This article has been updated as of December 31st, 2018
OCC Best Graphics Cards Picks of 2018:Alright, we did it again and compiled the best video cards for the three major gaming resolutions used today. It took us a while to really decide how to lay out this list because of how many ways it can be split up. First and foremost before the AMD fans complain we aren't giving enough love to the RED team, let's clear some things up. For the cost versus performance argument, AMD does not currently have any good contenders above the budget range. The Radeon VEGA series so far has missed the performance and price point advantage, making it very hard to recommend a VEGA 56 / 64 video card when NVIDIA clearly has the price and performance advantage.
We are waiting for some new video cards to dethrone NVIDIA; yes, you AMD, or Intel for that matter. That being said, if you can find an AMD VEGA on sale, it may be the better choice. Officially the MSRP is still a bit high for our recommendation, but lately, it has been a lot cheaper in the United States.
$200-300 Price Range: 1920 x 1080 Resolution 1080p Gaming Video Card Top Pick: XFX RX 590 FatboyWe have been holding off to writing this article because of the NVIDIA new RTX 20 series launch. At the same time, AMD opted to refresh the Radeon RX R580 to keep its hold on the crown for budget gaming. With that, we present the XFX RX 590 Fatboy and it is a winner! Our OCC Review is also live and gives a big OCC Gold Award. The RX 590 is a product refresh of the RX 580 with small improvements like higher clocks speeds and lower temperatures due to a smaller GPU die and lower power draw. This makes it ideal for those gamers who want to play at 1080p and rock a steady frame-rate using the Ultra settings.
A question that comes up a lot is; why do people still play at 1080p on the PC when consoles can do that. Well, a lot of people still prefer PC gaming because what they play is not available on the console. Add in the fact that many of those Triple-A (AAA) titles are actually locked to 30 or 60 FPS (frames per second) at medium graphical settings on consoles, it all boils down to the PC still being superior! With all jokes aside, PC gaming at a lower resolution still has its place, so let's move on.
Image courtesy of https://www.xfxforce.com
NVIDIA GTX 1060 didn't receive any praise from us this time around because the price is higher for the cost-performance you get in return. We gave the 590 Fatboy our recommendation, but that doesn't mean it's perfect. With a few exceptions, this card is really only geared towards 1920 x 1080 gaming. If you are not planning on upgrading your monitor anytime soon then this will hold you over for a good while. That being said it is still an ugly video card and it is clear XFX didn't spend any R&D time on cosmetics because the logo doesn't even light up.
OCC 1080p Top Pick:XFX RX 590 Fatboy
Pros:If the XFX RX 590 Fatboy is out of stock or a bit high for your budget, we found the PowerColor RED DEVIL Radeon RX 580 to fill those shoes. After all the RX 590 is just a refreshed RX 580. The RED DEVIL also received an OCC Gold Award last year because at the time (and still does) performs great for the price point. The RED DEVIL series from PowerColor has been known to be a workhorse with high reliability and will long outlive the warranty period.
Image courtesy of https://www.powercolor.com
Is it future-proof? That is a tough question, but generally speaking on the budget end, it hard to continually play new games with Ultra Settings. There will come a time when the settings must be turned down. We already see this in games like Shadow of the Tomb Raider, in which sustaining 60fps isn't an option. Then there are games like League of Legends that reach 150FPS with ease. It will depend on the game if we are being honest. Either way, if money is tight but you still want to rock those games, AMD has you covered.
OCC 1080p Runner Up:PowerColor Red Devil RX 580
Pros:This is the hardest part of these recommendations. Originally we picked the GIGABYTE Geforce GTX 1070 Ti as our top choice for 1440P Gaming. However, a recent turn of events has shifted our opinion (at least unofficially). AMD VEGA 64 officially hasn't changed its MSRP, but brands like SAPPHIRE Radeon RX Vega 64 can be found up to $200 off as of late at big retailers. This would make it a clear winner if it was permanent. Not only is it faster than a GTX 1070 Ti, but clearly a better buy when on sale.
Image courtesy of https://www.gigabyte.com
If you look around for the best price then we cannot give a distinct winner, we can still talk a bit about the GTX 1070 Ti and why it's overall a good contender for that award. For starters, if are willing to tinker around and follow our GTX 1070 Ti Overclocking Guide, this card will surpass a stock GTX 1080 when gaming. Meaning it will play most games with Ultra graphical settings applied. If you turn the graphical settings slightly down for competitive gaming, it can keep up with the big boys.
