An Ultimate Guide To Help You Buy The Best Graphics Card For I7 10700k

Published On: January 8, 2021 By Syed Fahim Anwer

What is the best graphics card for an i7 10700k?

There are many factors to consider when choosing a graphics card. The first thing you should look at is your budget and check out some of our top picks in that range.

If you have a higher budget, we recommend checking out the ZOTAC Gaming GeForce RTX 2080 Super. These cards will provide excellent performance while gaming or using CAD software programs like AutoCAD or Solidworks.

So you have opted to get the newly launched Intel Core i7 10700K Processor they have done a fantastic job of optimizing the thermal, power consumption and overclocking headroom of the 10700K even if it is on an old 14nm method.

We also have to worry about what GPU to pair it with, besides the normal CPU cooler debate and other components for the construction, and that's more complicated than you think.

We need to carefully consider what you will be using your device for if you have a small budget and want to get the best GPU for you. Would you like a game exclusively on your PC? If yes, what resolutions and amounts of refreshment?

Do you want to create productivity by tearing through 3D modeling applications or programming software? Or do you like VR and want to try it maybe?

During this post, we are trying to answer all these questions in which we will evaluate and suggest 6 Best Graphics Card for i7 10700k.

Intel processors of the ninth generation are probably the best choice to consider for your 2020 builds. Both of these processors are the best to find since they have a budget-friendly price and deliver better efficiency than the last generation.

The Intel Core i7 9700K is an outstanding performance, and we did not see this gaming and productivity strength in any Intel mainstream processor before this processor.

If you have upgraded your PC recently or designed a new one, you will need a good graphics card that does not bottleneck this processor and we have made a list of the best i7 9700k graphics cards.

The Intel Core i7-10700K, launched in 2020, is Intel's high-end consumer and gaming CPU. An LGA 1200 socket, has 8 cores with 16 threads, has 16 MB of cache memory, and 16 PCIe lanes. The Intel Core i7-10700K is designed to compete with the 3800XT AMD Ryzen 7.

You'd better get a high-end GPU for it in order to make use of the i7-10700K. Looking for the Intel Core i7-10700K Recommended GPU? The new GPU has been checked and evaluated, and the top-recommended ones for the Intel Core i7-10700K are below:

List of the best graphics card for i7 10700k:

If you like sitting back occasionally and spending some quality time with your other gamer buddies then this is for you.


Read Our Review
4.8

8 GB of GDDR6 RAM, enabling it to stretch its legs for an impressive performance at both 1080p and 1440p.


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4.4

The Gigabyte Windforce OC is an aftermarket variant of the RTX 2070 Super with great value.


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4.8

The RX 5600 XT has the best price to performance ratio, much cheaper than the GTX 1660 Super, but offers the same performance in sports.


Read Our Review
4.5

This card gives solid shader efficiency, and if you like, you get to play around with RTX/DLSS for a bit of fun and giggles.


Read Our Review
4.2

The card is NVIDIA's newest market flagship graphics card and is equipped with the TU102 GPU.


Read Our Review
4.5

1. Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1660 Super Gaming : Review

Features
  • 6GB 192-bit GDDR6
  • Intuitive controls with AORUS engine
  • Pci Express 3.0 x16
  • 1 x HDMI, 3 x DisplayPort
  • Windforce 3x cooling system with alternate spinning fans

Do you use your home setup, in addition to your job, to work extra on various hobbies or as a secondary workstation?

Do you like sitting back occasionally and spending some quality time with your other gamer buddies or getting a kid you want to entertain once you finish your job? This is the category for you then!

The solution to this classification is very plain. Obviously, you don't need a GPU-grade enthusiast that will just take a lot of money out of your pocket and make your machine unnecessarily hungry for fuel.

You just need to pay for the efficiency you are going to use. It would make sense at first to suggest a good value GPU from the low/mid-range market that would take our minds to something like an RX 580 8 GB that has both the power to offer good FPS in games at 1080p resolutions and is cheap at around $150-180.

However, the thing is that most people who choose to use their system as a workstation would most likely use a 1440p or higher monitor, like graphic designers or just people who enjoy entertainment such as movies.

The RX 580 is not a good match for that resolution, because in many games you might want to play, it will feel very sluggish.

This is why we chose a different graphics card, one that even at 1440p, is a decent performer and still comes with a very good value.

The launch of the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super, which is a fantastic purchase at around $230. 6 GB of GDDR6 memory comes with this efficient Turing card.

The decent 1080p performer at any refresh rate and capable in most games of driving a 1440p display.

By exploiting the CUDA capabilities of the graphics card, software such as Adobe Suite, 3DS Max, Maya, and other similar productivity applications will make use of the GPU.

