The i9-10900K is a few generations old now, but dont let that fool you.
It is still going strong and is a perfectly capable processor for running the latest titles in 4K.
But you need a perfectly capable graphics card to confirm you do not suffer any frame drops and stuttering.
For your ease, you will find the best GPU as per the resolution of your monitor.
So, lets jump right in to know which GPUs made it to our shortlist.
So, the GPUs that made the cut are the high-end units.
Sure, you could choose a different model of GPU for hundreds less.
But it will not give you the maximum possible performance.
The ASUS ROG Strix RTX 4090 is an absolute behemoth of a graphics card.
What you get with the huge heatsink is superb cooling.
We found that it did not cross 68 degrees while gaming at the highest options.
The memory temps were a little higher at 74 degrees but still within the safe limits.
The average noise was 40 decibels when using the quiet profile.
This is made possible by using the quiet BIOS that ASUS has included.
This means you still have headroom for overclocking.
It already comes with a 120 MHz higher clock speed, which is nice to start with.
But what about gaming?
The power you have is just unprecedented.
A few benchmarks reveal this.
Never once we got a game that dipped below 70 fps.
Mind you, this is with ultra parameters and Ray tracing enabled.
This is a card that you could use to truly drive a 4K 120 Hz monitor.
With the extra gaming muscle, you must have a decent power supply to back it up.
We found it consuming about 444 watts, even with the OC profile.
Lets now see what other features you could get.
All these mean RTX 4090 is not only great for gaming but also has good productivity chops.
That means video editing and AI-accelerated tasks will get a great boost if you use it for those tasks.
The ROG Strix RTX 4090 costs almost 200-300 dollars more than what Gigabyte or MSI offers you.
Heck, there is a TUF model that starts at 1600 dollars.
Weighing only 1862 grams, its almost 600 g lighter than the AORUS Master or the ROG Strix 4080.
But it is by no means a smaller GPU.
The dimensions are 33 by 14 by 6.7 centimeters.
But on our Cooler Master H500P case, there still was someclearance lefteven after installing it.
And it has a triple slot design, so keep that in mind too.
The included fans perform great, keeping the noise down to only 38 decibels.
This is noticeably quieter than the ASUS TUF or the Aorus Master.
Here the competition fares a little cooler by 5-7 degrees, but MSI does a decent job.
Coming to gaming, RTX 4080 is a great GPU, even for gaming in 4K.
For most third-party titles, you are looking at a solid 60 FPS with Ray Tracing enabled.
We tested the games at the highest graphical controls.
MSIs Trio X is power efficient too.
The shroud design is totally passable, with nothing over the top.
I personally liked the black metal plate, which looks great, and gels with most chassis.
RTX 4080 is a great card for gaming at 4K for less than the premiums of 4090.
Lets get over one thing first.
This is one large GPU.
It stands at 34 cm long, so fit may not be the same with all cases.
Okay, so how about its performance?
The strength of the 7900 XTX lies in pure rasterization performance.
If we are talking about synthetic benchmarks, expect this to perform somewhere between RTX 4080 and 4090.
But things are not great with Ray Tracing turned on.
Expect the frame rates to be 30-40% lower than what RTX 4080 can achieve.
AMD is still trailing with the ray tracing game.
This is higher than what we got with RTX 4080.
If we come to the thermals and temperatures, they are very good.
We got a maximum temperature of 59 degrees, while the sensors recorded a hotspot of 78 degrees.
This does not come with RGB, so this will be a perfect addition to no-RGB builds.
A great 4K capable card which can initiate the latest titles, costing under thousand dollars.
Typically, expect the prices to be under 700 dollars to get the most value out of it.
First, lets look at the dimensions.
It measures 26 by 13 by 5 centimeters.
So finally, a GPU in this list that can fit in most cases.
It comes with ametal backplatewhich is appreciable.
There are no fancy RGBs to talk about, but I liked the translucent shroud at the top.
