Best GPU for 1080p in 2024 – our top graphic card picks

If you’re looking for the best GPU for 1080p, you’ve come to the right place.

Those looking for GPUs capable of 1080p tend to fall into two different categories: on the one side are the people who take competitive gaming the most seriously. On the other are those looking to save money.

They might not be as flashy as the best GPUs for 1440p or the best GPU for 4K, but HD gaming is actually by far the most popular option out there. It’s not hard to see why either, for many 1080p is high enough quality and allows you to save a tonne of cash. Those savings aren’t just made on the GPU either, with the best gaming monitors for 1440p and above also costing a pretty penny.

Another reason people game at 1080p is for the higher speeds that are possible at this lower resolution. For this reason, we’ve also included some more powerful, and expensive, cards on this list. Let’s get into our picks.

Best GPU for 1080p

For a serious or pro gamer, frames per second are everything. Whether you’re firmly in one of these camps or fall somewhere in between, this article will have you covered. We’ve got a breakdown of each card, so you can get a sense of which one is right for you. Let’s get into it.

The RX 6800 XT is our pick as the best GPU for 1080p gaming because it delivers all the power you need for high FPS 1080p gaming, for the most reasonable price.

AMD’s cards have been known as the best budget option for ages. They tend to not only be reasonably priced but also energy efficient, meaning this card will draw less power than its competitors in a similar performance range. Not only does this save you dollars on your energy bill it can also allow for a quieter gaming experience, allowing you to focus more on the game.

With the RX 6800 XT AMD combined this approach to pricing with the incredibly high-performance capabilities of NVIDIA’s RTX 3000 series. That means that this card is also one of the best GPUs for 1440p while also being capable of ray tracing and, crucially, high FPS at 1080p. In fact, it hovers around 200, even on the most demanding games at 1080p.

Though it is possible to get a more powerful card that will have even higher frame rates on top games, the jump in price will be significant and the results will be overkill for most gamers. So if you’re looking to game at 1080p, the RX 6800 XT is our top recommendation.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is considered a significant improvement on NVIDIA’s last generation of graphics cards. It delivers jaw-dropping levels of power and some frankly ridiculous frame rates at 1080p. This is thanks to its 16GB of VRAM and a base clock rate of 2535 MHz, easily the highest stats on this list.

Thanks to this power you can expect 240 FPS in Modern Warfare 2, and that’s on the ultra settings on one of the most demanding games currently available.

In fact, the 4080 is close to the most powerful consumer GPU available right now. Only beaten by its sibling the RTX 4090. However, you can only really feel the incredible power of the RTX 4090 at 4K or even 8K gaming, with the 4080 more than enough to get the highest levels of performance at 1080p.

The levels the RTX 4080 delivers are those desired by the top competitive gamers, so, if you’re a more casual gamer, it is worth considering if this level of power won’t be overkill for you. However, with this card, you’ll also be able to play with stunning raytracing, and the high specs also cement it as one of the best GPUs for 4K gaming.

The 4060 Ti is geared for 1080p and stands out as a great value option thanks to DLSS 3.0, advanced ray tracing abilities and frame rates averaging at around 130FPS. While the RX 6800 XT can handle 144Hz on higher resolutions too, it misses out on Nvidia’s next-gen features and power efficiency.

It boasts 4,252 CUDA cores and requires a 500W PSU which is a good marker of its efficiency. While you could go for a cheaper card like the GTX 1660 Ti, the performance uplift is significantly more and you also get a higher memory bandwidth. Though you may be right to ask whether 8GB is enough for gaming, features like DLSS 3.0 certainly help boost the card’s performance so long as you’re playing on DLSS 3.0-compatible games.

Amongst all the partner cards we’ve seen, the Gigabyte Eagle offers the best value. It has a great cooling capacity thanks to its large cooling solution which helps the card reach its maximum potential. Its sleek design is only two slots deep, meaning it’s unlikely you’ll need to upgrade your PC case.

In general, the GTX 1660 Ti is considered a good choice for gamers who want solid performance at a reasonable price, being able to handle most modern games at 1080p and even 1440p resolutions. While it may not be the best GPU for ray tracing or 8K, it is more than capable of a 1080p resolution, and the price it delivers this performance for is truly staggering.

If you’re intending to only game at 1080p, there are not that many drawbacks to this card. FPS will be lower than those seen with the more powerful graphics cards on this list. That’s not to say it won’t be hitting impressive speeds in games such as Fortnight and GTA 5, just that it won’t create the FPS needed for the highest level of gaming. This is of course a level few of us are trying to reach anyway.

The only feature really lacking is ray tracing capabilities, which improve how realistic light looks even at the lower resolution of 1080p. However, this effect is purely aesthetic and won’t impact your performance in competitive gaming.

The MSI card we have linked to above has a stunning, angular look that should gel well in any PC build as well as an impressive boost clock speed of 1875 MHz, giving you even more bang for your buck.

Frequently asked questions

Here are some of the questions that we see coming up the most when looking for the best GPU for 1080p. Hopefully, you can find the answer to your query here.

Is RTX better than GTX?

RTX and GTX cards are both made by NVIDIA just as part of different series, with GTX cards being older. Because of this GTX cards do perform worse though for lower prices. Another thing to consider is that no GTX cards are capable of raytracing.

Does overclocking help FPS?

Yes, overclocking means your GPU will be able to produce higher frame rates, though this increase is often limited by cooling. With the right system keeping your card cool, however, you can get some noticeable improvements.

Is 1080p monitor still good in 2024?

Definitely. They may have been here for some time, but still deliver those high frame rates without putting too much pressure on your GPU.

Is 1080p good for competitive gaming?

1080p is the preferred resolution for competitive gaming as it means you can game at the highest refresh rates possible.

Is 1080p gaming still popular?

1080p gaming is still popular with anybody who wants to play games at really fast refresh rates.

What’s the best graphics card for 1080p?

One of the best graphics cards for 1080p is the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti if you’re looking for a happy marriage between price, performance and features.