Are GTX Graphics Cards Good? | 2025 Value Guide

Yes, GTX graphics cards are good for budget 1080p play and everyday work, but they miss RTX-only perks like ray tracing and DLSS.

Asking whether GTX graphics cards are good comes down to what you play, the screen you own, and how much you want to spend. GTX covers older GeForce lines like the 10‑series and 16‑series. They’re still everywhere in second‑hand listings and entry desktops, and plenty of builds run them happily. The catch: GTX cards lack the dedicated hardware that drives newer extras in games and creator apps. So the answer is a “yes” for the right jobs and a “no” for the wrong ones.

What “Good” Means For You

Good can mean smooth esports at 1080p, a quiet workstation for school, or cinematic single‑player hits with all the eye candy. Spell out your target first. Then match it to a card’s strengths and limits, not the label on the shroud.

Screen & refresh: 1080p 60–120 Hz pairs well with midrange GTX. 1440p or 4K leans RTX.
Game mix: Fast shooters and MOBAs are light. Heavily modded open‑world games and new AAA titles push VRAM and shaders.
Budget & power: Used GTX prices look friendly, and many draw under 150–180 W. Just check the power connectors you have.
Features you care about: If you want ray‑traced lighting, DLSS, Frame Generation, or AV1 encoding, you’re shopping RTX, not GTX.

Quick Primer On The GTX Lines

GTX isn’t one card; it’s a label that spans a few generations. The two you’ll see most in 2025 are:

GeForce GTX 10‑series (Pascal): Popular models include the GTX 1060, 1070, 1080, and 1080 Ti. Solid raw raster performance, older video encoder, and no hardware ray tracing or Tensor cores.
GeForce GTX 16‑series (Turing‑based): GTX 1650, 1650 Super, 1660, 1660 Super, and 1660 Ti. Still no RT/Tensor cores, yet a more modern architecture and a better NVENC encoder for streaming.

Both families run current games. The 16‑series generally sips less power and streams cleaner video at the same bitrate. The 10‑series has higher‑end options with bigger VRAM pools and wider buses, which can help in texture‑heavy titles.

Performance Tiers: Which GTX Does What

Think in tiers so you can match a card to your goals without chasing benchmark charts.

Entry Tier (GTX 1650 / 1650 Super): Great for esports and indie hits at 1080p with medium settings. Keep background apps light and use in‑game upscalers where offered.
Mainstream Tier (GTX 1660 / 1660 Super / 1660 Ti): 1080p at medium‑high in most new titles. Esports can push well past 100 fps with sensible cuts.
Upper Tier (GTX 1070 / 1080): 1080p at high in many games and a taste of 1440p on tuned settings. The 8 GB VRAM helps with texture packs.
Top GTX (GTX 1080 Ti): Highest raster grunt in the family. 1440p is doable with a balanced preset; still no ray‑traced modes worth using.

VRAM And Texture Choices In 2025

VRAM is the limiter you’ll notice first. Cards with 8 GB age better than 4–6 GB because modern engines stream larger textures and caches. You can keep image quality high on a 6 GB card by dropping texture size one step, trimming crowd density, and turning down screen‑space effects. Steady frame times beat choppy peaks, so pick the settings that keep your frame graph flat even if that means fewer sparkly effects.

Are GTX Graphics Cards Good For Gaming Today?

For 1080p play without the fancy effects, yes. A clean GTX 1660 Super, 1660 Ti, or GTX 1070 can keep popular titles over 60 fps on medium settings, and esports titles much higher. Older cards like a GTX 1060 or 970 still run lighter games, yet VRAM limits and aging drivers start to show in newer releases. Push settings too far and you’ll see stutter from VRAM swaps long before raw compute runs out.

Esports And Lighter Games

Titles like Valorant, Rocket League, and Dota 2 lean more on CPU and timing than raw GPU grunt. A GTX 1650 Super or 1660 handles these with headroom at 1080p. Dial back heavy effects, set shadows and ambient occlusion to medium, and use in‑game upscalers when available. Aim for a steady frame rate that matches your monitor’s refresh and you’ll get smooth motion and low input lag.

Big Single‑Player Releases

GTX can still carry story‑driven games if you keep expectations in check. Think 1080p, medium presets, and selective tweaks like lower volumetrics, screen‑space reflections, and crowd density. Cards with 8 GB VRAM (GTX 1070/1080) age better than 4–6 GB models in texture‑heavy engines. If you want 1440p with high settings, you’re nudging into RTX territory and newer VRAM pools.

Ray‑Traced Modes And AI Upscaling

Here’s the deal: GTX cards lack RT and Tensor cores. That means no DLSS and slow ray tracing. Nvidia enabled software DXR paths on many GTX models, but performance tanks fast once rays enter the frame. If those features matter, you want RTX hardware. For background reading, Nvidia’s own primer on ray tracing on GTX spells out the trade‑offs.

Are GTX Graphics Cards Good For Streaming And Creative Work?