After all, at some point, all games become CPU bound when the graphical settings are low enough. There's no point in throwing money away if achieving 240FPS isn't feasible on your current setup. To round out this card, it has 8GB of video memory making large open world games like Witcher 3 and Grand Theft Auto V play shudder free due to not having to swap out levels in the memory as often.
OCC 1440p Top Pick:GIGABYTE Geforce 1070 Ti
Pros:If neither of the top choices is available then the next best thing is the MSI Geforce RTX 2070 Armor 8GB. It is right on the cusp of being outside most people's price range for a mid-range video card. If you are a VR type of person, and/or settled into the 1440p ecosystem, the RTX 2070 is perfect for you. Not only is it fresh on the market, but it also performs amazingly with low power consumption and high fps (frames per second). You are essentially getting the VEGA 64 and GTX 1080 performance at half the power draw!
It has dedicated USB-C port for VR headsets and a well-built heatsink to keep everything ice cold during those long gaming sessions. The RTX 2070 isn't for everyone and has a very niche place in the market. OCC also gave this card a Gold Award and for those who want more details of why this card is a great contender, check out the OCC Review.
Image courtesy of https://www.msi.com
Let's face this sore subject together and quickly pull the RTX bandage right off. RTX Ray Tracing is currently a flop (cue the fanboy screams). Similar to when PhysX first came out, the early generation of NVIDIA cards had a hard time keeping a steady frame rate. Give NVIDIA another generation and some optimizations, then the RTX feature at a higher resolution will be achievable. Right now you are buying the RTX 2070 for its low power draw and consistent high 1440p fame rate, not Ray Tracing!
OCC 1440P Runner Up:MSI Geforce RTX 2070 Armor
Pros:Is anyone surprised we choose the RTX 2080 Ti for 4K gaming? We aren't, but in a few months maybe AMD will have the Navi GPU released into the wild. Until either AMD or Intel puts out the next generation of video cards, the NVIDIA RTX 2080 Ti is the best single card suited for 4K gaming. We chose the EVGA 2080 Ti Black Edition because of it's performance to price ratio. MSRP of $1000 makes it a few hundred cheaper than most other 2080 Ti cards, but still very hard to find outside EVGA's own website. Generally speaking, the EVGA Black Edition series has been the lowest overclockers of the bunch. But to be fair, if you are into the overclocking scene, there will be a minimal difference in speed, let's say ~100MHz if we had to put a number on it. For a $300 difference, the Black Edition seems like a better deal.
Image courtesy of https://www.evga.com
The downside of the Black Edition is the lack of any RGB lights and its very basic design. The card isn't meant to wow people or turn heads, but rather pass those savings onto you. The EVGA RTX 2080 Ti Black Edition has its place in the market. Just keep it hidden away and enjoy the money saved.
OCC 4K / VR Top Pick:EVGA RTX 2080 Ti Black Edition
Pros:If you are looking to make the video card the centerpiece of that epic build, then no further! The MSI Geforce RTX 2080 Gaming X Trio has that "I have power!" look and for good reason. Take note that this is the RTX 2080 variant. MSI does have a 2080 Ti Gaming X Tiro, but we feel it's a bit overpriced compared to the 2080 Ti Black Edition, which is our top pick this time around.
That being said, the RTX 2080 has a place in the 4K gaming and VR scene. It can play many games using Ultra graphical presets and never flinch. The raw computing power is equivalent to last year's Titan Xp (Pascal). This makes it a great upgrade for those who have been holding out for the last few years. The RTX 2080 is also geared towards VR users with a USB-C port. The Gaming X Trio has three fans and a massive heatsink to keep those cool temperatures during long gaming sessions.
Image courtesy of https://www.msi.com
When it comes down to it, the MSI Gaming X Trio has very few flaws. We here at OCC had a very hard time coming up with anything negative other than a few superficial things. Before someone comments that 8GB of VRAM isn't enough, we took that into consideration. Currently, 8GB of memory is enough for most games, but the 4K resolution is pushing that limit. There will come a time when 8GB isn't enough and it might be sooner rather than later.
If the 2080 Ti is outside your price range, then this bad boy will keep you happy for a few years to come. We also have an RTX 2080 Overclocking Guide for those who like to dabble in the dark arts. Shameless plug we know, but it's well worth the read.
OCC 4K / VR Runner Up:MSI Geforce RTX 2080 X Trio
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