Best AMD Graphics Card for Gaming

For years, AMD has pushed the boundaries of hardware innovation, providing us with high-end gaming tech. Their CPUs and GPUs have become the industry gold standard. The bar was set very high which lets us enjoy every single moment of our gaming experience.

AMD is one of the biggest names in the gaming industry, and for a good reason.🥇

Though AMD is traditionally known for their high-performance CPUs, their graphics cards do not fall far behind. Following the development of the gaming industry, AMD makes their products able to run new games as smoothly as perfectly. However, make sure to pick up one of the best gaming CPUs so your GPU could be used up to its full potential.

If you’re set on buying an AMD graphics card, this article is for you. We’ve reviewed nearly every popular AMD gaming graphics card on the market today and narrowed the choice for you:

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Pros & Cons

• Faster than the GTX 1070, which is the main competitor to the RX Vega 56
• 8GB of HBM 2 memory

• 210W power draw is considered a bit too high by some people
• Higher heat output than expected

Specifications:

• 3584 stream processors
• 224 texture mapping units
• 8GB of HBM2 memory
• 1156 MHz (Boosted 1471MHz)
• 2x 8-pin power connectors
• 210 W power draw

AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 Review

Taking into consideration both price and performance factors, we have selected the RX Vega 56 as an overall best graphics card for gaming manufactured by AMD. This GPU will probably satisfy all of your gaming needs without taking too much money out of your wallet. Radeon RX Vega graphics cards are built to deliver exhilarating performance in the newest DirectX 12 and Vulkan games.

To help you understand why this GPU is our best choice, we will put some time into explaining the new Radeon technologies that this graphics card features. The new VR Ready Premium solutions that this card is equipped with meets, or even exceeds the Oculus Rift or the HTC Vive specs for graphics cards.

Alongside the amazing VR experience this GPU delivers, it also comes with the Radeon FreeSync technology. This was Radeon’s solution for the communication issues between the processor and the monitor, which eliminated choppy gameplay and broken frames, bringing us perfectly smooth gameplay.

With dual-slot cooling and the newest Radeon Chill technology that comes with this GPU, Vega 56 can now dynamically regulate the framerate based on your in-game movements, saving even more power, while delivering the same gaming experience.

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Pros & Cons

• 1440p performance
• Follow up even on 4K resolutions
• A great package of software features developed by AMD

• Cooling fans do not stop in idle
• 295W power draw price

Specifications:

• 4096 stream processors
• 224 texture mapping units
• 8GB of HBM2 memory
• 1247 MHz (Boosted 1546MHz)
• 2x 8-pin power connectors
• 295 W power draw

AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 Review

While the RX Vega 56 comes at a lower price than this one, the RX Vega 64 is without a doubt the best AMD graphics card when it comes to performance. If you’re in the position to spend a little more money for your AMD GPU then this card is the right choice for you. Even though the architecture of these two graphics cards is almost the same, you could consider the 64. The older, much cooler brother.

We already explained the best features that an RX Vega graphics card can bring to you with the 56 version. Now just picture these same features, only with their full potential unlocked, as RX Vega 64 goes with everything this architecture has to offer, while 56 was deliberately weakened by AMD.

While 56 was designed to win the battle against Nvidia’s 1070 cards, 64 was meant to take on the best 1080 Ti cards.

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Pros & Cons

• Much faster than the older Radeon RX 480
• Provides a great 1080p gaming experience, a good 1440p performance, as well as a solid VR gameplay
• It’s worth noting that Sapphire’s Nitro+ customizations look and work really great

• This graphics card has a higher power consumption under load than RX 480
• Lags far behind its competitor, the GTX 1060, in power efficiency

Specifications:

• 2304 stream processors
• 144 texture mapping units
• 8GB of GDDR5 memory
• 1257 MHz (Boosted 1340MHz)
• 1x 8-pin power connectors
• 185 W power draw

XFX Radeon RX 580 GTS Review

While the newly introduced Vega architecture stole the show in 2017, AMD also released updates in the Polaris architecture the same year. Coming from Radeon’s RX 500 series, the RX 580 takes the fight up to Nvidia’s GTX 1060 series. If you’re looking for a mid-range AMD graphics card for your gaming rig, then this might just be the perfect fit for you.

The XFX RX 580 graphics card features the latest Polaris architecture which includes the 4th Gen GCN graphics cores, a brand new display engine, and new multimedia cores. Coming at a market price of only $259, this GPU is one of the best graphics cards under $300.

