Best GPU for 1440p in 2024 – what graphics card is good for gaming?

Gaming at high resolutions requires a lot of computing power, here are our picks for the best GPU for 1440p.

Year after year we are asking more from our graphics cards, and the companies creating them respond by pushing the technology forward in leaps and bounds. This was made obvious again with the release in late 2022 of NVIDIA’s Lovelace architecture, and AMD’s RDNA 3. Both of these give us more options for GPUs capable of 1440p gaming than ever before. With 2023 now drawing to a close, we’ve summarised some of the cards most capable at QHD. Let’s get into it.

There’s a detailed description of each card so you can make an informed decision as to which one is right for you.

1. MSI Gaming GeForce RTX 3070

When it was first released, people heralded the RTX 3070 for finally bringing high-resolution gaming to an affordable price. That was a long time ago now but the release of the next generation of GPUs in 2022 has only increased its value for money.

This card is very capable at 1440p, ensuring high frame rates and a lack of screen tearing. And this stands for even the most demanding games like Warzone 2.

It’s also one of the best GPUs for ray tracing, which is a graphic technology suited to photo-realistic games. It catches the intricacies and nuances of light and shadow compellingly and compliments the increased detail that 1440p allows for.

This RTX 3070 by MSI increases its power with a boost clock speed of 1850MHz. It does this as well as having an all-round look that we love, with an angular outline and tasteful light strips. Overall this card is a great bet for 1440p gaming, as it is powerful and capable, but not so much so that it’s overkill for most gamers. If you’ve got a processor such as the Ryzen 5 5600x, this would be one of the best choices.

2. MSI Gaming GeForce RTX 4070 Ti

For many, gaming at 1440p and 144Hz is the perfect sweet spot. It’s a great balance of smoothness and visual fidelity, perfect for racing games, immersive open worlds, and even competitive first-person shooters.

The good news is that thanks to the ever-increasing power of graphics cards, it’s becoming possible at a lower and lower price and the RTX 4070 Ti is a great example of that.

The 4070 Ti is one of the newer, and more affordable, cards to come out in Nvidia’s RTX 40-series. While it does lack a bit of the sheer power of the more expensive RTX 4080 and RTX 4090, it still has some pretty incredible specs and the performance to show for it.

You’ll be able to get 144Hz frame rates in pretty much any triple-A game, often even when on Ultra settings, though occasionally here it will drop to around 120FPS, depending on the exact title. This means that you can be confident that each of the images, whizzing past your face 144 times a second, will be high quality and crisp.

Any card capable of 1440p at such fast speeds will also have good 4K performance, and the RTX 4070 Ti is no different. Like all the cards in the 40-series, it also got exceptional ray tracing abilities, though this does, of course, reduce the frame rate. Pair it up with one of the best CPUs for the RTX 4070 Ti, something like the Intel Core i9-13900K or Ryzen 9 7900X, and you’ll be onto a winner.

3. MSI Gaming AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT Mech 2X

Gaming at 1440p makes a lot of sense for budget-conscious gamers.

Many who play at 1080p are actually doing so for competitive gaming reasons, trying to ensure the highest frame rates possible. Meanwhile, 4K is an expensive luxury that not all of us can afford. 1440p is a sensible investment that improves the look and immersion levels of your gaming, without hurting your wallet too much. This card especially helps with that by being one of the best budget graphics cards.

As a whole AMD is known for making less expensive, and more energy-efficient cards. The energy saved alone on powering one of these for hours of daily gaming can be hundreds of dollars over a whole year. And they manage this without skimping on power and specs. This specific card boasts a boost clock of 2669 MHz and 8GB of 128-bit GDDR6, which is not to be sniffed at.

All editions of this card will perform to a pretty decent standard at 1440p on any game you can throw at it. It clocks around 65fps on Fortnite. This is for those of you with a 60Hz gaming monitor, those hoping for higher frame rate capabilities, and thus faster and snappier response times, might want to consider spending a bit more.

If you are looking for faster frame rates, you could always drop the resolution, as this card is also amongst the best GPUs for 1080p in its price category. You can also check out the best graphics card under $1000.

4. MSI Gaming GeForce RTX 4090

It’s hard to overstate the amount of computing power needed to game at both 1440p and 240Hz. Because of this, you will need the very pinnacle of GPUs currently available, the RTX 4090 is just that.

With a ludicrous 24GB for 384-bit VRAM, it is generally acknowledged as the most powerful GPU currently on the market, though the RX 7900 XTX does give it a run for its money and is more efficient, in terms of sheer power, the 4090 is unmatched. This makes it your best bet for consistent gaming at 1440p and 240 fps.

As you can see from our specs, all this computing power gobbles up a tonne of electrical power too. We’ve got a guide on the best PSU for the RTX 4090, to help protect your gaming rig from a power failure.

In general though, if you’ve got the money to afford it, this card is the best on the market and is even capable of 4K and up to a staggering 8K. This does make it overkill for casual gamers, but if you’re determined to game at 1440p and 240Hz, it’s one of the best options out there for sure.

We’ve gathered the top-performing RTX 4090 graphics cards if you’d like to read more about the monstrous Nvidia GPU.

5. PowerColor Red Devil AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT 

PowerColor Red Devil AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT 

Base clock

2255MHz

Boost clock

2565MHz

VRAM

12GB GDDR6

Dimensions

‎13.58 x 5.95 x 0.1 inches

Recommended PSU

700W

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Pros

• 16GB of VRAM
• Options for silent operation
• Vertical heatsink for effective cooling

Cons

• Expensive

The RX 7800 XT is a powerful and capable card, with specs well-suited to impressive 1440p performance. This specific card from RedPower makes improvements over the original with a 2565MHz boost clock and an impressive silent performance mode.

It won’t reach the frame rates at 1440p that the RTX 4090 is capable of but it is offered for a fraction of the price. The savings don’t stop there either. The RDNA 3 architecture inside the RX 7800 XT is famed for its energy efficiency, giving you high performance for low power draw.

Frequently asked questions

When buying a GPU a few questions tend to come up again and again, often around resolution. To help you out in your hunt for a high-quality card capable of a high resolution, we’ve answered some of the most common ones here.

Is RTX 3070 good for 1440p?

The RTX 3070 is very capable of gaming at 1440p though not at exceptionally high fps. For many AAA games, it will not often go beyond 100. This is still impressive considering the medium price range it sits in.

Is RTX 3080 overkill?

The RTX 3080 is overkill in a lot of situations, but when it comes to 1440p gaming it starts to make a lot more sense. Though this is only if you have a monitor capable of displaying the high frame rates it can produce.

Is 1440p good for competitive gaming?

1440p may be the preferred resolution for competitive gaming as it offers high resolution and also high frame rates.

Is it better to have 1440p or 1080p?

1440p has 78% more pixels than 1080p, therefore making the picture much sharper. However, if you’re on a tighter budget, a 1080p monitor with a high refresh rate is potentially better to game with, especially in first-person shooter games.

Is 1440p worth it?

1440p won’t be worth it for every gamer – it depends largely on your budget and the kind of games you enjoy playing. If you prefer RPGs, you might want to consider upgrading 4K which is pretty dazzling. However, 1440p is a sound middle ground for those wanting to balance refresh rates and resolution.