Nvidia Graphic cards have become the norm when you think of gaming today. Although AMD has been quietly producing some discrete GPUs for a long time now, people have shown their preference for Nvidia. However, there are plenty of Nvidia graphic cards in the market today. With so many options, it becomes difficult to choose the best Nvidia graphic cards for your budget, use cases, and particular PC requirements.
Fortunately, we at Cashify are here to make things easier for you. When you’re choosing Nvidia graphic cards, there are multiple factors that you have to consider. We’ve got everything covered, from the size of your cabinet to the processor that you’re planning to pair. Without furder ado, let’s move on to the crucial factors that determine what kind of Nvidia graphic cards you should purchase.
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What should you look for when buying the best Nvidia graphic cards?
There is a list of factors to bear in mind for this scenario. If you choose a graphic card without considering these points, the chances are that either your CPU or GPU will face a bottleneck. Moreover, you might face issues with the power supply unit. To ensure that this doesn’t happen, read on to find what determines the graphic card that will power your new gaming rig!
The External Factors
Compatibility
Since there are multiple manufacturers for Nvidia graphic cards, they can come in different sizes. The biggest tragedy would be if you were to install your new GPU and find that it doesn’t fit the PC cabinet or the motherboard. Cabinets also come in different sizes, such as a full tower or a mid tower. These cases offer different amounts of space for the components. Since using a GPU will produce serious amounts of heat, it’s better to ensure enough space after installing the GPU. This helps in both dissipating the heat produced and future upgrade scenarios.
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The system in use
Most of the time, buying new Nvidia graphic cards signals building a new gaming rig. However, if you’re using an older processor like the Intel Core i3, purchasing the latest graphic card will limit the performance. This issue is called bottlenecking. Even with the best Nvidia graphic cards, you have to check if the GPU that you’re buying is compatible with the CPU that you’re pairing it with.
Power Supply Unit
All the components inside a gaming PC are powered thanks to the Power Supply Unit (PSU). These come in different ranges. Regardless, if you’re buying a new gaming rig, you should have a power supply unit that provides enough juice for the system to work efficiently. Furthermore, there should be enough extra power for overclocking and future upgrades. Typically, a 600W PSU would do the trick for a mid-range gaming PC by today’s standards.
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Use Cases
If you’re someone who works on the PC, browses the internet, and plays casual games, you don’t need monster Nvidia graphic cards. You could very well manage with the lower end GPUs. For more enthusiast gamers, there are plenty of mid-range GPUs that you can invest in for gaming. However, keep in mind the monitor resolution you intend to use for gaming. A card meant for 1440p gaming will not work correctly for a 2K or 4K resolution monitor. Lastly, for research and creative media (such as editing) enthusiasts, a high-end GPU is your best bet to keep things running smoothly.
The Internal Factors
Core Count
Every Nvidia graphic card has a specific core count. These cores help the graphic card continuously churn out good visuals. A lower core count means that the graphic card will be slower at processing information. This will lead to underwhelming performances. Nvidia calls their proprietary cores CUDA (Compute Unified Device Architecture) cores. The higher the number of CUDA cores depicted by a graphic card’s description, the better the graphic card will perform.
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Memory
Like your gaming rig’s RAM, Nvidia graphic cards also have a particular memory count called VRAM. This is the amount of memory that a graphic card can employ to process visuals and give the output to the monitor. A higher memory will dictate more information as processed and sent for production. While we’re talking about memory, the type of memory also comes into play. The latest graphic cards come with GDDR6 type memory, which is the fastest in the market right now. GDDR5 graphic cards are also available, and the difference is minor if you’re playing games at lower resolutions.
TDP (Thermal Design Power)
This value is vital to keep in mind. The TDP measures how much heat the component will generate when working at the base clock speeds (more on this in a bit). The higher the amount of heat produced, the higher the power that the GPU is consuming. Many Nvidia graphic cards are far more power-efficient at the cost of visuals. When buying a GPU, conduct your research to know how much TDP Value the best Nvidia graphic cards provide.
