If you’re looking for the best GPUs to get the most out of Path of Exile 2, we’ve got you covered right here.
To explore the dark continent of Wraeclast in the best graphical settings possible, you’d need a GPU that can handle this title’s graphical fidelity, and looking at its system requirements, the good news is that even budget options should be enough to power the adventure.
The recommended GPUs for this title are the RTX 2060 or the RX 5600 XT, so modern GPUs should be able to breeze through it easily. We’ve only selected graphics cards we’ve reviewed and have based our picks on how they performed in our in-house testing. We’ve also ensured that they meet and exceed the system requirements for Path of Exile 2, without offering any cards that are completely overkill, such as the RTX 4090 for instance. Many of these are arguably a little overkill, but they are all capable graphics cards which you can use for more demanding titles too.
Best graphics cards for Path of Exile 2 at a glance
- Best GPU for Path of Exile 2
AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT
- GPU: Navi 32
- Stream Processors: 3,840
- VRAM: 16 GDDR6
- Memory bus width: 256-bit
- Bandwidth: 624.1 GB/sec
- Base clock speed: 1,295 MHz
- Best Nvidia GPU for Path of Exile 2:
ASUS TUF Gaming RTX 4070 Super OC Edition
- GPU: AD104
- CUDA cores: 7,168
- VRAM: 12GB GDDR6X
- Bandwidth: 504 GB/s
- Memory bus width: 192-bit
- Boost clock speed: 2595 MHz
- Best budget GPU for Path of Exile 2
Gigabyte Radeon RX 7600 XT Gaming OC
- GPU: Navi 33
- Stream Processors: 2,048
- VRAM: 16GB GDDR6
- Bandwidth: 288.0 GB/s
- Memory bus width: 128-bit
- Base clock speed: 2029 MHz
How we picked
There are plenty of factors to consider when picking a GPU, whether for gaming or work. We looked at different options on the market from AMD and Nvidia and filtered them based on performance, price, and features like Reflex, FSR, DLSS, and more.
After that, we conducted in-house testing of the cards to see their real-world and synthetic performance, as GPUs aren’t only used for gaming. This helps us to cater to professionals as well. That being said, we’re testing new products every day, and if there are better GPUs than these for this title, we’ll update it accordingly. If you’re interested in learning about our testing process, head over to the PC Guide Testing lab for more details.
- GPU: Navi 32
- Stream Processors: 3,840
- VRAM: 16 GDDR6
- Memory bus width: 256-bit
- Bandwidth: 624.1 GB/sec
- Base clock speed: 1,295 MHz
- Excellent 1440p gaming
- Aggressive pricing
- Capable of pushing 4K
- Not the best for creatives
The first GPU on this list is the RX 7800 XT, a solid 1440p card dubbed by AMD as the “Ultimate 1440p card.” AMD even showcased its internal test with 76 FPS in The Last of Us Part 1, 89 FPS in Dying Light 2, and 251 FPS in Overwatch 2 at max settings. So, Path of Exile 2 should be a piece of cake for this GPU as it can handle even more demanding titles than this.
However, we also tested this card in-house for our RX 7800 XT review, and it has excellent 2K performance and could even push 4K in some games. This GPU is powered by 3,840 Steam Processors running at a base and boost clock speeds of 1,295 MHz and 2,430 MHz, respectively.
This graphics card has pretty good hardware under the hood, which enables it to handle various graphical tasks easily. The card that we tested is the AMD reference card, and it has dimensions of 10.5 x 4.4 x 2 inches (LxWxH), giving it a decent size but not as large as other cards.
The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT is a leading 1440p graphics card for its price point, undercutting its competition significantly. It may not lead in terms of its productivity performance, but those after a pure graphics card for gaming will be very happy with what this one can do.
PC Guide
To test its performance, we ran a couple of titles in different resolutions. In Cyberpunk 2077, it has 39 FPS at 4K and 91 FPS at 1440p, while in Shadow of the Tomb Raider, it delivered 77 and 144 FPS in the same resolutions. So, depending on the title, it can push 4K, and for more graphically demanding games, you can use FSR to boost the framerate. However, Path of Exile 2 recommends an RX
That being said, the RX 7800 XT should be able to deliver good FPS in Path of Exile 2, even at 4K, without breaking a sweat. For its synthetic performance, we ran 3DMark (Fire Strike Ultra), and it scored 12,331 points, while the RTX 4070 Super managed 12,166 points, so it took the win in that category.
What users say
According to Amazon reviews, the RX 7900 XT has excellent performance, cooling, value, and build quality. One reviewer stated: “I scored a great deal during Prime Day, only paying $427 for this GPU. It performs flawlessly and I haven’t run into any issues so far. Even at stock settings, it’s already quite efficient, but I was able to fine-tune it for even more frames while running at a lower voltage than stock.”
- GPU: AD104
- CUDA cores: 7,168
- VRAM: 12GB GDDR6X
- Bandwidth: 504 GB/s
- Memory bus width: 192-bit
- Boost clock speed: 2595 MHz
- Better value for money than original card
- Strong performance in 1440p and 4K
- 20% more CUDA cores
- Some partner cards get expensive
- Still uses 16-pinStill uses 16-pin adapteradapter
If you want better Ray Tracing performance, we recommend the RTX 4070 Super. This GPU has replaced the RTX 4070 and 4070 Ti for many as it has better performance and costs less. That being said, it also has excellent gaming performance, as we saw during our RTX 4070 Super review.
