Think of a graphics card as a restaurant kitchen. The GPU model is the head chef and decides most of the result. Shader units are the line cooks, VRAM is counter space, and memory bandwidth is how fast ingredients arrive. Board power is the gas bill, and card length and slot width decide whether the kitchen fits your building. Start with the GPU model and VRAM, then check power and fit. Treat core counts and clocks as details and compare real game benchmarks.
The graphics chip on the card, such as RTX 5070 or RX 9070 XT. It sets most of the performance.
When it matters: Watch naming traps: one name can hide different chips or memory, like RTX 3060 8GB vs 12GB. Read the full name, including VRAM size and suffixes like Ti, Super or XT.
The company that built the card around the GPU chip, such as ASUS, MSI or Sapphire, or the chipmaker's own edition.
When it matters: Partner cards with the same GPU differ mainly in cooler size, noise, length, factory clocks and warranty. A higher price usually buys quieter cooling, not much extra speed.
Skip it if: Any partner model fits your case and you only care about the GPU itself.
The maker set clock speeds above the chipmaker's reference speeds out of the box.
When it matters: The gain is usually a few percent and rarely noticeable in games. It can add power draw and heat. A better cooler matters more than the overclock label.
Skip it if: Almost always. Compare coolers, noise and price instead.
The chip design generation, such as NVIDIA Blackwell or AMD RDNA 4. It decides which features the card supports.
When it matters: Newer architectures add features like frame generation, stronger ray tracing, AV1 encoding and newer display outputs. Rebranded cards keep the old architecture and its missing features under a new name.
The small processors that draw each frame, and the blocks that group them. NVIDIA says CUDA cores and SMs, AMD says stream processors and Compute Units.
When it matters: Only compare counts within one brand and generation. AMD and NVIDIA counts are not comparable one to one. Real game benchmarks beat any core count.
Skip it if: You are comparing cards across brands or generations. Use benchmarks instead.
How fast the chip runs, in MHz. Base is the guaranteed minimum, game clock is typical gaming speed, and boost is the rated peak.
When it matters: Only compare clocks between cards with the same GPU. Across brands or generations they predict nothing. Real clocks drop when the card runs hot, so cooling matters.
Skip it if: You are comparing different GPU models.
Hardware that traces light rays for realistic reflections, shadows and lighting. RT cores are the units that do this math.
When it matters: Ray tracing costs a lot of frame rate and usually needs upscaling. Some recent games require ray tracing hardware to run at all, which locks out GTX 16 series and older cards.
Units built for AI math. NVIDIA calls them Tensor cores. Games use them for AI upscaling and frame generation.
When it matters: They power DLSS, FSR 4 and the best XeSS mode, and speed up local AI tools. Counts across brands are not comparable, so check which upscaler the card supports.
Skip it if: You never use upscaling or run AI software.
The upscaler the card supports: DLSS (NVIDIA), FSR (AMD) or XeSS (Intel). The game renders at lower resolution and rebuilds a sharper image.
When it matters: Versions matter: DLSS multi frame generation needs RTX 50, FSR 4 needs RX 9000. Generated frames look smooth but add latency and work best from 50 to 60 real FPS.
Whether the card has a hardware encoder for AV1, a newer video format with better quality at the same file size.
When it matters: Matters for streaming and recording: the GPU encodes with little CPU load. Found on RTX 40 and 50, RX 7000 and 9000, and Intel Arc.
Skip it if: You never stream, record or export video.
The card's own memory, in GB. It holds textures and frame data while you play.
When it matters: Running out causes stutter, not just lower FPS. In 2026, 8GB is the 1080p floor, 12GB suits 1440p, and 16GB suits 4K or heavy ray tracing. Extra beyond need adds no speed.
The kind of video memory, such as GDDR6, GDDR6X or GDDR7. Newer types move more data per chip.
When it matters: Some models ship in two memory types with different speeds, like GTX 1650 GDDR5 vs GDDR6 or GT 1030 DDR4 vs GDDR5. Judge the card by benchmarks, not memory type.
Skip it if: The model has only one memory version.
How much data per second moves between the GPU and VRAM, in GB/s. It equals bus width (like 128-bit) times memory speed.
When it matters: More bandwidth helps at high resolution and in open-world games. Big on-chip caches make up for narrow buses, so compare only within similar designs. Bus width also fixes possible VRAM sizes.
Skip it if: You already compared real benchmarks.
Fast memory on the chip that keeps often-used data close to the GPU. AMD calls it Infinity Cache.
When it matters: A large cache lets a card with a narrow memory bus perform like one with more bandwidth. Its benefit shrinks at 4K, where more data misses the cache.
Skip it if: You compare cards by benchmarks.
How much power the whole card draws in games, in watts. Listings may call it TDP, TBP or TGP.
When it matters: Almost all of it becomes heat in your case and room. Brief spikes can exceed the rating, so size the power supply with headroom and choose a quality unit.
The power supply wattage the maker suggests for a typical system with this card.
When it matters: It is a rough guess that ignores your CPU and other parts. A quality unit with the right connectors matters more than hitting the exact number.
Skip it if: You have sized your PSU from your own parts list.
The power plugs the card needs from the PSU: none (slot powered), 8-pin PCIe, or the 16-pin 12V-2x6, formerly called 12VHPWR.
When it matters: Check the PSU has the right cables, not just enough watts. Push 16-pin plugs fully home and avoid sharp bends near the plug. Some cards need three separate 8-pin cables.
The PCI Express version the card uses to talk to the motherboard, such as PCIe 4.0 or 5.0.
When it matters: Cards work in older slots at the older speed. Full x16 cards lose little on PCIe 3.0, but x8 cards with 8GB can lose noticeably there when VRAM runs out.
Skip it if: Your motherboard supports the same PCIe generation or newer.
How many data lanes the card uses: x16, x8 or x4. Many budget cards use x8 or x4.
When it matters: On PCIe 4.0 or 5.0 boards it rarely matters. On older PCIe 3.0 boards, x8 and x4 cards lose performance, most when VRAM overflows into system memory.
Skip it if: Your motherboard supports PCIe 4.0 or newer.
Whether the card needs Resizable BAR, a setting that lets the CPU access all of the VRAM at once.
When it matters: Intel Arc cards lose a lot of performance without it. Most modern systems support it, but you may need to turn it on in BIOS. Very old platforms lack it.
Skip it if: Your platform is recent and the setting is on in BIOS.
How long the card is in millimeters, from the bracket to the far end.
When it matters: Length varies a lot between partner models of one GPU. Compare with your case's GPU clearance, and subtract room for any front radiator and fans.
How many expansion slots the card's thickness covers, such as 2, 2.5 or 3.
When it matters: Round up: a 2.7-slot card blocks three slots. Thick cards cover nearby slots and may not fit small cases. Heavy cards can sag and may need a support bracket.
Whether a half-height version or bracket exists for slim cases.
When it matters: Needed for slim office PCs and compact home theater builds. Low-profile cards are limited in power and cooling, so they stay at the entry level.
Skip it if: You have a standard tower case.
How the card sheds heat: open-air fans, a blower that exhausts out the back, or liquid cooling.
When it matters: Open-air cards run cooler and quieter but dump heat into the case, so case airflow matters. Blowers suit cramped cases but run louder. Liquid needs a radiator mount.
The fans stop fully when the card is cool, such as on the desktop or during video playback.
When it matters: Makes the PC silent at light load. The fans still spin up in games.
Skip it if: Your PC is already loud from other fans, or you only use it for gaming.
The DisplayPort standard and the number of DisplayPort outputs on the card.
When it matters: It sets the highest resolution and refresh your monitor can get. DP 1.4 needs DSC compression for the fastest 4K modes; DP 2.1 carries more. Match monitor, card and cable.
The HDMI standard and number of HDMI outputs, the port most TVs use.
When it matters: HDMI 2.1 is needed for 4K at 120Hz and variable refresh on TVs. HDMI 2.0 caps 4K at 60Hz. Count outputs if you run several screens.
Skip it if: You only use DisplayPort monitors.
The full list of video ports on the card and how many screens it can drive.
When it matters: Count the ports your monitors need. Plug monitors into the graphics card, not the motherboard, or you get the slower integrated graphics.
ECC (error-correcting code) memory fixes data errors in VRAM. Certified drivers are tested and approved by makers of professional software.
When it matters: They matter for long engineering, science or rendering jobs and for software that only supports certified cards. Neither adds gaming speed.
Skip it if: You game or do typical creative work.
For laptop GPUs, the power range the laptop maker can set, in watts. TGP means total graphics power.
When it matters: The same laptop GPU name can perform very differently at low and high power. Check the laptop's configured TGP, not just the GPU name.
Skip it if: You are buying a desktop card.