The Most Popular GPU on Steam, Ranked

Choose the GPU you think is the most popular!

Author: Gregor Krambs
Updated on May 9, 2024 06:40
As gamers continually seek to enhance their play experience, the choice of graphics processing unit (GPU) plays a pivotal role. The ideal GPU can radically transform gaming sessions into seamless, immersive journeys. Yet, finding which GPU hits the mark for most can be a challenge amidst a sea of options and varying user experiences. This is where your input becomes invaluable. By voting for your preferred GPU, you contribute to a live ranking, helping others distinguish between the multitude of choices. This not only assists fellow gamers in making informed decisions but also keeps the community aware of which GPUs are delivering top-tier performance across different games and setups.

What Is the Most Popular GPU on Steam?

  1. 1
    36
    votes
    This GPU is popular due to its affordable price, good performance for 1080p gaming, and compatibility with most games.
    The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 is a popular architecture GPU developed by NVIDIA. It is designed for gaming and high-performance applications, delivering excellent graphics performance and power efficiency.
    • CUDA Cores: 1280
    • Base Clock: 1506 MHz
    • Boost Clock: 1708 MHz
    • Memory Speed: 8 Gbps
    • Memory Configuration: 6GB GDDR5
  2. 2
    41
    votes
    This GPU is popular among budget gamers who want to play games at 1080p resolution. It offers good performance at a low price point.
    The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti is a popular architecture GPU designed by NVIDIA. It is widely used for gaming and graphics-intensive applications. With its efficient performance and affordable price point, it is suitable for budget-conscious gamers and professionals alike.
    • GPU Model: GeForce GTX 1050 Ti
    • Architecture: Pascal
    • CUDA Cores: 768
    • Base Clock: 1290 MHz
    • Boost Clock: 1392 MHz
  3. 3
    26
    votes
    NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070
    Evan-Amos · Public domain
    This GPU is popular among gamers who want to play games at 1440p resolution. It offers good performance and is compatible with most games.
    The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is a powerful graphics processing unit (GPU) designed for gaming. It offers high-performance capabilities and is a popular choice among PC gamers. With its impressive features and capabilities, the GTX 1070 delivers excellent visual quality and smooth gameplay.
    • Architecture: Pascal
    • CUDA Cores: 1920
    • Core Clock: 1506 MHz
    • Boost Clock: 1683 MHz
    • Memory Speed: 8 Gbps
  4. 4
    19
    votes
    This GPU is popular due to its good performance for 1080p gaming and its affordable price. It is also compatible with most games.
    The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 is a high-performance graphics processing unit (GPU) designed for gaming enthusiasts. It offers excellent performance and power efficiency, making it a popular choice for gamers of all levels. With its advanced features and capabilities, the GTX 970 delivers smooth and immersive gaming experiences.
    • CUDA Cores: 1664
    • Architecture: Maxwell
    • Base Clock Speed: 1050 MHz
    • Boost Clock Speed: 1178 MHz
    • Memory Size: 4 GB GDDR5
  5. 5
    14
    votes

    NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080

    NVIDIA Corporation
    This GPU is popular among gamers who want to play games at 4K resolution. It offers excellent performance and is compatible with most games.
    The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 is a high-performance graphics processing unit (GPU) designed for gaming enthusiasts and professionals. It was released by NVIDIA Corporation, a leading manufacturer of GPUs and other computer hardware, in 2016. The GTX 1080 offers exceptional gaming performance, delivering smooth gameplay and stunning graphics for the most demanding games. It features NVIDIA's Pascal architecture, which provides improved power efficiency and performance compared to previous generations.
    • Graphics Processing Unit: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080
    • Architecture: Pascal
    • Cores: 2560
    • Base Clock: 1607 MHz
    • Boost Clock: 1733 MHz
  6. 6
    14
    votes
    This GPU is popular due to its good performance for 1080p gaming and its affordable price. It is also compatible with most games.
    The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 is a mid-range graphics processing unit (GPU) popular among gamers on Steam. It offers reliable performance and efficient power usage, making it a solid choice for budget-conscious gamers. The GTX 960 delivers smooth gameplay at 1080p resolution and supports DirectX 12 and OpenGL 4.5 technologies for enhanced graphics rendering. It also features NVIDIA's Maxwell architecture, providing an improved performance-per-watt ratio compared to previous generations. The GPU supports various NVIDIA technologies, such as Dynamic Super Resolution (DSR) for better image quality, Multi-Frame Sampled Anti-Aliasing (MFAA) for smoother edges, and PhysX for realistic physics simulation. The GTX 960 is created by NVIDIA, a renowned technology company specializing in graphics processing units and GPUs for various computing applications.
    • Architecture: Maxwell
    • CUDA Cores: 1024
    • Base Clock: 1127 MHz
    • Boost Clock: 1178 MHz
    • Memory Size: 2 GB or 4 GB GDDR5
  7. 7
    9
    votes

