If you have a 4K monitor for home entertainment, then there should be a quite beefy graphics card to cope with the screen. With some friends keep asking about the necessity for having graphics cards that support 4K, this coming content will explain the meanings from the definition of the graphics card to how to make full use of this component. Of course, you are also here for the answers where to find the best and cheapest 4K graphics card according to the budget. There is a selected list for you to choose the best graphics card for 4K gaming.

Part 1: What Is Graphics Card

If you have no idea about what a graphics card is, this section is ready for you to gear up with some basic background. In this way, you may get fresh thoughts about what are you going to buy. You must have heard of the word of pixels, which make up the monitor by dots. The screen can display millions of pixels if you are using a 4K resolution for playback. However, the screen itself is not able to deal with all of the pixels. Thus, it is necessary that the computer has to come up with a way to tell each pixel how to work properly so as to illustrate various images. As a result, the graphics card was born to solve this issue.

In general terms, the graphics card is one kind of computer hardware that renders the image to the monitor. Any picture you can watch from a screen is created the graphics card. It can take orders from your computer CPU in binary data and bring them out into something the monitor can comprehend. It could be a hard task to fully understand how the graphics card works due to the binary barrier. But it is easier to acquire if you consider the graphics card like a translator in between computers and monitors. The signal converting process happens on this small the graphics card in the case that the computer motherboard is not preinstalled with graphics capability. The graphics card can have a significant influence on image production if you are a gamer or have a job handling video editing. Specifically, everything will be more demanding whereas 4K content is involved.

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Part 2: How to Choose a Good Graphics Card

Tip 1. Check the monitor resolution and get the matching one.

In most houses, 1080p resolution monitors are easily found and lots of mainstream graphics cards are able to run 30-60 fps. However, a number of gamers think that their monitors need a higher resolution than 1080p. Sometimes, a high-end 4K graphics card is required if you change to a new 4K monitor.

Tip 2. Take the refresh rate into considerations.

If you only have a monitor that has a running limit of the maximum 60Hz, then it is meaningless to spend additional money on a robust 4K graphics card. Because even the cheapest graphics card for 4K monitor is working much faster than your original screen can catch up with. On another hand, a great monitor with triple-digit refresh rates deserves a strong 4K graphics card for PC.

Tip 3. Make sure enough space.

Read the information about your case to check if it provides adequate room for the graphics cards that support 4K. At the same time, the spare power supply should also work well.

Tip 4. Maybe you need to focus on the CPU expense.

Some friends only want to improve visual performance by the best graphics card for 4K gaming. It is actually not a good idea that the system could probably score lower than the simple numbers indicates. In other words, you may not be experiencing real smooth performance during the gameplay. The reason for that usually is the CPU frame rate restriction.

Tip 5. Dual graphics cards are not essentially necessary.

There are many computers supporting multi-card or CrossFire setups. They sound attempting especially for many gamers. However, those features are getting to the bottleneck. It is always secure to keep one affordable graphics card for a 4K monitor.

Tip 6. Do some homework and refer to the MSRP.

This is set for the most reasonable price if you are on a tight budget. Regardless of the cost on CPU or other computer components, keep a good habit to compare different 4K graphics cards and the price trends. The MSRP and launch price can be very decent references.

Tip 7. The overclocking operation is not reliable.

While seeking for the best graphics card for 4K gaming, there are quite plenty of commercials advising that the overclock feature has the ability to boost the whole performance. It is not true as the reality is that the CPU is what to easily overclock for better running performance instead of the best 4K graphics card.

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Part 3: Best and Cheapest 4K Graphics Cards for You

As most people are looking for the cheapest 4K graphics card for PC, we have picked up the best 5 graphics cards that support 4K in the market.

Nvidia GeForce GT 1030

Nvidia GeForce GT 1030 is one of the cheapest 4K graphics cards with the smoothest performance. You can get this one at the most reasonable price under 90 bucks. For users who are would like to watch common 4K video content on Youtube and others, this product can function well on all the general usage. It is equipped with HDMI 2.0 port that allows the playback at 60hz in 4K. You can enjoy the max resolution of 4096 X 2160. Built with 2GB GDDR5 64bit memory, this 4K graphics card for PC is capable of supporting HTML5 web browsing as well. However, the budget option might not be ideal for being the best graphics card for 4K gaming. To be specific, some 1080p games with high-end settings may have issues cooperating with this one. You could try some low intensive 1080p gaming whereas you don’t mind keeping just over 30 FPS. As a matter of fact, some light games will also get great displays.

