12 Best Graphics Cards for 3D Rendering & Modeling of 2020 – For Every Budget!

1. XFX Radeon RX 570 RS XXX Edition

Stream Processors: 2048 | Base Clock: 1168MHz | Boost Clock: 1286MHz | Memory: 8GB GDDR5 | Memory Clock Speed: 7000 MHz | Memory Bus: 256-bit | TMUs: 128 | ROPs: 32 | Max. Monitors Supported: 6 | Dimensions: 9.57 x 4.88 x 1.57 in

REASONS TO BUY

• Excellent value pick
• 8GB of VRAM
• Perfect for 1080p resolution models
• Also great for gaming

REASONS TO AVOID

• No ray tracing or DLSS
• Not suited for UHD

Our Rating:   9.8/10

It was just a matter of time before we recommended an AMD GPU as the best graphics card for novices. It’s the only company selling a graphics card that’s fast enough for 3D modelling and rendering for under $200.

Polaris GPU architecture, as seen in the RX 470, is carried over to the Radeon RX 570, although with minor tweaks.

Additionally, the GPU has 2048 stream processors to ensure superior shading results for your 3D models. The outstanding 1168MHz base core speed only serves to amplify this point. This can reach a maximum of 1286MHz at full load.

The RX 570 contains 128 texture mapping units and 32 Render Operations Units to speed up the process of filling your models with textures.

Modeling and rendering at this level will never be hampered by a lack of memory, thanks to the 8GB of GDDR5 VRAM. These files are transferred from VRAM to the GPU at a blisteringly high pace of 7000MHz.

By way of a 256-bit interface, the graphics card communicates with the operating system.

As a result of its budget, the Radeon RX 570 lacks the ability to do ray tracing and DLSS. The Nvidia GTX 1050 lacks these features and is outclassed by the AMD RX 570.

When comparing this GPU to Nvidia’s GTX 1060, I would choose the more expensive option.

Unfortunately, this GPU will have trouble rendering models at resolutions higher than 1080p. There are no plans to create ultra HD variants, therefore I think it’s a good choice for newcomers.

In addition, the XFX version of this GPU, which I suggest, has three additional features worth mentioning.

XFX True clock is the first BIOS-controlled overclocking feature. Because the overclocking work is delegated to hardware components rather than software, your PC’s clock speeds will remain stable even if its overall performance drops.

The second feature is the XFX OC+ capability, which allows you to increase your core speeds beyond the XFX True clock.

Finally, XFX lets you keep your VRM and memory as well as your GPU cool for maximum performance.

If you’re looking for a graphics card with a wide range of features at a low price, this is it.

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2. MSI GeForce GTX 1660Ti Ventus XS 6G OC

CUDA Cores: 1536 | Base Clock: 1700MHz | Boost Clock: 1830MHz | Memory: 6GB GDDR6 | Memory Clock Speed: 12.000MHz | Memory Bus: 192-bit | TMUs: 96 | ROPs: 48 | Max. Monitors Supported: 4 | Power Consumption: 120W | Dimensions: 8.03 x 5.04 x 1.65 in

REASONS TO BUY

• Competitive pricing
• Excellent for gaming as well
• High memory clock speed
• Excellent Nvidia budget pick for 3D work
• Great cooling solution by MSI

REASONS TO AVOID

• No ray tracing and DLSS
• Only 6GB of VRAM

Our Rating:   9.7/10

Powered by the Nvidia 1660ti, the 1000 series is making a comeback. The Turing architecture is included in the GPU. Tensors and RT partitions are absent from the TU116 core of the GTX, in contrast to the TU102 core of the RTX series.

To put it another way, you won’t get any benefit from GPUs like the Nvidia RTX 2060’s ability to simulate realistic light rays. In addition, DLSS functionalities are not available.

The 12nanometer FinFET technology, as used in the GTX 1060, ensures exceptional shader performance. The GTX 1660 Ti has 1,536 CUDA cores to help with shading and minimise render times.

This GPU has a basic clock speed of 1700MHZ, but this can go to 1830MHZ as the demand increases. As a result, your rendering time will be reduced, and your shading performance will improve.

In my opinion, this graphics card has enough memory to handle most of the modelling and rendering tasks you’ll encounter as a novice. Still, it would have been nice to have more VRAM given that practically all other GDDR6 graphics cards contain at least 8GB of data.

