4K (3840×2160 pixels) resolution has become the standard for gamers and professionals looking for detailed graphics and maximum image quality. But to take full advantage of the potential of 4K screens – you need a powerful graphics card. a 4K graphics card should be able to handle high resolutions without compromising on smoothness or even graphical quality. This article will help you choose the ideal 4K graphics card with optimal performance and price.
Why is 4K a challenge for a graphics card?
4K (3840×2160 pixels) is a big leap from Full HD, not only in pixel count but also in hardware requirements. Each frame that a graphics card needs to render contains four times more pixels than Full HD, which puts enormous pressure on GPU computing power, bus width and VRAM capacity.
Games that feature graphics-intensive graphics and use technologies such as ray tracing take this challenge even further. For example, modern titles like Cyberpunk 2077 or Forza Horizon 5 require high-end graphics cards to achieve a stable 60 FPS at ultra settings in 4K. With older or weaker cards, you have to compromise on texture quality, detail or smoothness.
4K graphics card – how to choose one?
Choosing the right graphics card for 4K depends on a few key factors:
- Budget: the price differences between cards are huge. For example, the Intel Arc A770 is suitable for budget 4K gaming (€350), while the NVIDIA RTX 4090 exceeds €1,800.
- VRAM Capacity: For 4K gaming, it is ideal to have a card with at least 12-16 GB of VRAM to avoid performance degradation in demanding games.
- Technology: Features like NVIDIA’s DLSS or AMD’s FSR make it possible to boost FPS even on less powerful cards.
- Usage Type: Professionals should look for cards with higher VRAM, such as AMD’s RX 7900 XTX (24 GB), while gamers will appreciate high-performance cards for ray tracing, such as NVIDIA’s RTX 4080.
- Compatibility and power consumption: make sure your power supply and enclosure can handle the size and power consumption of the card.
Best 4K graphics card for price/performance
Which is the best 4K graphics card in the price/performance ratio?
Intel Arc A750
The Intel Arc A770 is a 4K graphics card from the Intel Arc series of graphics cards. It is designed for gaming and offers solid performance at both 1440p and 4K. This card is also aimed at professionals, with improved compute support and image processing.
The Intel Arc A770 is a strong contender in the mid to high end. It offers enough VRAM capacity (16GB) for 1440p or 4K gaming, and the XeSS technology boosts FPS while maintaining good image quality. However, Intel is still working on driver optimization, which can cause unstable performance in some games.
Basic Information
- Price: 320€
- Architecture: Xe-HPG
- Compute cores: 32 Xe cores
- Base frequency: 2000 MHz
- Boost frequency: 2400 MHz
- Memory: 16 GB GDDR6
- Memory bus: 256-bit
- Memory bandwidth: 512 GB/s
- Resolution: 3,840 × 2,160
- Interface: PCIe 4.0 x16
- Outputs: HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 2.0
Performance in games
Cyberpunk 2077: 55 FPS (4K, high settings, ray tracing off)
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II: 75 FPS (4K, high settings)
Forza Horizon 5: 80 FPS (4K, ultra settings)
AMD Radeon RX 6800
The AMD Radeon RX 6800 is a mid-range 4K graphics card that offers a great price/performance ratio for 4K gaming. Built on the RDNA 2 architecture, it provides 16GB of GDDR6 memory and a 256-bit bus width, ensuring plenty of performance for modern gaming. Its boost frequency reaches up to 2,105 MHz, which means stable FPS even at demanding settings.
This card is ideal for gamers who want to enter the world of 4K resolution without having to invest in more expensive models. Plus, the power consumption is efficient, making it a suitable choice for builds with less powerful power supplies.
Basic Information
- Price: 380 €
- Architecture: RDNA 2
- Shaders: 3 840
- Base frequency: 1 815 MHz
- Boost frequency: 2 105 MHz
- Memory: 16 GB GDDR6
- Memory bus width: 256-bit
- Memory bandwidth: 512 GB/s
- Dimensions: 267 mm x 120 mm x 50 mm
- Maximum resolution: 7680 × 4320 (8K)
- Interface: PCIe 4.0
- Outputs: 2× DisplayPort 1.4, 1× HDMI 2.1, 1× USB-C
Performance in games
Cyberpunk 2077: 40 FPS (4K, medium settings, DLSS on)
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II: 60 FPS (4K, high settings)
Forza Horizon 5: 65 FPS (4K, high settings)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is a 4K graphics card for gamers looking for balanced performance in a price/performance ratio. While it falls into the 1440p class, it can also handle 4K gaming at medium to high settings. It features 8GB of GDDR6 memory and DLSS technology that allows for higher performance while maintaining visual quality.
