Author: Jim Stephenson

Over the last few years, PC aesthetics have leveled up tremendously with the introduction of RGB lighting. RAMs and case fans were the first to don them. Now you have motherboards, PSUs, air cooling systems, and your graphics cards with RGB lighting. This was a good time to be an RGB enthusiast.

RGB lighting isn’t the only thing that was aesthetically pleasing to look at in a custom-built PC. Nowadays, custom GPU backplates are all the rave, especially when it comes to the higher end cards.

But is there more to a GPU backplate than just being beautiful to look at? Is a graphics card with a GPU backplate worth more than those without?

We’ll find out more in this article.

What Is a Backplate GPU?

A backplate is an accessory that covers the back of your graphics card. Your typical backplate is made up of either aluminum, stained steel, or acrylic.

While the primary purpose of GPU backplates is to make your graphics card look awesome, there’s also some functionality to it depending on the material. Most backplates are capable of preventing dust from getting into the GPU fans and other components. If the material is made of aluminum, then heat dissipation is an added benefit of using a GPU backplate.

But this heat dissipation benefit from GPU backplates is inconsequential at best, even though some of them might have larger contact areas or thermal pads acting as heat spreaders.

So the main appeal of a GPU backplate is its aesthetics. It also prevents your graphics card from sagging in the PCIe slot, especially if it’s a large GPU.

What Are The Benefits of Having GPU Backplates?

If you’re out shopping for a new graphics card to upgrade your PC, you’re probably going to wind up with a higher end GPU. Most of the high end graphics cards, and even the new budget ones, come equipped with their GPU backplate.

But what can GPU backplates provide you with apart from making your PC look good?

GPU Backplates Help Dissipate Heat

Heat dissipation features of GPU backplates are dependent on the material, albeit not as effective as your case fans or the GPU heatsink for that matter. A metal backplate is more likely to help with heat dissipation than a plastic GPU backplate.

Some GPU backplates come with thermal pads and large contact areas for heat reduction, but it’s not known as to whether it can significantly dissipate heat.

Improves GPU Durability

GPU sag is a common problem for PC builders and enthusiasts, especially for owners of larger-than-normal GPUs. GPU sag happens when a GPU is too heavy for the motherboard. Now, this isn’t an instant occurrence but rather it just happens gradually.

A GPU backplate actually prevents GPU sagging because it’s able to support a lot of its weight and components. But again, how much weight it can support depends on the construction of the GPU backplate. It goes without saying that metal backplates are stronger than plastic ones.

Helps Keep The Dust Away

GPU backplates prevent dust and other debris from getting into the graphics card, which may end up damaging your parts over time.

Dust particles and debris accumulate on the surface of the GPU backplate instead of inside your GPU components.

Makes your PC Look Pretty

Custom GPU backplates look just awesome. It adds a personalized touch to your PC build, which is one of the biggest things to have for gaming PC builders. It’s like adding custom vinyl to your car doors.

Larger graphics cards with larger GPU backplates have more room for customization than smaller graphics cards.

And yes, there are people out there that you can hire to customize your GPU backplates.

Is a GPU Backplate Worth It?

In terms of functionality, graphics cards can perform equally well with and without a backplate.

On the issue of GPU backplates and their cooling capabilities, it doesn’t provide any significant changes to the temperatures of the GPU. You’ll probably be better off with bigger case fans if you want to manage your GPU temperature better.

Can you remove the backplate of a graphics card? This is a logical question as some of the bigger GPUs like the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090. And the answer is: it’s not recommended. The GPU backplate is there for a reason. It acts as a counterbalance and stabilizer of sorts when you install the RTX 3090 in your motherboard, preventing GPU sagging.

Can you install a GPU backplate on a GPU that didn’t come with one?

The answer is YES, and there are no restrictions to installing a GPU backplate as well. But you might have a hard time finding a backplate that’s compatible with your graphics card.

One of the most popular video editing software in the industry right now is Adobe After Effects. Filmmakers and animators all over the world use this software for post-production.

If you’re planning on going into the video editing industry, then you’ve probably heard of this software and are fully aware of just how much computing power this software needs. And building this powerful video editing workstation is no mean feat.

Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 If Money Is Not An Issue, Get This Graphics Card!

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Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super Best Budget Option for Graphics Card

But you’re in luck. This article will go over what Adobe After Effects needs in terms of computer graphics, storage, processing power, and more.

What is Adobe After Effects?

Adobe After Effects is a 2.5D animation software used in the post-production phase of video editing. The software allows the user to add stunning visual effects, manipulate visuals, and even combine hundreds of layers of videos and images into one scene.

