2018 is a complicated year for the consumer graphics card market. The increase in the cryptocurrency market and the high demand for GPUs in mining makes it increasingly difficult to find cards in stock and that they do not have a large premium due to the number of units available.
Despite the big problem that mining is causing in the graphics card market, there are very good options at a decent price. It all comes down to knowing how to find the right model. On this occasion we list the best graphics cards for gaming that can be obtained in 2018. In this way we overlook those cards that are designed for mining or that do not offer good performance in games.
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Best graphics cards for less than €100
Asus Radeon RX 550
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Those who don't want to spend a lot on a graphics card can opt for the Asus RX 550, a graphics card from AMD that is capable of tackling the most popular games on the eSports with a good frame rate.
Depending on the game you may have to lower its graphical specifications a bit. Even so, the RX 550 will allow you to enjoy a good graphic level at a really affordable price. The Asus model is the cheapest. It has a small fan that is enough to cool the little heat it generates, in addition to producing practically no noise.
If you want to get an Asus RX 550 with 2 GB of GDDR5 memory you can buy it for €99 on Amazon.
Gigabyte GeForce GT 1030
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Gigabyte is one of the most important assemblers in the world of graphics cards, which ensures quality and trust that other companies fail to convey to consumers. Gigabyte not only focuses on mid-high range graphics. The company also gets involved in graphics cards for less than €100. In this case, the best option in this price range is the GV-N1030OC model of the GT 1030 graphics card.
This graphics card developed by Nvidia also has 2 GB of GDDR5 memory running at 1.265 MHz base frequency, but which can increase up to 1.518 MHz. These characteristics are enough to be able to play moderately demanding games.
La Gigabyte GeForce GT 1030 It can be found at an irresistible price of €85 on Amazon, despite the crisis that the graphics chip sector is suffering.
Best graphics cards for less than €150
Asus GeForce GTX 1050
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For a little more money than previous models you can get graphics cards with better performance, even though they have the same amount of VRAM memory. The Asus GeForce GTX 1050 It has 2 GB of GDDR5 memory and higher performance than the GT 1030.
This model, assembled by Asus, has 640 CUDA Cores and enjoys a clock frequency of 1.354 MHz, while the accelerated frequency can reach 1.455 MHz. As for its memory frequency, it offers 7 Gb/s and enjoys a bandwidth of 112 GB/s.
Its consumption is more than acceptable: 75W. Thanks to this reduced consumption, it does not require additional power connectors. As for its temperature, it is capable of withstanding 97 degrees Celsius in operation.
An important fact about this model is that it has a considerable size. Requires two slots to be installed. This is because a slot is dedicated to dissipate heat from the graphics chip which is ventilated by a single fan. Currently this graphics card can be found for €145, although depending on the store it can be purchased for a slightly lower price.
Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 560 4GB OC
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When you want to enjoy more demanding games you have to resort to more powerful graphics cards. The Radeon RX 560 is capable of making you enjoy those games that attract your attention with good graphic levels, despite not being a high-end graphics card.
The model assembled by Sapphire has 4 GB of GDDR5 VRAM memory and a clock frequency of 1.500 MHz that allows you to enjoy a 3840 x 2160 pixel maximum resolution. Although it can reach this resolution, a graphics card in this price range is not designed to play at 4K, so you will not be able to enjoy games in said resolution with an acceptable FPS rate.
Thanks to an HDMI port, a DVI-D port and a DisplayPort 1.4, three displays can be connected to the graphics card simultaneously. Regarding its energy consumption, it requires a 400W minimum supply that can supply the graphics card with the 90W it consumes. In addition, the power supply must have an additional 6-pin connector to be able to deliver the necessary power to the RX 560.
The Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 560 can be found at €129 if you can see it in stock. Otherwise you will have to go to some of the models that can be seen in the €150-€180 range.
Best graphics cards for less than €300
MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Ti
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The mid-range of graphics cards does not have many more options than the others in terms of different types of graphics chips. But assembly companies always do their best to offer improvements over the competition even with the same chips.
MSI is a company recognized in the world of video games for offering great quality and excellent performance. And that is precisely what they have achieved with their MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Ti.
