Nvidia graphic card list best to worst: Best Graphics Cards — October 2022

26 апреля, 2022

The GPU power ladder: all current graphics cards ranked

The Digital Foundry GPU power ladder is simple: it ranks all current graphics cards on the market from most powerful to least powerful. Our ranking is based on our comprehensive real-world testing in nine modern and legacy games; no synthetic benchmarks.

For each card, we’ll include average frame-rates at common resolutions and benchmark runs in one legacy title (Crysis 3) and one modern game (Shadow of the Tomb Raider) so you can see how each card tested compares against others in its tier. Each game was tested at highest settings with an overclocked high-end CPU. If you want to see more in-depth performance figures and see how we tested, you can find links to our full reviews and benchmark pages. We’ve also linked to each card on Amazon; clicking these links helps support the work we do.

If you’re looking instead for quick recommendations, then our best graphics cards 2020 article is worth reading too. This includes our current picks for the fastest graphics card, the best value graphics card and the best budget GPU, plus recommendations for specific screen resolutions and more.

That just about sums things up, so let’s get to the results — starting with a glance at the current rankings, with each card shown compared to the leading RTX 2080 Ti.

Older graphics cards: where they rank

It’s worth mentioning that we are focusing here on all current graphics cards, so models with dwindling stock have been excluded. (You can read more about why in the FAQ.) With that in mind, here are quick summaries of the cards that didn’t quite make it — including their tier (with relative strength against RTX 2080 Ti at 1440p), average fps at three resolutions, closest competitor and a link to their full benchmarks.

GPU Tier 1080p 1440p 2160p Closest to… Link
GTX 1080 Ti 1 (78%) 131fps 94fps 52fps RTX 2080 is +2fps 1080 Ti benchmarks
Radeon 7 1 (76%) 124fps 92fps 52fps 2070 Super +0fps R7 benchmarks
GTX 1080 2 (64%) 108fps 77fps 41fps RX 5700 is +1fps 1080 benchmarks
Vega 64 3 (60%) 100fps 73fps 40fps RTX 2060 is -2fps V64 benchmarks
GTX 1070 Ti 3 (57%) 99fps 69fps 37fps RTX 2060 is +2fps 1070 Ti benchmarks
Vega 56 3 (55%) 94fps 66fps 36fps RTX 2060 is +5fps V56 benchmarks
GTX 1070 3 (50%) 88fps 60fps 32fps GTX 1660 Ti is -1fps 1070 benchmarks
GTX 970 5 (32%) 55fps 38fps N/A RX 570 is +1fps N/A
GTX 960 4GB 6 (17%) 34fps N/A N/A RX 560 is +1fps N/A

If you’re only interested in graphics cards at a given tier, you can use these links to skip ahead.

GPU Power Ladder: six tiers of gaming performance

  • Tier 1: RTX 2080 Ti, RTX 2080 Super, RTX 2080, RTX 2070 Super
  • Tier 2: RX 5700 XT, RTX 2070, RTX 2060 Super, RX 5700
  • Tier 3: RTX 2060, RX 5600 XT, GTX 1660 Ti, GTX 1660 Super
  • Tier 4: GTX 1660, RX 590, RX 5500 XT 8GB, RX 5500 XT 4GB
  • Tier 5: RX 580, GTX 1060, GTX 1650 Super, RX 570
  • Tier 6: GTX 1650, GTX 1050 Ti, GTX 1050 3GB, RX 560

Tier 1: RTX 2080 Ti, RTX 2080 Super, RTX 2080, RTX 2070 Super

This tier contains the best consumer graphics cards on the market, all the way up to the four-figure RTX 2080 Ti. If you’re looking to game at 4K without sacrificing detail settings, this is where you want to be. Here’s how the top four GPUs compare.

Crysis 3: very high, SMAA T2X

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Shadow of the Tomb Raider DX12: Highest, TAA

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1. Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti

151fps 1080p • 121fps 1440p • 69fps 4K

The RTX 2080 Ti is the fastest consumer graphics card on the market by a significant margin. (The Titan RTX is a bit faster, but that workstation card is twice as expensive.) As well as possessing an immense amount of raw horsepower, the 2080 Ti also comes with hardware-accelerated real-time ray tracing (RTX) and deep learning super sampling (DLSS), two forward-looking features that are presently only supported in a handful of games. While the RTX 2080 Ti is a strong card, its four-digit price tag keeps it out of consideration for all but the most deep-pocketed PC builders.

  • Full RTX 2080 Ti benchmarks
  • Digital Foundry RTX 2080 Ti review
  • Check prices on Amazon

2. Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super

139fps 1080p • 103fps 1440p • 57fps 4K

The RTX 2080 Super is noticeably better than the RTX 2080, GTX 1080 Ti and RTX 2070 Super while not challenging the supremacy of the RTX 2080 Ti. Like other RTX cards, it includes dedicated ray tracing and deep learning hardware, alongside niceties like a USB-C port for VR headsets (and indeed, almost anything else that connects via USB-C). This card replaces the RTX 2080 at the same recommended retail price.

  • Full RTX 2080 Super benchmarks
  • Digital Foundry RTX 2080 Super review
  • Check prices on Amazon

3. Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080

133fps 1080p • 97fps 1440p • 54fps 4K

The RTX 2080 provides slightly better performance than Nvidia’s last-generation flagship card, the GTX 1080 Ti. This card has been replaced by the RTX 2080 Super, but stock is still widely available and temporary price reductions mean the card is still a viable option. Just make sure you can’t get an RTX 2080 Super for the same money!

  • Full RTX 2080 benchmarks
  • Digital Foundry RTX 2080 review
  • Check prices on Amazon

4. Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super

128fps 1080p • 92fps 1440p • 50fps 4K

The RTX 2070 Super is the replacement for the RTX 2070, offering increased performance at the same price. The card is ideal for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but 4K is also within reach with just a few settings tweaks. As with other RTX cards, hardware-accelerated ray tracing and deep learning super sampling (DLSS) features could add value if you play games that support them.

  • Full RTX 2070 Super benchmarks
  • Digital Foundry RTX 2070 Super review
  • Check prices on Amazon

Tier 2: RX 5700 XT, RTX 2070, RTX 2060 Super, RX 5700

These cards aren’t the fastest available, but they still provide excellent performance and they cost much less than the leading cards. Expect to be able to stretch to 4K in many titles, but 1440p or high refresh-rate 1080p is the sweet spot. Here’s how this quartet of graphics cards compare:

Crysis 3: very high, SMAA T2X

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Shadow of the Tomb Raider DX12: Highest, TAA

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5. AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT

120fps 1080p • 86fps 1440p • 46fps 4K

The RX 5700 XT uses AMD’s new RDNA architecture and the same 7nm process that debuted on the Radeon 7, bringing a surprising amount of horsepower to a modestly-priced package. The card burns through more power than its little brother, the RX 5700, but does scale better to higher resolutions thanks to its improved performance.