If you don’t believe me, well, movies such as Star Trek: Into the Darkness and Ender’s Game have gone through Adobe After Effects.

So it goes without saying that to guarantee the highest Adobe After Effects performance possible, you’ll need a powerful GPU. As it stands, Adobe After Effects workstations will benefit much from the latest Nvidia GeForce RTX 30-series and RTX 40-series GPUs for maximum performance. However, it’s worth mentioning that the difference in power and performance between these graphics cards is relativel small.

Adobe After Effects also introduced something called Multi Frame Rendering or MFR, which allows After Effects to maximize multi-core processors properly.

How Much VRAM Do You ACTUALLY Need For Affect Effects?

If your primary concern is how much memory you need for your projects, well we can assure you that higher-end GPUs don’t exactly guarantee higher raw performance in terms of running Adobe After Effects.

However, you should have enough VRAM for your projects. GPU rendering multiple frames will allow you to process more than one frame at a time, but it will consume a lot of VRAM. If your VRAM is not enough, it will be limited in terms of how many frames of multi-frame rendering is possible.

To put it simply, Adobe After Effects workstations should have enough VRAM for multi-frame rendering.

What Are The Best Graphics Cards For After Effects?

We’ve said that you’ll need enough VRAM to power through rendering multiple frames, so it goes without saying that you’ll probably want to go for Nvidia RTX 4080 16GB or Nvidia RTX 4090 24GB.

This benchmark from PugetBench will show you the performance difference between the premium GPUs and affordable ones.

From this benchmark, you can see the huge margin between the RTX 409024GB and the RTX 2080 Ti 11GB. This doesn’t mean that the RTX 2080Ti is a sub-standard GPU for Adobe After Effects either. The RTX 2080Ti is still well above After Effects’ minimum specifications.

The good news is that After Effects doesn’t necessarily require the use of multiple GPUs mostly because it doesn’t benefit from it. But other software like Octane and other 3D-rendering images do get better performance from running multiple GPUs.

If you’re only using After Effects for video editing, then you can make do with something like a GeForce GTX 1660 Super or AMD Radeon RX 5700XT as long as you don’t require the use of ray-tracing or DLSS.

What’s A Recommended Graphics Card for After Effects?

The benchmarking image above should give you a good idea on the best GPUs for After Effects. Anyone of the video cards on that benchmark is more than enough to power through After Effects and other video editing software.

But we’re going to point out three notable recommendations based on your needs just to help you make your decision.

Frequently Asked Questions About Adobe After Effects

Do You Need a Professional Graphics Card To Run Adobe After Effects?

Most users would recommend using Nvidia professional graphics cards, which was the Quadro series. However, this series is no longer being continued and is now under the RTX 3000-series GPUs.

Another reason why people invest in these professional GPUs is that they have professional certifications, which most commercial GPUs don’t have.

Which is Better for Adobe After Effects? AMD or Nvidia?

In line with the first paragraph, a lot of professionals would often recommend Nvidia more than AMD Radeon. However, it boils down to personal preference.

What’s the Best Processor for Adobe After Effects?

When building your After Effects workstations, you also need to pay attention to your CPU or processor. GPU acceleration is all the rave these days, but your choice of CPU will still play a huge role in terms of performance.

After Effects uses the CPU more than the GPU, so it’s kind of difficult to gauge its performance just by looking at clock speed and the number of cores that it has. The most important thing here is that your CPU can keep up with your GPU and vice versa. Otherwise, you’d just have a reoccurring bottleneck that throttles the slowest of the two components.

Most users would recommend either the Intel Core i7-13700K or the Intel Core i9 13900K, or the Ryzen 9 7950X. The performance gap between the three processors is negligible. For the most part, single-threading workloads are faster with these CPUs compared to AMD Threadripper PRO or the Intel Xeon W processors. However, users can attest to the sheer power of the Threadripper when it comes to multi-rendering.

How Much RAM Do I Need For Adobe After Effects?

The rule of thumb for a high performance workstation meant for video editing and 3D animation is that if you want higher resolution for projects, better color bit depth, and a higher number of frames you want to play at a continuous rate, then you’ll need more RAM.

RAM usage scales with framerate, so if you want to see your projects run at 60FPS, you’ll need twice the number of RAM. This means that for 60FPS, you need at least 128GB of RAM. Sure, the minimum specifications for Adobe After Effects doesn’t even need you to run 128GB of RAM, but you’ll still need enough RAM to run things smoothly.

What Kind of Storage Should I Use for Adobe After Effects?

Another overlooked concern in building out a workstation for video editing is the available hard disk space.

Right now, there are three types of storage drives that you’ll need to use for the workstation: an NVMe SSD, an SSD, and your traditional HDD.

SATA SSDs are faster than your traditional HDD but they’re more expensive. They’re usually the go-to drives for most users to host their operating system, applications, and media projects.

Meanwhile, the NVMe drives are faster than the SATA SSDs, but they’re also more expensive. However you barely notice the performance increase between a SATA and NVMe SSD.

What’s The Recommended Storage Configuration?

If you want an After Effects workstation where you won’t have to worry about available hard disk space, then you’ll need to follow a three-drive configuration using all of the storage devices.

1. NVMe SSD – You’ll want at least 1TB of NVMe SSD to store your applications, operating system, video games, and other programs.
2. SATA SSD – Host at least 2TB of SATA SSD for your project files, media cache, and so on.
3. Traditional Hard Drive (HDD) – This is where you’ll host your backups for project files, assets, and more. You won’t be accessing software or anything on here. Think of it as an offsite location to store the important files you are actively working on.

If you’re on the move a lot, you’ll want to have a couple of removable flash storage devices.

Final Thoughts

When everything’s said and done, your ideal After Effects workstation should look something like this:

• Intel Core i9 13900K
• Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080
• 128GB DDR4 or DDR5 RAM (the latter when available)
• 2TB NVMe SSD
• 2TB SATA SSD
• 4TB HDD

Your motherboard should also be able to host these components, but note that this will be a hefty investment.

If you opt for a laptop instead of personal computers, there are now gaming laptops on there that run the RTX 4000-series GPUs but they’re just as hefty.

Anyone working in the creative industry, from graphics design to 3d modeling and animation to visual effects, will know just how much processing power is required to carry out the related tasks in their fields. And yes, graphics design is more intensive than you’d like to think.

NVIDIA RTX A6000 – The Best GPU for Creative Professionals. PERIOD.

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EVGA GeForce RTX 3090 FTW3 Ultra – Best Value Graphics Card For Creative Professionals

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti – Best Starting GPU for Rendering and Modeling Hobbyists

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 – Second Best Value Pick For Professionals On A Budget

AMD Radeon Pro W6600 – Second Best Budget Graphics Card For Creative Professionals

It goes without saying that your workstation for these tasks should be as powerful as it can be. We’re talking about running the latest CPUs, RAMs, enough storage, and lastly, a very powerful graphics card.

But graphics cards aren’t exactly cheap especially if you want the ones that are meant for gaming, video editing, and more. Don’t worry because if you’re in the market for an upgrade, we’re here to point you to the right direction…

Some Points To Consider When Buying Graphics Cards for Running Rendering Software and More

Buying a graphics card for gaming is one thing, but buying a graphics card for GPU rendering is another.

Before we move on to the list, here are some points to consider when it comes to buying certain graphics cards.

Brands

It goes without saying that there are only two major GPU manufacturers in the world right now namely Nvidia and AMD. And it’s difficult to decide which one to go for.

AMD is known for their cost-efficient graphics cards with excellent price-to-performance ratio. Nvidia is known for GPU performance and power efficiency. AMD’s professional GPUs are under the Radeon PRO umbrella while Nvidia had Quatro. However, Quatro was dropped in 2021 and has now become RTX A series.

VRAM

VRAM or Video RAM is different from the system RAM that runs your workstation. But the function is all too similar. VRAM is responsible for storing data necessary for displaying graphics. Just like your system RAM, the higher your VRAM storage capacity, the better the GPU performance.

Cost

Cost definitely plays a role when it comes to getting your best graphics cards. Remember, your CPU and GPU comprise for more than half of your entire system’s budget because these are the parts that run the bulk of any rendering, design, or animation software.

Goes without saying too that you’ll probably spend upwards of about $500 to get any of the best graphics cards that you see on the list below, but trust us when we say that the sheer raw performance of these graphics cards is worth it.

The Best Graphics Cards For Rendering, Modeling, and Animation

What’s the best graphics card for rendering images or animation? Your future graphics card might be on this list

NVIDIA RTX A6000

The Best GPU for Creative Professionals. PERIOD.

Tech specs

1. CUDA Cores: 10752
2. Base Clock: 1410 MHz
3. Boost Clock: 1800 MHz
4. Memory: 48 GB GDDR6 (ECC)
5. Memory Clock Speed: 16 Gbps
6. Memory Bus: 384-bit
7. Max. Monitors Supported: 4
8. Power Consumption: 300 W

Why consider it?

