipes and sinks.
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The presence of a water-cooling rig, such as with Corsair/MSI's Sea Hawk cards or EVGA's FTW Hybrids, is the definite sign of an extreme card meant for tweakers. With air-cooling, the most expensive cards in a given line tend to be the ones with the hardware for overclocking or a factory-overclock done out of the box.
Telltale cards of this kind include Zotac's Amp and Amp Extreme Series, MSI's Gaming X and Gaming Z, Gigabyte's WindForce and Xtreme, Asus' Republic of Gamers, and EVGA's FTW series. Ready for Our Recommendations? We've tested a lot of video cards in Nvidia's 'Pascal' and AMD's 'Polaris' and 'Vega' families. Below are our current favorites for 4K. Note that the, not listed here, has some relevance for 4K play.
It is not a stellar 4K card by itself, as we noted earlier, but the RX 580 can be configured in multi-card CrossFire configurations up to four cards, letting you add more cards as money allows. (Nvidia's current-gen Pascal GTX 1070, GTX 1080, and GTX 1080 Ti cards are limited to two-card SLI configurations, so the RX 580 has a minor niche here, of sorts.) For more video card advice, check out our picks for the overall. (If you need a lesser video card, see our picks for the and our.) Note that, as we mentioned earlier, the popularity of has triggered intense demand for graphics cards over the last year or so. As a result, current street prices for the GPUs in this roundup could be higher than listed here. However, as wrote this in mid-June 2018, we saw evidence of the GPU pricing crisis abating. Nvidia was selling Founders Edition versions of its cards again at original pricing, and stock levels were returning to something resembling normalcy.
Pros: Big performance jump over comparable previous-gen cards. Runs cool and quiet. Impressive clock speed and overclockability (at least with our test card). Cons: Founders Edition feels like an early-adopter tax.
Competing AMD cards can be physically smaller, thanks to High-Bandwidth Memory. Bottom Line: The GTX 1080 is far and away the fastest single GPU we have ever tested, and is the first GPU that allows for true 60fps 4K gaming (and improved VR, too). It's a game-changing GPU in every sense. Pros: Sticks close to the performance of the GTX 1080 at a significantly lower price. Often bests the pricier AMD Radeon RX Vega 64. Cons: Same 'Pascal' architecture as (and similar performance to) 10-Series cards that rolled out in mid-2016. Bottom Line: Nvidia's latest high-end card doesn't bring much in the way of new features or levels of performance.
But it's nearly as powerful as a GTX 1080, at an enticing $449 price point that seems designed to to dig a heel into AMD's Vega-based alternatives.