Introduction
One of the more frustrating areas of building a PC is understanding what all of the different abbreviations mean. You might hear someone say GPU, CPU, PSU, and SSD, but what exactly do they all mean?
In our series of ‘What Is?’ articles, we seek to remove the complications and confusion that can come with building a gaming PC, and provide some insight on what each of your particular components do. Here we’ll be focussing on arguably the most important part of any PC build – the GPU. We’ll be taking a look at what a GPU is, and why you need one in your next gaming PC!
Suggested Article: Best GPUs to Buy in 2022!
What Does ‘GPU’ Stand For & What Do They Do?
GPU stands for ‘Graphics Processing Unit’ and is the standalone component responsible for processing images onto your computer screen. A GPU connects to your PC through the x16 slot on your motherboard, which allows it to interface with the CPU and your storage drives at incredible speeds for data transfer.
GPUs are quite unique in the sense that they have their own type of dedicated memory. This differs to the rest of your other components which leverage the system’s DRAM instead. Modern graphics cards also have their own shroud and cooling solutions built in as they are a component which can output a lot of heat.
In terms of gaming, a dedicated GPU will make your games run smoother and faster. Graphics cards have become much more powerful over time with higher clock speeds and a larger amount of graphical memory, allowing games to run at ever-better frame rates and visual settings. which makes running games at a higher framerate easier. A dedicated GPU will also allow you to run games at higher resolutions and better settings.
[adrotate banner=”7″]GPU Pricing
At this point, you’re probably thinking ‘these dedicated GPUs sound awesome, what’s the catch?’. The price. GPUs have always been the most pricey component in any build, something which was only exacerbated with supply chain issues, raw material shortages and unprecedented demand back in 2021. Thankfully the market has settled somewhat since then, with more cards now available, and selling at much more agreeable prices.
For most people, a GPU will make up around 30-40% of a builds overall budget. This means a $1000 build is likely going to need a GPU in the region of $300-$400, while a $2000 build can easily push up to the $700 mark or so for its GPU.
Nvidia VS AMD
The GPU market is currently dominated by two manufacturers that are the sole producers of graphics cards (otherwise known as a duopoly). These manufacturers are Nvidia and AMD. Both have been producing GPUs for a long time with Nvidia’s first card release dating back to 1995, labelled at the time the NV1 add-in card. Nvidia and AMD are in a constant hardware battle, with both manufacturers pushing out new technology for consumers to sink their teeth into.
But the question is, where do they stand in the gaming market? Well, if we take a look at the Steam Hardware Survey you’ll find that the majority of users have Nvidia GPUs, with the GTX 1060 (a 6 year old card) being the most popular GPU. AMD Radeon GPUs don’t make the top 10 in any capacity, reflecting Nvidia’s major dominance over the last 5 years. This is data that will lead some readers to make some early conclusions.
For the most part you would be right with your conclusions. Nvidia has been dominating the GPU sphere for a large amount of time, and AMD still lag behind on the whole. AMD are catching up, with their RX 6000 series GPUs bringing them closer to Nvidia than they have been in a very long time. AMD are never a brand to be counted out, and if their GPU resurgence is set to resemble anything near to their CPU resurgence, they are certainly worth watching.
[adrotate banner=”7″]Do You Need a GPU For Gaming in 2022?
Essentially, yes! Aside from certain APU use cases, if you are looking to play at 1080p, with strong visual settings and frame rates, a GPU is the only way to go. AAA titles are more demanding than ever, and it is important that the graphics side of your system has enough horsepower to perform here. If you are wondering which GPU is best, take a look at our handy table below which looks at the best GPUs for 1080p, 1440p and 4K gaming.
| Resolution | Settings | Recommended Nvidia GPU | Recommended AMD GPU |
| 1080p | Low | GTX 1650 and above | RX 6500XT and above |
| 1080p | Medium | RTX 3050 and above | RX 6600XT and above |
| 1080p | High | RTX 3060 and above | RX 6650XT and above |
| 1440p | Medium | RTX 3060Ti and above | RX 6700XT and above |
| 1440p | High | RTX 3070 and above | RX 6800XT ans above |
| 4K | High | RTX 3080 and above | RX 6900 and above |
| 4K | Ultra | RTX 3080Ti and above | RX 6900XT and above |
Our Top Recommended GPUs
Below we’ve picked our favourite GPUs to pick up in 2022. We believe both of these cards to be the best in terms of price to performance margins on the Nvidia and AMD side of the market.
Best Value Nvidia GPU – Nvidia RTX 3060Ti
Nvidia’s RTX 3060Ti is a GPU we’ve covered quite a few times because it is such an excellent card. You’re getting a card that performs incredibly well at both 1080P and 1440P resolutions, along with support for Ray Tracing and has legs in 4K. The price tag is extremely competitive, and as you can pick this card up at MSRP in 2022 its definitely worth having.
Buy the Nvidia RTX 3060Ti on:
Best Value AMD GPU – AMD RX 6650XT
On the AMD side, we have the recently released 6650XT. This card is a direct competitor to Nvidia’s more budget oriented card – the 3060. It sports better performance overall then the 3060 with you gaining more frames in most games. It is priced rather competitively with there being a slight jump with the better hardware. If you’re looking for an awesome mid-range GPU, then AMD’s 6650XT is a great bet overall.
Buy the AMD RX 6650XT on:
