Updated on May 2, 2023
Best graphics cards for 1440p 144Hz gaming in 2022
The finest graphics card for 1440p 144Hz gaming isn’t always the most obvious choice.. You’ll need one of these graphics cards to keep up with your 1440p monitor’s frame rates.
Congratulations on receiving your new 1440p high refresh rate monitor! After that, you realised that your current graphics card isn’t capable of running any games at 144Hz, which is the highest frame rate possible. You’ll need a GPU capable of 1440p and above if you want to play your favourite games.
Be at ease: our list of GPUs capable of 1440p 144Hz gaming is exhaustive. So, whether you want to play 1440p games at 144Hz or play AAA titles at full detail, we have you covered.
1. EVGA RTX 3080 Ti FTW3 Ultra Gaming: Best graphics card for 1440p 144Hz Gaming w/ no compromises
Let’s get one thing out of the way before we rush out to buy graphics cards. If you want a 1440p 144Hz graphics card, you’re out of luck. Games like AC: Valhalla and MS Flight Simulator will not run at 144 frames per second even when all settings are set to the highest. Other titles like Cyberpunk 2077 and Metro Exodus: Enhanced Edition will run at a far lower frame rate. A few solutions exist that can run most games at 1440p and 144Hz with full settings, however.
We eliminated the RTX 3090 from our list because it is plainly overkill at 1440p. Instead, if you want the best performance at this resolution, opt for the RTX 3080 Ti. The AMD RX 6900 XT is on the same floor. Another thing to remember. Modern GPUs were discussed, as well as some of their forebears. The average performance of the most popular graphics cards can be seen here, which may be helpful if you’re looking to buy a used one.
The RTX 3080 Ti is the fastest graphics card that we can suggest. The Ti version of the 3080 has 12 gigabytes of rapid GDDR6X memory paired with high clock speeds and massive power consumption. When compared to its speedier relative, the standard card has 10 gigabytes of GDDR6X memory and performs roughly 10-12 percent worse.
In other words, if you have a display that allows refresh rate overclocking, you can expect a smooth 144fps or higher framerate with all settings cranked to the limit. With ultra settings, most of the power hogs mentioned above can’t reach 144fps (some even go below 100fps). Even so, you’ll be able to play those games at framerates substantially higher than 60fps while using ultra settings.
With less demanding games, you’ll be able to play them at high framerates, much above the maximum refresh rate of your monitor. This is when an external frame limiter like RivaTuner Statistics Server (RTSS) is recommended. You’re all set if you lower the maximum framerate by a few frames below your maximum refresh rate.
2. PowerColor RX 6800 XT Red Devil: Best AMD grapichs card for 1440p 144Hz gaming overall
Direct competition between AMD’s FSR and Nvidia’s DLSS (FidelityFX Super Resolution). Both AMD and Nvidia cards are supported by FSR, unlike DLSS, which is only supported by Nvidia-based cards. Using an Nvidia GPU will not give you the same performance boost, but you will still be able to profit from it. Games that support DLSS and/or FSR have a larger developer community than those that support FSR.
When it comes to graphics cards, we recommend going with Nvidia over AMD when it comes to price. In spite of the fact that the AMD card isn’t terrible, this does not imply that it isn’t Remember that when playing at 1440p, the RX 6800 XT is faster. Complicating matters even further, most games don’t benefit from an upscaling boost.
3. PowerColor RX 6800 Red Dragon: Minimum graphics card for 1440p 144Hz gaming w/ no compromises
There’s no support for DLSS, and the ray tracing performance is much behind that of Nvidia’s. However, the card is substantially quicker than the RTX 3070 and on par with the RTX 3070 Ti. AAA titles won’t be able to operate at 144fps, but the vast majority of current games will. But even the most demanding AAA games will run at or near 100 frames per second, which is more than plenty for single-player gameplay.
4. EVGA RTX 3070 Ti FTW3 Ultra Gaming: Best graphics card for AAA games at 1440p 144Hz w/ high settings
If you’re prepared to lower your graphic settings to obtain the 144 fps you want in most games, you don’t need a powerful GPU. Something like an RX 3070 or RX 6700 might be adequate in this case. Because Nvidia cards support DLSS and FSR, Nvidia cards are now the best option if you want the highest performance in popular games (a good number of which has DLSS support).
5. Zotac Gaming RTX 3070 Twin Edge OC: Best RTX 3070 Ti alternative
More than 100 frames per second may be achieved in RDR 2 with the standard RTX 3070. If you use DLSS and don’t use ray tracing, you can run ultra-demanding games like Cyberpunk 2077 at triple-digit framerates. The vast majority of games, including all current competitive esports titles, will operate at or above 144 frames per second.
There is just 8GB of RAM in the RTX 3070/RTX 3070 Ti pair. For the time being, this is solely a limiting factor while playing in 4K. In terms of 1440p gaming, it’s still unclear whether or not the 8GB of RAM will be a bottleneck. Consider this when shopping for a new graphics card. As for last-generation GPUs, the RTX 2080 Ti offers nearly identical performance to the RTX 3070 while also providing an additional three gigabytes of RAM.
6. EVGA RTX 3060 Ti FTW Ultra Gaming: Best bang-for-buck GPU for AAA games at 1440p 144Hz w/ high settings overall
When it comes to 1440p high-refresh rate gaming, the RTX 3060 Ti is the best value for money. Triple-digit performance in most games can be achieved with the card’s parameters pushed all the way up, which is around 15% slower than the RTX 3070 card. To obtain the high refresh rate experience, the most demanding AAA titles will need to have their settings down a notch. The alternative is to use DLSS whenever possible.
