If you or a loved one wants to build or upgrade a beefy PC gaming rig this holiday, you’re gonna want a new video card. The GPU is the heart of the system. It is the biggest factor in determining how well games will run.
So if you’re out shopping this holiday or looking for deals online, here are the graphic cards I would keep an eye out for.
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Top of the line
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti
Why it’s great
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The GeForce RTX 2080 Ti is the most powerful graphics card on the market. It is also difficult to find. I am bringing it up here because if you absolutely have to have the best, this is the one to get. It also just launched in September, so don’t expect any deals this holiday season.
Any holiday deals?
No.
Best high-end bang for your buck
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070
Why it’s great
The $500 range is not the “sweet spot” for graphics cards, but it’s among the sweetest. If you have a lot of money to build a rig, but you still want to stretch every dollar as far as it can go, the RTX 2070 is your best bet. It just came out, so Nvidia is going to support it for years to come. It is powerful enough to handle almost any game at 1440p with high framerates. And it can even dabble in ray tracing.
Any holiday deals?
- NewEgg December 1 – 31: MSI GeForce RTX 2070 for $570 (normally $590)
- Best Buy December 1 – 31: PNY GeForce RTX 2070 Gaming OC for $590 (normally $700)
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 Ti
Why it’s great
The 2070 is an OK deal at this point, but if you want to go home with a great deal, you should look to the last-generation GTX 1070 Ti. This is an excellent card for everything up to (but not including) 4K. If I had to pick one card on this list to suggest to the budget-conscious gamer who still really wants great performance beyond 1080p60, it would be the 1070 Ti.
Any holiday deals?
- Newegg December 1 – 31: Asus Turbo GeForce GTX 1070 Ti 8GB for $355 (normally $520)
- Newegg December 1 -31: ASUS Cerberus GeForce GTX 1070 Ti A8G Gaming 8GB for $360 (normally $530)
- B&H December 1 – 31: ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1070 Ti AMP Edition for $359
- B&H December 14 – 28: MSI GeForce GTX 1070 Ti Aero 8G for $339 (normally $430)
- EVGA December 10: EVGA GeForce 1070 Ti Gaming 8GB for $400 (normally $500)
AMD Radeon Vega 56/64
Why it’s great
The last one in this category is AMD’s Radeon Vega 56 and Vega 64. These are both strong cards that are powerful enough to handle 1440p gaming at high framerates. The 56 is normally a better deal, but the Vega 64 at $400 is not bad at all. If you can’t find a 1070 Ti for $350, the Vega 56 at $350 or Vega 64 at $400 are some excellent alternatives. I especially like the Vega 64 at $400.
Any holiday deals?
- Newegg: Sapphire Radeon RX Vega 64 8GB for $399
- Newegg: ASRock Phantom Gaming X Radeon RX VEGA 56 8GB for $350
Best bang for your buck
AMD Radeon RX 580
Why it’s great
The Radeon RX 580 is the card to get if you are using a 1080p 60 Hz monitor. Anything else is usually overkill. You could go with the recently released RX 590, but that’s really just a spruced up RX 580. It’s also more expensive. If you just want to get great performance at a great price, you can’t beat the RX 580.
Any holiday deals?
- Best Buy: XFX – AMD Radeon RX 580 GTS Black Edition 8GB GDDR5 for $199
- Newegg: Asus DUAL-RX580-O8G Radeon RX 580 OC 8GB GDDR5 for $200
Deals on other cards?
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080
- B&H December 1 – 31: Zotac GeForce RTX 2080 Blower for $780 (normally $800)
- Amazon December 1 – 31: Zotac GeForce RTX 2080 Blower for $780 (normally $800)
- Newegg December 7 – 31: Asus Turbo GeForce RTX 2080 for $700 (normally $790)
- Newegg December 19 – 31: EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 for $700 (normally $720)
- Newegg December 7 – 31: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2080 for $700 (normally $790)
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070
- Amazon December 1 – 31: Zotac GeForce GTX 1070 Mini for $330 (normally $390)
- Newegg December 1 – 31: Asus ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1070 Gaming 8GB for $355 (normally $505)
- Newegg December 14 – 28: MSI GeForce GTX 1070 Aero ITX 8G OC for $330 (normally $350)
- B&H December 14 – 28: MSI GeForce GTX 1070 Aero ITX 8G OC for $315 (normally $330)
- EVGA December 14: EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 Gaming 8GB for $310 (normally $460)
- EVGA December 17: EVGA GeForce 1070 FTW DT Gaming 8GB for $310 (normally $490)
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060
- Newegg December 1 – 31: PNY GeForce GTX 1060 6GB for $240 (normally $160)
- Newegg December 11 – 17: Asus GTX 1060 GB for $230 (normally $310)
- Newegg December 7 – 31: Zotac GeForce GTX 1060 for $210 (normally $320)
