Best GPUs for 1080p 144Hz
Are you looking for the best GPU to give out a smooth and immersive gaming experience at 1080p 144Hz? Don’t fret, as we’ve got you covered.
From our previous experience reviewing PC components and building computers, we can assure you this is the best approach to start building a gaming or production computer. Once you’ve set the type of visuals you want to get from your rig, it’s far easier to rein in your budget when choosing your components.
As always, starting with the GPU is the best way, but there are plenty of graphics cards on the market today. We have the newer RTX 4000-series, the AMD RX 7000- series, and, of course, all previous Gens from third-party manufacturers. So, you may end up lost with so many varied options and it can be a bit difficult to choose the right one for you. Well, we are here to help.
Products at a Glance
How we picked the best GPU for 1080p 144Hz
For those serious about gaming, having the right GPU is a must to get the best visual quality and performance. The GPU market is vast and finding the best one for gaming at 1080p 144Hz can be quite difficult. That’s why we have done all of the research for you! We have created a list of our top recommended GPUs for gaming at 1080p 144Hz that are sure to give you an exceptional gaming experience.
When creating our list of recommended GPUs, we considered various factors, such as price, power consumption, and performance. Each GPU on our list can provide gamers with optimal performance while maintaining a reasonable level of affordability.
Features and consideration
First and foremost, running games at 1080p in a 144Hz panel is an easy task for the GPU we have available today. Most likely, if your looking for this type of resolution, you won’t be interested in getting any high-end GPU. Getting one of those will only increase prices and you’ll end up with an overkilled rig that you won’t use the full breadth of.
Firstly, it is crucial to determine your available budget when considering features for a 1080p 144Hz GPU. Depending on how much can be spent on the device will determine which GPU model should be chosen. Secondly, performance is one of the most important aspects when selecting a GPU. One should only purchase based on their current level of desired performance.
Other factors, such as power consumption and cooling capabilities, should also be taken into consideration, particularly if the GPU has to run at high clock speeds for long periods of time. And lastly, when selecting a GPU for 1080p and 144Hz gaming, one of the main factors gamers must consider is the onboard memory installed or VRAM. This will affect how smoothly textures load in games and how many frames per second can be achieved while playing them.
Best GPUs for 1080p 144Hz
- Perfect price for 1080p gaming
- High frame rates at 1440p
- Fast frequency rates
- Power hungry
This RTX 3070 Ti is the best option if you’re looking to play at 1080p on a 144Hz monitor. With a GPU this size, you’ll ensure stable 60-plus FPS performance in the vast majority of games. That being said, due to the nature of the rig, do not expect to run too high-spec games built for more powerful GPUs.
The 3070 Ti has 8GB of GDDR6 memory and 6,144 CUDA cores. This GPU promises to bring a powerful gaming experience for those looking to upgrade their system. This is not a new GPU, as we’ve seen the results of the card. It’s a great GPU for playing games such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Shadow of the Tomb Raider. You can even play Cyberpunk 2077, but don’t expect too high FPS on that one.
We also looked at how it compares to other GPUs on the market today. The results were impressive; not only did the 3070 Ti provide smooth frame rates across all titles we tested, but it offered exceptional performance when compared with similarly priced competitors.
- 12GB of VRAM
- Great infinity Cache
- Amazing 1080p performance
- Nice price
- Good frequency rates
- Not the best ray tracing performance
- Not that efficient
The AMD RX 6700XT is packed with features that make it perfect for gamers looking for a reliable and powerful graphics card to take their gaming experience to the next level. The GPU comes at a fair price for the performance it achieves, and thanks to the spec, it’ll also ensure the perfect 1080p 144Hz gaming experience. You might even have space to upgrade to a 1440p panel if you’d like.
The RX 6700XT boasts impressive specs: 12GB of GDDR6 RAM, a game clock speed of up to 2,424MHz, and an engine clock speed of up to 2,581MHz. This makes it more than capable of running games at 1080p 144Hz without any hiccups or stuttering. Additionally, its RDNA 2 architecture means that you get improved power efficiency and better performance while staying cool during intensive gaming sessions. With these features combined, the AMD RX 6700XT provides users with one of the most immersive gaming experiences on a budget.
- Amazing speed
- Good price
- Can deliver good 4K gaming
- Pretty cool and quiet
- Nice architectural improvements
- High TDP
- It’s on the verge of being overkill
Nvidia’s RTX 3080 is a powerful graphics card capable of delivering a smooth and immersive gaming experience at 1080p 144Hz. For gamers who want to push their gaming rigs to the limit, this GPU offers excellent performance in both AAA titles as well as esports titles. It shows an improvement over the 3070 Ti regarding the VRAM, as the RTX 3080 comes with 10GB of GDDR6X video memory and 8,704 CUDA cores.
