What kind of graphics card for games? Buying an AMD Radeon or NVIDIA GeForce? Recommended graphics cards for July 2022

Which graphics card to choose? We have waited so long to be able to ask such a question, where the answer will be – nothing – because in the past few months prices have literally gone crazy, reaching 200-300% more than they should be. However, finally everything is getting better, the cuts are coming true, and it makes sense to put together gaming PCs again. For several weeks, a downtrend was visible, which we largely owe to the crash of the cryptocurrency market, which translated directly into price rationalization. Some models of AMD Radeon and NVIDIA GeForce graphics cards are already around MSPR (suggested amount), so I’ve prepared a buying guide to help you choose.

Author: Sebastian Oktaba

The graphics card is an essential component of every gaming PC, at least from a pure performance perspective, as it is more responsible for the number of frames generated per second. Of course, the processor is also a very important part of the puzzle, not to mention the rest of the necessary components, without which the computer simply will not work, but it is the graphics card that does the most difficult work here. Therefore, in gaming groups you can save a little on the processor, although this is a risky procedure in some places, and the graphics card should be the best we can afford. For example – a machine that has a hexa-core processor and a GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, will often be more efficient than the alternative that has an octa-core processor, but it is combined with the GeForce RTX 3060. Unfortunately, most PC games cannot use more cores, But a more powerful graphics chip is always useful.

Which graphics card to choose? AMD Radeon or NVIDIA GeForce? Recommended Graphics Cards For July 2022 After Crazy Digger…

What was that about the brutal increases? If you haven’t heard of the craze for cryptocurrency mining with graphics cards, you must have been quietly growing over the past 12 months or so. To simplify the whole phenomenon – people have used the GPU to create a virtual currency that can be exchanged for real money. Diggers were buying cards in bulk, merchandise was in short supply and prices skyrocketed. The business turned out to be very profitable, because, although the price fluctuated more and more, the trend was generally bullish … but so far! Ethereum cost nearly $5,000 in November 2021, and today Barely over 1000 dollars. In addition, the increase in electricity prices, the increasingly difficult mining algorithm and many other factors caused miners to start closing their mines, demand fell dramatically and the long-awaited thaw began. Therefore, when buying used models, be attentive, and when choosing a new GPU, pay attention to:

• the decision – Before buying, select the target screen resolution you will be using. You don’t need expensive high-end systems to comfortably play at 1920 x 1080 resolution at 60 fps. However, if you already have a 144/165/240 Hz monitor and prefer esports games, this combination will be more suitable.
• Cooling system – Affects the temperature and work culture, also indirectly on the life of the graphics card. It is better to choose models with cooling with two or three fans, the effectiveness of which has been confirmed by tests. Single fan versions are only acceptable for weaker systems.
• Graphics memory – Today the reasonable minimum is 4 GB VRAM, although memory requirements depend on resolution and detail. On budget builds with 2GB of VRAM, you’ll need to lower these settings. Up to 1920 x 1080 and 2560 x 1440 High/ultra high, you should aim for 6-8GB models.
• Appointments – AMD Radeon and NVIDIA GeForce graphics cards have a dynamically regulated base clock (GPU Boost), depending on power limits and temperatures. The better the cooling of the card itself and the housing conditions, the higher the chance of higher and more stable clocks. You can also improve it yourself by…
• calibration Programs like MSI Afterburner are easy to use and provide many useful tools, allowing you to modify manufacturer settings. Reducing the factory power supply or manually adjusting the fan speed range not only improves the work culture, but also improves efficiency (the effort is often exaggerated).

Before we move on to the actual part of the guide, I need to make another point that is more likely to appear in the comments. Availability and prices change very quickly, somewhere one model can be found on sale, in another it will be more expensive. Therefore, treat this post as a pointer to choosing specific graphics chips in a certain price range (such as the RTX 3060 Ti), and not necessarily the cards themselves (such as the Gigabyte Gaming). The market situation is dynamic, and pricing can be surprisingly inconsistent, as the higher Radeon RX 6900 XT can cost less than the slower Radeon RX 6800 in the mid-range version. This is due, for example, to different delivery times, the desire to monetize some models or to close production lines. Therefore, it is worth watching the market closely and looking for opportunities. Let’s hope the latest cuts aren’t over yet.