These days, those cards include Nvidia's 'Ampere'-architecture GeForce RTX 3080 Founders Edition and the one-step-up GeForce RTX 3090 Founders Edition, ( right in the middle we have the RTX 3080 Ti Founders Edition), or one of the many custom-cooled and/or overclocked models based on these cards' GeForce RTX 3080 or RTX 3090 graphics processors (GPUs). 4K Gaming: High-End Cards and Dual-GPUĪt the moment, to deliver smooth frame rates at high settings at 4K resolution on a PC (that's 3,840 by 2,160 pixels, for the record) with the most-demanding games, you'll need to opt for one of the most powerful consumer-grade graphics cards available.

So the PC graphics card you buy matters-a lot. Running games at 4K resolution but dialing down the detail and effects settings in your games is working at cross-purposes. After all, if you're investing in a 4K monitor or a 4K TV for gaming, you want things to look as good as they can.

But really, if you want to play brand-new AAA games at 4K with the best visuals, you'll need a desktop PC equipped with a very powerful graphics card-especially if you want your in-game eye candy dialed all the way up.

Only the latest consoles-the Sony PlayStation 4 Pro, the Microsoft Xbox One X, the PlayStation 5, and the Xbox One Series X-will output games at 4K.

Best 4k graphics card for the price