STOP! Don’t Buy a High-End Graphics Card

There are few things more exciting to a tech geek than the prospect of buying a high-end graphics card. They’re flashy, powerful and expensive.

They’re also pretty bad value for money.

I’m going to highlight some of the reasons why you should think twice before putting your hard-earned cash down for a top-tier high-end graphics card.

I’m not going to stop you, it’s your cash after all, but the rules have changed a bit in the last few months and consumers should be aware of it.

Peak GPU

In 2016 Nvidia launched the Pascal-powered 10-series and completely flipped the price-performance calculations for GPU buyers. The flagship 1080 model was such a huge generational leap that the entire way we have to think GPU price brackets has changed.

Mid-range 10-series cards were matching the previous generation’s $1000 flagship. If you’d bought a top tier card from the 9-series just before the 10-series release, I’d forgive you for feeling some serious buyer’s remorse and asking for a refund.

One of the effects of this is that for gamers who are all mostly playing on 1080p screens or less. In fact, according to Steam surveys over 90% of PC gamers are using 1080p monitors or lower.

The fact of the matter is that with the exception of a small number of titles, the 2016 generation fo mid-range cards are overkill for 1080p gaming. Which is probably the most intense thing the average person is going to use them for.

With the exception of specific GPGPU professional applications, most people will see no tangible performance benefit from games at common resolutions. Even at high-quality settings in the latest games.

Dollars per FPS

The further you move up the product range, the more