• The best GPU in the market right now
• Almost double the GPU rendering performance compared to the Quadro RTX 8000
• Almost universal compatibility thanks to CUDA support for professional rendering applications
• 48GB VRAM. Enough said.
• Great rendering speed

Why avoid it?

• Almost breaches $5000 MSRP
• Has the same speed of GPU rendering compared to the RTX 3090

We’d like to think that our lists of hardware and software on our blog are not arranged in any particular order, but we’d be surmised to let the top spot be taken by any other graphics card.

Presenting the 2021 Nvidia RTX A6000, currently the reigning top-tier professional GPU for 3d rendering and modeling professionals. This graphics card is tuned and built exactly for those working with 3d modeling, animation, 3d rendering,, and other graphically-intensive projects.

The Nvidia RTX A6000 comes with different certified drivers meant for professional applications and is shipped with 10,752 CUDA cores and 84 RT cores, making this a monster graphics card. Let’s not forget that we’re getting 48GB of GDDR6 VRAM too. After all, the RTX A6000 comes from a long line of Nvidia Quadro GPUs, so it makes sense that this is the best graphics card in the market right now.

The only downside here is that it’s very expensive. For this kind of power, you’re paying close to $5,000 but with the same raw performance as the commercially available RTX 3090, which is one-third the price of the A6000!

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti

Best Budget Option For Novice and Seasoned Professionals

Tech Specs

1. CUDA Cores: 6144
2. Base Clock: 1575 MHz
3. Boost Clock: 1770 MHz
4. Memory: 8 GB GDDR6X
5. Memory Clock Speed: 19 Gbps
6. Memory Bus: 256-bit
7. Max. Monitors Supported: 4
8. Power Consumption: 290 W

Why consider it?

• Affordable
• Compatible with different professional rendering software thanks to CUDA support
• Availability is high due to variety of aftermarket cards
• Power-efficient graphics card
• Easily handles 4K resolution for gaming, video editing, and more

Why avoid it?

• Doesn’t have professional features and certifications
• Large-sized card

Performance doesn’t have to be expensive, but it also doesn’t have to be cheap either. The Nvidia RTX 3070Ti is right smack in the middle in terms of pricing maximum performance.

Now, if you’re looking for a budget friendly Nvidia graphics card, then the Nvidia RTX 3070Ti is a solid pick. This graphics card comes in with a relatively low price- tag of $800 MSRP, but heavily discounted in some major retailers like Amazon. If you want a budget-friendly gaming PC, then you might want to go for other GPUs.

The Nvidia RTX 3070Ti comes with 8GB GDDR6 VRAM, 6,144 CUDA cores and 46 RT cores, so managing rendering workloads is a walk in the park for this beast. It also has other nifty AI features such as real-time ray tracing and DLSS support. Unfortunately not a lot of features for professional dedicated rendering software.

Running three monitors won’t be a hassle too as the Nvidia RTX 3070Ti comes with three DisplayPort outputs and one HDMI output. With a 290W TDP, power efficiency is insanely good even for the Nvidia RTX 3070Ti.

As graphics card prices continues to drop, the Nvidia RTX 3070Ti will eventually become more accessible to anyone looking to purchase a new computer graphics card. If you want the best GPU for rendering but don’t want to shell out thousands of dollars, then the Nvidia RTX 3070Ti is a decent option.

EVGA GeForce RTX 3090 FTW3 Ultra

Best Value Graphics Card For Creative Professionals

Tech Specs

1. CUDA Cores: 10496
2. Base Clock: 1395 MHz
3. Boost Clock: 1800 MHz
4. Memory: 24 GB GDDR6X
5. Memory Clock Speed: 19.5 Gbps
6. Memory Bus: 384-bit
7. Max. Monitors Supported: 4
8. Power Consumption: 350 W

Why consider it?

• 10496 CUDA cores
• Easily competes with the A6000 above in terms of GPU rendering speeds
• High VRAM capacity
• Efficient cooling capacity even under heavy workloads

Why avoid it?

• Power consumption is insane
• Lacks professional certifications
• Large graphics card

Considered to be a multi-purpose powerhouse graphics card, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 makes it way to this list simply because it puts up a decent fight against the Nvidia A6000 and other Quadro GPUs.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 was intentionally built for gamers obsessed with running games at 4K resolution and 60FPS at ultra settings or higher even. But it doesn’t shy away from GPU rendering work and other tasks.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 is the best value GPU in the market, sitting at a price tag that’s 1/3 less than the Nvidia A6000 but just as powerful. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 is equipped with a 24GB VRAM and 10,496 CUDA cores, making it the second fastest graphics card on this list.

