{"id":142928,"date":"2019-06-24T19:33:01","date_gmt":"2019-06-24T19:33:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sftarticles.wpenginepowered.com\/en\/?p=142928"},"modified":"2025-07-01T21:45:58","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T04:45:58","slug":"how-to-choose-graphics-card","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/how-to-choose-graphics-card\/","title":{"rendered":"How to choose your graphics card"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-142932\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2021\/04\/700_GPU_unwnhn.jpg\" alt=\"GPU\" width=\"700\" height=\"394\"><\/p>\n<p>When you&#8217;re building your new gaming PC,<strong> one of the most expensive single pieces you&#8217;ll end up buying is your graphics card<\/strong>. If you&#8217;re going to dish out a few hundred bucks for one, you better make sure that you are getting the best one for all of your needs.<\/p>\n<p>We took a look at some of the best graphics cards on the market, and what you should consider before adding it to your cart. <strong>Price is far from the only thing you should consider<\/strong> as some of these can make all of the difference depending on your needs.<\/p>\n<h2>How to choose your graphics card<\/h2>\n<p>The main things you need to look into when choosing a graphics card are <strong>GPU\/memory, cooling, noise, size, aesthetics, and extra features<\/strong>. We&#8217;re going to go through these features one by one to let you know why each is important.<\/p>\n<h3>GPU\/Memory<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-142937\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2021\/04\/Zotac_ubojs7.jpg\" alt=\"Zotac\" width=\"700\" height=\"483\"><\/p>\n<p>With GPU and memory comes speed, and<strong> this can vary drastically based on what kind of graphics card you buy.&nbsp;<\/strong>On one hand, you might have a graphics card that can let you play <a href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/5-mods-that-completely-overhaul-the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim\">the most heavily modded version of Skyrim<\/a> you can find with no issue, or you can have one that struggles to play Tetris.<\/p>\n<p>Check to see <a href=\"https:\/\/en.uesp.net\/wiki\/Skyrim:System_Requirements\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">what the games you want to play require for a GPU<\/a> in order to play them fluidly and fast.<\/p>\n<p>If speed is the name of the game for you, we&#8217;d recommend the<a href=\"https:\/\/geni.us\/AsQcR\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Zotac GeForce GTX 1070<\/a>. With 1070 GPU, you get some of the highest speed you can get for the price of $350.<\/p>\n<h3>Cooling\/Noise<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_142941\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-142941\" style=\"width: 700px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-142941\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2021\/04\/Fan_comparison_v1wuac.jpg\" alt=\"Fan comparison\" width=\"700\" height=\"263\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-142941\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">You might be able to save a few bucks if you get a graphics card with a small fan or only one fan, but you risk the GPU overheating and have to deal with a lot of noise.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>When buying a graphics card, take a look a the quality of fans that go into them. Fans are what <strong>keep your graphics card from overheating, and help reduce noise.&nbsp;<\/strong>If you have good fans, then your GPU stays cool and quiet. A single fan or a small fan can mean that your PC will run hot and loud.<\/p>\n<p>The Zotac GeForce GTX 1070 is still a good option in this department, but if you are willing to compromise speed and memory, the<a href=\"https:\/\/geni.us\/39Yr9p\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Diyeeni Colorful GTX 1060<\/a> is a solid choice. Your GPU will run nice and cool, and it will be as quiet as a church mouse. <strong>You can even pick this one up for less than $300<\/strong>. Don&#8217;t worry, you can still play Skyrim with this bad boy.<\/p>\n<h3>Size<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-142945\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2021\/04\/Chassis_txtgw5.jpg\" alt=\"Chassis\" width=\"700\" height=\"467\"><\/p>\n<p>Depending on the size of your device&#8217;s chassis, you may be limited on the size of the graphics card you can buy. Just so you know, it would really stink if you bought a big, expensive, non-refundable graphics card only to find out it&#8217;s far too big. This is why <strong>many people choose their graphics card first and then build a PC around it.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Your typical chassis for a decent gaming PC will support a graphics card as big as <strong>12 inches by 9.63 inches<\/strong>. However, if you are going to get yourself a smaller chassis, you can be limited to 9.63 inches by 9.63 inches or even 6.75 inches by 6.75 inches.<\/p>\n<p>The&nbsp;Zotac GeForce GTX 1070 and the Diyeeni Colorful GTX 1060 can fit inside the large chassis with no issue. However, if your chassis has a smaller limit, there are other options. For the 9.63 by 9.63 chassis, the <a href=\"https:\/\/geni.us\/rVtk1U\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1050<\/a> is a great option. If you have the smallest option, go with the <a href=\"https:\/\/geni.us\/W6dg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Gigabyte GeForce GT 1030.&nbsp;<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Aesthetics and extra features<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-142950\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2021\/04\/graphics_card_aesthetic_s6wm71.jpg\" alt=\"graphics card\" width=\"700\" height=\"455\"><\/p>\n<p>Before you buy a graphics card, make sure you are buying one that comes with a good warranty. If your graphics card gets fried because of a faulty piece,<strong> you need to make sure that you have a warranty that will cover the damage.&nbsp;<\/strong>However, there are other features you can look into to bundle into your purchase.<\/p>\n<p>GeForce typically <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nvidia.com\/en-us\/geforce\/campaigns\/wolfenstein-youngblood-bundle\/?nvid=nv-int-cf-91037\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">has game bundles for some of their bigger graphics cards<\/a>. Be careful though; you don&#8217;t want to spend an extra $500 just to get one or two games that cost $60 each.<\/p>\n<h2>Wrapping up<\/h2>\n<p>If we had to pick the best graphics card on the market right now, we&#8217;d have to go with the <a href=\"https:\/\/geni.us\/AsQcR\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Zotac GeForce GTX 1070.&nbsp;<\/a>For the price, there just isn&#8217;t anything else on the market that will let you play games in such high quality.<strong> You can play pretty much whatever you want in beautiful 1080p at high speeds without much risk of your PC overheating.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-card-starred-link\">\r\n  <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__body\">\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__row clearfix\">\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__col-logo\">\r\n        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-starred-link__img\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/image\/upload\/c_scale,h_192,q_auto:eco\/v1561404688\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-15-at-10.11.55-AM-e1560618955144_erdhpx_luufem.webp\" width=\"100px\" height=\"100px\">\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__col-title\">\r\n        <p class=\"sc-card-starred-link__title\">Coolest future gaming tech from E3 2019<\/p>\r\n        <a class=\"sc-card-starred-link__button\" href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/future-gaming-technology-2019\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer sponsored\">Read Now \u25ba<\/a>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <a class=\"sc-card-starred-link__link\" href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/future-gaming-technology-2019\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer sponsored\"><\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From price to speed, there are so many things to consider when buying a graphics card! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9180,"featured_media":142940,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","wpcf-pageviews":1},"categories":[2441],"tags":[1617,2151,2074,2150,1033],"usertag":[784,787,782],"vertical":[],"content-category":[],"class_list":["post-142928","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-how-to","tag-gaming","tag-graphics","tag-pc","tag-pc-building","tag-shopping","usertag-gamer","usertag-gamer-desktop","usertag-purchaser-gadget"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142928","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9180"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=142928"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142928\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":325812,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142928\/revisions\/325812"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/142940"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=142928"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=142928"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=142928"},{"taxonomy":"usertag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/usertag?post=142928"},{"taxonomy":"vertical","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vertical?post=142928"},{"taxonomy":"content-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/content-category?post=142928"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}