    AMD Radeon RX 580

    Advanced Micro Devices (AMD)
    This GPU is popular due to its good performance for 1080p gaming and its affordable price. It is also compatible with most games.
    The AMD Radeon RX 580 is a high-performance graphics processing unit (GPU) designed for gaming and professional applications. It belongs to the Radeon RX 500 series, which offers improved power efficiency and performance compared to its predecessors. The RX 580 features the Polaris architecture and delivers stunning visuals and smooth gameplay at 1080p and 1440p resolutions.
    • Processing Cores: 2304
    • Core Clock Speed: 1257 MHz
    • Boost Clock Speed: 1340 MHz
    • Memory: 8GB GDDR5
    • Memory Clock Speed: 8000 MHz
    AMD Radeon RX 580 in other rankings
  8. 8
    7
    votes
    This GPU is popular among gamers who want to play games at 1440p resolution. It offers good performance and is compatible with most games.
    The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti is a high-performance graphics processing unit (GPU) designed for gaming and other demanding graphics tasks. It belongs to the GeForce 900 series and offers exceptional performance and visual quality.
    • Architecture: Maxwell
    • Memory: 6GB GDDR5
    • Memory Interface: 384-bit
    • CUDA Cores: 2816
    • Base Clock Speed: 1000MHz
  9. 9
    7
    votes
    This GPU is popular among budget gamers who want to play games at 1080p resolution. It offers good performance at a low price point.
    The AMD Radeon RX 570 is a mid-range graphics processing unit (GPU) designed for gaming and multimedia purposes. It was released by Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), a leading manufacturer of computer hardware and semiconductor devices.
    • Graphics Architecture: Polaris 20
    • Core Clock Speed: 1168 MHz
    • Boost Clock Speed: 1244 MHz
    • Stream Processors: 2048
    • Memory Size: 4 GB GDDR5
  10. 10
    6
    votes
    This GPU is popular among gamers who want to play games at 1080p or 1440p resolution. It offers good performance and is compatible with most games.
    The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti is a powerful graphics processing unit (GPU) that delivers excellent performance for gaming and creative applications. It is based on the Turing architecture and is considered one of the most popular GPUs by NVIDIA.
    • Architecture: Turing
    • Cores: 1536
    • Base Clock: 1500 MHz
    • Boost Clock: 1770 MHz
    • Memory: 6GB GDDR6

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Ranking factors for popular GPU

  1. Market share
    Check the percentage of Steam users using a particular GPU compared to other GPUs. A higher market share indicates more popularity among Steam gamers.
  2. Performance
    Consider the performance of the GPU in terms of processing power, speed, and efficiency. This can be measured using benchmarks like 3DMark or FPS (frames per second) in various games. A GPU with better performance is likely to be more popular among gamers.
  3. Compatibility
    Assess how well the GPU is compatible with different systems, including various CPUs, motherboards, and RAM configurations. GPUs that are compatible with a wide range of system configurations are likely to be more popular among Steam users.
  4. Price-to-performance ratio
    Compare the price of the GPU to its performance. Gamers often look for the best performance for the money, so GPUs with an attractive price-to-performance ratio may have higher popularity.
  5. Driver support
    Check the quality and frequency of driver updates provided by the GPU manufacturer. Good driver support can improve gaming performance, compatibility, and stability, making the GPU more popular among Steam users.
  6. Game optimization
    See if popular games on Steam are optimized for specific GPUs. If a game is optimized for a particular GPU, it is likely to run better on that GPU and may influence its popularity among gamers.
  7. Power consumption and heat generation
    GPUs with lower power consumption and heat generation can be more popular because they are easier on your system, leading to a quieter and cooler gaming experience.
  8. Features and Technologies
    Review the additional features and technologies offered by the GPU, such as ray tracing, DLSS, or variable rate shading. These advanced features can increase a GPU's popularity by providing a better and more immersive gaming experience.
  9. User reviews and ratings
    Check the ratings and reviews of GPUs on Steam forums, social media, and other online platforms. Positive user feedback can indicate a popular and well-liked GPU.
  10. Brand reputation
    Consider the reputation of the GPU manufacturer. Brands with a good reputation for quality, reliability, and support tend to be more popular among Steam gamers.

About this ranking

This is a community-based ranking of the most popular GPU on Steam. We do our best to provide fair voting, but it is not intended to be exhaustive. So if you notice something or GPU is missing, feel free to help improve the ranking!

Statistics

  • 1565 views
  • 179 votes
  • 10 ranked items

Voting Rules

A participant may cast an up or down vote for each GPU once every 24 hours. The rank of each GPU is then calculated from the weighted sum of all up and down votes.

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More information on most popular gpu on steam

When it comes to gaming on PC, having a powerful Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) is essential for an immersive and smooth experience. Steam, the largest digital distribution platform for video games, has millions of active users and a huge library of games. Therefore, it's natural for gamers to be curious about the most popular GPUs among Steam's user base. The popularity of a GPU can be determined by various factors such as its performance, price, availability, and brand reputation. In this article, we explore the most popular GPUs on Steam based on user data from StrawPoll.

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