Have your friends been posting about their offense and defense moves in Overwatch on social media? Or do you suspect them of talking about The Witcher III in a private group on Facebook?
Well, FOMO is huge on that one.
Because we know how not owning a Windows PC with an amped-up GPU and memory can affect your psychology. It hurts. But help is here – in the form of a detailed graphics card hierarchy that you can consider to upgrade your gaming system.
You may be a Grand Theft Auto V veteran but today the world is where the trend is. So here is a quick look at the top tiers of the current-generation GPUs that money can buy.
Time to upgrade your rig…
The Importance of GPU
Contents
GPU stands for Graphics Processing Unit, which enhances the imaging and video rendering quality in the gameplay. Together with your computer’s RAM and other parameters, this video memory elevates your gaming experience by rendering images, loading them faster, and making them look like real life. Have you ever wondered how Rockstar Games replicates the critical expressions of a character or the minute details of a setting in Red Dead Redemption? Well, that’s where the GPU comes in.
This is true for any game you play – from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas to Fallout 4 to the recent fad among pro gamers, Overwatch.
The Graphics Card Hierarchy
It is obvious that any gamer would want to experience the greatest gameplay. Whether it is Virtua Cop II or Battlefield 1. Therefore, we have listed down the five different tiers of graphics cards.
American tech company Nvidia is the leading player in the GPU industry. Their GeForce line of graphics cards, with its CUDA cores, is one of the most popular and bestselling gaming products around the world. No wonder that the top GPU model in tier 1 of our GPU hierarchy is a Nvidia GeForce model.
While Intel is busy shifting gears (both with its GPUs and processors), AMD (with its Steam Processors) has come close to at least trying to dethrone Nvidia from the #1 position. But, has it, though? Let’s check out in the GPU tiers below.
But, first, here are some basics.
How to Select the Best Graphics Card and Upgrade?
The easiest way to find out if your current system specifications are enough and if you can play that game is to use the CYRI (Can You RUN It?) tool by System Requirements Lab. (Go on! Check if you can really play Fortnite Battle Royale or PUBG in your computer!)
This will give you a bird’s eye view of how your system fares compared to the what the developers of the games think are minimum/recommended specification requirements.
You will find that the GPU is one of the most common limitations for playing such games. Of course, processor clock, system memory (RAM), and monitor resolution matter. But video memory is what new games gasp for when compared with their older cousins.
For example, just compare GTA: Vice City with GTA V and you will notice that graphics is one of the biggest improvements in the latter. To render such improved graphics for an open world game like GTA, the engine requires a lot of video memory. And that is where GPU comes into the picture.
Three Factors to Consider
While selecting or upgrading your graphics card, there are a few points you must consider. They are as follows:
- Upgrade only if you are moving up from tier 4/5 to tier 2/3. There is no point in moving from tier 4 to tier 3 because the changes will be negligible. You may not even be able to play the game that you desired in the first place (at least not as efficiently as it is meant to be)
- Look at all the parameters. Fortnite, for example, is recommended to be played on a system with 8GB RAM, Intel Core i5, and with a video card that is equivalent to Nvidia GTX 660 (minimum). This means that just bumping your video memory is not enough. You need to look at other parameters as well
- Look at the price difference. It is obvious that as you go higher in the hierarchy, the price shoots up. In cases where you are looking at upgrading your entire system, putting everything on your video card is improvident
According to our experience, you must ponder over these three factors before taking the plunge. However, if you already have, let’s get down to business.