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Clock Speeds
While clock speeds aren’t significant in the long run, they’re still an essential factor to consider when buying Nvidia graphic cards. Different manufacturers often change the base and max clock speeds to edge the competition. While gaming at lower resolutions will not show you much difference, gaming at 4K resolution will. The thumb rule here is – the higher the clock speeds, the better it is for gaming. However, this thumb rule only applies when the GPU’s architecture and memory differences are minute.
Ports
This is an essential factor to consider when buying the best Nvidia graphic cards. The graphic card you buy must have enough ports and connectors for the display you’re using. If you’re using an older monitor with a DVI connector, it may not pair with the newer generation of GPUs. Ensure that the GPU you’re buying has HDMI and DisplayPort for maximum compatibility.
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What are the best Nvidia graphic cards to buy in 2023?
As stated earlier, there are many Nvidia graphic cards on the market today. Apart from all of the factors mentioned earlier, you also need to consider the budget. In addition to this, the recent global chip shortage has led to highly inflated prices for GPUs. You can either wait for the costs to decrease or go for what’s already available. In either case, we’ve got you covered with the best Nvidia graphic cards to buy in 2023.
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060Ti
For gamers, this Nvidia graphic card is a great option. It provides excellent value for the price segment and can easily play most of the latest AAA titles on Ultra settings. While the card isn’t the most powerful in the latest Nvidia lineups, it provides the same Ray Tracing and DLSS features that a higher-end card offers. This will be perfect for gaming at 1080p and 1440p. I wouldn’t recommend this card if you plan to play games at 4K resolutions.
- Cores – 4864
- Base clock – 1415MHz
- Boost clock – 1665MHz
- Memory – 8GB GDDR6
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Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080
Let’s assume that your budget for the Nvidia graphic card is sky-high. In such a scenario, you should go for the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 with your eyes closed. The price difference between this card and the flagship Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 is far too high. Moreover, you get similar performances at a lower price point. This graphic card is perfect for your media and gaming needs. With the RTX 3080, you don’t have to worry about gaming at 4K resolutions. This beast can handle them all.
- Cores – 8960
- Base clock – 1260MHz
- Boost clock – 1710MHz
- Memory – 12GB GDDR6X
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050
If you don’t plan on gaming at anything higher than 1080p, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 is one of the best Nvidia graphic cards at this price point. You get significant enhancements such as Ray Tracing and DLSS without spending a fortune. Moreover, it’s considerably cheaper than its siblings in the RTX 30 series lineup. If you stick to 1080p resolutions, this graphic card can play most of the latest AAA games at 60FPS on either High or Ultra settings, depending on the game’s optimisation.
- Cores – 2560
- Base clock – 1550MHz
- Boost clock – 1780MHz
- Memory – 8GB GDDR6
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Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super
As an entry-level gamer, you don’t need all the extreme graphic settings on most games. You need Nvidia graphic cards that can run even the latest games and provide a smooth gameplay experience. The Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super provides this, especially when gaming at lower resolutions. While you won’t find ray tracing support or DLSS, you will be able to play all the games that will release in 2022 without a hitch.
- Cores – 1408
- Base clock – 1530MHz
- Boost clock – 1785MHz
- Memory – 6GB GDDR6
Nvidia GeForce GT 1030
If budget constraints severely restrict you, the Nvidia GeForce GT 1030 will be your best option. It’s one of the cheapest Nvidia graphic cards available in the market right now. While you can’t play the latest AAA games in the highest settings, gaming at low resolutions (with low to medium settings) will be possible with this card. This is a perfect stopgap solution if you need a GPU immediately and don’t have the money for a high-end graphic card.
- Cores – 384
- Base clock – 1227MHz
- Boost clock – 1468MHz
- Memory – 2GB GDDR5
Nvidia graphic cards will continue to dominate the market until the end of 2022, at the very least. Their latest technologies are enabling excellent advancements in GPU architecture as well. While the prices of GPUs may be inflated at the moment, if you have the money to spend, you should go for the best Nvidia graphic cards you can find. The latest AAA titles support Nvidia-based technologies such as DLSS and Ray Tracing. This makes these graphic cards a good option for the future.
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