  • Full RX 5700 XT benchmarks
  • Digital Foundry RX 5700 XT review
  • Check prices on Amazon

6. Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070

115fps 1080p • 82fps 1440p • 44fps 4K

The RTX 2070 offers good performance at 1080p and 1440p, while also stretching to 4K in modern games if you’re willing to turn some graphics settings down. It’s a little faster than the older GTX 1080. The RTX 2070’s price/performance combo saw it become the most popular RTX card in the Steam Hardware Survey, but expect it to wane now that its replacement has arrived. Still, RTX 2070 cards are still available in wide numbers, and new price drops may make them a good value choice — just check 2070 Super prices too!

  • Full RTX 2070 benchmarks
  • Digital Foundry RTX 2070 review
  • Check prices on Amazon

7.

Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 Super

113fps 1080p • 80fps 1440p • 43fps 4K

The RTX 2060 Super is an excellent value choice for 1080p and 1440p gaming, occupying the same price bracket as the old RTX 2060 but offering more VRAM (8GB vs 6GB) and increased compute power. That makes this card a more future-proof option than its predecessor. However, the RTX 2060 remains on sale at a lower price, providing a better price to performance ratio — at least in the short term.

  • Full RTX 2060 Super benchmarks
  • Digital Foundry RTX 2060 Super review
  • Check prices on Amazon

8. AMD Radeon RX 5700

109fps 1080p • 77fps 1440p • 42fps 4K

The RX 5700 is another new card from AMD, using a 7nm process and the advanced RDNA architecture to provide excellent 1080p and 1440p performance for a reasonable price. The vanilla RX 5700 runs more efficiently than the XT model, but doesn’t have quite as much top-end grunt. However, reports suggest it’s possible to flash the RX 5700 XT BIOS onto the regular model, potentially unlocking extra performance. We haven’t tried this and don’t recommend it, as you could end up with a brick, but it’s a point of interest nonetheless.

  • Full RX 5700 benchmarks
  • Digital Foundry RX 5700 review
  • Check prices on Amazon

Tier 3: RTX 2060, RX 5600 XT, GTX 1660 Ti, GTX 1660 Super

This competitive tier performs well at 1440p and 1080p, without the need to reduce detail settings in all but the most demanding games. It’s also home to the cheapest card with hardware-accelerated ray tracing and DLSS, the RTX 2060. The recent removal of the Vega 56 and Vega 64 mean that Nvidia’s best recent GTX cards move up a tier in our ranking, providing some desperately-needed room in the crowded lower tiers of the power ladder.

The RX 5600 XT also makes its debut here. This is a strong card, but the situation is complicated — a BIOS upgrade pushed by AMD a few days before launch means that some models are substantially more powerful than others, with 12Gbps memory upped to 14Gbps and boost frequencies raised as well. Check out our RX 5600 XT review for the full details, or read AMD’s list of different RX 5600 XT models.

Crysis 3: very high, SMAA T2X

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Shadow of the Tomb Raider DX12: Highest, TAA

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9. Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060

102fps 1080p • 71fps 1440p • 37fps 4K

The RTX 2060 occupies a unique place in Nvidia’s lineup, being the cheapest card to offer hardware-accelerated ray tracing. It performs well too, particularly in newer games, with solid results at 1080p and 1440p. Lower CPU utilisation means that the RTX 2060 actually performs better at 1080p gaming than the Vega 64, although it loses out to the AMD card at higher resolutions. The RTX 2060 recently saw a permanent price reduction thanks to the introduction of the faster RTX 2060 Super, making it an excellent value choice for 1080p and 1440p gaming with RTX and DLSS support.

  • Full RTX 2060 benchmarks
  • Digital Foundry RTX 2060 review
  • Check prices on Amazon

10. AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT

97fps 1080p • 68fps 1440p • 36fps 4K

This card sits between the RX 5500 XT and RX 5700, delivering strong 1080p performance and decent 1440p frame-rates too. The RX 5600 XT is a fascinating product, thanks to a late-breaking BIOS update that boosts performance substantially — with clock speeds of 1750MHz and effective memory speed of 14Gbps, compared to 1620Mhz and 12Gbps on the reference product. It’s well worth choosing an OC model for that reason, as long as the price is close to the $299 mark. Note that our average frame-rates here are based on the reference model; the OC model’s averages are 102fps at 1080p, 72fps at 1440p and 38fps at 4K. Check out the review linked below for a closer look at performance between the two variants — and be sure to read AMD’s breakdown of which models require BIOS upgrades to work at full speed, ship with BIOS upgrades installed or aren’t certified to work at the higher speeds.

  • Digital Foundry RX 5600 XT review
  • Check prices on Amazon
  • Read AMD’s list of RX 5600 XT models

11. Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti

88fps 1080p • 60fps 1440p • 31fps 4K

The GTX 1660 Ti is an unusual card, offering some advantages of Nvidia’s Turing architecture without dedicated hardware for machine learning or ray tracing. That results in a cheaper card overall, able to beat out the GTX 1070 in modern titles but fall behind in older ones.

  • Full GTX 1660 Ti benchmarks
  • Digital Foundry GTX 1660 Ti review
  • Check prices on Amazon

12. Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super

85fps 1080p • 59fps 1440p • 30fps 4K

The GTX 1660 Super is a better version of the original GTX 1660 with faster GDDR6 memory. The 75 per cent increase in memory clocks makes this card about 15 per cent faster in most games we tested, allowing it to come very close indeed to the more expensive GTX 1660 Ti. That means you should opt for whichever card is cheaper in your region — probably the Super.

  • Digital Foundry GTX 1660 Super review
  • Check prices on Amazon

Tier 4: GTX 1660, RX 590, RX 5500 XT 8GB, RX 5500 XT 4GB

This new tier is formed by a quartet of recently released cards from Nvidia and AMD, including the two RX 5500 models that appeared at the end of 2019. 1440p gaming is getting a little harder to achieve without sacrificing visual fidelity, but 1080p performance is still excellent.

Crysis 3: very high, SMAA T2X

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Shadow of the Tomb Raider DX12: Highest, TAA

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13. Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660

74fps 1080p • 51fps 1440p • 26fps 4K

The GTX 1660 is a close match for AMD’s RX 590, with the AMD card proving stronger at 4K but Team Green taking the slight edge at 1080p and 1440p. However, it’s a close margin easily within the margin of error, so choosing based on price or features could make more sense.

  • Full GTX 1660 benchmarks
  • Digital Foundry GTX 1660 video review
  • Check prices on Amazon

14. AMD Radeon RX 590

73fps 1080p • 50fps 1440p • 26fps 4K

The RX 590 competes against the GTX 1660 in the lower mid-range, offering strong 1080p performance and reasonable 1440p results as well. The refresh-of-a-refresh card doesn’t offer much new in terms of features, but the 12nm process used allows for higher clocks without additional heat or power consumption — not a bad combination!

