Which GPU is right for you? As a streamer, it’s important to have the right tools in order to present your best work online.
In this article, we will break down which graphics card you should be using if streaming from a PC is something that interests you!
In general, there are two main types of cards: entry-level and high-end. Entry-level GPUs will still get the job done at 1080p 60fps but won’t cut things as close when trying to achieve higher quality rendering or multiple monitor setups with bigger resolutions.
At a Glance:
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
- Excellent 1440p performance
- Reasonable price
- CPU cooler
- Maximum quality
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080
- Great for streaming games
- Ultra settings at 1080 or 1440p
- Silent
- Water block cooling system
High-end cards on the other hand often cost more money but they can really help make sure everything is going smoothly behind the scenes while also helping with multi- capabilities and increased render speeds for cards on the other hand often cost more money but they can really help make sure everything is going smoothly behind the scenes while also helping with multi-monitor capabilities and increased render speeds for top-notch quality outputs.
Streaming is a popular way to watch content. To do it at the highest quality, you need a strong computer and a fast internet connection. A powerful graphics card will help your PC keep up with the video encoding process for streaming to Twitch or YouTube live. If you are looking for an upgrade, give our list of the best GPUs for streaming a read!
What are the Benefits of Upgrading a Gaming PC?
You will be able to stream in high definition without any lag or buffering problems that might come from having insufficient processing power. The recommended GPUs have enough juice to encode almost anything on on-the-fly, while still performing well in games if needed. Most importantly, they’re all compatible with most major motherboards, so there’s no need to worry about incompatibility issues.
Is a Graphics Card Necessary for Streaming Video?
Yes, a graphics card is an essential component while streaming any video. If you don’t have a capture card, the entire burden of the gameplay or whatever you’re streaming must be carried by the CPU, which means it won’t perform well on its own.
It can handle the graphics well and the CPU’s burden decreases while having a separate GPU. And that is why you may stream without any difficulties or loss in quality.
Thus, while a GPU may not be required for other computer tasks, it is necessary for streaming.
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
Best Pick| Brand | GIGABYTE |
| Series | GV-N306TAORUS M-8GD |
| Stream Processors | 4,864 |
| Core Clock | 1.41 GHz (1.67 GHz boost) |
| Memory | 8 GB GDDR6 |
| Memory Clock | 14GbpsOutputs: HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a |
| Power Connectors | 1x PCIe 8-pin (adapter to 1x 12-pin included) |
The Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1660 Ti OC 6G is powered by NVIDIA Turing architecture and dedicated to gamers who desire a powerful graphics card. The new card features the latest generation of NVIDIA GPU, all-new GDDR6 memory, and advanced cooling technology. It’s also packed with a host of gaming technologies that make it the perfect choice for your favorite titles today and tomorrow.
Turing Architecture: This innovative architecture, combined with our all-new GeForce RTX platform, fuses together real-time ray tracing, artificial intelligence, and programmable shading. You have never created and enjoyed games like this before.
Important features:
-PROTECTION BACK PLATE – The backplate provides additional support to the PCB, protecting it from bending and pressure.
– BEST COOLING SYSTEM – The card is equipped with three fans for a more efficient cooling system. It’s also equipped with a copper base that draws heat away from the GPU.
– CORE CLOCK – The card features an overclock core clock of 1755 MHz, which allows you to enjoy your games at higher frame rates than ever before!
– HIGH DEFINITION DISPLAY – With its high definition display, you’ll be able to enjoy your favorite movies or videos in all their glory! You can even use it as a second screen so you can watch videos while gaming!
Pros
- Excellent 1440p performance
- Reasonable price
- CPU cooler
- Maximum quality
Cons
- It is a bit expensive
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080
Staff Pick| Stream Processors | 8,704 |
| Core Clock | 1.44 GHz (1,71 GHz boost) |
| Memory | 10 GB GDDR6X |
| Memory Clock | 19Gbps |
| Power Connectors | 2x PCIe 8-pin |
| Outputs | HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a |
The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 is the latest addition to the family of graphics cards. This is best graphics card that has been designed with the latest technologies, which include Ampere streaming multiprocessors, second-generation RT cores, third-generation tensor cores, and GDDR6X memory. It also comes with integrated 10GB GDDR6X 320-bit display ports and HDMI 2.1*2 port for 6 video output capabilities. The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 runs at 1830 MHz core clock speed (reference card is 1785 MHz). It also has a memory speed of 14Gbps (14000 MHz).
Important features:
-3rd Generation Tensor Cores: The GeForce RTX GPUs are powered by the Turing Architecture, this gives you 6x faster performance over previous-generation graphics cards.
