Best GPU for 1440p 144Hz in 2024 – our top graphics card picks
If you want the best GPU that can run 1440p games smoothly at 144Hz or better refresh rates, then we have you covered right here.
With 1440p resolution at 144Hz, a new sweet spot for gaming, we’re here to help you get a graphics card that just works, providing you with the experience you want from your system. Running games at high frames per second is now even easier with newer GPU generations, and more people are making the jump to 1440p monitors. However, to play at 1440p with a smooth 144Hz refresh rate, you want a graphics card that’s up to the job – the best GPU for 1440p 144Hz for you.
If you have a look at the options available on the market, then you will find budget GPUs, mid-range GPUs, and even high-end GPUs that can handle 1440p gaming at high refresh rates. However, you’d want to find a graphics card that strikes a balance between performance, price, and actual utility – as high-end options may be overkill for 1440p.
To help you make an informed decision, we have researched and shortlisted some GPUs that we think are the best for running 1440p games with a 144Hz refresh rates.
Products at a Glance
How we picked the best GPU for 1440p 144hz
Whether you want to be competitive in online games or to just enjoy smooth frame rates at a QHD resolution, a GPU for 1440p 144Hz is key. And it will make a huge difference if you’re shifting from a 1080p 60Hz setup or similar. We know this because we’re gamers ourselves, and we’ve tested the cards that are capable of making all the difference – and can they!
So to pick the best GPUs for 1440p 144Hz gaming we’ve first relied on our own testing of the cards in this list. Each of them has been benchmarked across a range of tests, but here we’ll focus on 1440p capabilities with additional information for reference.
Performance is the key metric because each of the cards we’ve picked absolutely will perform. But we’ve also considered price and longevity. On the latter, because we’re picking from the RX 7000 and RTX 40 series, you should get years of enjoyment from each card. But we’ll cover market positioning for further context too.
If you’re looking for more GPU recommendations and considering an even faster refresh rate, then head over to our best GPU for 1440p 240Hz article. And check out our best graphics card article for our view of the current market winners.
Product Reviews
- Better value than RTX 4070
- Good for 1440p, decent for 4K
- 20% more CUDA cores than RTX 4070
- High power draw
- 12GB VRAM may feel limiting
As in our overall best graphics card piece, we rate the RTX 4070 Super as the best graphics card for 1440p. It’s a mid-range card with a difference, truly capable of pushing a PC comfortably into the 1440p realm and even able to test the waters of 4K.
As we saw in our RTX 4070 Super review, this replacement for the 4070 presented 119 fps on Assassin’s Creed: Mirage, hitting The Finals with 150 fps at 1440p and with Ray Tracing enabled, delivering 124 fps. Doom Eternal saw 288 fps, while Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora was very playable at 80 fps.
What’s very important here is that all of these tests were carried out with max graphics settings in each game, too! So unless that’s how you want to play, then there are frame improvements to be made as well. Any 1440p 144Hz monitor is going to love the 4070 Super, so it’s an excellent choice for a gaming setup. Not to mention, Nvidia’s DLSS feature is baked into the capabilities of the 4070 Super as an RTX 40-series card.
One thing to bear in mind is that the 4070 Super is great for 1440p now and likely for a couple of years, too. However, it may not be best to use longer terms if titles become particularly demanding. Also, Nvidia has equipped its 40-series with DisplayPort 1.4, but that’s only an issue at some point in the future when 1440p 480Hz becomes restrictive somehow.
- Great for 1440p
- Huge 20GB VRAM
- Offers great value at current price
- VRAM is the slower GDDR6 spec not GDDR6X
- 7900 XTX is better for power users
If you prefer getting an AMD Radeon GPU for your build, then the RX 7900 XT is the card we’d opt for 1440p at 144Hz. It’s very well priced at around $700 and can handle 1440p 144Hz with ease, along with great capability for 4K gaming too.
In our review of AMD RX 7900 XT, we saw CS:GO at a breezy 555 fps and Doom Eternal at 349 when played at 1440p. Similarly, Far Cry 6 saw the card produce 156 fps, and Cyberpunk 2077 saw 119 fps. All of those numbers translate into absolute comfort when it comes to 1440p and then some. But the 7900 XT will also enable you to keep playing at 1440p for longer, when compared to the RTX 4080 Super.
