By far the most popular resolution for gaming is 1080p, which makes up about two-thirds of all monitor resolutions in Steam’smost recent hardware survey. Although it’s easy to get excited by theRTX 3080 Ti, theRX 6950 XT, or even the ultra high-endRTX 4090,they’re overkill for gamers' favorite resolution. Our guide to the best 1080p graphics cards has a few more sensible options for Full HD.
We selected six GPUs that are not only capable of running games at Full HD but are capable of running them with high frame rates. The rise ofhigh-refresh-rate monitorshas pushed the goalpost back for 1080p, so our picks are targeted at gamers who don’t mind sacrificing resolution for a big boost in frame rates.
The Nvidia RTX 3060 Ti is the best 1080p GPU. It’s a little more expensive than the competition, but the card can absolutely shred Full HD. However, AMD has some interesting picks in this category too, and now, Intel also has a horse in this race. Here are thebest graphics cardsfor 1080p.
Best graphics card for 1080p
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
Why you should buy this:It’s easily the best GPU for 1080p gaming right now.
Who’s it for:Gamers who want to hit high frame rates and may even dabble with 1440p gaming.
Why we picked the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti:
The Nvidia RTX 3060 Ti is the pinnacle of 1080p gaming – and it’s even capable of pushing resolutions to 1440p. Built using the Nvidia Ampere architecture, the card delivers the suite of RTX features, including real-time ray tracing andDeep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS)in supported games.
In our testing, the RTX 3060 Ti managed 152 frames per second (fps) inBattlefield Vat 1080p Ultra settings and 73 fps inCyberpunk 2077at 1080p Epic settings. Across five games, the card sustained an average of 130.2 fps at 1080p.
That’s without DLSS, too. Once you factor in Nvidia’s A.I.-assisted upscaling tech, the RTX 3060 Ti has the range to blow away most games at 1080p while still handling 1440p with grace. If you want a 1080p card that will last for many generations to come, the RTX 3060 Ti is for you.
Best AMD graphics card for 1080p
AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT
Why you should buy this:It’s the best AMD GPU for 1080p gaming.
Who’s it for:Gamers who prefer AMD to Nvidia.
Why we picked the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT:
While the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT is often cheaper than the RTX 3060 Ti, it still takes a backseat because the RTX 3060 Ti can often offer better performance. Still, it’s great for 1080p gaming. The card is targeted at1080p monitorswith high refresh rates, and it hits that market. Across a suite of five gaming benchmarks, the RX 6600 XT averaged 117.6 fps at 1080p, making it a great choice for a 144Hz monitor.
It features 32 of AMD’s RDNA 2 compute units (CUs). Although it’s one of the cheapest cards in the RX 6000 range, it still comes with the bells and whistles of the more premium offerings. That includes hardware-acceleratedray tracingin supported titles, though the ray tracing performance isn’t as good as Nvidia’s recent offerings.
In real-world tests, the RX 6600 XT was able to manage 68 fps inRed Dead Redemption 2at Full HD with max settings, as well as 137 fps inFortnitewith the 1080p Epic preset.
Best RTX 20 graphics card for 1080p
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super
Why you should buy this:It’s a budget-friendly alternative from an older generation that can still breeze through 1080p gaming.
Who’s it for:Gamers who don’t need the latest and greatest but want to score a good discount.
Why we picked the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super:
The Nvidia RTX 2070 Super is a little overkill for 1080p – though much less so than the newer RTX 3070. Since it’s a card from two generations ago, you can usually pick up the RTX 2070 Super for less than the price of a new RTX 3070, and you still have access to RTX features like ray tracing and DLSS.
Over the base RTX 2070, the Super variant bumps up the CUDA cores count and clock speed, roughly matching the performance of a base RTX 2080. The card chewed throughFortniteat 1080p Epic with a 172 fps average. It’s even capable of 4K in titles likeCivilization VIif you pick up a4K monitordown the line.
One thing to keep in mind is that if you find this card priced similarly to the RTX 3070, getting the RTX 3070 will be a better deal; however, you don’t need a card that good to game at 1080p, so the RTX 3060 or 3060 Ti will be an even better option.
Best budget AMD graphics card for 1080p
AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT
Why you should buy this:It’s a solid last-gen AMD GPU that can offer 1080p gaming on a budget.
