Best Graphics Card for Streaming & Gaming

Your PC build needs a strong graphics card to handle the demands of gaming and streaming at the same time. 

However, before you choose an ultra-high-end GPU, there’s an important factor that you should consider. Twitch, the largest streaming platform in the world, can only stream games at up to 1080p and 60 frames per second (FPS). 

While you can still play at higher resolutions and framerates, your followers won’t be able to see the difference after that point. This may be good news for streamers working with a smaller budget. It means you can still deliver the best quality possible for your followers without using the most expensive cards. 

This list focuses on NVIDIA GeForce RTX cards rather than the AMD Radeon RX family due to the preference many streamers show for ray-tracing support. This NVIDIA-exclusive feature allows for more visual effects on screen. We’ll start with higher-end cards that fit your needs and work toward some with a more affordable price tag. 

GPU#1 Asus ROG STRIX GeForce RTX 4080 OC Edition 16GB Graphics Card

The top gaming and streaming card on our list is an absolute beast (in terms of power and price). Many reviewers regard it as one of the best cards built from the reference RTX 4080 that is currently available.  

It has a massive amount of memory (16GB) to support all the latest games and up to 4 displays simultaneously (helpful for tracking stats and researching on other monitors while streaming your games). Like the other RTX cards on this list, it supports NVIDIA Broadcast for AI-enhanced voice and video.

It uses NVIDIA’s studio drivers, which are better tested and released less often, to ensure that gamers streaming professionally are less affected by downtime. 

While this GPU is overkill for most streaming applications, all that extra power can give you years of future-proofing. Streamers with advanced video-editing capabilities will also appreciate how well this powerful card supports them while creating content. 

Shop the Asus ROG STRIX GeForce RTX 4080 OC Edition 16GB Graphics Card

GPU #2: Gigabyte AORUS GeForce RTX 4070 Ti MASTER 12GB Graphics Card

This streaming GPU launched in January 2023 and offers some savings over the 4080 with only a minor drop in specs and features. It is significantly stronger than the 3070 Ti of the previous generation, with many features streamers should enjoy.

For the price, you’ll get better shading and ray tracing than you will with cheaper cards, which can enhance the experience for fans and followers watching your stream. 

It comes out of the box overclocked and ready for some of the most demanding games available right now. Reviewers have praised the card for having some of the best price-to-performance ratios of the whole RTX 40 series. 

Shop the Gigabyte AORUS GeForce RTX 4070 Ti MASTER 12GB Graphics Card

GPU #3: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming OC 12GB Graphics Card

This powerhouse gaming and streaming GPU was first launched in January 2022 and remains a popular option due to its many strengths. The 12GB of memory that it launched with has given it a degree of futureproofing that will keep it viable for at least a few more years to come. 

Reviewers have complimented this card on its build quality, low noise level (helpful for streaming), and ability to achieve 3-digit framerates on many popular modern games. 

This card supports NVIDIA Broadcast, an application that can help transform your room into a home studio, with features like AI-driven noise and echo remover, eye contact detection, and automatic framing.    

Shop the Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming OC 12GB Graphics Card

GPU #4: MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ventus 3X 12GB OC Graphics Card

MSI advertises this card as “built for streaming.” It improves on the reference GeForce RTX 4070 by upping the number of fans to three and including a larger-than-normal heatsink. These features help it deliver cooler and quieter performance to achieve better performance and less noise from your PC on your stream.  

 It was released in April 2023 and comes with several utilities from both Nvidia and MSI that can make streaming easier to manage. MSI’s Afterburner makes overclocking as simple as moving a slider, and the card fully supports the NVIDIA Broadcast app that enhances voice and audio quality while streaming. 

Fans and reviewers have praised its performance, price point, and attractive look. 

Shop the MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ventus 3X 12GB OC Graphics Card

GPU #5: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4060 WINDFORCE OC 8GB Graphics Card

This modestly-priced GeForce RTX card is the best budget GPU on this list and a great starting option for streamers. It was designed from the ground up with streamers in mind. 

To support the latest modern games and streaming, it comes complete with NVIDIA DLSS 3 and full ray tracing support. These features allow you to stream games to your followers as they were meant to be seen, with exciting lighting and graphics effects. 

It features some of the newest streaming multiprocessors. To further support streamers, it comes with NVIDIA Studio. These drivers and tools help you with 3D rendering, video editing, graphic design, and other tasks you may need to provide content for your channel.

Shop the Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4060 WINDFORCE OC 8GB Graphics Card

Find The Best Streaming and Gaming GPUs

All of the cards you just learned about will be highly effective for streaming most games. While they are not the most powerful cards, they still offer high FPS and 1080p gaming performance. 

They are all from the NVIDIA family, so excellent ray-tracing performance is possible with every single one of them. You’ll enjoy NVIDIA’s powerful studio and encoding features while creating and broadcasting content for your channels. 

For the best streaming and gaming performance, you’ll need compatible components that won’t bottleneck these cards. Before you choose the best GPU for your gaming PC, ensure your CPU, motherboard, power supply, and RAM are ready to help your new card deliver great performance on stream. 

Start shopping for your next GPU for streaming and get started with your content journey today.