  • Full RX 590 benchmarks
  • Digital Foundry RX 590 review
  • Check prices on Amazon

15. AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT 8GB

72fps 1080p • 50fps 1440p • 26fps 4K

The RX 5500 XT is the long-awaited successor to the RX 580, operating in a similar performance envelope using AMD’s more advanced RDNA architecture and a 7nm process. That means slightly better frame-rates than the old RX 580 and RX 570 while using less power and producing less heat. The 8GB version of the card is also more steadfast than its 4GB brother, giving you the option to play at higher resolutions and with higher texture settings without running out of VRAM and taking a heavy hit to frame-rates. However, if actual in-game performance is all you care about, then a cut-price RX 500-series 8GB card may still offer better value… while supplies last.

  • Digital Foundry RX 5500 XT review
  • Check prices on Amazon

16. AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT 4GB

69fps 1080p • 47fps 1440p • 24fps 4K

The 4GB version of the RX 5500 XT has half the amount of VRAM as its bigger brother but is otherwise identical, so you can expect the same performance in most games. However, once you do run out of VRAM, performance tanks hard, so we recommend sticking to lower texture settings and lower resolutions if possible. That makes the 4GB card a little less future-proof than the 8GB alternative, but given the price differential the cheaper card offers better value for 1080p gaming.

  • Digital Foundry RX 5500 XT review
  • Check prices on Amazon

Tier 5: RX 580, GTX 1060, GTX 1650 Super, RX 570

We’re safely in the mainstream now, with the best value-for-money cards on the market. The GTX 1060 is the most popular GPU by a significant margin, but aggressive pricing from AMD means that the RX 580 and RX 570 may be better choices. Meanwhile, the new GTX 1650 Super is a bit underwhelming, largely offering worse performance than the RX 5500 XT 4GB that was released at nearly the same time.

Crysis 3: very high, SMAA T2X

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Shadow of the Tomb Raider DX12: Highest, TAA

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17. AMD Radeon RX 580

66fps 1080p • 46fps 1440p • 24fps 4K

The RX 580 is the best value graphics card for 1080p gaming, beating out the GTX 1060 by a small but significant margin and often appearing at a lower price. 1440p gaming is possible too, but you will need to make quality setting sacrifices to ensure a playable 60fps experience.

  • Full RX 580 benchmarks
  • Digital Foundry RX 580 review
  • Check prices on Amazon

18. Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 6GB

64fps 1080p • 44fps 1440p • 23fps 4K

The GTX 1060 is available in both 3GB and 6GB varieties, with the results here shown from the 6GB version we recommend. This graphics card is barely outperformed by the RX 580 on aggregate, but both cards can take the lead in certain games — with Nvidia hardware doing best on DX11, while AMD have the advantage on DX12 and Vulkan titles.

  • Full GTX 1060 benchmarks
  • Digital Foundry GTX 1060 review
  • Check prices on Amazon

19. Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Super

66fps 1080p • 43fps 1440p • 21fps 4K

The GTX 1650 Super is slightly faster than the old GTX 1060 at 1080p, but falls behind at resolutions increase. Given its performance is significantly behind the RX 5500 XT, another new card available at a similar price, there’s not much reason to opt for this card compared to its competitors. However, Nvidia has proved itself willing to discounts its cards aggressively, so at the right price the 1650 Super could become a more viable alternative to AMD’s low-tier dominance.

  • GTX 1650 Super vs RX 5500 XT review
  • Check prices on Amazon

20. AMD Radeon RX 570 4GB

58fps 1080p • 40fps 1440p

This cut-down version of the RX 570 still works well at 1080p, competing with the 3GB version of the GTX 1060 in terms of frame-rates. However, it can be overclocked to near RX 580 levels of performance, boosting its value significantly for silicon lottery winners. Recent price cuts have made this a standout choice.

  • Full RX 570 benchmarks
  • Digital Foundry RX 570 review
  • Check prices on Amazon

Tier 6: GTX 1650, GTX 1050 Ti, GTX 1050 3GB, RX 560

These entry-level cards are tuned for 1080p gaming, providing acceptable performance at a very low price point. More expensive cards will provide a little more longevity and the possibility of 1440p gaming, but if you have a limited budget this is as good as it gets. Be sure to check prices on the next tier up too, as recent reductions may bring far better performers like the RX 570 into play.

Crysis 3: very high, SMAA T2X

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Shadow of the Tomb Raider DX12: Highest, TAA

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21. Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650

48fps 1080p • 32fps 1440p

The GTX 1650 is the weakest product that Nvidia have launched in recent memory, costing the same price as the competing RX 570 yet offering significantly worse performance in most games. While single-slot designs with low power requirements (and no additional PCI-e power needed) may offer a good solution for those looking to upgrade an office tower to play games, everyone else should steer clear.

  • Full GTX 1650 benchmarks
  • Check prices on Amazon

22. Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti

42fps 1080p • 27fps 1440p

The GTX 1050 Ti is the fastest entry-level card on the market, providing decent 1080p performance with a good amount of VRAM, preventing issues in titles like Battlefield 1. However, the card doesn’t really have the chops to attempt 1440p gaming in modern games.

  • Full GTX 1050 Ti benchmarks
  • Digital Foundry GTX 1050 Ti review
  • Check prices on Amazon

23. Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 3GB

36fps 1080p • 23fps 1440p

We previously named the GTX 1050 3GB our favourite budget card on the market, thanks to its decent 1080p performance, low power requirements and entry-level price. While both 2GB and 3GB versions of these cards exist, stock is getting hard to find as newer models are released.

  • Full GTX 1050 3GB benchmarks
  • Digital Foundry GTX 1050 3GB review
  • Check prices on Amazon

24.

AMD Radeon RX 560 4GB

34fps 1080p • 21fps 1440p

The RX 560 is a confusing card, offered in an unnecessarily large number of variations with varying compute units (CUs), video memory, clock speeds, power requirements and more. Even in the best-case scenario represented by these benchmarks — a 4GB version of the card with the full complement of 16 CUs — the performance here is really nothing to write home about.

  • Full RX 560 benchmarks
  • Check prices on Amazon

Frequently asked questions

Why isn’t my graphics card included on this list?

Note that we’ve been selective with the graphics cards we have included, for a few different reasons. Most importantly, the ranking is derived from average performance at 1440p in nine different games that we’ve been using as benchmarks for a while. However, some older graphics cards haven’t been tested in the more recent titles, like Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, so any average we derived wouldn’t be comparable. Retesting these older cards would ameliorate this issue, but with so many possible candidates it would be a substantial undertaking.

There are also some cards, like a few GTX 10-series models, which we do have data for but we haven’t included on this list. Part of this is down to readability — we don’t want this page to get increasingly long and unwieldy over time as new GPUs are released because old GPUs never leave. Instead, we’ve decided to only include graphics cards that are widely available in new condition in the US and UK for a fair price.