The only drawback here is that this is a massive graphics card. It’s a triple-slotted GPU so you’ll need a decent-sized case to house this bad boy.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

Best Starting GPU for Rendering and Modeling Hobbyists

Tech Specs

1. CUDA Cores: 4864
2. Base Clock: 1410 MHz
3. Boost Clock: 1665 MHz
4. Memory: 8 GB GDDR6
5. Memory Clock Speed: 14 Gbps
6. Memory Bus: 256-bit
7. Max. Monitors Supported: 4
8. Power Consumption: 200 W

Why buy it?

• Availability is not an issue with different aftermarket variants
• Affordable
• Low power consumption
• Quick GPU rendering speed
• Price-to-performance ratio is excellent

Why avoid it?

• Subpar GPU rendering compared to other cards on the list
• This is a dual slot Nvidia GPU
• Lacks professional features and certifications

If you’re just getting started as a professional in the 3d modeling and rendering space, then this graphics card is the perfect choice for you. Consider this as an entry-level sort of GPU, if you will.

The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is a decent alternative to all the other graphics cards on this list. This graphics card is packed with an 8GB GDDR6 VRAM and 4,864 CUDA cores for speedy GPU rendering. It’s about $200 less than the RTX 3070Ti, but still puts up a decent fight against it and other Nvidia models and AMD cards. It also has the same features such as ray tracing and DLSS support that both the RTX 3070 and RTX 3090 have.

Availability isn’t an issue because there are several aftermarket variants, from Zotac to MSI. If you want to build a 3D rendering workstation without breaking the bank, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is your best budget graphics card now (at least compared to the other cards on this list). Of course, if you can spend $200 more, then go for the RTX 3070.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050

Second Best Value Pick For Professionals On A Budget

Tech Specs

1. CUDA Cores: 2560
2. Base Clock: 1552 MHz
3. Boost Clock: 1777 MHz
4. Memory: 8 GB GDDR6
5. Memory Clock Speed: 14 Gbps
6. Memory Bus: 128-bit
7. Max. Monitors Supported: 4
8. Power Consumption: 130 W

Why buy it?

• The most affordable graphics card on this list
• Good GPU performance for its pricec
• CUDA compatibility that allows beginners to be familiar with running software for the rendering process
• Not a power hungry graphics card
• Ray tracing and DLSS support

Why avoid it?

• Lowest VRAM capacity, so expect slower rendering speeds
• Not suitable for complicated rendering tasks
• No professional certifications or features

3D rendering can be done on a workstation built on a tight budget, and we have the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 as the perfect graphics card for that.

Now, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 is the entry level graphics card amongst the other RTX GPUs so it’s nowhere near as powerful as the RTX 3060, 3070, 3080, and 3090. But the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 retains all of the same features that its more powerful siblings have.

The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 sits well below the $400 mark, making it one of the most affordable consumer graphics cards in the market.

But what are you paying for here?

You’re getting 8GB GDDR6 VRFAM, 2560 CUDA Cores, and backed by the Nvidia Ampere Architecture. It’s more than enough to play games, run basic rendering processes and more, but complicated tasks might slow down. You’ll eventually have to upgrade to a newer and more powerful card if you’re aiming for more complicated projects.

AMD Radeon Pro W6600

Second Best Budget Graphics Card For Creative Professionals

Tech Specs

1. Base Clock: 2331 MHz
2. Boost Clock: 2580 MHz
3. Memory: 8GB GDDR6
4. Memory Clock Speed: 14 Gbps
5. Memory Bus: 128-bit
6. Max. Monitors Supported: 4
7. Power Consumption: 100 W

Why buy it?

• Affordably priced
• AMD Ray Accelerator Technology speeds up rendering process
• Ray tracing features available
• Certified AMD Rendering Drivers and with professional industry-standard compatibility for professionals

REASONS TO AVOID

• Low VRAM capacity for a professional-grade graphics processing unit
• Lower performance compared to Nvidia GPUs

AMD cards are more affordable than their Nvidia counterparts, even with the AMD Radeon line of graphics cards. If you want a professional-grade GPU from the AMD Radeon side, we have the AMD Radeon Pro W6600, with all the certifications and features absent from the RTX GPUs.

It sits right beside the RTX 3050 in terms of VRAM capacity, but it’s still a certified professional workstation card for a reason. The rendering speed of the AMD Radeon Pro W6600 is evenly matched with best graphics cards on the list, even against the previous generation Nvidia cards and Quadro cards.