Legacy GPU Hierarchy
Nvidia GeForce | AMD Radeon |
Titan Xp ($1,368 On Amazon) Titan X (Pascal) ($1,599 On Amazon) GTX 1080 ($597 On Amazon) | RX Vega 64 ($1,099.99 On Amazon) |
GTX Titan X (Maxwell) GTX 1070 Ti ($469.99 On Amazon) GTX 1070 ($487.94 On Amazon) 980 Ti ($450 On Amazon) | R9 295X2 R9 Fury X |
GTX Titan Black GTX 980 ($399.99 On Amazon) GTX 690 | R9 Fury R9 Fury Nano |
GTX Titan GTX 1060 ($358.97 On Amazon) GTX 970 GTX 780 Ti GTX 780 | RX 580 ($311.99 On Amazon RX 570 ($239.99 On Amazon) RX 480 RX 470 ($349.99 On Amazon) R9 390X ($699.99 On Amazon) R9 390 ($540 On Amazon) R9 290X R9 290 HD 7990 |
GTX 770 GTX 680 GTX 590 | R9 380X R9 380 ($240 On Amazon) R9 280X HD 7970 GHz Edition HD 6990 |
GTX 1050 Ti ($216.48 On Amazon) GTX 960 ($289 On Amazon) GTX 670 GTX 580 | R9 285 R9 280 HD 7950 HD 7870 LE (XT) HD 5970 |
GTX 1050 ($139.99 On Amazon) GTX 950 GTX 760 GTX 660 Ti | RX 560 ($149.99 On Amazon) RX 460 R7 370 R9 270X R9 270 HD 7870 |
GTX 660 GTX 570 GTX 480 GTX 295 | R7 265 HD 7850 HD 6970 HD 4870 X2 |
GTX 750 Ti GTX 650 Ti Boost GTX 560 Ti (448 Core) GTX 560 Ti GTX 470 | R7 260X HD 6950 HD 5870 HD 4850 X2 |
GTX 750 GTX 650 Ti GTX 560 | HD 7790 HD 6870 HD 5850 |
GT 1030 ($89.99 On Amazon) GTX 465 GTX 460 (256-bit) GTX 285 9800 GX2 | RX 550 ($79.99 On Amazon) R7 360 R7 260 HD 7770 HD 6850 |
GT 740 GDDR5 GT 650 GTX 560 SE GTX 550 Ti GTX 460 SE GTX 460 (192-bit) GTX 280 GTX 275 GTX 260 | R7 250E R7 250 (GDDR5) HD 7750 (GDDR5) HD 6790 HD 6770 HD 5830 HD 5770 HD 4890 HD 4870 |
GTS 450 GTS 250 9800 GTX+ 9800 GTX 8800 Ultra | R7 250 (DDR3) HD 7750 (DDR3) HD 6750 HD 5750 HD 4850 HD 3870 X2 |
GT 730 (64-bit, GDDR5) GT 545 (GDDR5) 8800 GTS (512MB) 8800 GTX | HD 4770 |
GT 740 DDR3 GT 640 (DDR3) GT 545 (DDR3) 9800 GT 8800 GT (512MB) | HD 7730 (GDDR5) HD 6670 (GDDR5) HD 5670 HD 4830 |
GT 240 (GDDR5) 9600 GT 8800 GTS (640MB) | HD 6570 (GDDR5) HD 5570 (GDDR5) HD 3870 HD 2900 XT |
GT 240 (DDR3) 9600 GSO 8800 GS | R7 240 HD 7730 (DDR3) HD 6670 (DDR3) HD 6570 (DDR3) HD 5570 (DDR3) HD 4670 HD 3850 (512MB) |
GT 730 (128-bit, GDDR5) GT 630 (GDDR5) GT 440 (GDDR5) 8800 GTS (320MB) 8800 GT (256MB) | HD 5550 (GDDR5) HD 3850 (256MB) HD 2900 Pro |
GT 730 (128-bit, DDR3) GT 630 (DDR3) GT 440 (DDR3) 7950 GX2 | HD 7660D (integrated) HD 5550 (DDR3) HD 4650 (DDR3) X1950 XTX |
GT 530 GT 430 7900 GTX 7900 GTO 7800 GTX 512 | X1900 XTX X1950 XT X1900 XT |
GT 220 (DDR3) 7950 G 7900 GT 7800 GTX | HD 7560D (integrated) HD 5550 (DDR2) HD 2900 GT X1950 Pro X1900 GT X1900 AIW X1800 XT |