The GTX 1660 Ti, despite its increased performance, consumes extremely little electricity. To get the most bang for your buck, I’d go with a 450W power supply instead of the standard 120W.

Afterburner Overclocking, which can be operated wirelessly via Android and iOS devices, is a bonus feature that comes with the MSI GTX 1660 Ti I’m suggesting.

It also comes with the MSI dual fan system, which promises increased airflow and static pressure for more effective cooling.

Finally, this GPU has all the other Turing characteristics, such as simultaneous int and fp operations, quick fp 16 packed math, and an enhancement in the cache and hierarchical structure of the cache.

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3. PNY NVIDIA Quadro K1200

CUDA Cores: 512 | Base Clock: 1058MHz | Boost Clock: 1124MHz | Memory: 4GB GDDR5 | Memory Clock Speed: 5000MHz | Memory Bus: 128-bit | TMUs: 32 | ROPs: 16 | Max. Monitors Supported: 4 | Power Consumption: 45W | Dimensions: 6.30 x 3.50 x 2.70 in

REASONS TO BUY

• Compact form factor
• Very low power consumption
• Comes optimized for AutoCAD and Solidworks
• Reasonable price for a professional GPU

REASONS TO AVOID

• Old architecture
• Lower performance
• Only 4GB of VRAM

Our Rating:   9.5/10

This is another low-cost GPU that is ideal for beginners and hobbyists in 3D rendering. When you first look at the PNY Nvidia Quadro K1200, you’ll note that it has a simple, compact form.

Since the Quadro K1200 can be installed in virtually any workstation, this is something we’ve come to anticipate from workstation GPUs.

It has a paltry 512 CUDA cores, as you can guess from their little number. As a result, rendering times will be much longer, and models with a lot of fine detail will have difficulty processing.

The GPU’s Maxwell architecture, which is about two generations old, doesn’t help matters either. I’m recommending this GPU for novices, so this shouldn’t pose an issue.

The 4GB of GDDR5 VRAM should be plenty to store any 3D modelling and rendering data that you’re using. At 80Gbps, information is transferred between the VRAM and the GPU.

Because the graphics card has been optimised for AutoCAD and SOLIDWORKS, creating photorealistic renders will be a breeze.

In addition to the 32 texture mapping units, the Quadro K1200 has 16 ROPs, which help increase the quality of your rendered images.

This GPU has a core speed of 1058MHz at normal load, which climbs to 1124MHz when the load increases.

Those who frequently utilise several monitors will be pleased to learn that the K1200 has four mini-display connectors and four mini-display to display adapters built in. Additionally, the box includes a full-height mounting bracket and a driver installation disc that I would not recommend using because it is obsolete.

You can purchase NVS 510 brackets if your package does not include the full-height bracket that some customers have complained about. They’re the same.

Quadro K1200 is often compared to the Nvidia GTX 980, but while it can’t match the GTX’s gaming capabilities, it is the best CAD/CAM rendering card. ‘

Quadro K1200 is the only workstation GPU with this level of memory performance at this low a price point.

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Why You Need The Best Graphics Card for 3D Rendering and Modeling

Surface modelling, extrusions, lofts, sweeps, and shelling are just a few of the many resource-intensive tasks that your system will have to deal with. To make things run more smoothly, a GPU will take some of the workload off of your CPU.

It is possible to work on your models in a more realistic view rather than the basic wireframe and conceptual views provided by some modelling tools. Your software will not lag as a result of this because of a weak GPU.

Using a powerful graphics card will speed up the rendering process, especially for more intricate models. While CPUs have only a few sophisticated cores, GPUs have hundreds or thousands of specialised cores that divide the rendering task.

Smooth zooming and rotation will be possible thanks to this. What you don’t know is how much of an impact these basic tasks have on your body and mind. In addition, how many times will you put your models through the wringer? Uncountable.

Assembling models from separate components will be a breeze with the right graphics card.

There are several factors to consider when choosing a graphics card for your models and renderings. The vast majority of the available options were developed with gamers in mind, which explains why there are so many of them.

How can this be? I thought they were made to play games, not produce 3D models.

