Best GPU for Baldur’s Gate 3 – top graphics cards

Best GPU for Baldur’s Gate 3 – top graphics cards
Romilly Cotta Updated on by

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Here we are, rounding up the best GPUs for Baldur’s Gate 3 for those who have finally decided to upgrade their gaming rig.

Chances are you’re on your way through Baldur’s Gate 3, and realising that the graphics could be far better with an upgrade. Prior to the launch, we learned from Larian Studios that the game’s “graphical fidelity and complexity has improved quite a bit as it’s grown throughout Early Access.”

So, while granted the game isn’t hugely demanding for your GPU or CPU (you can check the system requirements for the full picture), if you’re a fan of the franchise, now is a good time to upgrade. Our selected graphics cards are well suited to action role-playing games like Baldur’s Gate 3. Without breaking the bank, these cards are a good place to start if you’re keen to enhance your gaming experience.

Best graphics card for Baldur’s Gate 3 at a glance

ASUS TUF Gaming Radeon RX 6900 XT OC

Base Clock

1900MHz

Boost Clock

2310MHz

VRAM

16GB

Dimensions

320 x 140 x 58mm

Recommended PSU

700W

ZOTAC Gaming RTX 3060 Twin Edge OC

Base clock

1320MHz

Boost clock

1807MHz

VRAM

12GB GDDR6

Dimensions

224.1 x 116.3 x 39.2mm

Recommended PSU

600W

MSI Gaming AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT Mech 2X

Base Clock

2,106MHz

Boost Clock

2,669MHz

VRAM

8GB GDDR6

Dimensions

269 x 132 x 35mm

Recommended PSU

550W

For these picks, we enlisted the help of our in-house GPU guru Seb, who knows everything from how to stress a test a GPU to how to overclock it. You’re in good hands, basically. If you’re keen to prioritise your budget, we recommend checking out some RTX 3060 and 3060 Ti deals. Anyone who’s a big fan of Baldur’s Gate 3 might want to get their heads around the difficulty settings. Or else maybe check out every character that’s available for some romancing.

Best graphics card for Baldur’s Gate 3

ASUS TUF Gaming Radeon RX 6900 XT OC

Base Clock

1900MHz

Boost Clock

2310MHz

VRAM

16GB

Dimensions

320 x 140 x 58mm

Recommended PSU

700W

Pros
  • Good value
  • Big Navi
  • Good overclocking
Cons
  • Not much performance increase from RX 6800 XT
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This card is ideal for anyone who wants to play 4K at 120Hz

The card comes with an HDMI 2.1 port which sets you up nicely for next-gen gaming!

One of the best graphics cards you can get for Baldur’s Gate 3 must be an RX 6900 XT. Those looking for the most budget build might want to go for something cheaper, but you’ve got your bases covered with a generous 16GB VRAM. It’s definitely a decent shout if you want your card to cope with those increasingly graphic-intensive games. Don’t forget to. check out the best graphics settings for Baldur’s Gate 3 to get the most out of this card.

We almost picked the 3080 Ti instead here, a close equivalent but think AMD has earned itself the top spot with this card. The RX 6900 XT offers far better value than the GeForce series at this time. It uses the same Navi 21 GPU as the RX 6800 XT, only it comes with 80 CUs instead of 72.

Overall, this card offers a great price to performance ratio. Just make sure you pair it with a good SSD card and you’ll be good to go.

Best 1080p graphics card for Baldur’s Gate 3

ZOTAC Gaming RTX 3060 Twin Edge OC

Base clock

1320MHz

Boost clock

1807MHz

VRAM

12GB GDDR6

Dimensions

224.1 x 116.3 x 39.2mm

Recommended PSU

600W

Pros
  • Good ray tracing
  • Frequently discounted
  • Can play in at 1440p
Cons
  • No DLSS 3

Now is a pretty ideal time to go for the RTX 3060 if you’ve had your eye on it for some time. It’s an excellent choice for Baldur’s Gate 3 thanks to its 12GB of GDDR6 VRAM, and boost clock of up to 1807MHz.

Maybe it’s thanks to the release of its predecessor, the RTX 4060 earlier this year, but the price has seriously dropped. Pair this graphics card with the best 1080p monitor, and you’ll have an excellent setup for Baldur’s Gate 3. Don’t forget to factor in the best controller settings for Baldur’s Gate 3 too and you should be good to go.

With this card comes Ampere architecture, a good cooling system and DLSS 2. Despite it being a previous gen-card, the RTX 3060 shines in 2023 as a great value option.

Best budget graphics card for Baldur’s Gate 3

MSI Gaming AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT Mech 2X

Base Clock

2,106MHz

Boost Clock

2,669MHz

VRAM

8GB GDDR6

Dimensions

269 x 132 x 35mm

Recommended PSU

550W

Pros
  • Very good value
  • Good 1080p option
  • Low power supply requirements
Cons
  • Not great for ray tracing

RDNA 2 for a finally affordable price, what’s not to like? Not only can this card deliver 1080p while playing Baldur’s Gate 3, but you can enjoy its hard work in dazzling RGB.

It’s about the cheapest range of 6600 XT partner cards, making it a true budget pick. It’s pretty power efficient too, with a PSU requirement of just 550W. While the VRAM is a little lower at 8GB, you can still get a solid performance in Baldur’s Gate 3. Just stick to lower settings at 1080p and you’ll be flying.

What with AMD’s partnership with Starfield, and a potential RX 7800 coming up for a release later this year, you could be getting serious bang for your buck.

Is the RTX 3080 good for Baldur’s Gate 3?

The RTX 3080 doesn’t appear in our top picks in favour of better value options. However, it’s still a brilliant graphics card for Baldur’s Gate 3. Part of Nvidia’s previous-gen Ampere lineup, the RTX 3080 excels in 4K gaming scenarios. Regardless of whether you have a 10GB or 12GB RTX 3080, you should be able to play Baldur’s Gate 3 in high settings at 4K. To maintain a steady 60+ FPS, turn on DLSS too.

Is Baldur’s Gate 3 GPU or CPU intensive?

Baldur’s Gate 3 is an extremely CPU intensive game. We can hope the game gets more efficient closer to the launch, and you can also remedy the issue by optimizing the game. We also recommend playing at lower resolutions.