– 320-bit memory interface: The GeForce RTX 2060 Ti is designed for high-resolution gaming at 1080p and 1440p. It has a memory bandwidth of 336 GB/s and a 192-bit memory interface.
– Water Block cooling system: This card features an all-in-one water cooling system with a copper base plate to dissipate heat from the GPU more efficiently than air coolers can. You’ll be able to play your games longer without overheating.
Pros
- Great for streaming games
- Ultra settings at 1080 or 1440p
- Silent
- Water block cooling system
Cons
- Low power consumption
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti
Budget Pick
| Stream Processors | 10,240 |
| Core Clock | 1.37 GHz (1.67 GHz boost) |
| Memory | 12 GB GDDR6X |
| Memory Clock | 14Gbps |
| Outputs | HDMI, 3x DisplayPort |
| Power Connectors | 2x PCIe 8-pin |
The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 is a mid-range graphics card, released by Nvidia. It was announced on 20 September 2018. The RTX 3080 is the successor of the GTX 1060, and offers performance comparable to that of its predecessor, but with support for new features such as ray tracing and DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) which are not supported by the GTX 1060. It also supports NVLink for connecting two cards together to allow them to share memory or power. This allows for much higher bandwidth between the cards than using SLI (which is only supported when using two cards). RTX 3080 Ti offers better price than ever, making its sheer power more affordable.
Important features:
-NVIDIA’S 2ND GEN RT Cores – Ampere is NVIDIA’s 2nd gen RTX architecture, built with enhanced RT Cores and Tensor Cores for up to 6x faster performance than previous-generation GPUs.
– NEW STREAMING MULTIPROCESSORS – The GeForce RTX 3080 Ti delivers the ultra-performance that gamers crave, powered by new streaming multiprocessors (SM) and a super-fast G6X memory. It’s built with enhanced RT Cores and Tensor Cores, new streaming multiprocessors, and super-fast G6X memory for an amazing gaming experience.
– SUPERFAST G6X MEMORY – Our customers rave about the Geforce RTX series of 2080. With very fast GDDRX memory, the cards enable you to game at high resolutions with no slowdown.
Pros
- Power hungry
- Smoother stream
- Super fast memory
Cons
- high power consumption
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090
| Stream Processors | 10,496 |
| Core Clock | 1.40 GHz (1,70 GHz boost) |
| Memory | 24 GB GDDR6X |
| Memory Clock | 19.5Gbps |
| Power Connectors | 2x PCIe 8-pin |
| Outputs | HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a |
The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 is the most powerful graphics card for high-end gaming. It’s powered by the Turing architecture, which uses new RT Cores to ray trace game environments with physically accurate shadows and reflections. It also features Tensor Cores for AI-enhanced rendering, G6X memory, and a massive amount of memory bandwidth. The result is nothing short of real-time photorealistic graphics that make games come alive!
Important features:
-TITAN CLASS PERFORMANCE – The GeForce RTX 3090 is a BFGPU with TITAN class performance. It features the NVIDIA’s 2nd gen RTX architecture and enhanced ray tracing (RT) cores.
– NVIDIA’S 2ND GEN RAY TRACING CORE – Ray tracing is the holy grail of computer graphics, simulating how light behaves in the real world to bring real-time, cinematic-quality rendering to games and movies.
– ENHANCED RAY TRACING(RT) CORES – With RT cores, Turing GPUs can perform ray tracing operations up to 10 times faster than previous generation Pascal GPUs, enabling more realistic lighting and shadows, as well as ultra-realistic reflection and refraction effects.
Pros
- Ultra and excellent performance
- High clock speed
- FAst video encoding
- GPU cores: 10,496
Cons
- very expensive
AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT
| Stream processors | 2,048 |
| Core clock | 1,968 |
| Memory | 8GB GDDR6 |
| Memory clock | 16Gbps |
| Power connectors | 1 x 8-pin |
| Outputs | 1.4 with DSC DisplayPort, HDMI 2.1 VRR, and FRL |
The Radeon RX 6600 XT is the world’s most advanced graphics card, delivering exceptional performance and breakthrough technologies to drive new levels of gaming realism.
The 4th generation Graphics Core Next (GCN) architecture features asynchronous compute, which allows your GPU to execute tasks in parallel with the rest of the system. This means you can game at high frame rates with smooth gameplay, while also having the CPU available for other tasks.
The Radeon RX 6600 XT supports FreeSync technology*, which delivers tear-free gaming by syncing frames rendered by your GPU to the refresh rate of your monitor. It gives you exactly what you need, and that is the best game performance ever.
AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT is available now as a part of the Radeon™ Software Crimson ReLive Edition 17.11 driver release, complete with most games optimizations and an updated video player for smooth streaming videos on platforms like Twitch and YouTube Gaming.
