When choosing a GPU for your new gaming PC, there can be a lot to consider. However, once you know what to think about, choosing your next GPU becomes much easier. Whether you are looking to play the latest AAA titles or some older games, there should be multiple GPUs you can choose from to get the best performance for your money.
The GPU, alongside the CPU, is probably one of the components that can most affect your PC's overall performance. A good GPU allows you to do much more than enjoy your favorite game at the best frame rate possible. It can also be helpful when rendering videos, AI workloads, or performing repeated calculations in a project like Folding@home.
It's easy to get overwhelmed when trying to think of what GPU will best suit your needs. With that in mind, let's take a look at some of the more important factors to consider when looking to purchase your next GPU.
Monitor setup
Multi-monitor, resolution, and refresh rate
While multi-monitor setups are amazing, they do require extra resources to run. If you are planning on using more than one monitor, especially while gaming, you will need to make sure your GPU is strong enough. Powering two 4K displays, for instance, is going to require more video memory and bandwidth. If you find you have issues when running more than one screen, you may need a better GPU, or even a better CPU or more RAM.
Anyone who has ever tried to game at 4K knows how hard it can be on your PC. Your fans ramp up to try and keep things cool and your GPU and CPU temperatures begin to rise far quicker than you would like. This is due to the extra pixels on the screen that allow for the Ultra High Definition resolution, which is what makes everything look amazing. Of course, even if you have a 4K monitor, you can turn down the resolution in a game so it is not as taxing on your PC and you can get better frame rates. If you are looking to game at 4K, you will need a powerful GPU with as much VRAM on it as possible, such as one of the best Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090s currently available.
Similar to resolution, refresh rate is another thing that can affect the performance of your GPU. However, it isn't quite as straight forward and there are a lot more variables to consider. A higher refresh rate, such as 140Hz, can significantly increase GPU usage due to the need to render more frames per second. It can also increase CPU usage, which can affect GPU usage as well. Of course, it will greatly improve your visuals by making them look much smoother and also reducing motion blur.
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PC compatibility
ATX 3.0, Inputs, power usage, and bottlenecks
While compatibility isn't as big an issue as it once was, you will still need to make sure the rest of your PC is up to powering and utilizing your GPU of choice. You will need to take into consideration if your power supply unit (PSU) is ATX 3.0 compatible if you are considering an RTX 4080 or 4090. Even if you go for a less powerful RTX card or even an AMD GPU, you will need to make sure your PSU has enough PCIe power connectors and has enough watts to power your GPU of choice. If you're unsure where to start, check out our guide on the best PSU for gaming in 2024.
One of the main things you will need to consider when it comes to your GPU and PSU working together is how many watts your PSU offers. GPUs have a certain power requirement so they can be used without causing issues and this can differ quite a bit depending on the GPU. For instance, the ASRock Challenger Radeon RX 7700 XT 12G OC has a recommended power requirement of 750W. This doesn't take into account the rest of the components in your build but is a good starting place. It's always good to give yourself a little bit of extra leeway, but don't go too crazy so you don't overspend.
There is a lot of talk about bottlenecks and rightly so. A bottleneck is when the slowest component in your PC stops other components from being able to run to their full capacity. When it comes to a gaming PC, the most common bottlenecks are either CPU or GPU-related. This is why, when looking to build a new gaming PC, it is essential to make sure your CPU and GPU are evenly matched with each other and do not cause issues. It's not as bad as it seems, and most people get carried away when it comes to bottlenecks. Just keep it in mind and try not to pair a top-end GPU (like an RTX 4090) with a low-end CPU (such as an Intel Core i3), or vice versa.
Intel's Battlemage GPUs will support uncompressed 8K video at 144Hz
It may come sooner than we first thought.
Budget
Because money doesn't grow on trees
This is likely going to be one of the biggest constraints when it comes to picking a GPU. Unfortunately, they get expensive rather quickly these days. Whether you are building a whole new gaming PC, or just looking to upgrade your GPU, you will have to set some sort of budget. Once you have your budget in place, it will give you an exact idea of what types of GPUs you can start to consider. With prices ranging from under $200 to over $2,000, your budget is going to have a big effect on the GPU you can choose.
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AMD, Nvidia or Intel
Red, green, or blue. Which team is for you?
This is where things start to get fun. For far too many years, the fight for your GPU choice was between AMD and Nvidia. Now, Intel has joined the race and has some solid offerings at the lower end of the scale. While Intel only has a few models available currently, there have been plenty of rumors about the upcoming Battlemage GPUs.
Intel GPUs haven't been around as long as AMD and Nvidia, but they are proving to be quite good. Of course, they are still a bit behind the competition, but they are showing with regular updates that they can offer decent performance and should be considered a viable option for those looking for lower to mid-end performance. The upcoming Battlemage GPUs are said to further increase the performance Intel GPUs offer and further cement their place as a reputable GPU manufacturer.
While AMD does have some great offerings, they are mostly known as being the better option when it comes to price for performance. AMD has a solid mid-range offering and while some of their top models offer great performance, they can't quite beat Nvidia when it comes to gaming. If you are on a strict budget, AMD is worth looking into. The RX 7800 XT is a great GPU and can be had for under $500.
If you want the best of the best, you will want to consider Nvidia. At the moment, the RTX 4090 is going to be the best-performing GPU currently available. While it comes with a heavy price tag, sometimes close to $2,000, it has a lot to offer. The 4090 can be used for 4K gaming, has the best ray tracing capabilities, and thanks to its 24GB of VRAM, it is also great for video rendering and content creation.
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The GPU is arguably the most important part of any gaming PC build, so we're here to help you choose the right one
Choosing the best GPU for your gaming PC
There are a few things to take into consideration when choosing your new GPU. While some may argue about the order of importance, there is no denying they all need to be considered when purchasing your next GPU.
Whether you are looking for a top-of-the-range GPU, something to hold you over for a bit, or even just a mid-range gaming GPU, there are more than enough options. With a bit of research, you can check game requirements to see which GPU is best for what you want to play. Then you can also check the GPUs power requirements to make sure your PSU is up to the task. It may take a little bit of time, but it will all be worth it in the end.
When all is said and done, you will ultimately have to decide for yourself which is best for your needs, but hopefully, you are now a bit better equipped to do so.