GT 220 (DDR2) 9500 GT (GDDR3) 8600 GTS 7900 GS 7800 GT | HD 7540D (integrated) HD 6550D (integrated) HD 6620G (integrated) R5 230 HD 6450 HD 4650 (DDR2) X1950 GT X1800 XL |
9500 GT (DDR2) 8600 GT (GDDR3) 8600 GS 7800 GS 7600 GT 6800 Ultra | 7480D (integrated) 6530D (integrated) 6520G (integrated) HD 3670 HD 3650 (DDR3) HD 2600 XT X1800 GTO X1650 XT X850 XT PE X800 XT PE X850 XT X800 XT |
GT 520 8600 GT (DDR2) 6800 GS (PCIe) 6800 GT | 6480G (integrated) 6410D (integrated) HD 3650 (DDR2) HD 2600 Pro X800 GTO2/GTO16 X800 XL |
6800 GS (AGP) | 6380G (integrated) 6370D (integrated) X1650 GT X850 Pro X800 Pro X800 GTO (256MB) |
8600M GS 7600 GS 7300 GT (GDDR3) 6800 | X1650 Pro X1600 XT X800 GTO (128MB) X800 |
9400 GT 8500 GT 7300 GT (DDR2) 6800 XT 6800LE 6600 GT | HD 6320 (integrated) HD 6310 (integrated) HD 5450 HD 4550 HD 4350 HD 2400 XT X1600 Pro X1300 XT X800 SE X800 GT X700 Pro 9800 XT |
9400 (integrated) 9300 (integrated) 6600 (128-bit) FX 5950 Ultra FX 5900 Ultra FX 5900 | HD 6290 (integrated) HD 6250 (integrated) HD 4290 (integrated) HD 4250 (integrated) HD 4200 (integrated) HD 3300 (integrated) HD 3200 (integrated) HD 2400 Pro X1550 X1300 Pro X700 9800 Pro 9800 9700 Pro 9700 |
FX 5900 XT FX 5800 Ultra | X1050 (128-bit) X600 XT 9800 Pro (128-bit) 9600 XT 9500 Pro |
G 310 G 210 8400 G 8300 6200 FX 5700 Ultra 4 Ti 4800 4 Ti 4600 | Xpress 1250 (integrated) HD 2300 X600 Pro 9800 LE 9600 Pro |
9300M GS 9300M G 8400M GS 7300 GS FX 5700, 6600 (64-bit) FX 5600 Ultra 4 Ti4800 SE 4 Ti4400 4 Ti4200 | X1050 (64-bit) X300 9600 9550 9500 |
8300 (integrated) 8200 (integrated) 7300 LE 7200 GS 6600 LE 6200 TC FX 5700 LE FX 5600 FX 5200 Ultra 3 Ti500 | X1150 X300 SE 9600 LE 9100 8500 |
FX 5500 FX 5200 (128-bit) 3 Ti200 3 | 9250 9200 9000 |
FX 7050 (integrated) FX 7025 (integrated) FX 6150 (integrated) FX 6100 (integrated) FX 5200 (64-bit) | Xpress 1150 (integrated) Xpress 1000 (integrated) Xpress 200M (integrated) 9200 SE |
2 Ti 200 2 Ti 2 Ultra 4 MX 440 2 GTS | 7500 |
2 MX 400 4 MX 420 2 MX 200 256 | 7200 7000 DDR LE SDR |
Nvidia TNT | Rage 128 |
Different Tiers of GPU
This list has been updated with the current-generation GPU models available in the market.
There are five tiers in total, with the topmost tier i.e. tier 1 denoting the best of the best. None of your friends will dare look you in the eye if you get this. There’s no game on planet Earth that will not run in your system if you get any of the tier 1 GPU. Our favorite is the Titan V.