Who’s it for:AMD enthusiasts who don’t mind the lack of ray tracing.
Why we picked the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT:
AMD’s Radeon RX 5600 XT is an aging graphics card, but it still performs at 1080p, and you can usually pick one up at a discount. Built on AMD’s first-generation RDNA architecture, it doesn’t support ray tracing. That said, it can still boost frame rates withAMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR).
InAnandTech’s testing, the RX 5600 XT managed 76.4 fps inAssassin’s Creed Odysseyon the Very High preset, and it even maintained a playable 50 fps at 1440p. In a less demanding title likeForza Horizon 4, the card managed over 100 fps at 1080p with all the sliders cranked to max.
Much like the RTX 2070 Super, this card is only a good deal if it’s priced reasonably. Depending on the price, you might be able to pick up theRX 5700 XTinstead, which excels at both Full HD and 1440p.
Best budget graphics card for 1080p
Intel Arc A750
Why you should buy this:It’s a solid and highly affordable alternative to AMD and Nvidia.
Who’s it for:Less demanding gamers who are up for trying out new technology.
Why we picked the Intel Arc A750:
Intel is an entirely new player in the GPU market. While AMD and Nvidia have been releasing some of thebest GPUsyear after year for what feels like forever, Intel has just joined the scene with the Intel Arc lineup, including theArc A770 and the Arc A750. The latter makes a fantastic option for 1080p gaming at a great price.
In our testing, we found that the Arc A750 outperformed the RTX 3060 and nearly caught up to the RX 6600. When it comes to gaming, it did a great job with modern titles likeCyberpunk 2077, maintaining an average of 55.6 fps. InForza Horizon 5, those numbers are even higher, hitting 79.2 fps on average. The Intel Arc A750 also truly shines inRed Dead Redemption 2. On ultra settings at 1080p, the card managed a steady 85.9 fps, meaning smooth gameplay across the board.
Now, Intel Arc is still a bit of a gamble because it’s very new. Intel is still working on performance in DirectX 11 and older games. However, if you want to try something new, it’s priced super competitively for the performance that it offers.
Best mid-range graphics card for 1080p
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060
Why you should buy this:It’s an excellent card for 1080p and a cheaper alternative to the RTX 3060 Ti.
Who’s it for:Users who would rather save a little on the GPU and don’t need 1440p gaming.
Why we picked the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060:
The RTX 3060 is a disappointing card stacked up against the RTX 3060 Ti – though it still delivers excellent 1080p performance. It’s not quite as powerful as its older Ti sibling, but the RTX 3060 often comes in at around $100-$200 less and still supports RTX ray tracing and DLSS in supported titles.
In our testing, the card just barely scraped byCyberpunk 2077with a 59 fps average, andCyberpunkis one of the most demanding games on PC. In the much less demandingFortnite, the card managed a 132 fps average at 1080p Epic.
The real strength of the RTX 3060 comes in DLSS. It’s capable of high frame rates at 1080p in most games. But in cases likeCyberpunk 2077, where it couldn’t maintain 60 fps, you’re able to flick on DLSS to improve your frame rate without sacrificing too much image quality.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nvidia’s RTX 3060 is not overkill for 1080p — it’s just about what you might want to buy if you’re looking for a modern rig that will last you for a few years. With that said, you may achieve decent frame rates with worse GPUs at that resolution, so if you’re building abudget PC, there are cheaper alternatives to consider.
Intel’s Arc A750 is an excellently priced option for strictly 1080p gaming; it can even handle some 1440p with relative ease. Similarly, if you’re only gaming on 1080p, you can go back one generation and still achieve decent frame rates, even in newer titles. This is why we recommend graphics cards like the RTX 2070 Super (if you can find it at a discount) or the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT.
While the card we’re showing you above are some of the best value GPUs for this type of gaming, there are even older options that will do the job. However, it’s usually simply not worth shopping for these anymore. If you’re able to spend a little extra, sticking to relatively new technologies is the better option. For example, switching from an Nvidia GTX GPU to an RTX gives you access to Nvidia’s new features, such as ray tracing and DLSS.
With that said, if you want a budget graphics card that will do a good job of 1080p and not much else, you can always pick up an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti or GTX 1060. The latter is still a very popular GPU that can run some of the newest games on decent settings.