For models that didn’t make the cut, we’ve made a cheat-sheet near the top of this page with a summary of the data we have, what tier they’d fall into and what card(s) they most closely resemble in performance. Note that the average can be a bit deceiving — our testing shows the GTX 1660 Ti is faster than a GTX 1070 in newer games, but slower in older titles, so there’s a difference in performance here despite working out to be about as fast on average. We’ve also linked to full benchmark pages where they exist, so that you can see how these cards perform in greater detail.

Can I see the chart with actual fps values?

Sure, here you go.

We hope this GPU power ladder has been helpful! We plan to update this page over time as new graphics cards are released and older graphics cards disappear off the market, so stay tuned for the next iteration! In the meantime, why not check out our current recommendations for the best graphics cards on the market?

GPU Hierarchy 2022 [Nvidia + AMD]

Want to know how different graphics cards (GPU) compare against each other? We’ve made this tier list of all current-generation graphics cards.

Variety is both a blessing and a curse in the world of PC gaming.

The sheer number of components that you get to choose from allows you to find the best hardware for your needs and budget, but at the same time, actually finding this ideal pick can take quite a lot of time and research.

So, to help you find the right graphics card, we have put together a table that ranks GPUs according to their gaming performance, which should make it easier for you to narrow down your selection.

We have analyzed thousands of benchmarks from manufacturers, third party testers, and reputable outlets in order to create the ultimate GPU tier list.

We keep this hierarchy up to date as new GPUs come out, so be sure to bookmark the page and check back for fresh info!

Tier Level GPU VRAM Memory Type Memory Bus Width TDP
S Tier Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 Ti 24 GB GDDR6X 384-bit 450W
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 24 GB GDDR6X 384-bit 350W
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 12 GB GDDR6X 384-bit 350W
AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT 16 GB GDDR6 256-bit 300W
A Tier Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 12 GB 12 GB GDDR6X 384-bit 350W
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 10 GB GDDR6X 320-bit 320W
AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT 16 GB GDDR6 256-bit 300W
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti 8 GB GDDR6X 256-bit 290W
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti 11 GB GDDR6 352-bit 250W
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 8 GB GDDR6 256-bit 220W
B Tier Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti 8 GB GDDR6 256-bit 200W
AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT 12 GB GDDR6 192-bit 230W
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super 8 GB GDDR6 256-bit 250W
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super 8 GB GDDR6 256-bit 215W
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 8 GB GDDR6 192-bit 170W
AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT 8 GB GDDR6 128-bit 160W
C Tier AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 8 GB GDDR6 256-bit 225W
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 8 GB GDDR6 128-bit 130W
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 Super 8 GB GDDR6 256-bit 175W
AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT 6 GB GDDR6 192-bit 160W
D Tier AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT 4 GB GDDR6 64-bit 107W
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6 GB GDDR6 192-bit 120W
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super 6 GB GDDR6 192-bit 125W
AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT 4/8 GB GDDR6 128-bit 130W
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Super 4 GB GDDR6 128-bit 100W

Below, you’ll find all of the GPUs grouped into several tiers according to the kind of performance they offer.

Keep in mind that these are only approximations based on the more demanding AAA games. Since hardware requirements and software optimization differ wildly from game to game, it’s difficult to provide an accurate general overview of the kind of performance each GPU offers.

As such, the different tiers are only there to give you a general impression as to what kind of performance you can expect from these GPUs. If you’ve got your sights set on a GPU and would like to know precisely how it will perform in a specific game, it’s probably a good idea to look up some benchmarks.

Table of ContentsShow

    S-Tier

    The first tier is composed of the very best and most powerful GPUs currently on the market.

    These GPUs are fully capable of taking on 4K and can maintain a stable 60 FPS in this resolution, even when it comes to the most demanding games. That said, they also offer excellent performance in 1440p.

    Nvidia GPUs AMD GPUs
    Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 Ti AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT
    Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090
    Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti

    A-Tier

    The second tier is composed of 4K-ready GPUs that are capable of offering stable performance in this resolution, though they might not be as consistent as the above models.

    With that in mind, these GPUs are the optimal solution for those aiming for smooth performance in 1440p, as they are capable of offering stable framerates in this resolution.

    Nvidia GPUs AMD GPUs
    Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 12 GB AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT
    Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080
    Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti
    Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti
    Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070

    B-Tier

    The third-tier GPUs will generally be able to take on 4K, although they make for more balanced solutions that excel in 1440p. They are not as powerful as those found in the previous tier, but they are more affordable, too.

    Moreover, these GPUs are also great picks if you’re the kind of person who puts performance before visuals and have your sights set on a high-performance 1080p display.

    Nvidia GPUs AMD GPUs
    Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT
    Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT
    Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super
    Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060

    C-Tier

    The fourth tier includes budget-friendly GPUs that are likely to struggle when running the latest games in 1440p resolutions, though this won’t be an issue if you’re not obsessed with hitting the golden 60 FPS mark.

    That said, these GPUs are a better fit for those who are looking for stable performance in 1080p.

    Nvidia GPUs AMD GPUs
    Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT
    Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 Super AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT

    D-Tier

    Finally, the fifth tier includes the weakest, but also the most budget-friendly GPUs currently available.

    These GPUs are only a good choice for those who are on a tight budget and have no aspirations to go beyond 1080p yet, as they are generally only able to deliver serviceable performance in that resolution.

    Nvidia GPUs AMD GPUs
    Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT
    Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT
    Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Super

    Conclusion

    And that would be it for the 2022 GPU hierarchy!

    As mentioned above, these tiers are only supposed to give you an overall impression of what kind of performance you can expect from the included GPUs, and hardware requirements can vary wildly from game to game.

    So, if you’re after more accurate performance metrics, be sure to look up some specific benchmarks and see how a given GPU performs in the games you intend on playing.

    Best Aspect Ratio For Gaming – Which Should I Choose?

    GeForce vs Radeon: Best Value GPUs Right Now

    Graphics card prices keep falling, so how about we look at what GPUs are the best value at the moment? This is sort of a complement to our GPU pricing update from last week. We ran a similar «Cost per Frame» feature back in April, but since then there has been considerable price changes, as GPUs are edging closer to MSRP and in some cases even below that.

    Of course, this information will only be relevant if you are thinking of buying a GPU right now, which may not make the most sense depending on your position and what sort of GPU you are after. As we’ve discussed at length now, buying a new high-end graphics card today may not be a great idea if those products will be superseded with newer, faster GPUs by the end of this year.

    However, for those of you looking for something more modest, something in the mid-range of the lineup, it’s likely going to be a while before those cards are updated. It also may make sense to buy if you don’t want to wait for pricing of new generation GPUs to settle. Because let’s be honest, pricing will almost certainly be inflated to some degree at launch, and availability could be poor for several months.

    Today’s cost per frame analysis is based on the data Steve collected for the previous version of this article, which includes most GPUs but not the very latest ones from AMD, such as the 6750 XT and 6650 XT. However those cards aren’t worth buying anyway, so no big loss.

