Updated on August 14, 2022
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OUR 9 TOP PICKS
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
Best Graphics Card for 1080p Play at Medium Quality (AMD Alternative)
AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT
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Throughout the years, PCMag has put thousands of items through their paces to help you make the best possible purchasing decisions. (You can see how we do our tests here.)
Prior to reading this article, as you can see by looking at Amazon’s prices, the current state of GPU availability and cost are far from normal. If you’re planning to buy a card in the near future, check out this buying-strategies guide for ideas on how to get a good deal. To get the most out of your current GPU, check out this tutorial on how to maximise its performance.
The term “4K gaming” and the growth of 1440p (2,560-by-1,440-pixel) displays are frequently mentioned on gaming and hardware websites. For a while, you might think that high-res gaming and pricey, monster video cards control the PC-game market.
Not at all! Yes, they are critical, and yes, they will be the future when they become significantly less expensive. However, for the foreseeable future, most PC gamers will continue to choose resolutions of 1,920 by 1,080 pixels (sometimes known as “full HD” or “full HD”) or higher.
There are many of affordable 1080p monitors available for under $100 today, and even a middling video card can run the latest games smoothly on one of these panels. Steam Hardware Survey data show that 1080p remains the most frequent native display resolution for PC gamers on the service, outranking all other resolutions put together.
No matter how much most gamers would like it, acquiring a high-quality 4K or 1440p display, as well as a video card capable of handling gaming at that higher resolution, is not cheap. (It’s a two-way street.) In most cases, we just want our games to look decent and function properly, and the common resolution of 1,920 by 1,080 is a lot less expensive to achieve.
Graphics cards from Nvidia
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Until cheap 1440p monitors become more prevalent or 4K-capable graphics cards become relatively reasonable, this resolution will remain the de facto norm for gaming. Even if you could get a $400 graphics card, you couldn’t play leading PC games at 4K resolution unless you were ready to compromise on detail levels. You can expect to enjoy your video card for many years to come if you buy one that can play games at 1080p at a smooth frame rate.
1080p Gaming Cards: A Competitive Field
Since 1080p resolution is so popular, there are a number of video cards competing for the title of best in class. It’s now easier than ever to get the right graphics card for 1080p gaming in 2022, with about a dozen different classes of graphics cards (designated by their individual core graphics processors) on the market. However, that’s where our knowledge comes into play. After going over what to look for in a 1080p video card, and considering your budget, we’ll highlight the best cards we’ve tested for 1080p gaming.
Does that do it? As of 2018, Nvidia and AMD’s “Navi” line of video cards have been updated with the “Turing” generation, bringing 1080p power to roughly $300 MSRP. Nvidia released the GeForce RTX 2080 Ti and GeForce RTX 2080 and 2070 graphics cards in the middle to end of 2018 to complete its GeForce RTX lineup. RTX 30 Series GPUs including RTX 3070, 3080, and 3080 Ti were either added to or replaced in some cases by newer, mid-2019 “RTX Super” models. RTX 3070 and 3080 cards costing $499 and $700, respectively, these high-end GPUs are way overkill for 1080p gaming, despite the fact that they are capable of running any game at this resolution flawlessly. Due to silicon shortages and the actions of scalpers, the MSRPs or list prices stated here are not usually the current market rate. You’ll still be able to watch 1080p content even in 2022, even if the cost of living is higher than usual.
Buying Basics: What to Look for in a 1080p Card
For 1080p gaming, most cards cost from $100 and $300 (MSRP, not current market prices) at this point in time.. More expensive cards will work just as well. Overkill tends to become more prevalent when you go above $300 MSRP for most games. A few important things to keep in mind:
How Much Video Memory Is Enough?
Today, the majority of graphics cards that support 1080p gaming range in price from $100 to $300 (MSRP, not actual market prices). There is no difference in performance between cheap and premium cards. In most games, overkill tends to become more widespread when the MSRP is above $300. Here are a few things to remember:
The GPU’s performance will be limited if it does not have enough video RAM to operate at peak efficiency. The reason for this is that the video card really crunches all the pixels that appear on the screen while they are being stored in memory. This means that the higher a resolution or the more information a game requires, the more RAM is needed to effectively manage it. With more pixels to manage, high-end video cards require a lot of on-card RAM to keep up with the demands of high-definition games.