Gaming Graphic Cards Vs Professional Graphic Cards

The geometry used by games is heavily tuned to ensure optimal efficiency, so your graphics card isn’t taxed to the same extent that your 3D models are.

Gaming cards may not require as much VRAM, higher memory bandwidth, or computing power as 3D rendering cards, as a result.

Only workstation graphics cards are capable of this level of graphical computing. When it comes to AI and scientific computation, these are the greatest cards.

Check the system requirements for the 3D modelling and rendering software you use before acquiring a GPU.

Adobe premiere pro, for example, requires at least 2GB of GPU VRAM to render raw HD or 4K films.

Also, check out our list of the best PSUs under $50.

Factors to Consider Before Purchasing a Graphics Card for 3D Modeling and Rendering

Nvidia vs AMD

It can be difficult to choose between Nvidia and AMD, the two most popular graphics card manufacturers. Consumers can find AMD’s mid-level GPUs to be a good compromise between price and performance. For rendering, AMD’s Radeon Pro and Firepro series are the finest options.

However, Nvidia’s performance and efficiency are well-known. If you’re serious about 3D modelling and rendering, go no further than Nvidia’s Titan and Quadro lineups.

It’s possible to find GPUs from different manufacturers like MSI and ASUS. Gigabyte and MSI are other popular options. These are all Nvidia or AMD-powered graphics cards. It’s as simple as taking them and customising them with, say, a different cooler or I/O port or, in certain situations, a faster processor.

The design of the GPU chip
This is a technical term describing the process by which the GPU is constructed. About every two years, Nvidia and AMD release new technologies, each with improved capabilities and a better ability to utilise the GPU resources that are available.

For example, a Turing-based Nvidia graphics card with 2000 cores will be more efficient than a Pascal-based graphics card with the same number of cores.

When it comes to professional-level 3D modelling and rendering, Nvidia Turing is the most widely acknowledged architecture. When it comes to AMD, the Polaris and Vega architectures are what you need.

GPU Random-Access Memory
There’s a big difference between a graphics card’s video memory (VRAM) and your computer’s system memory (RAM). Although it works in the same manner,

For 3D modelling and rendering, you can use the VRAM to temporarily store data like textures, geometry, and forms. This makes it easier to access the data when needed.

Having more VRAM in a GPU allows it to store more data, therefore making it more powerful.

Even yet, when it comes to memory, the memory bandwidth is an important consideration when comparing 3D graphics cards. In Gigabits per second, it measures the speed at which data is transferred from the VRAM to the GPU.

GPU Connected Bus
It is the bus’s width that dictates the speed at which data may be transmitted between the GPU and the rest of your system.

The frequency of the GPU’s internal clock.
This is a measure of the GPU cores’ speed, commonly referred to as the “core clock.” As the clock speed of the GPU rises, so too does the rendering speed. Most cards have a base clock and a boost clock, the latter of which indicates how fast the card cores can run when the card is under heavy stress.

Please keep in mind that the GPU clock speed may only be used to compare graphics cards of the same generation. For this reason, comparing the performance of GPUs from various generations using this statistic is incorrect.

As previously stated, the card with a more complex architecture will make better use of the available resources than the standard card.

The core count
When a graphics card has more processing cores, it is able to render faster. The cores of the GPU are also known as shaders since they are responsible for displaying shaded 3D objects and sceneries.

Programming language for Nvidia’s cores called CUDA is also used to identify the physical cores.

AMD’s cores, on the other hand, are referred to as “stream processors” and are programmed in OpenCL.

Using the number of cores as a metric for comparing the performance of different generations of graphics cards would be erroneous for the same reasons as before.

The Unit for Mapping Texture (TMU)
This component aids in the application of textures to 3D models. The faster your graphics card fills your models with texture, the more TMUs it possesses.

In order to improve ray-tracing and anti-aliasing, Render Operation Unit (ROP) ROPs are used. As a result of the Render Operation Units, your GPU is able to display every pixel regardless of the texture while rendering. If your graphics card has more ROPs than necessary, you’ll get better results with your rendering.

Cost
In the end, the graphics card you choose for your 3D modelling and rendering workstation will be determined by your budget.

However, I’m hoping that after reading this, you’ll know when to push yourself a little farther in order to acquire the best GPU for your job.