The Nvidia 1050 Ti graphics card is here to dominate the mid-range graphics card, and it does so with 4 GB of GDDR5 memory. Being an evolution of the 1050, this graph has 768 CUDA Cores and a frequency of 1.290 MHz, being capable of reaching 1.392 MHz thanks to acceleration through the included software.
Despite the power increase, the GTX 1050 Ti shares many features with its smaller sibling. It has a consumption of 75 W, a maximum temperature of 97 degrees Celsius and requires a minimum source of 300 W. It also does not need additional connectors for power.
Being capable of reaching a maximum digital resolution of 7.680 x 4.320 pixels at 60 Hz, the MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Ti can be purchased for €200, offering performance to play demanding games with high graphics for a relatively affordable price.
Gigabyte Aorus Radeon RX 570 4GB
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Direct competitor to Nvidia's 1050 Ti, AMD's RX 570 offers exceptional performance in the same price range, although with certain drawbacks for different users.
It is a graphics card to enjoy the most demanding games in high graphic quality, being able to enjoy many titles with graphics in ultra, always depending on the resolution at which you want to play.
La Gigabye Aorus Raden RX 570 It is a graphics card with 4 GB of GDDR5 memory that reaches 5.24 TFlops, more than double the power of the Nvidia option. Although, despite its power, it runs at a slightly lower speed: 1.168 MHz. When it comes to performance, the RX 570 is superior in practically every aspect, with a 256-bit memory bus and a bandwidth of 224 GB/s.
But all that glitters is not gold. Despite its great benefits, exceptional performance is also accompanied by high consumption. Unlike the 75 W of the 1050 Ti, this Radeon RX 570 It has a consumption of 120 W.
Despite its high consumption, if you have a sufficiently powerful power source, you can buy the Gigabyte Aorus Radeon RX 570 4GB for €220. A price slightly lower than its competitor.
Best graphics cards for less than €500
Gigabyte Aorus GeForce 1060 6GB
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Those who want to enjoy even more power without going too far in price can opt for a GTX 1060. There are two different models: one with 3 GB of RAM and another with 6 GB of GDDR5 memory. The latter has double the memory and much higher performance.
Its characteristics are very similar to those of other latest generation Nvidia graphics cards, such as the 1050 Ti, although with clear differences. Supports 8K resolution at 60 Hz frequency. In addition, it has an increase in graphics memory as well as a higher clock and frequency speed, reaching 1.860 MHz frequency, while the CPU and GPU speed reaches 1.600 MHz.
The AORUS model has a considerable size due to the three large fans that are responsible for dissipating the heat it generates. Due to its large size it can be found for €350. Small models are in high demand, which has caused their prices to rise to over €500.
Radeon RX 580 8 GB
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AMD's option for this price range is the RX 580. It is its most powerful consumer graphics card, and VEGA graphics cards are not designed for gaming, and their price does not match them for the sector.
This graphics card has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory and enviable graphics performance. He is able to run games with maximum graphics in Full HD and FHD+ resolution. If you want to play in 2K and 4K resolutions, you will have to minimally reduce its graphic quality to be able to enjoy a fluid experience. It also has support for 8K resolution, although playing in this resolution is something that cannot be achieved unless it is done Crossfire with the most powerful cards.
The Asus model can be found around € 450, a price inflated by the market that we hope will at some point reach a more realistic price.
Best graphics cards over €500
Asus Dual GeForce GTX 1070
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The Nvidia GTX 1070 is the graphics card designed for play without limitations. A GPU that allows you to enjoy the most demanding titles with the highest graphic quality, even when it comes to playing at high resolutions.
The GTX 1070 has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory that allows its users to enjoy 4K games at 40-45 stable FPS, a rate that is unthinkable for smaller graphics cards. Without a doubt an essential piece for all those who want to enjoy the most demanding games with the best quality.
Thanks to the Pascal chip, this 1070 offers 3 times the performance of the previous generation. It has a frequency of 8 Gbps and adds the virtual reality experience by offering support for this technology.
Occupying two bays and with two HDMI ports and 2 DVI ports, it is a perfect graphics card to enjoy the multi-screen experience.
This model, with Asus cooling technology, which offers better heat dissipation generating even less noise, can be found in stores for €570.
I have been glued to a monitor since a PC fell into my hands in 1997. Now I like to write about everything related to them.
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