The Wrap Up

There we have it, some fo the best graphics cards in the market with excellent gaming performance and excellent rendering performance. It goes without saying that even though these are the best graphics cards, you’ll need components just as powerful to ensure the workstation’s amazing performance.

If it were up to us, you can’t go wrong with gaming cards, the mainstream RTX GPUs or mainstream AMD Radeon RX graphics cards. They’re consumer graphics cards that easily compete against professional-grade GPUs with excellent performance. GeForce cards and AMD graphics cards are capable of rendering very complex scenes.

Nike vs Adidas.

Apple vs Samsung.

Toyota vs Nissan.

Apple vs. Windows.

There will always be two big brands in any given industry going head to head against one another. Any of these two brands will have steadfast fans and consumers defending the brand too, so new users will often find themselves being torn between one or the other.

And in the GPU market, two brands have built a strong following of users: Nvidia and AMD Radeon, or Radeon for short.

Both AMD GPUs and Nvidia GPUs are strong in their own right. You could even say that a lot of the cards they’re releasing have their own counterparts from the competing brand.

For people buying their first graphics cards for the first time, choosing between either AMD cards or Nvidia cards is a daunting task in itself. Which one’s better? Which one’s the most reliable? Which one’s going to get me through the next few years?

All of these questions and more are valid, but you’ll never get any straight answers from the Internet without any form of bias.

But this is where we come in. Our article will cover the comparison between Nvidia vs Radeon GPUs over different factors.

Nvidia Graphics Cards vs AMD Graphics Cards – Which is Ultimately Better?

Drivers and Software

Graphics card drivers and software matter a lot, and between Nvidia GPUs and AMD GPUs, it’s difficult to choose a clear winner. For example, a lot of people using the AMD RX 5000 Navi series encountered black screen issues but newer drivers have resolved this issue. But most AMD users didn’t even have these issues with their AMD RX 5000. Nvidia graphics cards aren’t exactly error-free with their drivers too.

Every year, AMD brags about their driver overhaul. In 2020, they consolidated everything under the Radeon Adrenalin drivers. This confused a lot of people who were looking for older drivers. AMD cards also release at least one new driver every month, more if there are new game launches. Nvidia GPUs follow the same pattern for their drivers.

But the biggest difference is that Nvidia has two driver interfaces namely the Nvidia Control Panel and the Nvidia GeForce experience. The Nvidia Control Panel handles resolutions and graphics settings while GeForce Experience handles all game optimization, driver management, and other features such as ShadowPlay.

Our pick: We’d say that this is a tie between Nvidia and AMD drivers. We like AMD’s consolidated driver management and Nvidia’s driver software. It’s easy to navigate the Nvidia GeForce Experience because driver updates and game optimization only needs one button.

Pricing and Availability

The last two years were a struggle for AMD and Nvidia graphics cards, mostly because some of the newer models were hyper-inflated due to the Covid-19 Pandemic and further aggravated by semiconductor shortages.

Hoarders and scalpers ultimately drove the MSRPs of some of the more popular cards such as the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3000-series up by as much as 200%. But things are slowly returning to normal now, so we can definitely breakdown pricing and availability properly.

Most of the AMD graphics cards and Nvidia graphics cards are now selling at, or close to, their MSRPs.

As its stands, the best value graphics cards are coming from the AMD side. The AMD RX 6600, 6600XT, 6650XT, RX 6700XT and RX 6750XT have the best FPS to dollar ratio. Nvidia GPUs such as the RTX 3060, RTX 3050, and RTX 3060Ti aren’t bad, but you’re paying more money to come close to AMD’s performance-to-pricing ratio.

Our pick: AMD takes this category as they’re more affordable than their Nvidia counterparts. Availability isn’t an issue for AMD either, mostly because hoarders and scalpers have gone after a lot of Nvidia cards for mining and other purposes.

Gaming Performance

Nvidia graphics cards are solid in terms of performance across the board, but AMD has been giving them a run for their money over the last few years. Now, if you want the best gaming experience possible at 4K and 60FPS, you’re going to want the RTX 3080Ti. It’s the best graphics card in the market right now for those settings.

For 1080p gaming, you can rest easy with either an AMD Radeon RX 5600XT or Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060. If you want the best 1080p gaming experience, an RX 6700XT or RTX 3060Ti will suffice.

Our pick: Again, it’s a tie between AMD cards and Nvidia cards for performance. If you’re eager to get the best bang for your buck, AMD RX 6000-series is a no-brainer. But if money is not an issue, go for the RTX 3080Ti or the RTX 3090Ti for your gaming PC.