    As before, the six games chosen for this comparison were picked carefully from our 50 game sample to be generally representative of how each card performs. The games are: Red Dead Redemption 2 using medium settings, Rainbow Six Siege using medium settings, Far Cry 6 medium, Hitman 3 medium, Dying Light 2 medium, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider at the high quality preset. We won’t be going over each individual game, but rather use average data calculated using a geomean, which gives us a summary of the performance of each card, which we can then use for cost per frame.

    The reason why we are using medium quality settings is so that we can feature both entry-level and high-end products on the same chart. Today’s entry-level cards — think the RX 6500 XT — aren’t geared towards gaming using high quality settings, so medium is the limit for those cards. Meanwhile, higher-tier models typically fare just fine on medium, though many will choose to play using Ultra. We also have some 4K data which will be most useful for high-end cards.

    All testing was conducted using the Ryzen 7 5800X3D with DDR4-3600 CL16 memory and Resizable BAR enabled, which is a setup that minimizes CPU bottlenecks as best as possible, especially when testing at 1080p. Also please note that the pricing information discussed here was taken from our pricing update article from last week, so pricing may have moved slightly over the last few days. Let’s now get right into it…

    Best Value GPU at 1080p

    Just as we saw in April, the best value GPU for 1080p gaming is the AMD Radeon RX 6600, which ends up with 7% better cost per frame than the Radeon 6600 XT in second place. The 6500 XT sits in third, though given its low level of performance and limited feature set, this card should be offering the best cost per frame value by a mile to compensate. While pricing has come down to sit at just $180, lower than its MSRP, to match the cost per frame of the 6600 it would need to be priced no more than $160 which is the current asking price for the RX 6400.

    Like we’ve been saying for a while now, pricing should have started at no more than $150, and around $100 would have been best.

    Also of relevance in this entry-level card battle is the RTX 3050, which at $330 is sitting between the RX 6600 and RX 6600 XT right now. However, the GeForce model costs 43 percent more per frame than the 6600, and 33 percent more than the 6600 XT, which we think is impossible to justify. The RTX 3050 remains a bad value despite all the improvements to pricing over the last few months.

    A much more appropriate comparison is to the RTX 3060 at $380. Back in April this card cost 22 percent more per frame than the 6600 XT, now that margin has shrunk to just 13 percent, which makes the RTX 3060 a solid buy for 1080p gaming in our opinion. If you don’t care about DLSS though, which isn’t too effective at 1080p, the 6600 XT would be the better choice.

    Best Value GPU at 1440p

    For 1440p gaming we can compare the higher end models, although the overall positioning of each card hasn’t changed much relative to the 1080p data. The RX 6600 is still the best value GPU in terms of cost per frame, but the RX 6700 XT is surprisingly close at just 4 percent more per frame. These two cards aren’t in the same product tier given the gulf in performance, but it does point to the 6700 XT being a great value purchase around $500.

    Of course, some people will bring up the 6700 XT’s lack of features, such as its inability to run DLSS and weaker ray tracing support than Nvidia options. We think those are relevant here, as the RTX 3060 Ti costs just 12 percent more per frame; it’s slightly slower than the 6700 XT in rasterization at 1440p, and also costs $30 more.

    In this price tier we think a lot of gamers would be willing to take a relatively small hit to cost per frame in order to gain access to Nvidia’s features, at least until FSR 2. 0 can catch up to DLSS over time.

    Thanks to price drops on the Nvidia side, it’s also now harder to make a definitive call in the higher segments of the market. Before AMD was sitting comfortably below their Nvidia counterparts, but that’s no longer the case. The 6800 XT and RTX 3070 have the same cost per frame value, while models right up to the RTX 3080 are within 15 percent of the 6800 XT. Depending on how you evaluate Nvidia’s features, it may make sense to go with the RTX 3080, where previously AMD was definitely in pole position.

    However, if you are looking for the nearest Nvidia card to the 6800 XT in terms of rasterization performance, that model is the RTX 3080 Ti, which is currently 37 percent more expensive per frame. We definitely wouldn’t recommend that model, or anything higher end in Nvidia’s line-up, which are poor value. But from the RTX 3080 12GB and below we think you can make a case for choosing Team Green as Nvidia GPUs have become more value competitive in recent months.

    Best Value GPU at 4K

    Moving up to 4K gaming, we see Nvidia RTX 30 GPUs move up the charts as their performance scales better at higher resolutions than AMD’s. While the RX 6700 XT is the outright leader in cost per frame, the 3060 Ti is also towards the top of the chart, costing 8 percent more per frame than AMD’s offering. That’s a higher margin than back in April, but still close enough to consider, especially if you think Nvidia’s feature set will provide you with strong value.

    At this resolution high-end cards are of most interest, particularly those delivering over 90 FPS on average. The best value GPU here is the RX 6800 XT, but like we saw at 1440p, GeForce products are closer this month than before.

    The RTX 3080 is just 5 percent more per frame, up from 13 percent more in April, so with such a close battle it’s hard to overlook Nvidia given the additional features on offer. The battle between the RTX 3080 Ti and RX 6900 XT has also become closer, whereas before the GeForce model was 19 percent more per frame making the Radeon card the obvious buy, now it’s just 11 percent more and a much harder decision.

    What hasn’t changed much is that Nvidia’s flagship GPUs are horrible value. The RTX 3090, and especially RTX 3090 Ti, are barely faster than the RTX 3080 Ti but cost 58% more per frame in the case of the 3090 Ti. While the large VRAM buffer is useful for some workstation applications, for gaming it’s very hard to justify the 3090 series.

    Best GPU Value Outside the US

    Although we generally reference US pricing for all our reviews, in this instance we think it’s useful to look at data from other regions, because pricing and cost per frame can vary drastically depending on the market.

    Let’s take a look at the data from Europe. In this case we’re still looking at the 1440p six game average, but we’re now getting prices from Mindfactory in Germany – though of course pricing in your country may vary, this is just one sample from Europe, we can’t grab data from every retailer…

    Best Value at 1440p (Europe)

    In Europe, pricing is more favorable towards AMD right now. Like in the US, the RX 6600 is the best value GPU on the market, but there’s another four AMD cards before the first Nvidia model including the RX 6800 XT. In most head to head battles this makes it hard to recommend a GeForce GPU. The 6600, for example, is 10 percent slower than the RTX 3060, but costs 21 percent less per frame as you’re saving over 100 euros going with the Radeon. That puts the 6600 in a stronger position than in the US for the mainstream market, although in Europe the RTX 3050 appears to be better placed (but still not amazing value).

    Then for mid-range buyers, the RX 6700 XT is similar to the US in its position relative to the RTX 3060 Ti, with the GeForce model costing 12 percent more per frame. However it becomes hard to justify anything above 500 euros relative to either of these cards, even the RTX 3070 is 10 percent more per frame, a larger margin than over the Atlantic. The one exception is the RX 6800 XT which at a cost per frame of under 5 euros is the clear go to choice for buyers wanting a premium frame rate. The nearest performing cards from Nvidia begin with the RTX 3080, and that model is 28 percent more per frame, hard to justify even with the difference in features. It gets even worse for higher tier models like the RTX 3080 Ti and especially the ludicrous RTX 3090 Ti.

