Updated on April 27, 2022
Are you thinking of building a new streaming PC but aren’t sure which graphics card to use? The GPU is the most important component of a gaming PC. Obtaining a new GPU in 2022 will be almost impossible due to supply constraints and extremely high demand. This page explains what to look for in a GPU, lists the top GPUs currently available, and answers some frequently asked questions.
Table of Contents
What You Should Look For in a GPU
The GPU is the component that will have the largest impact on your gameplay and streaming. When buying a GPU, these are some of the most significant things to look for:
1. Brand
GPU chips are primarily produced by Nvidia and AMD. The graphics card’s most critical component, the chipsets are incredibly sophisticated and complex. Nvidia has a larger share of the market than any other company. It’s not just the Nvidia and AMD chips that are used by other firms; they also build the remainder of the graphics card, such as its body and fans. For those on a budget, Gigabyte’s cards may be the better option as they are less expensive.
2. Ray-tracing
Ray-tracing features have been added to more modern GPUs. Ray-tracing improves the realism of lighting effects in video games. There’s a noticeable difference in the quality of ray-traced graphics. In most cases, a GPU featuring ray-tracing is labelled with the “RTX” prefix in the product name.
3. Memory
Video memory on most GPUs may go as high as 12 gigabytes. Newer cards, like Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 3090, have 24 gigabytes of video memory. The more memory you have, the higher the resolution you can play at.
4. Clock speed
The framerate of your GPU is affected by the clock speed, among other things. The greater your computer’s clock speed, the more frames per second you may expect to see in your games.
5. Cooling
GPUs generate a lot of heat, so it’s critical to get one with plenty of fans to keep it cool. If the GPU overheats, you must ensure that the remainder of your PC is well-ventilated to prevent overheating.
6. Power
When you buy a graphics card, it will tell you how much power it requires in watts. In light of the fact that it powers not just your GPU but also the entire PC, it is critical that your power supply unit meets this bare minimum.
3 Best GPUs for Streaming
Regardless of price, these are the best graphics cards available today. High-resolution graphics and faster frame rates are two benefits of using these GPUs, both of which improve the visual quality of your stream.
Features
As of 2022, the RTX 3090 is by far the best graphics card available. If you can afford the steep price, go for it. However, it will only be 15% better than the RTX 3080 below in terms of performance. Even the most demanding games will run flawlessly on this machine because it contains 24 gigabytes of RAM. However, streaming services like Twitch only support 1080p, which is the maximum resolution that your audience will be able to see, despite the fact that it can run 8K games at 60 frames per second (FPS). Because it is so massive, you’ll need a case large enough to hold it.
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 graphics card has 10 gigabytes of memory, which is way less than the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090, but as a gamer, that will do the job. You’ll be able to game in 4K at high frame rates, but you’ll still only be able to stream in 1080p on Twitch. Additionally, you’ll get a nice performance boost over even the best 20-series cards, such as the RTX 2080. The downside to this card is that it is still pretty expensive.
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070
3 Best Budget GPUs for Streaming
Here are some of the top affordable graphics cards on the market. Even though these cards will be less expensive than the 30-series cards, gamers and streamers alike should expect the same level of performance.
Features
High frame rates may be achieved with the GTX 1660 Super, which is a budget-friendly option for 1080p gaming. Your viewers will be able to enjoy a more streamlined experience as a result. It has a total of six gigabytes of RAM. Some disadvantages, on the other hand, exist. Since this is not a 20-series or newer video card, you’ll need to use your CPU to encode the video for your stream. Furthermore, it lacks ray-tracing capabilities.
Features
This AMD graphics card, which has 8 GB of memory, is ideal for 1440p gaming. To encode video for your stream, though, you’ll need a strong CPU with ray-tracing capabilities. Having up to 1755 MHz of gaming frequency ensures that your game will run smoothly.
