Some of the links on this page are affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on purchases made through them. Our content is not influenced by commissions.
If you have a PC built around a Ryzen 1700 or 1700x and you’re looking to buy a new GPU, we’re here to help. In this guide we will run you through what you need to consider in order to choose the most suitable GPU for your needs, and then offer some recommendations.
Things to Consider
In order to choose the most suitable graphics card for your specific needs, there are a few things you need to take into consideration:
- Games you play: Some games are more demanding that others, so they types of games you play will influence which card you should get. If you only play e-sports games like CS:GO and Overwatch (which aren’t very demanding), then you won’t need as powerful of a GPU than if you play highly demanding AAA games.
- Resolution: Your monitors resolution also influences which graphics card will best suit your needs. If you have a 1080p monitor, then a GPU like the RTX 2070 is a great choice, but for 1440p or 4K, you’re going to want something with a bit more power like the RTX 2080.
- Graphics settings: If you’re the type of person that likes to crank everything up to max settings, you’re going to want to invest in a more powerful card than if you’re happy playing on low-medium settings.
- G-Sync and FreeSync: Nvidia’s G-Sync and AMD’s FreeSync technologies sync the graphics card to the monitors refresh rate. This gives a much smoother gaming experience. It functions in a similar way to v-sync but without the input lag. It used to be the case that G-Sync only works with Nvidia GPUs and FreeSync only works with AMD GPUs. However, Nvidia GPUs can now make use of certain supported FreeSync monitors (and even some unsupported monitors). If you have one of these monitors, then there isn’t much in it when it comes to choosing between AMD and Nvidia. If you have a FreeSync monitor that is not supported by Nvidia, an AMD card would be a good choice. If you have a G-Sync monitor, you will definitely want to go with Nvidia.
- Future-proofing: Another thing you want to take into account is future-proofing. For example, if you currently have a 1080p 144hz monitor and like to play demanding AAA games, an RTX 2070 would be a good choice. However, if you plan on upgrading your monitor in the near future to 1440p 144hz, the RTX 2070 will start to struggle. In this case you would be better off buying something like an RTX 2080 so it will be able to handle your new monitor.
Best GPUs for AMD Ryzen 1700 or 1700x
Hopefully you have a good idea of what you want from your new graphics card, now let’s take a look at our recommendations and who they are most suitable for.
1. Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 (Best for E-Sports Games)
The GTX 1060 is the graphics card we recommend for pairing with a Ryzen 1700 or 1700x if the only games you play are e-sports or low-demand games. Although it’s a fairly old card now, it’s still capable of pushing well above 100FPS in games like CS:GO and Overwatch. If these are the only games you play, there isn’t much point in getting a more powerful card. However, you should consider that if you decide you want to play more demanding games, it will start to struggle to hit above 60FPS all the time.
2. AMD Radeon RX 580 (Best for E-Sports Games)
If you have a FreeSync monitor that doesn’t support Nvidia graphics cards, the RX 580 will perform similarly to the GTX 1060 but you will also be able to make use of FreeSync.
3. Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 (Best for 1080p 144hz)
If you have a 1080p 144hz monitor and like to play more demanding games, the RTX 2070 is a good option. It won’t be able to keep above 100FPS in all games, and it may even drop below 60FPS in some more demanding games, but most of the time you should have a frame rate close to 100FPS at 1080p. This is also a good card if you have a 1440p 60z monitor or you only play low demanding games on a 1440p 144hz monitor.
4. AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 (Best for 1080p 144hz)
The RX Vega 64 has similar performance to the RTX 2070, so if you have a FreeSync monitor this may be a better option for you if it doesn’t support Nvidia graphics cards for the FreeSync feature.
5. Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 (Best for 1440p 144hz)
If you have a 1440p 144hz monitor, you’re going to want something a bit more powerful than the RTX 2070 unless you only play very low demanding games. The RTX 2080 will be able to stay close to 100FPS or above in most games at 1440p, although you will still see dips down to around 60 FPS in very demanding games.
Last update on 2023-03-31 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Leave a Reply