This GPU has 7,168 CUDA cores that have a boost clock speed of 2,595 MHz. CUDA cores are responsible for all the graphical processing inside an Nvidia card, and this card was able to churn out 74 and 60 FPS in Assassin’s Creed Mirage and Avatar: Frontier of Pandora, respectively. So, it can push 4K despite being a mid-range card, which speaks toward how powerful the hardware is. That being said, it should make quick work of Path of Exile 2 as it isn’t as graphically demanding as the titles we tested.
The RTX 4070 Super is a powerful mid-range graphics card that packs in more under the hood than the original without raising the price. If you’re after a leading 1440p GPU but also want to check out 4K without an eyewatering MSRP, then it’s a card you should consider in 2024.
PC Guide
It also features 12GB of GDDR6X VRAM with a 192-bit memory interface width. This should ensure that no bottlenecks happen during gaming or work, as the data has enough lanes to go to and from the GPU for processing. The card that we reviewed was the ASUS TUF Gaming RTX 4070 SUPER, and it has dimensions of 301 x 139 x 63 mm or 11.85 x 5.47 x 2.48 inches.
So, before buying, make sure you have enough space in your PC case to house it without cramping the space. That can lead to restricted airflow, meaning the heat generated can’t escape as quickly, causing the component’s temperature to rise. We recommend using the best case for RTX 4070 Super to avoid that.
Overall, this is an excellent GPU, but it costs more than the RX 7800 XT and has slightly better performance. So, it all comes down to whether you want to pay a couple of hundred dollars extra for better Ray Tracing performance.
What users say
According to Amazon reviews, the RTX 4070 Super has excellent performance, runs quietly, and has great value for money. One reviewer said: “This 3 fan card also runs especially cool and quiet, with absolutely no coil whine. It is also much more power efficient than what the 3070ti did. As it stands, i felt that this card is a much better value, and I don’t have buyers remorse. It’s a more powerful, feature rich, cooler, quieter and more power efficient card that I hope will serve it’s purpose for several years to come!”
- Good 1080p performance
- Competitive pricing
- Capable of 1440p
- Lags behind RTX 4060 and 4060 Ti
- Not powerful enough for creators
- Native performance is hit and miss
If you don’t want to spend a huge amount of money on a new GPU and are fine with playing at 1080p and 1440p, then we recommend the RX 7600 XT. This is the entry-level card in the AMD Radeon 7000 series GPUs; it is pocket-friendly and can handle its own at lower resolutions.
In our RX 7600 XT review, it managed 91 and 67 FPS in Assassin’s Creed Mirage and 86 and 53 FPS in Cyberpunk 2077 at 1080p and 1440p, respectively, which is pretty impressive. However, with Ray Tracing turned on, the framerates dipped significantly, with 24 FPS at 1080p and 14 FPS at 1440p. So, playing Path of Exile 2 at 1080p or 1440p native is your best bet with this GPU, which isn’t surprising as it is a budget graphics card.
The AMD RX 7600 XT holds up well in 1080p and can offer decent native 1440p performance. However, to get the most out of it you’re going to need to use FSR upscaling tech, and this card doesn’t have enough power for creatives, even compared to its similarly priced rivals.
PC Guide
So, its native performance is decent, but enabling Ray Tracing or trying to push 4K would be asking too much from this card, given its humble specifications. It has 2,048 Stream Processors and a massive 16GB of GDDR6 VRAM. On top of that, it has base and boost clock speeds of 2,029 MHz and 2,539 MHz.
So, you can overclock this GPU for better performance, but remember that its power draw and heat generation will also increase. That being said, this is a good option for those operating on a budget, but we recommend not expecting huge feats of performance from this card, given its budget nature.
What user say
According to Amazon reviews, this card has great value and performance. One reviewer stated: “This is and awesome graphic card. Works great. Upgraded from Nvidia 1080 TI to this one. And very very pleased I made the switch to Radeon.” while another one said: “This GPU does amazing at handling many modern titles at 1440p. Especially with the 16gb of VRAM, one of the cheapest 16gb VRAM GPUs on the market.”
How to choose the best GPU for Path of Exile 2
Choosing a GPU might seem like a straightforward process; however, there are many factors that you need to consider before investing in one. So, to help you make an informed decision, we’ve listed some of the factors below.
Budget
The most important factor to consider is your budget, as you don’t want to overspend on a GPU, even if it’ll get you better in-game performance. So, filter the available options according to your budget; this should give you a list of GPUs with good performance and value.
Usage
Factor in what you’re going to be using the GPU for. If it is just for gaming, a mid-range GPU like the RTX 4070 should be fine for 1440p and some 4K gaming. However, if you’ve got professional workloads like machine learning and 3D rendering to take care of as well, a high-end GPU like the RTX 4080 Super or the RX 7900 XT would be a better choice. You’ll get excellent gaming and working performance from the same rig.
