Tempted to upgrade your monitor but don’t know if you should also upgrade your GPU? Then look no further! Here at Overclockers UK, we’ve designed this handy blog article to answer that very question.
We’ll be highlighting all the different reasons why you may want to upgrade both, along with our top GPU and monitor recommendations.
Do You Have to Upgrade Your GPU with Your Monitor?
A GPU upgrade isn’t always necessary when you purchase a new monitor, however you could be limiting both your display and gaming potential.
Whilst your new monitor may be capable of supporting high-quality resolutions such as 4K with accurate colours and fast refresh rates, your GPU might not be up to the task of supplying this. If it’s not, you aren’t going to be able to achieve those crisp, high-def visuals that you desire.
Alternatively, the same can be said of your monitor. The latest generation of graphics cards have been built utilising cutting-edge GPU architectures and features designed to enhance gameplay and visuals. However, if your monitor suffers from slow refresh rates or poor performance, you won’t be able to enjoy the silky-smooth gameplay that you long for.
That’s why, before you upgrade your monitor or GPU, we recommend you check their compatibility, especially if you are looking to achieve up to 4K resolutions.
What’s more, if photo-realistic visuals, lighting, and shadows are what you’re looking for, you may also want to consider pairing your GPU with a G-Sync or FreeSync compatible monitor, and vice versa. These exclusive display technologies have been designed to work in tandem with your chosen graphics card to deliver exceptional visuals and high-def colours with virtually no screen tearing.
Our Top Monitor and GPU Upgrades
If you are debating upgrading your monitor and GPU, we’ve included a few of our top recommendations down below.
Graphics Cards:
ASUS GeForce RTX 4080 Strix Gaming OC White 16GB GDDR6X Graphics Card:
- RTX 40 Series
- Ada Lovelace architecture
- 9728 CUDA cores
- 16GB GDDR6X video memory
Sapphire Radeon RX 7900 XT Gaming 20GB GDDR6 Graphics Card:
- RX 7000 Series
- RDNA 3 architecture
- DirectX 12 Support
- 20GB GDDR6 video memory
What’s more, if you’re tempted to upgrade to a brand-new graphics card, our dedicated NVIDIA and AMD articles include all the information you need. We’ve put together these complete breakdowns of the two latest GPU series, all the hardware you need to upgrade, and our top recommendations.
Monitors:
ASUS TUF Gaming VG279QL1A 27’’ Widescreen Gaming Monitor:
- 27” gaming monitor
- 1920 x 1080 display resolution
- IPS panel
- Up to 165Hz refresh rates
Samsung Odyssey G8 Curved Gaming Monitor:
- 32” gaming monitor
- 3840 x 2160 display resolution
- VA panel
- Up to 240Hz refresh rates
If you want to upgrade your monitor but are overwhelmed with by all the resolution, refresh, and panels options, take a look at our in-depth gaming monitor guide.
Have you recently upgraded your monitor and GPU? Be sure to let us know what you went for and why down below.
- 3 min read
Ruth Rowley
Author
Ruth has been with Overclockers UK for over a year and has gone on to write about everything ranging from in-depth hardware guides to monthly game releases.
Outside of writing blog posts, she can be found wrapped in a blanket with her black cat, engrossed in a book or playing life-simulation games such as The Sims, Stardew Valley, and Animal Crossing.
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