Canada
United States
New Zealand
Australia
Ireland
The graphics card or the GPU is the most important component when it comes to games. It’s the main component that drives your frames up in games.
Obviously, it isn’t the only component that you need but you definitely have to put a lot of time into choosing the right graphics card in order to get the most frames.
When you’re setting up a game on PC, you’ll often have to choose between better graphics or higher frame rates.
Most PC gamers prefer higher frame rates over resolution, and that’s exactly what we’re doing today, dropping down the graphics to bump up the frames.
Each of the GPUs listed here can easily run AAA games on 1440p if that’s how you set it. But if you want to see a higher framerate, you’ll need to drop the graphics from the settings menu of a game to witness the FPS boost.
High refresh rate monitors can often help you react faster which is key in a lot of competitive games like Valorant or League of Legends.
Having a high refresh rate monitor is not enough though if your graphics card can’t push enough frames.
There are a variety of graphics cards out in the market and a lot of them are able to run 144Hz in most eSports games. However, if you are planning to play AAA at a high refresh rate, you might need a more powerful GPU.
If you don’t know much about no need to worry, as today we will be listing some of the best graphics cards for 1080P 144Hz Gaming.
Our Top Picks
[lasso type=”table” id=”18″ link_id=”11015″]
Best Budget 1080p 144hz Gaming Graphics Cards
These graphics cards are best for gamers who are on a budget. Don’t expect to get 144FPS or more with modern AAA games since these GPUs are only around the $200 price point and aren’t too powerful.
However, they are suitable GPUs for 1080p 144Hz gaming for eSports games. eSports games are generally easy to run and these graphics cards have more than enough power to run eSports games with ease.
1. Asus Dual Radeon RX 5500 XT EVO 8GB OC
BEST AMD GPU FOR ESPORTS 144HZ GAMING
The RX 5500XT comes in two variants a 4GB variant and an 8GB variant. The 8GB variant comes out on top, especially since it doesn’t cost that much more than the 4GB variant.
The additional 4GB in memory is great when it comes to games that have a lot of textures and effects. And the extra VRAM is probably most useful when it comes to open-world games and might give you a few extra FPS on eSport titles as well.
The ASUS Dual RX 5500 XT EVO 8GB OC is a great budget option if you are in the market for an AMD GPU.
This is the perfect budget GPU to pair with a monitor that supports AMD Freesync since it will help eliminate any tearing and stuttering, and will allow you to have a flawless and smooth experience.
Tech Specs
- 8GB GDDR6 Memory
- 1647 MHz Game Clock (OC mode)
- 1865 MHz Boost Clock (OC mode)
- 1 x HDMI 2.0b, 3 x DisplayPort 1.4
Verdict
This is one of the best 1080p 144Hz graphics cards for eSports titles and that extra VRAM will definitely help if you want to do some open-world exploration gaming on the side.
Do take note though that you are only going to be primarily hitting 144FPS on eSports games but you should be able to play AAA games smoothly if you change a few settings.
2. MSI Geforce GTX 1650 Super Gaming X
BEST NVIDIA GPU FOR ESPORTS 144HZ GAMING
The 1650 Super is the more powerful version of the earlier released 1650. Its power and pricing are perfect for the lower-end/budget segment making it one of the most popular GPUs from NVIDIA.
The MSI GTX 1650 Super Gaming X is a little more expensive than other 1650 Super GPUs but that premium is well worth it since this card looks absolutely amazing.
It also offers better cooling thanks to having 2 fans, and will easily fit any theme thanks to it having a black and silver finish.
Aside from having clean looks, it also performs well and is the best graphics card for 1080p 144Hz eSports gaming on a budget.
Tech Specs
- 4GB GDDR6 Memory
- 1530 MHz Base Clock
- 1755 MHz Boost Clock
- 1 x HDMI 2.0b, 3 x DisplayPort 1.4
Verdict
This card can easily help you maximize your 144Hz refresh rate monitor on eSports games and other less demanding games.
However, when it comes to AAA gaming this card will struggle a bit if you want to play with max settings. Overall, this GPU is great for eSports titles and is good enough for AAA gaming.
Best Mid-Range 1080P 144hz Gaming Graphics Cards
The mid-range segment is probably where you can get the most out of your money. They offer a great price-to-performance ratio and are great for playing all types of games.
There are various options to choose from, whether you are team red or team green.
These GPUs have enough power to run AAA games at 144Hz without having to crank down the settings too low.
