While 1080p is still the preferred resolution for gamers worldwide, 1440p gaming is seeing an uptick in users. The recent Steam hardware survey placed it at an 18.99% adoption rate, with a 2.97% increase in users from the previous month. It is an excellent middle-ground offering a more immersive and high-fidelity experience than 1080p while not requiring the most expensive hardware to run, like 4K.
Investing in a 1440p setup today is less expensive than just a few years ago. A day not long ago, most gamers would laugh at the thought of playing games in any other resolution apart from 1080p. This changed with the introduction of the Turing-based Nvidia 20-series, which made 1440p gaming an achievable task. However, cards like the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti came at a significant price premium, putting off potential gamers looking to enjoy gaming at smooth frame rates. Furthermore, features like Ray Tracing, released at the time, further impacted performance, making 1440p much less enjoyable. Four years later, the launch of the Nvidia RTX 4000 and AMD RX 7000 series finally saw the introduction of 1440p gaming into the midrange GPU segment. New technologies like Nvidia’s DLSS 3.0, which features AI-powered frame generation, have also made high FPS achievable in these mid-range cards.
So, which is the best GPU for 1440p 144Hz gaming? With the stiff competition between AMD and Nvidia (sorry, Intel), resulting in many options to choose from, it can be challenging to navigate the price ladder and select the proper GPU for your needs. My pick would be the RTX 4070, but depending on your preferences and budget, there are many great options. Therefore, we put together this handy guide to help you decide what’s best for your gaming needs.
GPU Requirements
The GPU is a core part of your gaming setup and is the decider for your favorite games. Graphics cards are also one of the most expensive parts of the build, taking the bulk of your budget and most of the available power. As a bare minimum, the card you chose must meet the minimum requirements for playing games at 1440p 144Hz.
VRAM
A card’s video memory, or VRAM, is one of the most crucial factors affecting your ability to play games at 1440p 144Hz. At higher resolutions, the capacity of the VRAM is a decider of whether or not your GPU can fit the data required to render the scene. So, graphics cards with a lower VRAM capacity will require quality settings to be turned down considerably to render a game in 1440p. AMD cards are well known for including a considerable amount of VRAM in their lower SKUs. Memory speed also plays an important role, so don’t get baited by manufacturers who use VRAM size as a marketing gimmick. A good example is the RTX 3070 with 8GB of VRAM, which performs better than the RTX 3060 with 12GB of VRAM, thanks to its faster GDDR6x memory.
Large open-world titles like Red Dead Redemption 2 can use the extra memory, so stick with cards that offer more VRAM at your budget if you’re planning on playing such titles. Remember that the memory configuration matters only if the game can use it. Therefore, cards like the GeForce RTX 3090 are an overkill GPU for 1440p 144Hz gaming unless you plan on playing open-world titles with settings like Ray Tracing cranked to Ultra.
Even a low-power graphics card with just 6GB of GDDR6 memory, like the Nvidia GeForce 1660 Super, will be able to handle games at 1440p 144Hz, provided you set the graphics down to low in the game settings. This is useful for gamers mainly looking to play FPS titles, and the higher resolution can provide a visibly better experience in PC gaming.
Clock Speed
The clock speed of a graphics card determines the rate at which it processes data and, in turn, your framerates. The clock speeds will help you choose a GPU’s performance compared to other options from the same family. You cannot compare the graphics card’s clocks between different companies or even between two cards of the same generation, mainly because of differences in architecture or the number of stream processors. We recommend comparing clocks between board partners like ASUS and Gigabyte for a particular GPU to determine which will provide the best value and performance.
A gaming GPU generally features two types of clock speeds. The base clock is the minimum speed at which your graphics card will run on idle. The boost clock is the highest-rated speed of your graphics card, though if the cooling system is good enough, the card can easily surpass the limit. Many gamers tend to overclock to get the best performance by forcing their GPUs to run at speeds higher than the boost clock. Overclocking a card usually requires extensive knowledge of clocks, voltages, and fan speeds, so it’s generally better to go with custom graphics cards that offer factory overclocking.
Additional Requirements that are easy to miss
Playing the latest games at 1440p 144Hz is not as easy as plugging in Nvidia or AMD’s latest GPU into your gaming rig. Achieving a high framerate of 144Hz requires a system capable of delivering the gaming performance that supports the graphics card. If it all sounds confusing to you, we recommend you go through these factors and compare them with your current system and see what you need to upgrade before buying a graphics card gaming at 1440p 144Hz:
CPU
The CPU is the biggest bottleneck to your PC’s gaming performance. A weak processor will significantly throttle your GPU, causing the framerate to drop and miss your target of 144Hz. While the CPU’s importance decreases as you increase your resolution, mainly due to the graphics card taking up most of the load, using a processor with a higher clock speed is still recommended for the best performance gains.
Games like Civilization 6, GTA 5, and Assassin’s Creed: Origins are heavily dependent on the CPU, and we recommend going with at least an 8-core processor to run them at 1440p 144Hz. Furthermore, AMD Radeon RX 6000 graphics cards enable a supported Ryzen processor to use Smart Access Technology to improve the frames per second.
PSU
Most of the recently launched graphics cards have a pretty high power consumption. Even the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti has many custom models that use two 8-pin PCIe power connectors. Keep in mind that apart from the graphics card, the processor, memory, and other components will also need a bit of power, so make sure to check the recommended power supply from your graphics card’s manufacturer before you purchase it. If you’re willing to overclock the card for performance gains, we recommend using a higher-wattage power supply to give your card the highest possible overclocking headroom.
Monitor
Ultimately, the gaming experience you perceive will all boil down to the quality of your gaming monitor. A bad 1440p display will typically offer a low-quality TN panel that will produce washed-out colors and awful viewing angles, ultimately ruining your overall experience. We highly recommend looking at some quality gaming PC screens if you’re willing to spend the big bucks behind powerful internals.
The GPU you choose will ultimately make or break your gaming experience. While the more expensive graphics cards will be able to run most games at 144 Hz on Ultra, the lower-end options will require considerable tweaking to ensure your monitor is pushed to its maximum. Besides, having a lower framerate than 144Hz will cause screen tearing issues unless you use technologies like Nvidia’s G-Sync, which will require a certified monitor. For further recommendations on tech like PCs and Smartphones, bookmark our homepage and visit our site at any time.