Finally, some different designs were implemented by a manufacturer, so kudos to Asus.
As for performance, you are getting frame rates similar to an RTX 3080.
It does not surpass in all the titles but comes really close.
This GPU can do 4K, but 60 FPS is not always guaranteed.
But there is DLSS 3 to help you out in that case.
And it is lower on the temperatures too.
We measured an average of 60 degrees and a maximum hotspot temperature of 70 degrees.
As for the noise, you get only 38 decibels which to me is really quiet.
Unless you really get your ears close to the case, you will not hear the fans spin up.
To test this, we ran some demanding titles at the highest prefs possible without ray tracing.
This should reveal its true rasterization performance.
In our testing, none of the games dipped below 50 fps, even with the highest parameters.
Take Cyberpunk, for example; we got an average of 68 fps which is bloody good.
Even titles that are VRAM-dependent perform well due to the 12 GB of GDDR6 memory.
The Last of Us is a good example.
The same is true for newer titles that need more VRAM.
So, this is a perfect graphics card that will last you a good few years in the future.
Now coming to theGPUs temps, we recorded an average of 68 degrees while running Cyberpunk 2077.
This is quite taxing to run; the temps were still under acceptable limits.
I expected it to be a bit lower.
But considering 6750 XT is running with higher clocks, that makes sense.
As for the power draw, we recorded a 250 W draw.
Highly recommended by us.
So we chose a graphics card that is more than adequate to pump out the pixels at 1080p.
There are some key criteria that are crucial for a budget graphics card performance, efficiency, and cooling.
It not only meets them but surpasses our expectations.
Lets start with performance.
We tested the most demanding titles and cranked up the details to their highest available parameters.
Ray tracing and upscaling, such as FSR, were not enabled.
Cyberpunk 2077 yielded 50 FPS, while Red Dead Redemption 2 got us a smooth 58 FPS.
We did not encounter any frame drop during our testing.
I was surprised at how smoothly The Last of Us ran.
This has partly to do with bad optimizations in the game overall.
But still getting smooth gameplay in this title spoke highly in regard to RX 6600.
The fans werent loud, though, and we could measure a fan noise of only 29 decibels.
Whats even nicer is thatfans stop spinningcompletely when the GPU is not used.
The power draw was what blew me away.
While gaming, we measured a peak power of only 120 watts.
This is simply amazing, and the benefits of RDNA2 architecture are truly showing up here.
The only drawback we felt was the limited scope for overclocking.
This has to do with the power limit set by AMD.
you might tweak parameters here and there, but the gains are not substantial.
The Powercolor RX 6600 is simply the best affordable GPU it’s possible for you to buy now.
Rigorous testing follows that ensures you get the most value out of your hard-earned cash.
So what exactly do we look for when selecting a GPU?
First, we opt for resolution we want to target for a specific GPU.
After that, we shortlist GPUs that offer the best value.
Once we do that, we launch the titles at the targeted resolutions.
Details are set to the maximum to establish a baseline performance.
Next comes the thermal performance of each graphics card.
We measure the temperatures and fan speed.
The fan noise is also something that we look for.
A noisy fan on your graphics card is no good if it cannot keep your GPU cool.
Finally, we take into account the additional features that are bundled.
RGB support, OEM software, and overclocking potential are some things to look out for.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best GPU for Intel i9-10900K?
With performance not seen before, it is the perfect choice for you if you want the very best.
Is i9-10900K good with RTX 3080?
The i9-10900K is perfectly capable to push the most out of an RTX 3080.
How much power does the i9-10900K need?
Normally, the i9-10900K uses up to 200 watts at full load.
What is the maximum ram speed supported by the Intel i9 10900K?
Does the Intel i9-10900K support PCI-E 4.0?
No, the Intel i9-10900K supports PCI-E 3.0 with 16 lanes dedicated to the CPU.