3. Gigabyte GTX 1660 Super 3X Windforce
ENTRY-LEVEL MID-RANGE GPU FOR 144HZ
In general, NVIDIA’s Super line of GPUs provides a great value for money. They perform better than their base counterparts and don’t cost that much more.
The 1660 Super is a great example of this. The 1660 line is the borderline between their GTX and RTX cards and the 1660 Super is just a little bit short against the 1660 Ti in terms of performance, but you save a lot of money by going for the 1660 Super instead of the Ti, which is why it made this list.
The Gigabyte GTX 1660 Super 3X is a relatively bulky GPU thanks to its 3 fans. The best thing about this card is its cooling.
The fans spin in opposite directions which helps the card maintain airflow. It produces less noise and heat than the other single or dual-fan 1660 Supers for around the same price.
Tech Specs
- 6GB GDDR6 Memory
- 1785 MHz Base Clock
- 1860 MHz Boost Clock
- 1 x HDMI 2.0b, 3 x DisplayPort 1.4
Verdict
This card looks slick plus there’s also a small touch of RGB in the form of the “Gigabyte” name on the side, which is always welcome.
Probably the biggest flaw of this card is that it won’t be able to fit in small cases since it is quite chunky, but full tower cases and most mid-tower cases should be able to fit this bad boy with ease.
With a GTX 1660, Super eSports games will definitely run at 144Hz, even graphically demanding games like Apex Legends and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare should reach 144Hz, most modern AAA games will likely require you to have a mixture of low-medium settings if you want to reach 144FPS.
4. Zotac Gaming Geforce RTX 2060
BEST BUDGET RTX CARD FOR 144HZ GAMING
The RTX 2060 series is NVIDIA’s cheapest graphics card that supports the new ray tracing technology.
Ray tracing is a rendering technique that generates images by tracing light. It provides an amazing and stunning picture that reflects how the light behaves in the real world.
Turning ray tracing on can provide you with a completely new visual experience that simply makes games more beautiful.
Ray tracing takes a lot of computing power to pull off though which is why it’s only available in relatively high-end GPUs.
The Zotac RTX 2060 is one of the cheapest 2060s available in the market. It has relatively good cooling since it has two fans and a few heat pipes.
It also looks clean and will fit in with various colors, especially with its simple metal backplate.
Tech Specs
- 6GB GDDR6 Memory
- 1365 MHz Base Clock
- 1680 MHz Boost Clock
- 1 x HDMI 2.0b, 3 x DisplayPort 1.4
Verdict
One of the best things about the Zotac RTX 2060 is that it’s a powerful GPU built into compact packaging.
It’s small enough to be able to fit in 99% of all available cases and it’s not too power-hungry as well. It’s a great GPU for 1080p 144Hz in most games and can even run other modern games like Battlefield V and Far Cry 5 at 144Hz as long as you don’t max everything out.
You can also use it as a budget 1440p card but don’t expect it to be able to drive 144Hz monitors at that resolution.
Best High-End 1080p 144hz Gaming Graphics Cards
This is where things start to get very interesting. GPUs are a little bit expensive at this point and will be hovering around the $500 mark but they are very powerful and can run tons of games with ease.
These GPUs can even get more than 60 FPS on higher resolutions like 1440p and will get very high FPS on 1080p.
Of course, the goal is to hit that sweet 144FPS mark in order to fully take advantage of the 144Hz refresh rate.
The GPUs under this section are some of the best 1080p 144Hz graphics cards you can purchase.
6. XFX RX 5700 Xt Thicc III Ultra
BEST HIGH-END AMD GPU FOR 1080P 144HZ GAMING
The RX 5700XT is the most powerful GPU from AMD’s Navi RDNA series. It competes with the RTX 2070 from team green and is their top-of-the-line GPU in the RDNA series.
The GPU is built on the 7nm architecture meaning that it’s not only powerful but efficient too. It did have a few blunders after its launch, with a few problems with its drivers but all of that should be fixed now and is buried in the past.
The XFX RX 5700XT Thicc III Ultra is a bulky GPU, which is why one “c” was not enough in “Thicc.” All jokes aside, it’s a powerful GPU that remains quiet and cool thanks to its great thermal performance.
It also has an overclock right out of the box, squeezing out every inch of performance you can get from the RX 5700XT.
It’s also competitively priced, making it a great purchase as long as you can fit it inside your case.
Tech Specs
- 8GB GDDR6 Memory
- 1810 MHz Base Clock
- 2025 MHz Boost Clock
- 1 x HDMI 2.0b, 3 x DisplayPort 1.4
Verdict
This GPU will allow you to max out settings in a ton of games while also still being able to take full advantage of a 144Hz refresh rate.