Thus, part of the load that the Processor alone can previously manage can be moved to the CUDA cores, and the CPU & GPU can work together and more responsively in this way.

With regard to which particular card to purchase, with most GTX 1660 Super implementations, you can't really go wrong.

GPU SeriesRecommended Aftermarket CardDesignPrice
GTX 1660 SuperASUS TUF Gaming OCASUS 1660 Super TUF$229
GTX 1660 SuperMSI Ventus XS OCMSI GTX 1660 Super Ventus XS OC$239
GTX 1660 SuperGigabyte Gaming OCGigabyte GTX 1660 Super Gaming OC$249
Pros

  • Low temperatures

  • Overclocked out of the box

  • Backplate included

  • Efficient operation

  • Cool and quiet operation
Cons

  • Backplate not metal

    • No Ray Tracing support

      • Minimalist RGB lighting

2. MSI Gaming Radeon Rx 5700 XT : Review

Features
  • Video Memory: 8GB GDDR6
  • Chipset Radeon: RX 5700 XT
  • Boost Clock: 1980 MHz
  • Memory Interface 256-bit

This one is famous as well as the previous group. There are many consumers out there who can work or have jobs from home that allow them to have gaming time on a daily basis. I know that because I'm one of them myself!

The GPU of choice for such a person really depends on the performance levels he expects, but if you expect smooth performance in a large number of current games, we have a good recommendation for you.

We don't know what you play, but we know for sure that you're going to love the graphics card for these categories.

Both AMD Radeon RX 5700-series cards are based on the GPU and are manufactured on the 7nm FinFET process of TSMC and consist of 10.3 billion transistors, with a meager 251 mm2 of these chips.

In AMD's NAVI lineup, the AMD Radeon 5700XT is the top edition. AMD verified that a completely enabled version of the Navi GPU is used by the Radeon RX 5700 XT; no part of the chip is switched off in order to increase yields or leave space for a more resource-rich model in the future.

It exposes 40 Compute Units of RDNA (the NAVI architecture name), each with 64 Stream processors, totaling 2560 ALUs across the processor.

Just as they did in the Graphics Core Next design of AMD, the CUs host four texture units, adding up to 160 in a full Navi GPU that has 64 ROPs.

The 5700XT is built to be a great 1440p performer enough with the tech talk; GTX 1660 Super and sports 8 GB of GDDR6 RAM, enabling it to stretch its legs for an impressive performance at both 1080p and 1440p

Does VR concern you? Have you been curious about this new technology and can't wait to try it out, but you're not a gamer really? All right, VR is certainly going to open up new worlds for your entertainment.

We claim 90 FPS because the majority of VR headsets suggest the recommended frame rate to keep you from feeling dizzy or nauseous.

Given this 90 FPS sweet spot, having a lower GPU than the RX 5700XT would restrict the games you can play.

For this RX 5700XT graphics card, some of the best implementations come from MSI and Sapphire. Sapphire's Pulse lineup, which is constructed with sufficient coolers, good factory OC, backplates, and general standard materials, are of great value; they are also very quiet.

Pros

  • Idle fan stop

  • Very low temperatures

  • Reasonably priced

  • Microsoft Xbox Game Pass for PC for three months included

  • Overclocked out of the box
Cons

  • Some efficiency lost

    • Power consumption increased

      • No hardware-accelerated raytracing

        • Memory overclocking limited by adjustment range

3. Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2070 Super Windforce OC : Review

Features
  • Nvidia turing architecture
  • Real-time ray tracing
  • Intuitive controls with AORUS engine
  • 8GB 256-Bit GDDR6
  • Wind force 3x cooling system

The owner of the workstation who may want to attempt Ray Tracing on the cheapest GPU that can do it decently.

Compared to the previously stated card, the Radeon RX 5700XT, the RTX 2070 Super is not a major leap forward.

It's only 5-10 percent quicker, but that counts a lot, particularly if you have a 1440p monitor and try to squeeze those extra frames in order to remain above 144+ FPS. The GeForce RTX 2070 Super comes with 40 SMs (streaming multiprocessors).

Basically, at the expense of the RTX 2070, the 2070 Super is like a trimmed-down RTX 2080. 1770MHz is the RTX 2070 Super reference boost clock, which is higher than even the 1710MHz overclock 2070 Founders Version boost clock.

Combined with the additional four SMs, potentially, performance is up to 22% faster than the RTX 2070. Yet theory and real-world consequences are not always in agreement.

Since Super 2070 has the same memory bandwidth and configuration, the performance enhancement always ends up being close to 10 percent in operation, but that's still fantastic!

The good news is that without a rise in price, any additional performance relative to the RTX 2070 comes.

Of course, over the past nine months, RTX 2070 cards have gone on sale for as little as $450, but we'll probably see the Super cards selling at some point for less than the launch price.