Following tier 1 are the high-end, mid-range, budget, and entry-level models. These are pretty self-explanatory and their positions are dictated by their price and video RAM. Here goes…
Tier | Video Card | Video RAM |
Tier 1 – Best of the Best | Nvidia GeForce Titan V | 12GB HBM2 |
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti | 11GB GDDR5X | |
Nvidia GeForce Titan Xp | 12GB GDDR5X | |
Tier 2 – High-end | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 | 8GB GDDR5X |
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 Ti | 8GB GDDR5 | |
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 | 8GB GDDR5 | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 | 8GB HBM2 | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 | 8GB HBM2 | |
Tier 3 – Mid-range | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 | 6GB GDDR5 (also in 3GB) |
AMD Radeon RX 580 | 8GB GDDR5 (also in 4GB) | |
AMD Radeon RX 570 | 8GB GDDR5 (also in 4GB) | |
Tier 4 – Budget | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti | 4GB GDDR5 |
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 | 2GB GDDR5 | |
AMD Radeon RX 560 | 4GB GDDR5 (also in 2GB) | |
Tier 5 – Entry-level | Nvidia GeForce GT 1030 | 2GB GDDR5 |
AMD Radeon RX 550 | 4GB GDDR5 (also in 2GB) |
Legend
If you are new to these terms, let us give you a brief rundown.
GeForce and Vega are GPU series by the respective manufacturers. High bandwidth memory (HBM), is an interface technology first used by AMD in their hugely popular Fiji GPUs. Its highlights are low power consumption and small form factor. It’s a direct competitor of the GDDR5 (double data rate for graphics) technology. HBM2, GDDR5, GDDR5X are just newer generations of these technologies.
Understanding the 5-tier GPU Hierarchy
The five tiers listed above are based on their performance, video RAM, framerates, and price. We also took other minor parameters such as clock speed and the number of ports to bifurcate them.
Tier 1 GPUs
Tier 1, also known as the “enthusiast” tier or crème de la crème of GPUs, is swarmed by none other Nvidia video cards. All three provide powerful performance at 60 FPS and seamless rendering. If you are into ultra 4K (and even 8K) and VR, then these are the ones to go mad about.
Compared to Titan Xp, the Titan V provides at least 5x more power and performance. Name a game and you will be able to play with both of them, with the only difference that in Titan V, you will be stuck to your couch for weeks. These are clearly intended for professional gamers and enthusiasts because the price tag is not for the faint-hearted. But, is it worth it, though?
If you have an equally beasty monitor and system memory, hell yes, it is worth it.
Tier 2 GPUs
Now let’s get the basics right: HBM2 is more expensive than the DDR technology, which is why AMD has made an entry here. The main difference between tier 1 and tier 2 GPUs is the ability to play in 4K resolution. You can definitely try doing that but at the cost of lower frame rates.
There are five options to choose from here, and even if you keep an eye on your wallet, these are affordable models. If you ask us, the Vega 64 is the most popular among millennial gamers. We wonder why?!
Tier 3 GPUs
Turn the resolution a notch lower to 1080p and you enter tier 3. You can still render 2K resolution but then be ready to compromise on the frame rate. It should be noted that you can still play all possible games using these video cards. The difference will be in the quality of the images.
Nonetheless, these are some kinks in “the most popular GPUs across the globe” mostly because they can run any game in question and not cost you a fortune. Do the prices still seem on the higher bit? Check out the last two tiers.
Tier 4 GPUs
The good part is that you can still play Fortnite Battle Royale using this GPU because we tested it on our Windows 10 system and we couldn’t stop playing. The better part is that none of these costs a fortune and are possible all in your budget even if you plan to get that Thrustmaster flight stick you love.
But if you are on a tighter budget, we don’t want you to go home disappointed. Here are two great options…
Tier 5 GPUs
30 FPS guaranteed in even the most addictive online multiplayer games. And that is enough of a promise to help you make a decision. If you are a casual gamer, you should choose either of the Nvidia and AMD model and be done with it.
Owning an entry-level GPU is not bad, especially if you are looking to upgrade to a console. Now that PS5 is just around the corner, why not?
Even as we mourn the death of TotalBiscuit and get ready for an ugly lawsuit between Fortnite and PUBG developers, we must not lose heart. We must look at improving our game and for that, we need high-performing GPUs. We hope this short guide and overview has given you more idea as to where to spend the money.
So, choose your machine and fire up your hero. Do you like Tracer enough?
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