Heck, it should also be able to run a lot of games at 1440p at that frame rate. One major disadvantage is that it doesn’t have any ray tracing capabilities, so you won’t be able to get those enhanced graphics.
If that isn’t an issue, this is a great card that can provide you with a mixture of high-max settings in AAA games while still providing a 144Hz experience.
7. Aorus Geforce RTX 2070 Xtreme 8G
BEST HIGH-END RTX GPU FOR 144HZ GAMING
The RTX 2070 is a middle ground between 2060 and 2080 in terms of performance and pricing. It’s a card for those who want a high-end gaming PC but don’t want to spend thousands of dollars on a PC build.
This GPU is perfect for the $1000-$1500 PC price range where you can match it with a powerful CPU to get the most out of your gaming setup.
The Aorus RTX 2070 Xtreme is just a beauty. Its design is sleek and precise, matched with arguably one of the best RGB implementations on a GPU ever, the card is just amazing.
It’s more expensive than the other 2070 cards but if you like flashy and stunning, this GPU is the one for you.
Tech Specs
- 8GB GDDR6 Memory
- 1410 MHz Base Clock
- 1815 MHz Boost Clock
- 3 x HDMI 2.0b, 3 x DisplayPort 1.4, 1 x USB Type-C
Verdict
This GPU quite frankly destroys the competition, it not only looks amazing thanks to its design and RGB implementation, but it also performs as good as it looks thanks to it already having a big factory overclock.
With this GPU you should be able to easily max out on eSports games even on a higher resolution while still having enough FPS to get that 144Hz refresh rate.
At 1080p you should be able to play most, if not all AAA games at a mixture of high-max settings while still getting high frame rates.
Best Graphics Card For 1080p 144hz Gaming
We have now reached the top of the GPU ladder and are within reach of the most powerful GPU available.
This segment is for those who want no compromises and want the most flawless and smooth gaming experience possible on a 1080p 144Hz monitor.
8. MSI RTX 2080 Super Gaming X TRIO
Now if you are wondering why we went with the 2080 Super instead of the 2080 Ti, well to be honest it’s because of the price difference.
The 2080 Ti is just way too expensive compared to the 2080 Super with only a few FPS differences in most games. The Super variant provides more value and should be more than enough for most games.
The MSI RTX 2080 Super Gaming X Trio is a beautiful card with a tri-fan setup and RGB accents all around.
It’s a few dollars more expensive than other 2080 Super cards but the aesthetics and performance make up for it. It has a slight OC right out of the box, plus headroom for more thanks to the triple fan.
Tech Specs
- 8GB GDDR6 Memory
- 1650 MHz Base Clock
- 1845 MHz Boost Clock
- 1 x HDMI 2.0b, 3 x DisplayPort 1.4, 1 x USB Type-C
Most people will probably think that an RTX 2080 Super is overkill for 1080p gaming, which is probably true in most scenarios, but there are AAA games out there where even the RTX 2080 Ti struggles to get high frame rates due to poor optimization.
The MSI RTX 2080 Super should be able to handle almost any game you throw at it at max settings and be able to run at a 144Hz refresh rate.
This provides you with one of the best gaming experiences out there.
FAQs
Can a GTX 1060 run 1080p 144Hz?
At this point, both GPUs are 4 years old and are now more of an entry-level budget card rather than the mid-range card that they used to be.
However, these GPUs are still good performers in 2022 as long as you are playing at 1080p.
Can a GTX 1080 run 144Hz?
What is the best GPU for 1080p/60FPS gaming?
However, it all comes down to two factors, what games are you going to be playing and what settings do you want to play them at.
These factors will determine whether you can use a low-end GTX 1050Ti or the top-of-the-line RTX 2080Ti.
If your main goal is to play eSports games at high settings, together with a few modern games on the side with the proper mix of settings, then the GTX 1650 or the GTX 1650 Super is a great card for you that won’t break the bank.
When it comes to AAA games, a good card is the RTX 2060 or its super variant. It should be able to max out most games at 1080p while still getting 60FPS.
If you can afford to go for the higher cards like the RTX 2070 or even the RTX 2080 and their variants, they will obviously offer better performance and can get you higher frame rates.
Conclusion
Quite frankly, there is no simple answer to the question “What GPU is the best graphics card for 1080p 144Hz Gaming?” since there are always going to be games that are poorly optimized.
At the end of the day, it will largely depend on the games you play. Most of the time the best option is to simply get the best GPU you can afford. Most GPUs are sturdy enough to last for years so getting an expensive one is, to be honest, a good investment that might save you money in the long run.