Important features:
-“The Radeon RX 6600 XT is the first graphics card to feature 8GB of GDDR6 memory. This memory has a bandwidth of 448 GB/s, which is twice as fast as GDDR5.”
– “This means that you can play games at higher resolutions and detail levels without any problems. You can also enjoy virtual reality experiences with no issues.”
– The Radeon RX 6600 XT has 8 GB GDDR6 video memory and a 128-bit memory interface.
– It features three display port outputs and one HDMI output.
Pros
- Strong 1080p performance
- Great thermal efficiency
- Less power consumption
- Power efficient
Cons
- A little expensive
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070
| Stream Processors | 5,888 |
| Core clock | 1.50 GHz (1.73 GHz boost) |
| Memory | 8 GB GDDR6 |
| Memory clock | 14Gbps |
| Power connectors | 1x PCIe 8-pin (adapter to 1x 12-pin included) |
| Outputs | HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a |
You are about to see a new generation of graphics cards powered by the Turing architecture! Take on today’s most challenging, graphics-intensive games without missing a beat. The GeForce RTX 20 Series delivers truly unique real-time ray tracing technologies for cutting-edge, hyper realistic graphics. Experience next-generation performance, power efficiency, and gaming experiences.
The GeForce RTX 3070 is powered by Ampere—NVIDIA’s second-generation RTX architecture. Built with enhanced RT Cores and Tensor Cores for realistic rendering, this graphics card will change your gaming experience forever!
Important features:
-The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 is the greatest graphics card on the market for most people. Even though it costs a bit more than the RTX 2080 Ti, it delivers excellent performance – on par with the RTX 2080 Ti even – without breaking the bank.
-Prior to this card, 4K gaming was out of reach for many individuals. The RTX 3070, therefore, makes it accessible to everyone for the first time, and that’s without sacrificing settings in most games. And did we mention how inexpensive this GPU is? A low price tag combined with quality 4K gameplay equals great value, which is why the RTX 3070 is on our list.
Pros
- Amazing performance
- Best value graphics card
- Exceptional ray tracing performance
- Ray tracing
Cons
- It requires 12 pin power connector
AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT
| Stream Processors | 2,560 |
| Core clock | 2.32 GHz (2.58 GHz boost) |
| Memory | 12GB GDDR6 |
| Memory clock | 16 Gbps |
| Power connectors | 8 pin + 6 pin |
| Outputs | HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4 with DSC |
AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT video card with 12GB GDDR6 memory and 2560 stream processors, is the world’s first 7nm gaming graphics card. AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT offers faster clock speeds, higher memory bandwidth, and better power efficiency than previous-generation GPUs.
This technology delivers a superior PC gaming experience for mid-range gamers.
AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT video card with 12GB GDDR6 memory and 2560 stream processors, is the world’s first 7nm gaming graphics card. AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT offers faster clock speeds, higher memory bandwidth, and better power efficiency than previous-generation GPUs.
This technology delivers a superior PC gaming experience for mid-range gamers.
AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT video card with 12GB GDDR67000 memory and 2560 stream processors, is the world’s first and number one gaming graphics card. AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT offers faster clock speeds, higher memory bandwidth, and better power efficiency than old-generation GPUs.
This technology delivers a superior PC gaming experience for mid-range gamers.
Important features:
-12GB GDDR6 STREAM PROCESSOR – The GeForce RTX™ 3070 is powered by the all-new NVIDIA Turing™ architecture to give you incredible new levels of gaming realism, speed, power efficiency, and immersion.
– 2514MHZ BOOST CLOCK – The GeForce RTX™ 3070 delivers truly unique real-time ray-tracing technologies for cutting edge, hyper-realistic graphics.
– 16 GBPS MEMORY CLOCK – The GeForce RTX™ 3070 offers brand new levels of 4K HDR gaming experiences with support for Dolby Vision®, Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG), and HDR10.
Pros
- Excellent 1440p performance
- Good ray tracing
- Lightweight card
Cons
- Ray tracing performance is not up to mark
Which Graphics Card Is Right for You?
We’ve included the best graphics cards to choose from, recognizing that there may be some overlap. Nvidia’s Ampere architecture and AMD’s RDNA2 architecture are the most recent GPU generations.
Check out our reviews of the GeForce RTX 3090, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, GeForce RTX 3080, and GeForce RTX 3070 Ti for Nvidia; as well as AMD’s Radeon RX 6900 XT, Radeon RX 6800 XT and RX 6800, Radeon RX 6700 XT, and Radeon RX 6600 XT.
The RTX 3070 and RX 6800 are two such cards. Technically, they cost less than half as much as the previous-generation RTX 2080 Ti, and they generally perform at or above its level.
