What Graphics Cards Can Run 4K Gaming Monitors
Right now, you’re in one of three positions:
Worst-case scenario is that your graphics card suddenly died, and you’re looking for the equivalent or better.
Scenario two is that you are casually examining graphics cards, hoping to buy one if the ongoing shortages allow.
The third scenario is that you are one part away from having the strongest PC in your group — the elusive graphics card.
No matter the scenario, there are both good and bad aspects of looking for a new graphics card. On the bright side, the new technologies and widespread support from game developers are endless. There has arguably never been a better time to be a PC gamer, from indie titles to AAA gems.
On the downside, the GPU shortage is still ongoing — as it has been since 2020. It is predicted that the market will normalize at some point this year. Next year, it may even be oversaturated with high-end chips. Still, even before the chip shortage, graphics cards were still one of the most expensive parts of builds.
There’s no point in truly owning a 4K gaming monitor if your other components don’t meet its standards. With 4K, you can squeeze every detail of every pixel, from Among Us to Elden Ring. So, how do you pick the right one? And which ones will even work with your monitor?
Read on to learn more about which graphics cards can run 4K gaming monitors.
What To Look for in Your Graphics Card
Before we get to the cards themselves, there are some key details you should know:
GPU: The item that performs the actual processing of images in a graphics card. This is the most important part of the piece, bar none.
VRAM: Your VRAM affects your graphics card’s ability to store images for your display and cycle through them. VRAM isn’t innately essential to play, but if you want your games to look the best they can, it’s critical.
Clock Speed: Clock speed refers to the number of cycles your GPU can run in an instant. It matters, but not as much as other performance factors.
Memory Speed: Faster memory can make one graphics card operate faster than another.
Ports: Not every graphics card is compatible with every port. Make sure before shelling out four figures for a top-of-the-line piece that yours works with where you’ll put it.
Form Factor: You’ll want to make sure the card will actually be able to fit in your build. It may also (depending on the size) block adjacent ports.
MSRP: When looking into higher-priced graphics cards, you will hit a wall where prices do not meet MSRP. Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) is the sale price a company suggests to retailers. This is affected by markup on the seller’s part, as well as a response to high demand or rising business costs. Check a given product's price against its MSRP, but understand the suggested price will likely never be the actual sale price.
The Graphics Cards
We’re now finally ready to start entering and examining the graphics cards themselves:
GeForce RTX 3080 Ti: This piece makes a case for being the overall best graphics card available right now. It can run 4K without substitutions or finagling and is cheaper than the 3090. Unfortunately, its price is currently driven up by shortages at this level.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super: We include this as a last-gen alternative to the 3080. The RTX is basically weaker in all metrics but is still 4K capable. This does come at a benefit of lower cost and lower overall demand.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti: By all metrics, this option is markedly better than the super, yet weaker than the high-end 3000-line cards. This makes the 2080 Ti a good middle-ground if you want a card that won’t need upgrading for a while.
AMD Radeon RX 6900: Between this and the 3080-Ti, it’s time to cherry-pick which qualities matter more in a graphics card to you. The latter has far better lighting effects and a larger market share. However, the AMD Radeon RX 6900 showcases far greater complexity in textures despite being cheaper. If your goal is to have the best-looking game — and you have the cash and opportunity — this card excels.
Quadro RTX A6000: This piece is better than the GeForce RTX 2000-series while comparable to a lower-end 3000 graphics card. It features far better lighting and parallax occlusion than the 2080 Ti but weaker splatter effects. This would result in more complex 3D-adjacent textures but weaker-looking shading and combined textures.
Choosing the right graphics card depends on price, specs, and availability. Plenty of options exist to help provide a variety of unique combinations of traits.
How To Actually Find a Graphics Card
Buying a new graphics card can be challenging, especially depending on where you find it. For this step, we will assume you are limiting your search to a single card. Looking everywhere for one particular card is easier, as it will allow you to hunt widely and know your desires.
The most likely places to find graphics cards are online stores, direct retailers, and pawn shops. The last of these can be dubious, but if you can find a dealer who isn’t tech-savvy, you may profit.
Buying used electronics can be suspicious. Unless you’re using a verified buyer or a site that curates its goods, “gently used” could mean anything. You should ask what the graphics card was used to do and for how long, especially if it was used in crypto mining. Crypto mining is no more damaging than any other activity, but it can prematurely age a GPU when it’s done improperly.
When buying online directly from retailers, every second counts. An extra minute can be the difference between a new graphics card and a sold-out one. If you know a drop will occur at a time, log in a few minutes prior and constantly hit refresh. This way, you’ll be there the moment it drops.
Also, consider loading in or saving your payment information in advance. This will help expedite the process of buying your card.
Sourcing new electronics can be challenging, but it doesn’t have to be. Use the above to make finding your ideal graphics card just a little bit easier.
After You’ve Gotten Your Graphics Card
At this point, you should be all ready to go. Your graphics card has arrived at home, and you’ve properly connected it to your build. It’s now time to test the limits of your 4K monitor. You turn it on, hop on Discord, load up a new game, and for one split second… everything looks wonderful.
Then, suddenly, everything feels wrong. You still suffer from lag, ping, and other online hazards. A better graphics card will make things look great, but it won’t make things be great in multiplayer games.
Sometimes these issues are related to your build, but it shouldn’t be if everything is optimized. With a top-of-the-line graphics card, even your weakest components should be middling at worst.
This leaves you to examine external issues at play, affecting your connection to game servers. You can improve your server connection with a wired connection to your router and close all backup applications. Periodically resetting your router or using one specifically for gaming can also provide the secure connection you may need.
The strongest measure you can take is using a route optimizer to control the route your data takes. A route optimizer uses game-specific clients designed to improve performance in all regards in multiplayer experiences. WTFast’s route optimizer provides broad-spanning coverage for several games.
We’ve also partnered with Asus to bring a new series of gaming routers to the mainstream. Packet loss, ping spikes, and other gaming nightmares are now close to being a thing of the past.
The Benefits of Living in 4K
A graphics card that can run a 4K monitor can improve more than just your gaming. It can improve the way streaming services look — and everything else you do online. A little over 40 percent of U.S. households have 4K compatible TVs. By comparison, only about 20 percent of Steam users have 4K monitors.
4K is certainly commonplace, but it’s not yet the standard. When the standard graphics card is capable of 4K and more, then maybe we will be ready for 8K. Until that point, the current top-of-the-line 4K compatible graphics card will have an impressive lifespan.
From the way you game to the way your gaming looks, WTFast is dedicated to explaining essential gaming news. From reducing ping to enhancing your builds, we are here to solve any problems a gamer may have. Make lag a thing of the past — and your setup the way of the future — with this and other guides.
Sources:
Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) Definition I Investopedia
