Graphics Processing Unit
Your GPU is arguably either the most important part of your PC build, or something you can afford to spend less on. If you are building a gaming PC, your GPU should be your number one priority, or perhaps behind CPU. GPU cards, also known as video cards, are what allow you to play your games at high resolutions, and what set gaming PCs apart from consoles.
Like with CPUs, there are two main competitors in the GPU market, AMD and NVIDIA. Nvidia currently has the upper hand over AMD, their GPUs are arguably better, however AMD is catching up quickly, and within a couple of years could be on par with Nvidia.
How to choose a GPU
Choosing a GPU can be the difference between running games at 4K and 60 FPS(frames per second), or perhaps 1080p at 144 FPS.
Just like with CPUs, typically the more money you spend on a GPU, the better the component will be. If you are looking for 1080p @ 60FPS, you can search the market for many cost-efficient GPUs. For the sake of getting the best value, all of the recommendations and prices will be assuming the product is brand new, not used. If you are looking to buy used GPUs you should always be very weary.
GPU |
Resolution |
Price as of: Nov 2018, card brand |
| AMD Radeon RX 570 4GB | 1080p@60fps;med-high/high settings | $129.99(Gigabyte Gaming) |
| AMD Radeon Vega 56 | 1080p@120fps; very high settings | $499.99(ASUS ROG Strix) |
| AMD Radeon Vega 64 | 1440p@120fps;very high settings | $504.00(Gigabyte Gaming OC) |
| Nvidia GTX 1050Ti | 1080p@60fps; med-high/high settings | $129.99(MSI) |
| Nvidia GTX 1060 6GB | 1080p@75fps; high/very high settings | $219.99(ASUS Dual) |
| Nvidia GTX 1080 | 1080p@144fps; ultra settings | $579.99(ASUS Turbo; blower style) |
| Nvidia RTX 2080 | 4K@60fps,1080p@144fps; very high settings | $749.99(Zotac Gaming AMP) |
| Nvidia RTX 2080Ti | 4K@120fps,1080p@144fps; ultra settings | $1,349(EVGA Black XC) |