Meanwhile, the RX 6800 XT and RTX 3080 are 30% to 35% quicker than the 2080 Ti for less money, while the RTX 3090 is 10-20% faster than the 3080 — at a premium.
You may also examine how the RTX 3080 performs with a wider range of CPUs. Hint: You’ll want something from the last few years, with at least 6 cores and 12 threads, and 8-core and above boosts performance by a few percentage points.
Unfortunately, in theory, as cryptocurrency mining combined with a constrained supply have resulted in a significant increase in GPU prices — see our GPU price index.
We recommend avoiding paying more for yesterday’s hardware. If you want an RTX 30-series or RX 6000-series graphics card, be patient.
If you already have a good GPU, keep using it — or sell it for a profit and save the money until prices go down (assuming you have an acceptable substitute in the interim).
If you’re primarily a gamer, the CPU can’t be overlooked. If your CPU is under-powered and/or outdated, acquiring the best gaming GPU will not help much. So be sure to look at our Best Gaming CPUs and CPU Benchmarks to make sure you have the right CPU for the amount of gaming you wish to accomplish.
Our current recommendations are based on the changing GPU market, which takes into account all of the aforementioned factors. The GPUs are generally ranked according to their performance, although price, features, and efficiency are still considerations, so in a few instances a somewhat slower card may be rated higher. There’s been a significant upheaval at the top of the performance charts already, and if you can locate the various cards in stock, these are the best graphics cards available.
Graphics Card Shopping Tips:
If you’re unfamiliar with computers or technology, selecting a graphic card may seem difficult. We’ve put up this easy tutorial to help you better understand the technical jargon and determine which card is best suited for your needs.
Processor:
The Central Processing Unit, or CPU for short, is the fundamental component of a computer that interprets and executes commands. Consider the processor to be your computer’s brain, making all decisions.
RAM:
RAM is a type of computer memory that stores information from other applications. RAM allows computers to store data generated and used by other programs. RAM is also significant because it eliminates the processor from having to perform all of the operational lifting work. In other words, the more RAM your PC has, the quicker it performs and the more efficient it is.
MHZ:
The abbreviation “megaHertz” describes the CPU’s transmission speed in hertz. This quantity measures how quickly the CPU transmits data. In layman’s terms, MHz stand for theCPU’s heartbeat or the rate of raw pulses that pass through its circuits. The higher the number of megaHertzes, the quicker information is translated and shown on screen. A graphic card with a 50MHz higher frequency will render information at around one to two frames per second faster than another card with a lower frequency.
Graphic Cards:
Graphic cards are required for the creation of high-quality computer displays. These cards are in charge of producing a picture on your screen.
CPU:
The electronic circuitry inside a computer that executes programs is called the central processing unit (CPU) or main processor. The CPU executes basic arithmetic, logic, and I/O operations specified in the algorithms.
Final Thought:
What do you need to stream your games on twitch, YouTube, and more? You will want a powerful GPU to run games smoothly. The graphics card is the most important factor in streaming online video game content because it’s responsible for displaying what gamers see on their screens. However, there are other factors that can affect performance such as CPU speed, RAM size and hard disk storage space which we recommend looking into if you’re serious about getting the best gaming experience possible.
However, there are other factors that can affect performance such as CPU speed, RAM size, and hard disk storage space which we recommend looking into if you’re serious about getting the best gaming experience possible. No more entry-level graphics cards to encode video for PC games.
So the graphics card is the most important factor when it comes to streaming online video games content and even when you want to run games because they render images and display them onto your screen for an outstanding experience. Remain up to date about the other future brands for AMD GPU or best budget GPUs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What GPU is Good enough for Streaming?
The minimum specs for a streaming PC is to have a CPU–2.8Ghz Core i5 or better, RAM–8GB DDR3 RAM, and Graphics Card–GTX 660 or AMD 7870 or higher with at least 2GB Video Ram.
Do You Need a Powerful GPU for Streaming?
A streaming PC does not require a dedicated GPU (graphics card). The encoding is done by the CPU. So, for a streaming PC, you will need either an onboard or dedicated GPU. You don’t need a super powerful graphics card because you won’t be playing games on it.
For a high quality settings you can use some streaming software or software encoder. However, proper hardware is required for gaming PC builds plus new GPU (best graphics card) to enhance gaming and streaming experience.
Does Graphics Card Matter for Streaming?
GPUs do have an impact on streaming quality, since having a low-end GPU implies you must play on lower settings for an enjoyable experience. But, if you have a high clock speed GPU then you will run games on as high settings as possible.
Check out some intel cpus, quad core, content related, best graphics card, power supply requirements, gpu cores, amd gpu, budget gpus, ray tracing graphics cards gaming PC and more to get the best graphics cards for your gaming PC.