There are other benefits, too – its 20GB VRAM and 800 GB/sec bandwidth make it exceptionally useful across gaming and productivity, while its 300W max power draw means you shouldn’t need a huge PSU either.
- Accessible 1440p gaming at a fairly low entry-price
- A modest 550W power supply will power this card
- 12GB VRAM with a 192-bit interface
- Mediocre ray tracing
- Bulky design
The 7900 XT may be beyond what you want to spend, but that doesn’t leave you without an affordable or AMD option. For the price, the RX 7700 XT is undoubtedly one of the best GPUs for 1440p 144Hz.
With a revised MSRP of $419, the 7700 XT is far more inclusive than its larger siblings. And it’s capable too. Take a look at our full review to see the compelling case this card makes for itself, but in short: it offers good gaming performance, requires a modest (550W) power supply, and offers better value at this point than similar NVIDIA rivals.
In terms of frames, at 1440p in tests, we were looking at well over 100 fps and sometimes 200+ fps, with more challenging titles still very playable – for example, Cyberpunk 2077 hit 79 fps average. But at this price, there’s little to argue with. However, a drawback here is that you won’t really be able to access 4K gaming with this GPU – which is something to consider if you’re investing in a GPU for the longer term.
- Great for 1440p, good for 4K
- Offers better value than RTX 4070 Ti
- AV1 hardware encode and decode support
- Could be priced better
- Partner cards can be expensive
The RTX 4070 Ti Super is on this list as an alternative to the RTX 4070 Super. If you want more of a bridge to 4K gaming but a card that smashes 1440p at 144Hz, then the 4070 Ti Super makes sense. It’s no 4080 Super, but it will allow you 4K gaming while fulfilling the 1440p spec with ease.
This card will also give you more longevity than the RTX 4070 Super, should gaming requirements ramp up in the coming years. In our review of the 4070 Ti Super, we saw it take on Cyberpunk 2077 at 93 fps, Doom Eternal at 339 fps, AC Mirage at 133 fps, and 132 fps for Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora.
If you’re willing to pay a higher price and want a longer-lasting system with wider capabilities but the same support for Ray Tracing and DLSS as the 4070 Super, then the RTX 4070 Ti Super makes sense – for 1440p and beyond.
Considerations for the best GPUs for 1440p 144Hz
The GPU is responsible for rendering the images and video that are displayed on your screen. To run games at high resolutions and frame rates, such as 1440p at 144hz, you’ll need a GPU that is powerful enough to handle that kind of workload.
GPU clock speed
A GPU with high performance and a fast clock speed can help ensure that your games run smoothly and without lag or stuttering, even in demanding settings. It can also allow you to run games with more advanced graphics features, such as high-resolution textures, complex lighting and shadows, and real-time ray tracing.
Monitor capabilities
Having a GPU that can do 1440p 144HZz is only half the equation. The other essential half is a 1440p 144Hz monitor. All of the cards here support DisplayPort and HDMI connections for potential connectivity, but make sure your monitor and GPU are both what you need if you want to experience high 1440p frame rates.
What GPU is best for 144fps 1440p?
For us, the current best GPU for 1440p 144Hz gaming is the RTX 4070 Super. It’s a clear advance over the RTX 3070 and a step beyond the RTX 4070 too. At its MSRP of $599 it’s the best value option for gamers wanting to experience glorious QHD.
Our Verdict
In the existing landscape for th best 1440p 144Hz GPUs, we can’t look past the value and capabilities of the RTX 4070 Super. It handles 1400p with aplomb and is backed with Nvidia’s Ray Tracing abilities and DLSS, making it a highly-capable gaming graphics card. The performance change vs the RTX 3070 is clear, and so it’s our top pick.
For AMD, the RX 7900 XT is superb at 1440p alongside the RTX 4070 Ti Super. And both will allow you to game at 4K. If that’s not a consideration, the RX 7700 XT is an option as well, although it is the least capable of the cards in this list.