And the launch of the Super 2070 also heralds the phase-out of the standard 2070. While Nvidia's RTX 2070 was comparable in performance to AMD's RX 5700XT but cost $100 more.

The RTX 2070 Super is 10 percent better than the 5700XT; it was a fast response to the great value that the 5700XT had at launch over the RTX 2070.

At 1080p & 1440p Ultra settings, you will be able to continuously play without any hassles. The i7 10700K with which we combine these GPUs is certainly capable of handling them.

The Gigabyte Windforce OC is an aftermarket variant of the RTX 2070 Super with great value. It sells and sports a triple fan style cooler at MSRP, which keeps the card cool during loading.

It is subtle but well laid out by the RGB used on it. The MSI RTX 2070 Super aims to overclock the factory more vigorously, and even though it only has two fans, the cooler performance and noise levels are on par with the previously stated Windforce OC card. The card is much better looks-wise overall.

Or you could be looking for a smaller RTX 2070 Super that can fit in a closer or more crowded situation.

This is where the Super MINI of the Zotac RTX 2070 comes in. It is perfect with its small form factor and it does not compromise efficiency for it.

Overall, with any of the RTX 2070 Supers, you usually can't go wrong, but we would recommend having one of the above and keeping away from the Founder's Edition version.

Also Check: Best Graphics Card for Ryzen 5 3600

Pros

  • Great 1440p and entry-level 4K gaming performance

  • Custom Windforce cooler is better than Nvidia's Founders Edition

  • RT and tensor cores for ray tracing, DLSS, and more
Cons

  • Plastic shroud and fans

    • Lacks fancy extra features

4. XFX RX 5600 XT THICC II PRO : Review

Features
  • Memory: 6GB GDDR6 @ 14Gbps
  • Ultimate 1080p gaming experience
  • XFX Thicc II dual fan cooling
  • AMD’s advanced 7nm technology

Due to its low price-to-performance ratio, the RX 5500 does not get into the eyes of budget gamers, so AMD launched the RX 5600 XT, which seems more powerful and of course, more budget-friendly.

The die used in this graphics card is called Navi 10 XLE, which provides a 1375 MHz base clock, has 2304 stream units, and comes with 14 GBPS GDDR6 VRAM.

This card becomes a direct GTX 1660 Super competitor with all these specifications but is much more power-efficient as it comes with a 150W TDP.

There are a few vendors for this graphics card, but because of the cooling solution and the price, the best one I would suggest is XFX when it comes to AMD GPUs.

Instead of the company releasing this card with a plain design, the XFX RX 5600 XT THICC II PRO does not come with RGB lights or premium looks.

There are two fans and a large heatsink that lets the card run at a minimum temperature and provides you with some overclocking space.

In addition to all these items, there is also a backplate that helps to cool this GPU better and to preserve aesthetics.

The entire body, including this card's shroud and backplate, is colored in black and looks eye-catching when mounted in an RGB style.

The RX 5600 XT has the best price to performance ratio, much cheaper than the GTX 1660 Super, but offers the same performance in sports.

This graphics card can be considered if you are looking for an alternative to Nvidia non-RTX Turing graphics cards at a lower price.

Pros

  • Attractive, sleek design

  • Dual-BIOS switch

  • Very quiet

  • Idle fan stop feature for silent desktop use

  • Excellent 1080p gaming performance
Cons

  • No real-time ray tracing capabilities

    • Have to manually install critical performance-boosting BIOS

      • Not as fast as RTX 2060 or RX 5600 XT at similar prices

5. ZOTAC Gaming GeForce RTX 2080 Super : Review

Features
  • Memory: 8GB 256-bit GDDR6
  • Boost Clock: 1815 MHz
  • Ray Tracing Cores
  • Active Fan Control
  • 3 x DisplayPort 1.4, 1 x HDMI 2.0b

One of the RTX 2080 Super's great stuff is that it slots in at the same price as the replaced RTX 2080. If you're looking for that sort of output, the Super version is a good purchase.

Compared to the latter's 14 GB/s, the GeForce RTX 2080 Super is an improved RTX 2080 with 128 more CUDA cores, a greater base clock/boost clock, and a better, 15.5 GB/s memory.

The bandwidth of its memory is also up to 496 GB/s. This card gives solid shader efficiency, and if you like, you get to play around with RTX/DLSS for a bit of fun and giggles.

It's the second-best graphics card in a respectable way that manages Ray Tracing. Although we can still argue that DLSS and RTX are not yet adequately polished for consumer use.

You need to remember that hardware-based ray tracing, whether from NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel, is at a clipping point in the industry.