Some games, like Control or Cyberpunk 2077, necessitate both if you’re going for triple-digit performance. It’s either play at medium-high settings or settle for 60 frames per second if dynamic light scattering isn’t an option (as in AC: Valhalla). No matter what type of esports game you want to play on your new graphics processing unit, it will operate flawlessly. Both the RTX 2080 and the 2080 Super offer a very similar (90 percent or higher performance) gaming experience if you’re ready to buy a secondhand GPU.
7. PowerColor RX 6700 XT Hellhound: Best AMD bang-for-buck GPU for AAA games at 1440p 144Hz w/ high settings
Compared to Nvidia’s RTX 3060 Ti and 3070, AMD’s RX 6700 XT is a strong performer. For 1440p gaming, AMD’s card is noticeably faster because to its 12GB of graphics RAM, compared to the RTX 3060 Ti and 3070’s 8GB. On the other hand, because of the lack of DLSS support, ray tracing performance is drastically reduced. For AAA games with medium-high settings, you should expect to experience near triple digit framerates even if you’re playing games with the most stringent system requirements.
Single-player AAA games can also run at 60 frames per second if all settings are cranked all the way up. In order to run games at 60 frames per second, ray tracing must be disabled, which means no ray tracing at all. You should be able to play older AAA games and multiplayer games at 144fps with the highest settings.
8. XFX RX 6600 XT Speedster SWFT 210: Most affordable graphic card for 1440p 144Hz gaming w/high settings
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AMD’s newest graphics card, the RX 6600 XT, is around 10% quicker than the RTX 3060 in terms of performance. Even though it’s a bit underpowered, we concluded that it was fast enough to meet the minimum requirements for high-refresh rate 1440p AAA games.
There are, however, many restrictions to the RX 6600 XT’s promise of high-refresh AAA gaming. Don’t even bother with the highest possible settings. At the very least, when playing the most resource-intensive games, ignore any settings that are set too high. Prepare to drop the settings to medium in order to have a high refresh AAA experience. Most AAA games will run at 60 frames per second at medium or high settings. Also, throw out the ray tracing model.
Since this isn’t a card designed to run games at 1440p with maximum settings, 8GB of GDDR6 memory should be sufficient for a satisfying gaming experience in current and upcoming titles. And of course, esports games should have high framerates, typically exceeding the 240 fps threshold.
We recommend the RTX 3060 over the RX 6600 XT if you want to play a lot of games that support DLSS. In the end, if you’re looking for a used GPU, the RTX 2070 Super, RX 5700 XT, or even the venerable GTX 1080 Ti should be able to deliver performance that’s comparable. Both include DLSS support, which is a significant plus nowadays.
9. Zotac Gaming RTX 3060 Twin Edge OC: Best graphics card for eSports, indies, and AAA games w/ medium settings at 1440p 144Hz
Most esports games should run at 144 fps on these cards (COD: Warzone being the sole esports outlier). In AAA games, you should be able to get 60fps with all the settings maxed out. In most AAA games, if you lower the visuals to medium, you should be able to get close to triple-digit frame rates.
Finally, most of the GPUs in this category are from the previous generation. It’s because Nvidia and AMD only issued one GPU that can be termed lower mid-range in this generation, the RTX 3060, whereas AMD didn’t release a single one. There will be considerable performance improvements in popular videogames like Fortnite, COD: BLOPS – Cold War, and COD: Warzone due to the fact that several of these games support DLSS. We strongly advise you to purchase the Nvidia selections.
In terms of performance, this Nvidia GPU is slightly ahead of AMD’s. The most recent platforms can run some games with DLSS enabled at more than 100 frames per second. DLSS can be used to increase the frame rate of Watch Dogs: Legion to 60 frames per second. Having a massive 12GB of RAM on the Nvidia RTX 3060 ensures that it can run both current and future games without a hitch.
When it comes to games that don’t support DLSS or multiplayer, AMD’s component may be a better option. Despite the RX 6600 XT’s reduced memory capacity and its 128-bit memory interface,” it still outperforms the competition” (12GB vs 8GB on the RX 6600 XT). Maximizing all the settings on your RTX 3060 is the only way to get the greatest potential frame rates in most multiplayer games.
When playing AAA games on high or medium settings, a frame rate of 60 fps or more is expected. On high or maximum settings, classic AAA titles like Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Borderlands 3, and RDR 2 can run at 60 frames per second. RTX 2070 and GPU displayed in the accompanying image are both last generation graphics cards in terms of raw performance.
10. MSI Gaming RTX 2060 Super: Best last-gen graphic card for eSports, indies, and AAA games w/ medium settings at 1440p 144Hz
11. MSI RTX 2060 Ventus GP OC: Best RTX 2060 Super alternative graphics card
When playing single-player games at 1440p with high refresh rates, we recommend the RTX 2060 as the weakest option. RDR 2 and Shadow of the Tomb Raider are examples of current AAA games that require DLSS and/or low visual settings in order to run at 60 frames per second. However, even with all of the visual settings cranked to the maximum, many AAA games will still operate at 60 frames per second.
But if you want to play the newest AAA games at 60 frames per second without compromising too much visual acuity, we recommend a better GPU with additional memory. The RTX 2060’s lack of RAM hampers it in games like Doom Eternal, and it will hurt it in future games as well.
12. ASRock RX 5600 XT Challenger: Best last-gen AMD card for eSports, indies, and AAA games w/ medium settings at 1440p 144Hz
