Graphics cards

The graphics card determines how smoothly games will run, how quickly video will render, and whether the computer can handle AI tasks locally. Here you will find models with NVIDIA GeForce, AMD Radeon, and Intel Arc chips – from quiet cards for office and multimedia to flagships for 4K gaming.

How to choose 

• Monitor resolution. For 1920 x 1080, a mid-range card is sufficient. For 2560 x 1440 and especially for 4K, a more powerful chip is required; otherwise, you will have to lower the settings.
• Video memory (VRAM). 8 GB is the minimum for modern games in Full HD. For 1440p and heavy textures, look for 12–16 GB, and for 4K, 3D, and local AI models – 16 GB and above.
• Chip generation. Newer generations provide more frames at the same power consumption and support DLSS, FSR, or XeSS – technologies that increase frames with minimal loss of image quality.
• Cooling. Almost all cards have active cooling with two or three fans. A larger heatsink means quieter operation. Passive models are only for weak systems without gaming.
• Brand of the card. The same chip is sold by ASUS, MSI, Gigabyte, Palit, Sapphire, PowerColor, and others. The differences are in cooling, noise, size, and factory overclocking – performance is almost the same, so compare sizes and noise.
• Purpose. Besides gaming cards, there are professional series for CAD and rendering, as well as cheap multimedia cards that simply add outputs for monitors.

What to watch out for

• Check the length of the card and how many slots it occupies – many models are thick 2.5 to 3.5 slots and do not fit in small cases.
• The power supply must have enough wattage and the correct cables – 8-pin PCIe or the new 16-pin connector.
• A weak processor limits a strong card, especially in Full HD and at high frame rates.
• Connect the monitor to the graphics card output, not to the motherboard.
• For high refresh rate monitors, check that the card has DisplayPort or HDMI 2.1 with the required bandwidth.

Compatibility

All modern cards use the PCIe x16 slot and work with any new motherboard – the older version of PCIe rarely makes a noticeable difference. Before purchasing, compare the sizes with the case, check the power of the power supply, and whether the processor is in the same class. If you are building a whole system, the configurator checks compatibility for you.