The XFX Double Dissipation Cooling Technology gives this graphics card an optimal cooling solution, providing great performance. Radeon RX GTS GPUs come with AMD’s Liquid VR technology, delivering a virtually stutter-free, low latency experience, essential for remarkable Virtual Reality environments.

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Pros & Cons

• Sapphire’s designers have made this one look like a tank, giving us the looks AND the performance
• If you don’t put too much load on this graphics card, you won’t even be able to hear it work
• This GPU delivers a great ultra-high-resolution gaming experience

• You can’t overclock this one, as it comes with a stock clock at 1050MHz
• Fitting all of these features into this graphics card required making it massive

Specifications:

• 2048 stream processors
• 128 texture mapping units
• 4GB of GDDR5 memory
• 1168 MHz (1244 MHz Boosted)
• 2x 8-pin AUX power connectors
• 150 W power draw

Radeon Nitro+ RX 580 Review

Going back through time to 2016, we give you Sapphire’s version of the Radeon Nitro+ RX 580. This graphics card is built around the default Nitro+ configuration, but Sapphire has configured many things, from design to clock speeds, to make this one of the best gaming GPUs under $200.

The Radeon Nitro+ RX 580 comes packed with a number of interesting features from AMD, like the AMD FreeSync technology and the AMD LiquidVR technology. This graphics card was one of the first to introduce us to High Bandwidth Memory, making it one of the first in the next generation of graphics cards.

With this GPU, Sapphire went for a design that is quiet and cool, with a stock overclock to deliver the best possible gaming experience.

We have previously explained both AMD FreeSync and AMD LiquidVR and what these technologies can do for you and your gaming requirements, so now you probably know how much can Radeon Nitro+ RX 580 do for you. Besides these, this GPU also brings you AMD Eyefinity technology, AMD Crossfire, and AMD TrueAudio, to make your games sound as good as they look.

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Pros & Cons

• Completely smooth and satisfying 1080p gaming performance
• DirectCU heatsink maintains GPU temperatures quite well
• Wing-Blade designed fans have made this graphics card dust resistant

• Same architecture as the previous generation
• Dual-DVI on this model feels outdated

Specifications:

• 2048 stream processors
• 128 texture mapping units
• 4GB of GDDR5 memory
• 1206 MHz (1300 MHz Boosted)
• 150 W power draw

ASUS ROG Strix Radeon RX 570 Review

In a dire need for improvement after the RX 470, AMD has released the RX 570 to keep up with the competition. ASUS has meddled with this one a bit, bringing us the powerful ASUS ROG Strix Radeon RX 570. Not feeling like spending too much? Not a problem. This graphics card is one of the best GPU options under $150.

Coming with ASUS Aura Sync RGB technology, the ROG Strix RX 570 provides quite a colorful gaming experience. ASUS has managed to improve the cooling of this graphics card by 30% by equipping it with its DirectCU II technology, utilizing direct-GPU contact heat pipes. The patented Wing-Blade designed fans provide an outstanding air flow, operating up to 3x quieter than some older cards.

It’s worth noting that this card features the ASUS Fan Connect II technology. This proves optimal system cooling by letting you connect a hybrid-controlled header that can be connected to both PWM and DC system fans. As for software support, the GPU Tweak II can help you if you want to control the connected fans or if you want to test the limits of your graphics card by overclocking it.

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Pros & Cons

• Ideally built for a flawless 1080p gaming experience
• Faster than Radeon RX 580 and GeForce GTX 1060 6GB

• Unable to hold rated core clock rate in a closed case
• Some users find this card relatively noisy and hot

Specifications:

• 2048 stream processors
• 144 texture mapping units
• 8GB of GDDR5 memory
• 1469 MHz (1545 MHz Boosted)
• 185 W power draw

XFX Radeon RX 590 Fatboy Review

Are high-end graphics cards too much for your current budget even with GPU scaling? Stress not, because we present to you the XFX Radeon RX 590, a suitable GPU coming from AMD at a $280 launch price. Planning to take the fight to Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 1060 and $360 GTX 1070, AMD gives us the RX 590, delivering a much better price-performance ratio.

Equipped with everything a gamer might need for 1080p gaming, the RX 590 has proven to be the right choice for a mid-range gaming rig. XFX has packed this model with their True Clock technology, making this graphics card OC+ capable. Combining these two technologies, XFX lets you really squeeze out every last bit of performance out of your card.

