The graphics card has been always the most important piece of hardware when it comes to gaming PCs. This is because a graphics card is responsible for handling all the graphics load, whether it is the textures or the anti-aliasing.
While a processor can do a basic graphics job, it won’t be sufficient and what is more important is that both the GPU and CPU work in harmony to yield the best results. Here we are taking the Ryzen 5 5500 from AMD which is one of the latest additions to the Ryzen 5000 Vermeer family.
This processor comes with 6 cores and 12 threads which are generally enough for the demands of modern titles. To get the most out of it for gaming, it is recommended that we choose a GPU where there is no bottleneck from either side.
Currently, we have various options to choose from. Whether you are looking at an AMD RX 6000/7000 GPU or an RTX 30/40 GPU from Nvidia, the following is the list of the best GPUs that are perfectly suitable to combine with the Ryzen 5500 to achieve the maximum framerates at 1080p as well as 1440p resolutions.
Top GPUs to use with Ryzen 5500
AMD Radeon RX 6600
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AMD has the best $200-$230 card for all those who not only want to max out games at 1080p resolution but can possibly play every game at 1440p resolution too. Unlike the RTX 3050, it is easier to find an RX 6600 at a fair price and since it is a huge step up from the former, it provides much better value for the money.
The Radeon RX 6600 is roughly 30% faster than the RTX 3050 and even higher in some games. This means you will easily max out all the graphical settings including textures, anti-aliasing, etc. at 1080p without dipping below 60 fps. The card is even capable of maxing out many games at 1440p resolution, however, some games will require you to adjust some settings to maintain consistent performance.
Coming to its specs, it comes with 1792 Stream Processors and 8GB of VRAM. It is also capable of doing Ray Tracing but I simply don’t recommend going for it as RX 6000 series GPUs aren’t as powerful as the RTX 30/40 series from Nvidia.
AMD Radeon RX 7600
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The Radeon RX 7600 is simply 30-35% faster than the RX 6600 and it costs around $250-$270 which is fair for the performance it offers. The only problem which you may find with it is the minimal specs uplift over its predecessor but except that, it is an ideal card for 1080p ultra settings.
The card can even play most games on ultra at 1440p but of course, there are a few titles that will need more VRAM at that resolution. It comes with 8GB of VRAM on a 128-bit bus, 2048 stream processors, and slightly higher compute units and Ray Accelerators. This gives it a good boost in Ray Tracing performance but at the same time, you get 30-35W of increased power consumption.
Nvidia Geforce RTX 4060
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The RTX 4060 replaces the 3060 for almost the same price. Unfortunately, it doesn’t bring improved specs over the 3060 but rather has downgraded hardware in some areas. This still does not degrade its performance over the 3060 and is around 15% faster than the latter.
It is roughly around the same performance level as the RX 7600 and sometimes outperforms the 7600 particularly in Ray Tracing supported titles that favor Nvidia GPUs.
It comes with 8GB VRAM on a 128-bit bus, 3072 Cuda Cores, and a clock speed that crosses even 2.5GHz. The greatest advantage of this card after Ray Tracing is its power efficiency which is far better than the RX 7600 and if you live in the EU region, this might be a good alternative over the 7600.
Nvidia Geforce RTX 3060 Ti
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Next, we have the RTX 3060 Ti which is an insane GPU for 1440p resolution. This card kills every game at that resolution and can provide much more than 60 fps in many titles. It is at least 20-30% more powerful than the RX 7600 as well as the RTX 4060.
It is worth its price if you can get it at $350 because, at this price, it beats the RTX 4060 Ti for price-to-performance ratio. Also, it is great in Ray Tracing and with the help of DLSS, you can achieve more fps than on native resolution. RTX 3060 Ti also comes with 8GB of GDDR6 memory but on higher memory bus width of 256-bit which provides higher memory bandwidth for games.
It also comes with significantly higher Cuda Cores than the RTX 3050(Almost 5000) and therefore, the execution of operations is faster. I believe that it is the perfect GPU for Ryzen 5500 but if you want even more then consider the next and last option.
AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT
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Going above $350, we have either the RTX 4060 Ti or the RX 6750 XT. Currently, there is no reason to go with the 4060 Ti because that’s a terrible GPU for its price and brings only 8GB VRAM.
The RX 6750 XT, on the other hand, comes with 12GB of VRAM on a bigger memory bus width of 192-bit. This gives it an advantage in not only 1080p gaming but also in higher resolutions. The RX 6750 XT can easily max out any game at 1440p and can deliver up to 5% higher performance than the 4060 Ti.
However, it is not as good as the 4060 Ti in Ray Tracing as it belongs to an older generation and AMD GPUs do not have appealing Ray Tracing performance. Still, it is a better choice for the Ryzen 5500 due to having more VRAM.
Wrapping Up
Ryzen 5500 is a great budget GPU that currently is cheaper than ever and it’s one of the best times to build a gaming PC with these parts. Make sure you choose a GPU wisely based on what I have explained above and if you are still stuck in choosing one, then feel free to let me know in the comments below.