    Best Value at 1440p (Australia)

    In Australia we’re taking data from PC Case Gear, picking the lowest GPU price for all models listed. The two Radeon RX 6600 series graphics cards take the crown in cost per frame, while Nvidia GPUs are horribly uncompetitive here.

    The RTX 3060, for example, is similar in performance to the 6600 XT, yet costs 55 percent more per frame. It’s impossible to justify spending that much on the GeForce no matter how much you talk about DLSS in this performance segment.

    In the mid-range, the RTX 3060 Ti costs 17 percent more per frame than the RX 6700 XT which is probably the most favorable comparison for Nvidia, but harder to justify than in other countries where these two models sit much closer in value. This difference in value is also true for the RTX 3080 vs RX 6800 XT, and like in other territories, the highest end Nvidia GPUs are impossible to recommend from a value standpoint. But generally in Australia you’ll be paying a premium to buy a GeForce GPU, at least more of a premium than in other countries.

    Wrap Up

    That’s where cost per frame sits for today’s graphics cards in several key regions. Do keep in mind that we’ve just been looking at a 6-game average using medium settings at several resolutions. If you want more accurate information on a particular match-up, check out some of the head to head 50 game comparisons we’ve made, and apply the pricing data we’ve just been talking about.

    The main takeaways from this review are somewhat similar to what we discussed in April. There are two groups of GPUs to be avoided if value is of any consideration: the RX 6500 XT, while not the worst card in terms of cost per frame, is a terrible product when you factor in its lack of features, limited PCIe bandwidth, and small VRAM buffer. We’d simply avoid it.

    Then the RTX 3090 and RTX 3090 Ti should be avoided for a different reason. They offer the worst value on the market right now for gamers, plus they are bound to be the most hit when a new GPU generation by the end of 2022

    As for the cards that should be considered, this will depend on your region. There are several cases of Nvidia closing the gap in cost per frame relative to AMD cards, but still roughly 10 percent more expensive per frame. If you’re keen on features like DLSS and ray tracing, that sort of margin is borderline justifiable, but if not the AMD cards tend to be better value.

    Shopping Shortcuts:
    • Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti on Amazon
    • Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 on Amazon
    • Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 on Amazon
    • AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT on Amazon
    • AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT on Amazon
    • Intel Core i5-12600K on Amazon
    • AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D on Amazon

    The Worst Graphics Cards to Ever Have [2022]

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    Have you ever thought about some of the worst graphics cards that ever existed? Well, in this article we would be going through some of these cards. But before we start, it’s important to know that all of this information is based on our own personal experience with these chips and the data we got from different people who have already tested these products. And in case, if you have any of these graphics cards, and if that’s working fine for you, then there’s no need to throw them away.

    Before we dive into the list, let’s keep one thing out of the way, the older generation Intel integrated graphics chipset. No, we are not talking about the Intel UHD 600 Series here, not for this time.

    List of the Worst GPUs

    Here are some of the graphics cards that don’t even give you should stay away from if you have that hard-earned cash with ya.

    1- Nvidia Titan X – Don’t Fall for the Name

    By the way, there are two Titans thrown on the market by Nvidia, the GTX Titan X, and the Pascal Titan X. Here we are just talking about the “Pascal” version.

    First of all, everything that is being named “Titan” doesn’t mean to be a high-performer at all. With this graphics card, you get 12GB DDR5 VRAM, which most people think would make this graphics card powerful in any task.

    Well, a higher amount of VRAM on this graphics card can let you play games at 1440p resolution. However, you can play games at higher resolution by spending less amount of money. The price point at which Nvidia Titan X comes is not fair enough at all, not in the year 2022 we might say.

    By spending over $1000, you can get a graphics card that is way more powerful in gaming and is packed with premium features like ray-tracing and DLSS 2.0.

    So spending over $1000 bucks to buy just a Titan X “Pascal” for the sake of 12GB DDR5 VRAM won’t be a wise decision at all. We’ve found GTX 1660 Super and GTX 1080 Ti way better in gaming as compared to Titan X. Again, don’t fall for the claims made by Nvidia for this graphics card.

    2- AMD 5450 – Worst Entry-Level GPU

    Although the AMD HD 5450 is the most energy-efficient graphics card to have on your computer, you cannot expect it to be a good performer at all. By performance we mean not the right choice for gaming or HD video streaming.

    And the reason behind the poor performance of HD 5450 is the outdated 1 GB GDDR3 video memory, lower base clock speed, etc. Most people do prefer buying this card as it is cheaper and shows up as an ideal upgrade to get rid of an integrated chipset.

    But if your expectations are higher from this graphics card, then you are wrong. It’s not the type of GPU that can let you play games at 1080p settings and let you watch movies at 4K quality on Netflix.

    In the past, this is one of the worst graphics cards that we’ve ever tested on our low-budget PC. Surprisingly we were able to play some 15 years old titles on HD 5450 at 720p settings.

    Yes, the performance of this GPU was better than the older integrated chipsets from Intel. However, if you compare the performance of this GPU with Intel’s UHD Graphics Series, then we’ve found the UHD to be better at handling GPU-intensive tasks than HD 5450.

    By throwing a bit more cash on the table, you can get a better-performing graphics card like the Nvidia GT 1030 or GTX 1050.

    3- AMD R9 285 – Not a True Performer

    Another AMD product that we have pulled out for you is on the list. Although the current generation AMD cards show somewhat better improvement when compared to Nvidia chips, it looks like the “Red Team” didn’t push enough juice in their R9-Series GPUs to take out the “Green Team”.

    Although this is now an approximately 8 years old graphics card, many people still go for it due to its reduced price. The R9-285 was enough to play famous titles of its time, however, its 2GB VRAM is still questionable if you are buying this card in the year 2022.

    With a lower VRAM, it limits you to play most games at 720p settings. On the other hand, the Nvidia GTX 970 which was released in the same year and month delivers 20% more performance than the R9 285.

    So, if you are a hardcore gamer, it’s not the type of card for you at all. But at the same time, if you just need a graphics card to edit photos and watch movies at a higher resolution, then you can have it. However, for us, it’s not the right card to have on your PC even if you get it for a fair price at eBay or Amazon.

    4- Nvidia GeForce 210 – The Slowest GPU

    We know that it’s not worthy to compare the older GeForce Series cards with the latest gen-entry level cards from Nvidia. But most people do fall for the lower price and this is what Nvidia GeForce 210 offers to ya.

    Well, we won’t be comparing this card with the newest generation entry-level GPUs, as it’s a not match at all. However, it’s worth talking about the slow performance of this GPU with respect to modern games and graphical applications of today.