AMD VR Ready Premium and AMD LiquidVR have already proven to deliver a breath-taking Virtual Reality experience. Pairing this GPU with a VR headset will let you enjoy every moment of the next-generation gaming experience. Radeon Chill technology utilizes your framerate to deliver the best possible gaming experience at a lower power cost, lowering the card’s temperature and extending your GPU’s life.

Product Buying Guide: AMD Graphics Cards

Graphics card memory amount

If you’re planning on doing some serious 1080p gaming, then you should look for a 4GB graphics card. Just to make sure that your gaming experience satisfies your needs. You need extra memory if you love playing with turned up settings or additional texture packs. If you prefer gaming on ultra-high resolutions, such as 4K, then an 8GB graphics card is the right choice for you.

However, just make sure to pick up a great gaming monitor which can support the high-res your GPU creates.

Form factor

When building your gaming rig, make sure that you have enough room in your case for your graphics card. Pay attention to the card’s length, height, and thickness. Graphics cards come in various sizes, like half-height (slim), single-slot, dual-slot, or even triple-slot.

Most cards designed for gaming will be full-height dual-slot GPUs. Even though a card technically takes only one or two slots, pay attention to the size of the fans and the heatsink, as these could easily cover up an adjacent slot in your case.

Thermal design power (TDP)

Thermal design power or TDP is a measurement of heat dissipation, but it can also give you an estimated value of power draw from your Power Supply Unit (PSU). You need to be absolutely sure that your PSU will satisfy the needs of your graphics card.

Power connectors

A proper gaming GPU probably won’t be saturated with power using a simple PCIe connector. These cards will come equipped with additional 6-pin or 8-pin power connectors, sometimes only one, sometimes two, or maybe even a combination of one 6-pin and one 8-pin.

If your PSU doesn’t have the adequate power connectors, you might have to consider upgrading it or getting yourself an adapter which will let you draw power from a couple of SATA or Molex connectors.

Ports

Double-check your monitor’s ports before buying a graphics card, so you don’t end up in a need of buying an adapter. Display ports come in forms of HDMI, DisplayPort or DVI on some older monitors. Newer graphics cards all come equipped with both HDMI and DisplayPort ports. So, if you’re building a gaming rig, you probably already have a good 4K monitor with one of these (or both) ports.

While we’re on the subject, if you’re looking at all this without knowing anything about assembling a gaming rig, don’t worry. We can teach you how to build a gaming PC step by step in no time.

Frequently Asked Questions: AMD Graphics Cards

Have any other doubts? Worry not. We’re here to answer the most common question we hear related to AMD graphics cards. Take a look:

What makes AMD the right choice for a gaming GPU?

If you’re building a gaming rig that uses a great AMD processor, you are definitely looking to pair it up with an AMD graphics card, because the manufacturer went for a design that works best in a pair, bringing out the best in both components.

How much money can you afford to spend on your graphics card?

Whether you’re building a new gaming rig or simply upgrading one component, you probably have a price range. If you’re going for a high-end GPU that will satisfy your gaming needs for years, then pick your favorite from our best choices.

In case you need a mid-range graphics card, the budget picks could help you pick the right one. If you still haven’t found anything affordable, take a look at the best gaming GPU under $100 out there.

Which AMD graphics cards support 4K gaming and FreeSync technology?

If you have a passion for 4K gaming then you should pick one of the following graphics cards: AMD Radeon RX Vega 56, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64, XFX Radeon RX 580 GTS, Sapphire Radeon Nitro R9 Fury or the XFX Radeon RX 590 Fatboy.

AMD has given us a really outstanding gaming performance with the FreeSync technology, and if you choose any one of the cards that we reviewed here, you will be able to see for yourself what it’s all about.

Are AMD graphics cards compatible with Intel motherboards and CPUs?

The only thing your motherboard needs to have for an AMD graphics card is a 16-pin PCIe slot, letting you choose your favorite manufacturer when picking the best motherboard for your gaming rig.

Even though pairing up AMD’s graphics card and processor seems like the perfect choice if you’re going for an AMD GPU, your card will work with no problems if you prefer getting the best Intel processor out there. Make sure you get equally powerful GPU and CPU models if you want to avoid bottlenecking.

What is the best AMD graphics card for a gaming laptop and VR?

If you prefer gaming on the go and you’re going for a gaming laptop with an AMD graphics card, you should look for one of these: AMD Radeon RX 580X or the AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100.

Destination: future. If you’re a VR enthusiast, or simply enjoy a good Virtual Reality experience, you can choose any one of the GPUs reviewed in this article. AMD’s VR Premium technology will satisfy your needs, while those equipped with the LiquidVR technology will make your blood race when you put on the VR headset.