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Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050

As one of the best cheap graphics cards that support 4K playback, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 enables you to watch Netflix in 4K. That means a minimum of 3GB memory is required to carry on the task. This graphics card for 4K monitor gives customs multiple options such as memory sizes, cooling options, manufacturer overlocks, and power choices to suit your system. So get the memory size of 3GB will ensure a more powerful operation when you order online. It contains new features with enhanced performance. The power usage is upgraded for better efficiency. The point that makes it on the list is the gaming feature that provides an extraordinary experience. It works excellently for modern games at a steady 60 FPS in 1080p. If you are a game person, the perfectly tuned image will set all the gamers into the in-game environment. The base clock does a good job in a fast reaction. Meanwhile, the boost clock is offered as 1569 MHz.

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ASUS GeForce GTX 1080 TI Turbo

This is a wonderful gaming graphics card which features in a single GPU. Its simple design offers an immersive performance. Lots of gaming PC owns RGB lights, however, ASUS GeForce GTX 1080 TI Turbo with VGA cooler by default is old-fashioned design, no gaming feel is provided from it. If you have a gaming pc without light and just has suitable hardware, there is no doubt that this graphics card is fit for you. And some cons are existed in it as it only has one fan with VGA cooler by default. That means when it is used frequently, it will get hot. But its enough power makes you play games on 4K effortlessly with no noise. You can pay $843.21 to get one.

ASUS ROG STRIX RTX 2070 SUPER Overclocked

This is a great graphics card in rich features and awesome video rendering. The highest overlock proves that some space is still existed in this card. Fantastic performance is given after opening the box, and it becomes a fierce beast once it is overlocked. That means outstanding performance can be achieved under the maximum visuals when you play games with 4K resolution. Concerning to the price, a lot of STRIX cards are expensive, but in contrast of the other GPUs in the market, RTX 2070 is at a quite good price $799.99.

ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1080 Ti AMP Extreme Core

ZOTAC products are designed for those who have a low budget in the current time, but the product quality won’t be influenced. Just because of the price and performance, it attracts a lot of gamers. The GPU is absolutely fit for you if you are the one who wants the affordable price. In this item, though a plastic cover is used, it still is multi-functional and elegant. From the top to bottom, the covered backplate heps to make the board more stabilized. ZOTAC also is occupied with the performance of next-generation VR and compatible with your headsets in plugging and playing. Apart from the outstanding performance, the price is also reasonable, so it is your best choice for your budget.

Part 4: Best 4K Player Software to Match Your 4K Graphics Card - Leawo Blu-ray Player

Alright, here you will have a bonus tip to sboost 4K experiences with your computers. Apart from 4K games, there are tons of popular 4K movies and media content to be the reason for buying the best 4K graphics card. Do you know that some Blu-ray players can play 4K movies? Well, this Blu-ray player software is my recommendation after getting the cheapest 4K graphics card.

Leawo Blu-ray Player has the capability of matching any graphics card for 4K monitors. It can be used as a professional 4K player program to playback 4K video in MKV, MP4. Its 4K display features the preservation of original image quality in order to give you a cinematic experience. As 4K technologies are well inbuilt with the program, all users are offered to adjust diverse playback controls while watching 4K movies. More than the high quality of pictures, this tool is also the key to making your home as a theater with various advanced audio decoding support like Dolby, TrueHD, DTS-HD, and more. Furthermore, all physical discs of Blu-rays are playable via this application. You can regard this multi-tasking program as a universal solution for almost every media data, including AVI, MPEG, WMV, ASF, FLV, MKV/MKA, QuickTime, MP4, OGM, RealMedia, DVR-MS, WTV, and so on. Have some encrypted Blu-ray or DVD discs? The versatile software is brilliant enough to give you a hand. Why not give it a try as it is free?

Part 5: Conclusion

Hopefully, you have some opinions about the best 4K graphics card for PC after reading this post. It is not difficult to find some cheapest 4K graphics cards online, but you need to be aware of what you desire to match your monitor. Feel free to take the shopping tips for graphics cards that support 4K above. To save time, either of the two picks from the best 4K graphics card list will make your money worth it. Better for all, the finest Leawo Blu-ray Player would bring you the chance to optimize 4K graphics cards.