In general, 2GB of video memory is required for 1080p gaming, but 4GB will be required in 2022 for high-detail 1080p gaming.
Nowadays, GPU memory on cards under $300 (MSRP) ranges from 1 GB to 8 GB. 3GB/6GB and 4GB/8GB versions of some 1080p gaming cards are available. Do not buy more RAM or GPU power than you require. Even if you don’t plan on upgrading to a 1440p or 4K monitor in the near future, a 6GB or 8GB graphics card is a safe bet for most 1080p games. But if that’s the case, you’ll need a higher powerful graphics card as well.
Which Ports Does My Graphics Card Need?
VGA, DVI, HDMI, and DisplayPort all support 1080p resolution on today’s graphics cards, despite the fact that VGA and DVI interfaces have almost totally disappeared from recent-model graphics cards. Selecting a video card that has a port that matches the one on your monitor should get you up and running in no time. There are some interfaces, such as VGA and older HDMI versions, that can’t be used to their full potential unless they are upgraded.
You don’t have to worry about the number of ports on your card or display if you keep at 1080p. A newer system or card may necessitate the use of an adapter, but you should be able to plug in and go with an older system or card. Take this advice into consideration whenever you are out and about.
If you want to play games at a high refresh rate, make sure you have a card and a connection that can handle it. This is possible with DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.0. To use a high-end monitor like the Asus ROG Swift 360Hz you’ll need the proper GPU and cable, as HDMI 2.0 and 2.1 cannot support 360Hz (only DisplayPort 1.4b and higher can).
The HDMI and DisplayPort interfaces may transmit audio signals, so if your display has constructed speakers (or is an HDTV), that may alleviate some cable complexity when switching from DVI or VGA to HDMI or DisplayPort.
How Much Should My Graphics Card Cost (at MSRP)?
Here we’re talking list costs (MSRP); keep in mind our caveats about video card street prices spiralling out of control all the way into 2022.
A 1080p video card in 2022 will cost between $100 and $300, depending on whether or not you want to play games at their top settings or something more in the middle. To enable anti-aliasing (AA), which smooths jagged lines from the edges of in-game objects, you’ll need to invest more money, especially if you want to crank up the AA settings to the highest possible setting. (Alcoholics Anonymous is known for its rigours.)
If you’re happy with the standard level of quality and frame rate, then go ahead and stick to your budget. However, if you’re looking for the most detail and AA at 1080p, you’ll likely need a $200-to-$300 card. Compared to the more expensive Nvidia GeForce RTX and AMD Radeon RX 6000 series cards, mainstream, 1080p-capable mainstream graphics cards haven’t gone quite as wild, but you’ll still see a premium over list price in many situations.
Should I Get an AMD or an Nvidia Graphics Card?
When it comes to the $100 to $400 MSRP area, Nvidia will have an advantage over the competition because it will have more options to choose from. To get the most out of a 1080p card in this price range, stick to the most recent generation of cards from both manufacturers.
It’s a close contest, but Nvidia wins the nod for supporting software. GeForce Experience allows you to record in-game video using the Shadowplay option while simultaneously automatically updating your drivers. Nvidia’s software also makes it easy to join a co-op game. Nvidia utilises Catalyst software, which has similar capabilities, but AMD uses Radeon Software which has a significantly better driver. The gap between Nvidia and AMD has narrowed dramatically in the last few years.
The image-smoothing technologies FreeSync (from AMD) and G-Sync (from Nvidia) must also be taken into account (Nvidia). The capacity of your new display to support one of two competing chip makers is an important consideration when making that choice. Nvidia’s G-Sync smoothing technology is also supported by “G-Sync Compatible” monitors on a subset of “FreeSync” monitors.
The ability to sharpen tools with modern technology is also within reach. Gamers can now get the most out of their graphics cards thanks to this new technology. Reduce the resolution of your game if you wish to enhance performance by up to 30% on the same graphics card. The names of AMD’s Radeon Super Resolution and Nvidia’s Image Scaling are now synonymous.
With the addition of DLSS, this list is complete. If you want to get the most out of your graphics card in 1080p gaming, you may want to look into the frame rate improvements (which can range from 5 percent to 40 percent). A 1440p or 4K monitor is more likely to benefit from DLSS than a lower resolution display. 1080p gaming has a benefit but the price difference is usually too tiny to justify the purchase of a “RTX”-branded card over a “GTX” card. To do such a feat, only RTX graphics cards are equipped with the necessary Tensor cores. It’s better to get a high-end GTX card rather than an entry-level RTX card if you’re a 1080p gamer hoping Nvidia will introduce DLSS support in the future.
Should I Get an Overclocked Card, or a Reference Card?
In the realm of video cards, every manufacturer of a graphics processor (such as AMD or Nvidia) builds a GPU as well as the card’s cooling system. A “reference design” is a standard form of the card that has no additional features and runs at a moderate pace. If a chip company has designed this basic package, it gives the design to its partners (such as Gigabyte or Sapphire) to use as “reference” designs for their own retail cards, such as MSI, ASUS or EVGA for example.
When these businesses produce cards based on this fundamental architecture, they may also provide overclocked variants of the same card for a premium price. Compared to the more-aggressive designs with larger fans, unusual shrouds, and the manufacturer’s own branding more visible than Nvidia’s or AMD’s, the reference design looks more modest. The larger and more complex cooling circuitry on these latter cards may allow them to run cooler as well, providing additional leeway for overclocking, which can result in a slight performance improvement. (Some of these cards come pre-overclocked.)
Even though these customised cards look great, they can be more distracting and more expensive than the standard issue. We recommend conducting some research before making a purchase unless you have a particular preference for the aesthetics of a particular model (to be displayed in a windowed PC case, for example) or know from a review that a particular model is particularly noteworthy. In most cases, you’ll get more bang for your buck by upgrading your graphics card, even if it’s just a stock design, than you will by purchasing an overclocked version of a lower-end card.
What Is My Monitor’s Refresh Rate, and Why Does It Matter?
If you have a 60Hz refresh rate for your monitor, all of our 1080p-card advice assumes that. A high-refresh-rate display like one of the many high-end luxury monitors available today, such as those with refresh rates up to and including 360Hz, is likely to require a higher-end graphics card. (If you’re looking for a gaming display, take a look at our picks.) These displays may easily show frame rates higher than 60 frames per second (fps), and the results of gaming tests offer you an idea of the possible sustained frame rates you will receive with any given card.
The difference between a Ferrari and a Subaru when it comes to 4K monitor refresh rates is like comparing a Ferrari to your average gamer’s car. For the vast majority of gamers, 1080p is the standard for high-refresh-rate gaming. When it comes to 1080p screens, whether it’s 144Hz, 165, or 240Hz, you should expect to pay somewhere in the region of $150 to $700 for one of these displays, depending on the game you’re playing. It is possible to display as many frames per second as a graphics card can produce, up to the monitor’s refresh rate limit, which is a huge improvement over the 60Hz limit of most traditional monitors and a boon for smoothness in many circumstances.
It’s possible to get close to the 240Hz, 300Hz, or 360Hz refresh rate with an under-$300 (MSRP) video card at 1080p for popular online multiplayer games like Counter Strike: Global Offensive, League of Legends, and DOTA 2, which are all built to run at that frame rate. Games like Apex Legends, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, Rocket League, and Rainbow Six: Siege can run at 144 Hz in 1080p on GPUs priced between $150 and $300. Video cards for Apex Legends may be found here.
So if you’re expecting to play competitively at 1080p, be sure you’ve got a powerful enough GPU to support your expensive monitor, because you don’t want to wind up with a panel that isn’t supported by a powerful enough GPU. Looking at 1080p test results for a certain video card or class of cards can make all the difference.
So, Which Graphics Card to Buy for 1080p Play?
When reviewing particular cards, you may get a good sense for how much frame rate you can anticipate to see in games. In our testing, we use a combination of new and established titles. For 4K gaming (3,840 by 2,160 pixels), we’ve got the greatest graphics cards, while for compact PCs, you’ll need a small-form-factor desktop with the best graphics cards. It’s possible to have an entirely customised gaming system designed for you. On our site, you can find the best gaming laptops and desktops, as well as a comprehensive guide to the most popular PC games.