Thanks to Ampere architecture and ray tracing technology, gamers can enjoy realistic effects in modern games. It’s a card that offers a smooth gaming experience at a reasonable price, ideal for those who don’t want to go over budget but still expect high image quality.
Basic Information
- Price: 300 €
- Architecture
- Shaders: 4 864 CUDA cores
- Base frequency: 1 410 MHz
- Boost frequency: 1 665 MHz
- Memory: 8 GB GDDR6
- Memory bus width: 256-bit
- Memory bandwidth: 448 GB/s
- Dimensions: 242 mm x 112 mm x 40 mm
- Maximum resolution: 7680 × 4320 (8K)
- Interface: PCIe 4.0
- Outputs: 3× DisplayPort 1.4a, 1× HDMI 2.1
Performance in games
Cyberpunk 2077: 40 FPS (4K, medium settings, DLSS on)
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II: 60 FPS (4K, high settings)
Forza Horizon 5: 65 FPS (4K, high settings)
AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT
AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT represents a new generation of graphics cards based on RDNA 3 architecture. It’s designed for 4K gaming, and thanks to 16GB of GDDR6 memory and a 256-bit bus width, it can handle even the most demanding titles at high detail. The 2,565 MHz boost frequency ensures excellent performance to satisfy even the most demanding gamers.
The card is aimed at enthusiasts who want smooth, high-resolution gaming with plenty of headroom for future titles. Improved power efficiency and AMD FSR technology make it an excellent choice for advanced gaming builds, especially if price/performance ratio is a priority.
Basic Information
- Price: 520 €
- Architecture: RDNA 3
- Shaders: 3 840
- Base frequency: 2 125 MHz
- Boost frequency: 2 565 MHz
- Memory: 16 GB GDDR6
- Memory bus width: 256-bit
- Memory bandwidth: 624 GB/s
- Dimensions: 267 mm x 110 mm x 49 mm
- Maximum resolution: 7680 × 4320 (8K)
- Interface: PCIe 4.0
- Outputs: 3× DisplayPort 1.4a, 1× HDMI 2.1
Performance in games
Cyberpunk 2077: 65 FPS (4K, high settings, ray tracing off)
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II: 85 FPS (4K, ultra settings)
Forza Horizon 5: 90 FPS (4K, ultra settings)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the graphics card for gamers looking for 4K at a more affordable price than, say, the RTX 4090. It has the Ada Lovelace architecture and 16GB of GDDR6X memory. It has high efficiency and supports the latest technologies such as DLSS 3.0.
The RTX 4080 has a sleek design and looks slightly more compact than its big brother RTX 4090. The card has a power consumption of 320W and standard connectors (HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a). When playing Fortnite at max settings in 4K it reaches over 120 FPS which is more than enough for gamers who want performance without buying a full high-end. When using DLSS 3 the card shows its power, especially in games.
Basic Information
- Price: 1400€
- Architecture: Ada Lovelace
- Shaders: 9 728
- Base Frequency: 2 220 MHz
- Boost frequency: 2 510 MHz
- Memory: 16 GB GDDR6X
- Memory bus width: 256 bit
- Memory bandwidth: 736 GB/s
- Dimensions: 285 x 112 mm
- Maximum resolution: 8K (7680 x 4320)
- Interface: PCIe 4.0
- Outputs: 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, 1x HDMI 2.1
Performance in games
Cyberpunk 2077: 90 FPS, 4K, ultra settings, ray tracing DLSS 3
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II: 140 FPS 4K, ultra settings
Forza Horizon 5: 130 FPS 4K, ultra settings
Conclusion: why is 4K the future?
4K graphics cards and their resolution deliver amazing sharpness, detail and visual quality that take the gaming experience to the next level. Although achieving it requires an investment in powerful hardware, the drop in graphics card prices and the rise of technologies such as DLSS and FSR are making it easier to access this standard.
For gamers who want stable FPS and high image quality, a 4K RTX 4070 Ti or RX 7900 XTX graphics card is the ideal choice. If you care about maximum performance regardless of price, the RTX 4090 is second to none. 4K is becoming more and more affordable, and graphics cards are offering more and more options for everyone.
a 4K graphics card is a graphics processor designed to support gaming and display content at 3840 x 2160 pixels (4K). These cards are equipped with enough power and VRAM to render graphics at high resolution and with high fluidity.
For smooth 4K gaming, we recommend at least a card like the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 or AMD Radeon RX 6800. For more demanding games and details, a model like the NVIDIA RTX 4090 or AMD RX 7900 XTX is ideal.
4K graphics cards support a maximum resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels. Some cards, like the NVIDIA RTX 4090, support higher resolutions like 8K, but 4K is the standard for this class of card.
Yes, graphics cards with 4K support can also be used for 1080p or 1440p gaming. In fact, at these lower resolutions you will have better performance and smoothness because the card will be less loaded.