Features and Exclusivity

The AMD Radeon RX 6900XT was rumored to be the RTX 3090 killer, but it just wasn’t able to live up to the hype. Still, the AMD Radeon RX 6900XT is a potent AMD GPU that should be a good substitute if you can’t get your hands on an RTX 3090.

AMD has always been known for its consumer-friendly approach when it comes to their technologies. In fact, some of their features can be used on Nvidia graphics cards. But we can’t say the same thing for Nvidia GPUs. Nvidia likes to keep things to itself.

Nvidia has a ton of features that go beyond gaming, and their Nvidia Studio Driver program is a good example. The Nvidia Studio Driver is intended for professionals in the creative industry who want to maximize their Nvidia GPU for photo editing, video editing, and more. You also get Nvidia Broadcast, which is an AI program that easily replaces your video background if you’re in a call. There’s also an AI-powered eye tracking software that makes it look like you’re looking straight at the camera, even though you’re not.

AMD doesn’t provide anything outside of gaming as their graphics cards are all intended to get you the best gaming experience possible.

Our pick: Between AMD vs Nvidia, we’re going to have to go with the latter. Nvidia wins just because it has more features for both gaming and productivity-related tasks.

Power Consumption and Efficiency

Nvidia used to be the king of power consumption, but now, AMD is slowly tipping the scales. AMD’s Navi and Big Navi changed AMD’s overall power efficiency and consumption by using chips built with TSM’s 7nm FinFET process. Newer AMD cards have a new architecture that allows for 50% better performance per watt, made possible by Navi.

But Nvidia doesn’t back down with their Ampere architecture as it’s more capable of higher clocks for PC gaming and more. Nvidia’s older graphics cards hold a huge margin over their AMD counterparts, but the newer generations aren’t far apart from each other.

In terms of extreme performance, AMD Radeon RX 6700XT uses more power than the RTX 3060Ti, but a bit less than the RTX 3070. Between the RX 6600XT, RTX 3060, and RTX 3050, the power consumption is evenly close.

Our pick: AMD and Nvidia are solidly tied for this category because there really isn’t a huge discrepancy in power consumption between the two brands. For building your gaming PC on a tighter budget, just go for the power supply unit that’s capable of powering through an RTX 3080Ti or Radeon 6700XT even though you don’t need either.

Bottom Line

So, Nvidia graphics card and AMD graphics card, which is better?

Both GPU manufacturers and their graphics cards aren’t far apart from one another in terms of raw performance and gaming performance. If you’re reading this as an AMD fan, then AMD wins but not by a huge margin. Same for being an Nvidia fan as Nvidia wins hands down.

Radeon cards and Nvidia’s RTX cards are easily found on the market, but it boils down to how available they are in your area and what your needs are. Do you need a card that can handle ray tracing? Then Nvidia remains to be a solid pick, but AMD support for ray tracing is just as excellent.

Do you just want a graphics card for gaming but not want to spend a lot of money? Then AMD should be able to plow through a graphically demanding game with ease.

Buying RAM modules is one thing, but buying the right size is another. You see, not all RAM modules have the same size, and we’re not talking about RAM speed or storage either. The physical size of RAM modules is something that needs to be considered when building PC, but more often than not, some people make the mistake of buying bigger RAM kits.

If you’re planning on building a mini ITX PC or installing a large CPU cooler, you’ll need to use low profile RAM kits.

A low profile RAM kit works and functions like your typical RAM modules. However, they’re a lot more compact. The reason why they’re referred to as low profile RAM kits is because they have a maximum height of 34mm.

Their height does not affect their RAM speed and overall performance. And in this article, we’ll be going over the best low profile RAM modules that will meet your needs and more.

What Are The Best Low Profile RAM Modules?

The following low profile RAM kits are highly recommended by PC builders and are praised heavily for their size, ability to meet a mini ITX‘s RAM clearance, and more.

This list is not arranged in any particular order. These are also listed as their individual low profile RAM kits as you would normally get from a store.

Corsair Vengeance LPX

• Height: 34mm
• Type: DDR4
• Capacity: 16GB (8GB x 2)
• Speed: 3600MHz
• CL: 18

Corsair is one of the most recognized brands in the world of computer paraphernalia. They’re known for making the best keyboards, mice, AIO coolers, and of course, RAM modules.

On this list, we have the Corsair Vengeance LPX. You get two 8GB RAM sticks for the module and is intended for overclocking. This low profile RAM comes in red, white, blue, and black, though you usually see black in a lot of stores. Aside from color configurations, you also get different capacity kits, spanning all the way to 256GB and speeds up to 4000MHz.