    Most people do fall for this lower-end card to play games like CS: GO or PUBG. Just if you are going after a cheaper card doesn’t mean that it would be capable of playing PUBG, Fornite, or CS: GO

    We tested CS: GO on Nvidia GeForce 210 at the lowest settings (640×480). And even with these lowest graphical settings, we were unable to climb over 20fps. So, stay away from this card if you are thinking to buy it for playing FPS games.

    Obviously, the slower performance could be due to the fact that this GPU has just 1GB of DDR3 memory and not enough base clock speed. However, the most influential reason behind this could be pairing it with a current-gen CPU. Pairing an outdated graphics card with the current generation CPU could result in lower performance (bottlenecking).

    Conclusion

    Hopefully, you now have enough knowledge about the worst graphics cards that you end up buying in the market. Keep in mind that this is our own experience with these GPUs. You may find different opinions based on experiences that people had with these graphics cards. There are more GPUs that we might add later on this list, maybe we would start from the RTX 3050 Ti, should we?

    Mosaab

    Hi, I’m the author and founder of this blog. I have more than 10 years of experience in the industry. Throughout my journey I’ve tested and reviewed hundreds of graphics card for custom PC builds. I believe my knowledge and experience will help you choose the card that really falls to your needs and budget.

    The Best Low Profile Graphics Cards (GPUs) in 2022

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    Last Updated:

    There are many reasons why you might want to consider the best low-profile graphics card for your present or future build. But the main reason, ultimately, is their ability to fit into literally any case. This makes the low-profile graphics card not only versatile but space-saving as well.

    Even though we don’t necessarily class the low-profile graphics card as a premium hardware offering, it’s still seen its fair share of technological advancements. It’s not just top-tier GPUs that get all the attention – consumers now have the option to purchase a half-size GPU with all the punching power required to play AAA games titles with a decent FPS output.

    So we go through a list of the best low-profile cards currently available to the consumer public. Both AMD and Nvidia feature in this best of guide, bringing their flagship low-profile offerings to the table.

    Which will ultimately take the top spot? Keep reading to find out everything you need to know about LP GPUs.

    Our Top Picks

    01

    Editor’s Choice

    02

    Runner Up

    03

    Best all round Low Profile GPU

    Best Low Profile Graphics Cards In 2022

    5.0

    /5

    Editor’s Rating

    Clock Speed

    1590 MHz (Boost)

    VRAM

    4GB GDDR6

    Memory Bus Width

    128 bit

    5.0

    /5

    Editor’s Rating

    Our best low profile graphics card; high performance, decent cooling, and enough power to play some of your favorite AAA game titles – albeit in limited resolutions and graphical settings.

    ZOTAC are no strangers to providing some of the best budget-oriented GPUs the market has to offer. Whilst this one isn’t the most powerful GPU out there, it is one of the most powerful low-profile alternatives. With 4GB of VRAM and a good clock speed right out the box, this GPU should serve gamers building a small PC with great gaming performance.

    4.5

    /5

    Editor’s Rating

    Clock Speed

    1328MHz Base, 1442MHz Boost

    CUDA Cores

    768

    Memory Size

    4GB GDDR5

    Dimensions

    37mm x 167mm x 69 mm

    PSU Required

    300W

    4.5

    /5

    Editor’s Rating

    Just missing out on our top spot is the Gigabyte 1050Ti – a great performer that provides solid FPS in less-intensive titles like CS:GO and Rainbow Six Siege. Not quite as good as our top pick for cooling, but still good enough for our runner-up spot.

    A generous 1442MHz clock speed drives this attractive low profile GPU. With only a single fan, it does struggle to keep temps low when under great strain. That being said, it still provides good all-around usage for those looking to build in a small form factor case.

    4.5

    /5

    Editor’s Rating

    Clock Speed

    1392MHz — 1506MHz

    VRAM

    2GB GDDR5

    Memory Bus Width

    128 bit

    4.5

    /5

    Editor’s Rating

    The little brother to the 1050 Ti, suited more towards the everyday user that also likes to do the occasional spot of gaming. Will get decent FPS in older titles but will struggle with newer offerings – especially more demanding games from the late 2010s.

    Despite this low profile not being as powerful as the Ti, it still provides decent frame rate output for less-intensive titles. With the same single fan cooling solution as the above selection, this card offers up good cooling – just not as great as a dual-fan configuration.

    3.5

    /5

    Editor’s Rating

    Clock Speed

    1290MHz — 1544MHz

    VRAM

    2GB GDDR5

    Memory Bus Width

    64 bit

    3.5

    /5

    Editor’s Rating

    Whether it’s a budget card or a high-end GPU, EVGA always puts the same level of care and attention into the build quality of their products. The low-profile 1030 is no different, bringing everything you could want to your small form factor gaming build.

    Despite this card being the most aesthetically pleasing in this guide – looking very similar to some of the latest AMD reference cards – it isn’t the most powerful on offer. Whilst you can get good performance in less-intensive titles, you won’t be churning out 144 frames per second in Call Of Duty and the likes.

    4.5

    /5

    Editor’s Rating

    Core Clock Speed

    1923 MHz base, 2039 MHz game, 2321 MHz boost

    Stream Processors

    768

    Memory Size

    4 GB GDDR6

    Dimensions

    170 x 56. 2 x 17.2 mm

    PSU Required

    250 W

    4.5

    /5

    Editor’s Rating

    The first, and best, true low-profile AMD GPU is the RX 6400. This card is actually extremely attractive, boasting one of the best designs in this guide.

    5.0

    /5

    Editor’s Rating

    Core Clock Speed

    1410 MHz base, 1695 MHz boost

    Stream Processors

    4864

    Memory Size

    8 GB GDDR6

    Dimensions

    172 x 125 x 43 mm

    PSU Required

    600 W

    5.0

    /5

    Editor’s Rating

    4.5

    /5

    Editor’s Rating

    Core Clock Speed

    2589MHz Boost, 1968MHz Base

    Stream Processors

    2048

    Memory Size

    8GB GDDR6

    Dimensions

    179mm x 124mm x 40 mm

    PSU Required

    500W

    4. 5

    /5

    Editor’s Rating

    Like any hardware component, choosing the best low-profile graphics card can sometimes be tricky – and let’s face it – a pretty stressful task. However, thanks to our team of hardworking PC enthusiasts, we have the most up-to-date hardware options the internet has to offer.

    There will be plenty of people reading this right now, scratching their heads in confusion, wondering why they would ever choose a low-profile GPU. Well, below, we’ve outlined some of the main benefits of purchasing a small form factor product.

    Physical size

    The first and most obvious area which needs to be addressed when referencing low-profile graphics cards is their size. Ultimately, this is the number one reason why someone might consider LP GPUs as a real hardware option.

    Low profile, in the graphics card universe, usually refers to the overall height of the GPU itself. As many will know, the top GPUs in today’s market are seriously hefty pieces of kit that take up a large amount of space thanks to their impressive heatsink and thermal designs. However, you won’t have this problem with a low-profile graphics card.

