Best Graphics Cards for 4K Monitors in 2020

When it comes to PC displays, it doesn't get any better than 4K monitors. Offering four times the resolution of traditional HD displays and often featuring special features like HDR support, they allow you to both enjoy and work on things like games, videos, and more at a quality level that wouldn't be possible otherwise. However, due to how taxing running and rendering things at 4K is on computers, you're going to need a beefy GPU to support your system. Amongst the best graphics cards available, our favorite choice for 4K display owners is the MSI NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super due to its strong performance, fair pricing, and the fact that you get access to NVIDIA-exclusive ray tracing support.

Best Overall: MSI NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super

If you want a high-end 4K experience, but you don't want to shell out the money required to get your hands on the elite RTX 2080 Ti, the MSI NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super is your best bet. It delivers excellent performance that will enable you to run games at 4K and 50-60 FPS without breaking a sweat, and it will also comfortably handle any 4K media projects you're working on as well. It also comes with 8GB of DDR6 VRAM as well, so video memory won't be a concern at all. Additionally, like all of NVIDIA's RTX cards, it can power ray tracing in games and programs that support it. Lastly, this GPU is nicely priced — it's still expensive, but when you consider how high the 2080 Super scores performance-wise, it's easy to see why it's such a great value buy.

Pros:

• Excellent for high-end 4K media
• Ray tracing support
• High value on the dollar

Cons:

• Expensive

Best Overall

MSI NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super

• $720 from Newegg
• $729 from Best Buy

The all-around champ

Featuring high-end power, support for ray tracing, and a reasonable price, the MSI NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super is our top 4K choice.

Best Elite Pick: ASUS NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti

If you have thousands to spend on a crazy powerful PC and you're aiming for elite quality, look no further than the absurdly-expensive RTX 2080 Ti. It's one of two graphics cards that will allow you to hit a consistent 60 FPS (or higher!) framerate at 4K resolution in games, and it will easily handle whatever other projects you throw at it, too. Thanks to its massive 11GB of DDR6 RAM, you'll never even have to think about video memory concerns either. And, of course, you also get to enjoy the benefits of ray tracing.

There are many versions of the RTX 2080 Ti on the market, but ASUS' ROG Strix variant is our favorite due to its triple fans. Compared to other versions that only have two fans, the extra one on this version of the GPU will significantly help control all of the heat that your rig will be generating.

Ultimately, the issue with the RTX 2080 Ti is the cost. This is a GPU you should only buy if you're not limited by a budget, as the 2080 Super is a much better purchase in terms of value-per-dollar.

Pros:

• Insane 4K performance
• Extra fan significantly helps to fight heat
• Ray tracing support

Cons:

• Very, very expensive

Best Elite Pick

ASUS NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti

• $1,401 from Grooves Inc
• $1,900 from Newegg

Who needs a budget, anyway?

The ASUS NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti is the best elite 4K GPU available, ensuring incredible performance — but at a devastatingly high cost.

Best Elite for Workstations: NVIDIA Titan RTX

If you thought the 2080 Ti was expensive, then the $2,500 price tag of NVIDIA's Titan RTX GPU will probably have your jaw on the floor. It delivers enough power to surpass even the mighty 2080 Ti, but most of that extra power will only be leveraged in creative programs used in elite workstations. This is because the card's insane 24GB of DDR6 VRAM will make a massive difference in graphics-related work scenarios, but won't be felt in games because modern games don't use anywhere near that much video memory. However, it should be noted that if you like games, the Titan RTX can handle them just as well as an RTX 2080 Ti can. Ultimately, you shouldn't even think of getting this GPU unless you can take advantage of its workstation-focused benefits.

Pros:

• Best 4K performance
• 24GB of VRAM is perfect for workstations
• Ray tracing support

Cons:

• Absurdly expensive

Best Elite for Workstations

NVIDIA Titan RTX

• $2,499 from Amazon
• $2,500 from B&H

I, for one, welcome our new GPU overlord

The Titan RTX provides a divine amount of graphics power for workstations, but it's absurdly pricey, and you should avoid it if you won't be taking advantage of what its VRAM can do.

Best Mid-Range: ZOTAC NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super

The ZOTAC NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super is the ideal GPU to go with if you want a quality 4K experience for a mid-range price. It's a bit less capable than the 2080 Super and will deliver framerates in the 35-45 range at 4K in games (you can lower in-game settings to boost this), but that's still a very respectable and value-filled performance in its own right. Additionally, it handles creative applications great, and you also get ray tracing support. Like the 2080 Super, it also comes with 8GB of DDR6 VRAM. Ultimately, this card is perfect for people who don't mind settling for reduced 4K performance to save some money.

Pros:

• Solid 4K performance
• Ray tracing support
• More affordable

Cons:

• Have to reduce some settings if you want higher FPS

Best Mid-Range

ZOTAC NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super

• $530 from B&H
• $540 from Newegg

Affordable and dependable

This graphics card will be right up your alley if you want something affordable that delivers solid 4K performance all-around.

Best Budget: EVGA NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Super

If you want to spend the least amount of money possible to enjoy 4K reasonably, the EVGA NVIDIA RTX 2060 Super is perfect. It's less capable than the RTX 2070 Super, and even with settings tweaked, you'll only be getting around 30 FPS in games. However, that's not bad, and thanks to the fact that it comes with 8GB of DDR6 VRAM, the RTX 2060 Super handles creative 4K tasks reasonably well. Especially when you consider the fact that it's the most affordable of the cards that can handle 4K, the 2060 Super stands out as the best budget 4K choice.

Pros:

• Decent 4K performance
• Ray tracing support
• Most affordable

Cons:

• You have to lower many settings to make 4K viable

Best Budget

EVGA NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Super

• $414 from Amazon
• $419 from Walmart

Save money

This GPU is ideal for folks who want to be able to enjoy a decent 4K experience while also saving money. Just be prepared to turn settings down.

Bottom line

4K monitors are excellent, but to run and render things at 4K, you're going to need a powerful graphics card. With one, you'll be able to play games at higher framerates in 4K and will also be able to work with 4K media in creative apps faster without any slowdown.

All of the graphics cards on this list are excellent for 4K depending on what your budget is, but if we had to pick just one it would be the MSI NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super. With it, you'll get top-notch 4K performance, plenty of VRAM and ray tracing support for a high, but very fair price. While it won't be perfect for everyone, it does stand as the best value choice for people looking to get the best out of a 4K setup. For more on graphics cards, don't miss our roundup of the best graphics cards for gaming as well as our list of the best cheap graphics cards.

Credits — The team that worked on this guide

Brendan Lowry is a Windows Central writer with a burning passion for video games, of which he's been an avid fan since childhood. He's relatively new to the writing scene, but he counters that lack of experience with a rock-solid work ethic and a desire to improve at every opportunity. You'll find him doing reviews, editorials, and general coverage on everything Xbox and PC. Follow him on Twitter.