TEAMGROUP T Force Vulcan Z

• Height: 32mm
• Type: DDR4
• Capacity:  16GB (8GB x 2)
• Speed: 3200MHz
• CL: 16

TEAMGROUP T-FORCE is one of the newer brands breaking into the computer paraphernalia scene, but they are not to be trifled with.

For this list, they have the TEAMGROUP T Force Vulcan Z as their entry for low profile RAM kits. You get either a red or grey color scheme in stores, but there is an ASUS TUFF variant that you can acquire if you purchase a TUFF motherboard and GPU.

Unfortunately, the TEAMGROUP T Force Vulcan Z is not a low profile RGB RAM to give it a lower height clearance of about 32mm. Just like the Corsair Vengeance LPX, the TEAMGROUP T Force Vulcan Z is perfect for small PCs and can be overclocked too.

The lowest speed you get is 16GB of memory, but you can get configurations of up to 64GB and up to 3600MHz speed.

Kingston HyperX Fury

• Height: 34.1mm
• Type: DDR4
• Capacity: 32GB (16GB x 2)
• Speed: 3200MHz
• CL: 16

Kingston is an amazing brand when it comes to computer paraphernalia, and their lines of keyboards, mice, microphones, and RAM kits prove it.

The Kingston HyperX Fury is also one of the most recommended RAM modules in the PC building world too, so it’s no surprise that they made it to the list.

The Kingston HyperX Fury comes with 2 pieces of 16GB RAM sticks, giving you a whopping 32GB. If that does not convince you to get the Kingston HyperX Fury, we don’t know what will.

Undoubtedly, the Kingston HyperX Fury is a solid pick if you want to build a mini ITX PC for heavy duty gaming, video editing, and more.

And also, if the 32GB RAM modules are too slow for you, you can go for the 64GB variant.

Patriot Signature

• Height: 31.25mm
• Type: DDR4
• Capacity:  16GB (8GB x 2)
• Speed: 2666MHz
• CL: 18

The Patriot Signature RAM modules are pretty much standard memory DIMMs with no heatsinks, so you can’t overclock them. The kit will come in 16GB (2 x 8GB) at 2666MHz, which is decent enough. But if you want more, you’ll find 64GB capacity RAM modules with speeds up to 3200MHz.

It’s one of the best low profile RAM modules for small form factor builds.

Crucial Ballistix

• Height: 39mm
• Type: DDR4
• Capacity: 16GB (8GB x 2)
• Speed: 3600MHz
• CL: 16

Along with Corsair and Kingston, Crucial is another popular brand when it comes to memory kits. For their entry into the list of best low profile RAM kits, we have the Crucial Ballistix clocking in at 16GB with 3600MHz rated RAM speed. Other configurations will go up to 64GB and up to 5100MHz, which is probably one of the fastest low profile RAM modules in the market right now. This is also one of the more practical RAM kits if you decide to go for budget or affordable PC cases.

Crucial Ballistix dons a stealth black color palette, but you’ll also see other color variants such as red and white.

G.Skill Aegis

• Height: 31.2 mm
• Type: DDR4
• Capacity:  16GB (8GB x 2)
• Speed: 3200MHz
• CL: 16

Last but definitely not the least we have the G.Skill Aegis, a budget-friendly low profile RAM kit but still puts up a fight against other high performance RAM modules in the market right now.

What you’re getting is a 16GB RAM kit at 3200MHz rated speed. This RAM module doesn’t have a heat spreader, so overclocking this RAM module is out of the question. But due to its size, it should occupy RAM slots without being detrimental to bigger liquid coolers or small form factor PC builds.

What Do People Commonly Ask About Low Profile RAM Modules?

Why Do Some Builders Prefer Low Profile Memory Modules?

Most of the time, builders go for low profile memory modules because they want to use a big air cooler or liquid cooler but there’s not enough room on their PC cases. Lowered module heights are also intended for small form PC builds, which usually use ITX cases or smaller.

Are Low Profile RAM Kits Even Good?

There’s no difference between a low profile RAM and a standard RAM kit. Both have the same memory capacity, speed, and other specs. It’s only the memory height that’s the big and only difference between the two.

Can You Use Low Profile RAM Modules On a Laptop?

Laptop RAM modules are still relatively smaller than any of the low profile RAM modules on here. Laptop memory modules are different from desktop memory modules, but some laptops can use desktop RAMs.

How Much RAM Do you Really Need?

This is actually a two-part question because you also need to ask yourself if you need a faster RAM.

For video editing, gaming, and other heavy workloads, you’re probably going to need 16GB at the very least. You can go for more RAM capacity if you feel that gaming or work performance is sluggish.