    An LP GPU is a stripped-back, half-height (usually) graphics card, which is custom-designed to fit in much thinner cases. They typically come with subtle cooling systems that offer average levels of cooling, meaning they aren’t ideal for excess overclocking. This being said, in some cases, they might be your only option, especially if you have a really small case.

    Ultimately, a low-profile graphics card won’t be everyone’s first choice, but they certainly have a part to play in the PC world. Where they will usually take up only a single slot PCI express lane.

    Power consumption

    Power consumption is another big plus for low-profile graphics cards as they can run on much lower wattages than regular-sized GPUs. This is thanks to a number of different factors which include thermal design, additional features, and overall makeup.

    What this means for your build is:

    • A smaller overall PSU is required
    • The total cost of the build will be reduced
    • PSU power can be utilized elsewhere

    In most cases, the LP GPU won’t physically draw any power from the power supply but will get enough wattage directly from the PCI-e 16x slot it’s plugged into. So doesn’t require any power connectors. Saving your power supply Watts is sent to different components thanks to their low power consumption.

    Noise output

    Noise output may or may not be something that concerns you when looking at purchasing hardware. This being said, it’s certainly an area that we feel the low-profile graphics card excels in.

    Due to the stripped-back, almost raw appearance of the LP GPU, most of them come with one solitary fan for their cooling needs. However, some of the entry-level, budget offerings actually come with passive heatsinks for their cooling requirements and consequently make no noise whatsoever.

    This is especially good when you’re looking at building a small, inconspicuous build – as most of the time, smaller form cases don’t accommodate very good soundproofing.

    Cost

    Finally, and potentially most importantly, is the cost of these small form cards. As you can probably imagine, low profile graphics cards are naturally less expensive than regular-sized GPUs – and that comes down to several different factors:

    • Performance
    • Thermal cooling design
    • Aesthetics
    • RGB

    This being said, low-profile graphics cards have been designed to target small form builds that usually aren’t built for gaming or highly stressful work tasks. That means performance isn’t high on their list of priorities. What is high on that list, however, is keeping costs to a minimum, a task that these hardware components seem to do very well indeed.

    A lot of people at this stage in the article might be wondering what the differences between a low profile GPU and a standard GPU actually are. Well, don’t worry, we’ve put together this short infographic that should make understanding the difference between the two a little bit easier.

    Whether you’re an experienced gamer or researching how to successfully carry out your first PC build, you may have heard of low-profile graphics cards. In a nutshell, a low-profile graphics card is a type of video card that has been specially designed to be smaller than other graphics cards, and this is usually so that it can be used with a computer that has a smaller case.

    Due to the fact that low-profile graphics cards are smaller in size, it usually means that they are able to operate at a much quieter sound than full-height graphics cards, although this isn’t always the case. In addition, low-profile graphics cards tend to use far less power than other types of graphics cards, which makes them a lot more energy-efficient. It’s also worth being aware that, due to their size, low-profile graphics cards tend to produce more heat than their larger counterparts and have smaller fan sizes, which runs the risk of them overheating. However, due to the fact that they have lower clock speeds, low-profile graphics cards are usually able to regulate their temperature well, without the need for an additional cooling system.

    An ITX graphics card is built to a specific size. They aim to fit nicely into an ITX or mini ITX build, since they are much smaller the cases they use may also be smaller. And so ITX GPUs will be shorter and only take up a dual-slot and no thicker. Whilst also being no longer than 180 mm (7″) so as not to overlap the motherboard that may be squished in. This does compromise how much cooling can be used and limits the TDP of the card that can be used.

    Before you purchase a low-profile graphics card, it’s important to make sure that your case is compatible with a low-profile graphics card and will be able to support it. However, if you do find that you’ve purchased a brand new low-profile graphics card, only to discover that it isn’t compatible with your PC case, you don’t need to panic! Nearly all low-profile graphics cards are designed to be compatible with standard brackets, which means that you may be able to purchase a different bracket that will allow you to connect the low-profile graphics card to the standard-sized PC case. However, you will need to be sure that the low-profile graphics card has been designed to support standard brackets.

    As low-profile graphics cards aren’t too different from other types of graphics cards, so the good news is that installing one will be a straightforward process! To do so, all you will need is your low-profile graphics card, a screwdriver, and your computer setup. First, you’ll need to remove the GPU (if you have one) from your current PC setup, and then locate the long PCI-E x16 slot which is located on the heat sink side of your processor.

    After you have done this, then ensure that there is nothing obstructing your access to the slot, and be sure to carefully remove the existing graphics card by unscrewing it from the back of its bracket. You should also check to see if your motherboard has a little latch situated on the end of the PCI-E slot (not all do) and carefully detach it from the old graphics card if so.

    After you have completed this step and safely removed the old graphics card from the motherboard, you will now be able to go ahead and install your new low-profile graphics card. To do this, all you will need to do is simply insert the card firmly into the slot, and then attach the plastic latch to help hold it in place. Then, take your screwdriver and carefully secure the low-profiles retention bracket into your computer’s case with the same screws that you used to attach your older graphics card.

    Generally speaking, mini or low profile graphics cards will be less powerful than their larger counterparts, though that’s not to say that they can’t offer a respectable performance. In fact, many of the smaller graphics cards offer the exact same performance and power as the bigger graphics cards. However, the only difference to note is that the mini graphics cards will have slower clock rates and worse cooling abilities, which will ultimately affect the overall game performance power of the graphics card.

    Low profile graphics cards are essentially the exact same as half-height graphics cards, and the two different names are often used interchangeably to describe the same type of card. Both utilize the low profile design of a card. However, before you make a purchase, you should make sure to double-check whether or not the card comes with an additional half-height or low-profile bracket, as this will ensure it is able to fit itself into your system without any issues. Of course, there is also a chance that your mini graphics card will be compatible with standard-sized brackets, though this isn’t always the case (depending on price and manufacturer) so be sure to check this before making a purchase to ensure the smooth installation upon arrival.

    When it comes to figuring out the height of a PCI slot, the easiest indication is by first deciphering whether it is half-length, full-length, full-height, or low profile:

    Half Length: Half-length PCI slots are up to 6.9 inches in length (175 mm).

    Full-Length – Full-length PCI’s are usually up to 12 inches long (312 mm). Although, it’s very rare to come across full-length PCI slots, as many modern-day cases cannot support them.

    Low Profile: Low profile cards have two standard lengths of MD1 (4.721 inches/ 119.91 mm) and MD2 (6.600 inches/ 167.64 mm).

    Full-Height: Full-height cards are up to 4.7 inches (120 mm)

    Best Low Profile Graphics Cards

    ZOTAC

    ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1650 LP 4GB

    • Clock Speed 1590 MHz (Boost)
    • VRAM 4GB GDDR6
    • Memory Bus Width 128 bit

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