With a handful of games, you pay a price premium to be the early adopter to actually try it on.
But you can't blame NVIDIA for being a technology leader. In order to be quicker and cheaper, they refreshed the RTX 2080, and there's nothing wrong with that.

The efficiency figures of the RTX 2080 Super are fantastic! It's the first card we can easily name a 4K card in this list of categories.

Its quality is somewhere about 15 percent higher than that of the RTX 2070 Super and that's enough to propel it into the outstanding 4K performer it is.

For instance, you can play at 1440p and aim for 144 FPS with more detailed graphics.
Overall, it's a very nice card that appeals to high-end consumers who want outstanding results in gaming at a respectable price proposition.

In order to work as it should, the RTX 2080 Super is a very beefy card and therefore requires sufficient implementation.

Its architecture is very plain, but in the form of RGB, there are some bells and whistles around.

We then have the MSI Gaming X TRIO, which is a binned card with a high factory overclock and high overclocking capabilities, one of the best performing RTX 2080 Super in the entire lineup.

The cooler is fantastic and the card has a good aesthetic, through the roof, the RGB customization.

Pros

  • Large overclock out of the box

  • Faster than the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti

  • Runs cooler than GeForce RTX 2080 Founders Edition
Cons

  • High power consumption

    • Triple-slot cooler takes up more space

      • Very expensive

6. MSI GAMING X TRIO : Review

Features
  • Video Memory: 11GB GDDR6
  • Chipset: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti
  • Memory Interface: 352 bit
  • Support 4x Display Monitors

The budget is not a concern, and you don't really care about the value. You just care about getting all the performance that you can combine into a 2020 PC design. The RTX 2080Ti then is the card that will make your dreams come true.

The GeForce RTX 2080 Ti is NVIDIA's newest market flagship graphics card and is equipped with the TU102 GPU. 350 MHz base frequency for clock frequencies, with

Turbo allowance towards 1635 MHz; holding some margin in mind for the frequencies of the board partner clock.

Although that boost clock seems low compared to other Turing GPUs, it is possible to overclock 2 GHz.

For the masses, the RTX 2080Ti is not a card. It's not the card Nvidia sells the most, quite the opposite. But it's the dream of a gamer or workstation guru.

This enables you to play the most demanding games, particularly when paired with a capable CPU such as the Intel Core i7 10700K, at smooth frame rates.

It is essentially the pinnacle of the performance of the consumer GPU and would not care about any game you throw at it, regardless of graphics settings and resolutions.

That is because game studios optimize their games to provide optimum performance on each generation's best GPU, and in this case, the GeForce RTX 2080Ti.

Workstation users would be pleased to use the full capabilities of the 4352 CUDA cores along with their whopping 576 Tensor cores to improve machine learning tasks.

In order to benefit from the acceleration features of this GPU, several applications from Adobe, 3Ds Max or Autodesk are upgrading their software tree.

It has a cooler design similar to the one on the RTX 2080 Super, but it has a thicker heat sink to handle the heat from the 300W and higher power consumption.

Overall, nothing exciting, but the implementation of Gigabyte has good value and definitely performs well.

Next up, we have the MSI Gaming X TRIO, one of the best performing RTX 2080Tis out there. It's a favorite of ours, as we also use it in many of our buildings.

You get a stellar cooler and heat stink mix, along with a durable triple fan RGB led build, for the price increase of just $10 over the previous card.

The card comes from the factory heavily overclocked, but it does not consume any more power than other RTX 2080Tis; this means it is well binned and can overclock even more.

Our last option in this list is the implementation of Aorus Xtreme by Gigabyte (again). This card is Gigabyte's top-end product and comes with a cooler, futuristic style.

Pros

  • Allows for decent manual overclock

  • Fastest graphics card

  • Arrives with USB 3.1 Type-C port

  • 4K 120 Hz possible with lower settings

  • Outstanding performance out of the box
Cons

  • Only one HDMI 2.0 port

    • Only 6% faster than Founders Edition

      • Terrible high pricing

Conclusion

You don't really have to pair a high-end CPU like the i7 10700K with the most costly GPUs out there, as you can see. There are decisions that need to be taken on the basis of what your PC is going to be used for.

Think of how it would feel to have a car that boasts high horsepower as an analogy, but you can only drive it slowly in city traffic. Of course, it would sound amazing.

It'll look good as well. So you've just charged a lot more for something that has poor fuel consumption, and you're not going to use it to its fullest potential.

This is why trying to fit yourself into one of the upper categories is critical. What is it that you need from a GPU? Are you a User of Power? What are the games you play? Now or in the future, what resolution would you like to try?

Before deciding what graphics card to purchase, these are all questions that need answers. In determining what to pair your high-end Processor with, we hope that we have helped you leap ahead.

Also Check: Best GPU For Ryzen 9 3900x in 2021

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