These are the GPUs you should buy for AMD's Ryzen 5 5600X

AMD's six-core Ryzen 5 5600X is an impressive mid-range CPU that offers plenty of performance for the price. It has 12 threads in total, meaning you can pair it up with quite the capable GPU and enjoy fluid 4K gaming. All you'll need is the best graphics card you can afford, which is precisely where our collection comes into play.

Best AMD for 4K

MSI Radeon RX 6900 XT

Staff Pick

The 5600X is a cracking processor from AMD, but it'll need a capable GPU to really get the most out of your gaming PC. The RX 6900 XT is the best of the bunch from AMD right now and can easily handle some 4K gaming, thanks to the processor and 16GB of VRAM.

$900 at Newegg

Best NVIDIA for 4K

ASUS TUF Gaming NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090

Staff Pick

NVIDIA has more performance than the company knows what to do with, and the RTX 3090 is a fine example. It only has 10GB of VRAM, but the GPU's processor and other features provide it a considerable boost compared to AMD's offerings. This is the card to get if you want to enjoy 4K gaming.

$1,500 at Newegg

Best AMD for 1440p

ASRock Radeon RX 6800

If you need something a little more light on your wallet, the Radeon RX 6800 from ASRock is well suited for 1440p gaming. It may be a step down from the 6900 XT, but it still comes rocking 16GB of VRAM and a solid processor. It's not quite good enough for high frame rate 4K gaming but will make easy work of 1440p content.

$590 at Newegg

Best NVIDIA for 1440p

ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 3070 Twin Edge OC

NVIDIA also has some compelling mid-range GPUs, and the RTX 3070 is about as good as you can get for your money. IT replaces the amazing RTX 2060 SUPER, which was our previous 1440p mid-range pick. The RTX 3070 comes rocking far more performance for a slight increase in cost.

$570 at Newegg

Best AMD for 1080p

XFX THICC II Pro AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT

Do you think you can't get a good GPU on a tight budget? Think again as AMD's RX 5500 XT is ready for 1080p gaming. It's not the fastest GPU around and won't smash any world records, but it does come with PCIe 4.0 support and has 8GB of GDDR6 VRAM. This thing can push plenty of pixels to a Full HD display.

$360 at Newegg

Best NVIDIA for 1080p

EVGA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FTW ULTRA GAMING

We've gone for the RTX 3060 over the GTX 1660 SUPER since this card comes rocking ray tracing, thanks to being part of NVIDIA's 30 series of GPUs. It also has far better performance at a reasonable price. You could even rely on it to perform some gaming at 1440p.

$450 at Newegg

Choosing the right GPU

It's always best to spend as much as you can when choosing the best GPU for your PC. It's a wiser move to spend $100 more now than an additional $300 sooner with an upgrade, especially if you're eyeing up a 4K monitor. Always edge on the side of overkill than not having enough performance. Finally, consider synchronization, requiring you to go with an AMD GPU if it's FreeSync or NVIDIA if G-Sync.

If you're all about 1440p or 4K (or you plan to upgrade to UHD at a later date), you should consider the MSI Radeon RX 6900 XT or ASUS TUF Gaming NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090. These GPUs will do just fine should you be able to locate one in stock at the correct price. Don't provide scalpers any money who manage to buy them at RRP and sell at an inflated price.

It's possible to save money on your GPU without sacrificing too much on performance. The ASRock Radeon RX 6800 and ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 3070 Twin Edge OC are awesome mid-tier GPUs and are perfect for 1440p gaming. They won't break your bank, nor will they bottleneck the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X CPU. Don't see a GPU here that catches your eye? Have a look at our pick for the overall best graphics card.