The reason why the 3080 isn’t at the top of this list is due to its price-to-performance ratio. The GPU is a bit overkill for 1080p and it’s more intelligent getting the 3070 Ti instead of this one. However, it never hurts to have more power, and if money is no issue, you should get the RTX 3080 instead.
That being said, the GeForce RTX 3080 consists of two new streaming multiprocessors, allowing for 33% faster performance than the previous generation. While this does give it an edge in graphics fidelity and frame rates over other models on the market, what makes it truly unique is the abundance of features Nvidia has included. These include Ray Tracing capabilities for true-to-life visuals and DLSS 2.0, which uses AI-based technology to reduce noise levels while increasing image quality. The card also supports HDMI 2.
- The best price of the list
- High-quality building materials
- Runs cool and quiet
- High power needs
The AMD RX 5700XT is a graphics card that packs some serious power for its price range. For the budget-minded competitive gamer looking to get the most out of their 1080p 144Hz gaming rig, this GPU offers excellent performance at a great value. It’s built on the same 7nm RDNA architecture as the more expensive RTX 2080 Super and comes with 8GB of GDDR6 VRAM and 40 compute units.
This allows it to handle demanding games at ultra-high settings while still maintaining smooth frame rates. The AMD RX 5700XT is great for those people thinking of saving as much as possible and still freezing the FPS at a high number.
This cutting-edge graphics card offers up to 11% higher performance than its predecessor, the Radeon RX 5700, with increased clock speeds and a sophisticated cooling system that helps keep temperatures low even in the heat of battle, making it one of the best GPUs for 1080p 144Hz.
That’s all of the best GPUs for 1080p 144Hz, with the 3070 Ti taking the limelight. Although it may be an impressive card, at least there are several alternatives for users to consider. The GPU market is only expanding, as witnessed in the release of this year’s Intel Arc line. Budget PC building is only just starting to make waves and the competition will soon be quite fierce.
Things to consider
Frames per second
Buying a graphics card for a specific monitor isn’t quite as complex as it first seems. In this scenario, our monitor has a 144Hz refresh rate, which means it refreshes the images on the display 144 times a second. That means that we want a GPU to be able to push out as close to 144 frames per second as possible, without risking it ever going too far beyond.
To check up on a card’s frame rate performance in certain resolutions, you can find a number of benchmarks online. Better yet, choosing a GPU with syncing technology will keep it working in harmony with your monitor.
Cooling
The thermals of a graphics card should be an essential consideration. To consistently perform at the best of its abilities, it needs to be kept as cool as possible. If a graphics card overheats, it will begin throttling, and your fps will drop.
You can set up secondary cooling via your in-case fans, but in terms of integrated GPU cooling, you have two main options. Blower-type cards have a single fan and exhaust warm air straight out of your case. Axial (open-air) cards usually have two or more fans. They run cooler, but expel some warm air into your case.
Dimensions
Practically speaking, GPU dimensions are the most important thing to consider when shopping for a GPU. If it doesn’t fit in or sags a lot in your case, or perhaps blocks your motherboard expansion slots, it’s not a great match.
You’ll need accurate measurements of your case and its brackets before investing in a GPU. Most modern GPUs will fit in a mid-tower case, and perhaps even cases on the larger side of the micro case spectrum.
VRAM
VRAM is the video memory of a GPU. It supplies lightning-fast visual information and stewards the production of smooth and even graphics on your monitor’s display. The higher the resolution of a screen, the larger your GPU’s VRAM capacity needs to be in order to keep frame rates and graphics quality at a playable standard. The minimum for 1080p is 4GB, but the sweet spot 8GB.
These days VRAM is most commonly found in DDR4, DDR5, DDR5X, or DDR6 formats, each exhibiting slightly enhanced efficiency over the last. Even though we’re not looking for a hyper-powered GPU, it’s best to choose one with GDDR6 VRAM.
Our Verdict
To have fun gameplay at 1080p in a 144Hz panel, you need the perfect GPU to ensure your FPS won’t drop and neither your bank statement. All of the GPUs here are great matches to perform at this resolution and refresh rate. If you want the most efficient GPU, the RTX 3070 Ti is definitely the one to go with, as you’ll pay the perfect price for precise performance.
On the other hand, if you’re willing to pay a little bit more and might even upgrade in the future, the RTX 3080 is a good option. The card will be asking for 1,440p and even 4K gaming, but it will lock the FPS at 144 and higher.
If Nvidia is not an option for you, AMD’s got you with its own models among the best GPUs for 1080p 144Hz gaming. The RX 6700XT and the 5700XT are both great options to ensure great performance. The latter is way cheaper than the former, so your budget can help you decide.