Graphics Cards

Start with the resolution you play at, then your budget. For 1080p, an RTX 5060 or 5060 Ti, or a Radeon RX 9060 XT, runs high settings comfortably. For 1440p, look at the RTX 5070, RTX 5070 Ti or RX 9070 XT. For 4K or high-refresh play, the RTX 5080 and RTX 5090 are the cards to aim for. Last-generation cards such as the RTX 4090 and Radeon RX 7900 XT or 7900 XTX are still strong if you find one at a good price. Pick the card to suit your monitor first, since pairing a 4K card with a 1080p screen means paying for performance you will not see.

The current line-ups break down roughly like this. Nvidia GeForce RTX 50-series: RTX 5060 and 5060 Ti 16GB for 1080p, RTX 5070 and 5070 Ti for 1440p, RTX 5080 for 1440p and 4K, and the RTX 5090 at the top for 4K and creator work. AMD Radeon RX 9000-series: RX 9060 XT for 1080p, with the RX 9070 and 9070 XT for 1440p and entry 4K. Intel Arc is worth a look at the budget end. If you are open to last-gen, the RTX 4090 and Radeon RX 7900 XT and 7900 XTX still hold up well.

VRAM holds the game's textures, and modern titles use a lot of it. For 1080p, 8GB is the minimum worth buying. For 1440p, aim for 12GB. For 4K, heavy ray tracing, or a card you want to keep for a few years, 16GB or more is the safer call. This is why cards like the RTX 5060 Ti 16GB and RX 9060 XT 16GB are popular value picks. If you also edit video, do 3D work or run local AI, go for 16GB and up. When a card runs short on VRAM you get stutter and texture pop-in even if the chip itself is fast.

A rough guide for high settings at 60fps and above:

• 1080p: RTX 5060 or RX 9060 XT (8 to 12GB)
• 1440p: RTX 5070 or RX 9070 XT (12 to 16GB)
• 4K: RTX 5080 or 5090 (16GB and up)

For 144Hz esports at 1080p you can run a mid-range card and drop a few settings for more frames. Upscaling (DLSS on Nvidia, FSR on AMD) adds roughly a tier of performance, so count that in your decision.

Both are good, so choose on what matters to you. Nvidia GeForce cards (RTX 5070 Ti, 5080, 5090) lead on ray tracing, DLSS upscaling and frame generation, and suit streaming, video and AI work. AMD Radeon cards (RX 9070 XT, 9070, 9060 XT, and last-gen 7900 XTX) usually give more raw performance and more VRAM for the price, which is strong value for gaming at 1080p and 1440p. For competitive play on a budget, Radeon makes a lot of sense. For the best ray tracing and the wider software toolkit, go GeForce.

Most upgrades sit best in the £250 to £400 range, with cards like the RTX 5060 or 5060 Ti and the Radeon RX 9060 XT. Intel Arc is also worth a look if you want a cheap GPU for 1080p. They handle 1080p easily, cope with entry-level 1440p and support modern upscaling. If you are hunting for value, check our graphics card deals and clearance, where last-gen and ex-display cards often give you more frames for the money. Try not to buy on price alone, as a card with more VRAM usually lasts longer.

Check three things first. Length: measure the space in your case, since high-end cards are often over 300mm. Power connectors: many current cards use the 12V-2x6 (12VHPWR) plug or two to three 8-pins. PSU wattage: a mid-range card is fine on a good 650W supply, while a card like the RTX 5090 wants 1000W or more. If yours is borderline, an 80 Plus Gold unit with the right connectors is a sensible upgrade. You can browse our Power Supplies here.

A GPU hierarchy ranks cards by real gaming performance, usually shown as average FPS at a set resolution. When you weigh up two cards, check four things: performance at the resolution you actually play, VRAM, power draw, and supported features such as ray tracing and DLSS or FSR. Price on its own tells you little, because two cards at the same price can be a generation apart, so compare the frames you get for your money.