Plenty of streamers and creators still lean on GTX, mainly for the NVENC video encoder and CUDA support in many apps. Turing‑era NVENC (the encoder in the 16‑series) delivers clear 1080p60 streams with light impact on game fps. Older Pascal cards (10‑series) have an earlier NVENC that looks softer at the same bitrate. If your content pipeline relies on AV1 video or heavy AI tools, you’ll want newer RTX silicon.

What GTX Still Does Well Outside Games

Streaming at 1080p: NVENC offloads video work from your CPU, which keeps gameplay smooth while you’re live.
Basic editing: CUDA acceleration helps timelines feel snappy in many NLEs. Proxy workflows make 4K edits doable on stronger GTX cards.
Light 3D work: Viewport performance in Blender‑style scenes is fine with modest geometry and textures.

Where GTX starts to lag is anything built around RT cores, Tensor cores, or AV1. That covers ray‑traced previews, DLSS upscaling in supported apps, AI denoisers, and next‑gen streaming codecs.

GTX Vs. RTX: What You Trade Away

Picking GTX today usually means saving money and power draw while giving up certain features. These are the big ones:

Ray tracing: GTX runs DXR in software paths and gets hit hard. RTX cards have hardware units to keep frames moving.
DLSS and Frame Generation: DLSS needs Tensor cores; Frame Generation needs the full RTX stack. GTX doesn’t offer either. The official DLSS page explains why it’s tied to RTX.
AV1 codec: Most GTX cards lack AV1 encode/decode. RTX 30/40/50 add modern codec support that helps streamers and editors.
Long‑term features: Many new titles target RTX effects and AI helpers. GTX will still run the games, just without those perks.

How We Judge “Good” For GTX

This guide leans on three pillars: realistic targets at 1080p, the feature gap between GTX and RTX, and current usage trends in the PC space. Targets assume a healthy CPU, dual‑channel RAM, and SSD storage. For image quality, the goal is a steady frame rate first, then cleaner motion and textures. Usage trends matter too; millions still run GTX cards, so developers keep tuning for them even as RTX features spread.

Resolution And Settings Targets

1080p esports: chase a fixed frame rate that matches your screen; cap with in‑game tools or driver FPS limits.
1080p story games: start at the medium preset; then raise textures if you have 8 GB VRAM and drop heavy effects.
1440p: playable on top GTX only with many cuts; plan on an upgrade if this is your target.
4K: not a GTX play. Stream 4K if you like; gaming at 4K belongs to RTX.

Buying Used GTX? Smart Checks

Most buyers eye GTX on the second‑hand market. That’s fine, as long as you vet the card. Here’s a quick checklist that keeps regrets away.

Model and VRAM: Favor 8 GB when you can. A GTX 1070/1080 ages better than 4–6 GB cards once textures climb.
Power connectors: Make sure your PSU has the right plugs and wattage headroom. Many GTX cards need a single 8‑pin; some use dual 8‑pins.
Temperatures and noise: Ask for a brief stress test video or run one yourself. Look for stable clocks and fans that don’t rattle.
Outputs you need: GTX 10‑series often has HDMI 2.0b and DisplayPort 1.4. Check your monitor’s ports and cable limits.
Return window: If you’re buying online, pick sellers that offer returns. Artifacts or driver crashes can show up a few days in.

Settings That Help GTX Shine

Small tweaks add up. Here’s a simple plan you can apply game to game without chasing every slider.

Pick a target fps: 60 or 90 are easy to keep stable. Cap it to cut spikes.
Set a baseline: Start with the “medium” preset at 1080p, then raise textures if VRAM allows. Leave shadows, ambient occlusion, and volumetrics at medium or low.
Use in‑game upscalers: FSR or XeSS can lift frames on GTX in newer titles. Pick “Quality” mode for a clean picture.
Trim post‑effects: Motion blur and film grain cost frames and rarely help clarity.
Watch VRAM: If frame time spikes appear after a few minutes, lower textures by one step or use smaller texture packs.

Quick Decision Guide: GTX Or RTX?

Not sure which way to go? Use this plain test. If you answer “yes” to any of the lines in the RTX box, you’ll be happier saving for RTX.

Pick GTX if: your target is 1080p, you play esports or indie titles, and you want the best price‑to‑frames on a tight budget.
Pick RTX if: you care about ray‑traced modes, DLSS or Frame Generation, 1440p or 4K, AV1 streaming, or you want the longest runway for new features.

GTX Reality By Use Case (One‑Glance Guide)

This table sums up common targets and what a solid GTX card delivers when tuned well.

Use Case	Minimum GTX	What To Expect
Esports At 1080p 120 Hz	GTX 1660 / 1660 Ti	High settings off, medium shadows, fps caps for smooth input.
Story Games At 1080p 60 fps	GTX 1660 Super / GTX 1070	Medium preset with selective cuts; 8 GB VRAM helps textures.
1440p Casual Play	Top GTX only (GTX 1080 Ti)	Mix of low‑medium settings; many games still dip below 60.
Ray‑Traced Effects	Not a fit	Software DXR runs poorly; use raster presets or go RTX.
Streaming At 1080p	GTX 1660 / 1660 Super	Clear NVENC output at sensible bitrates; keep presets modest.
Basic Editing	GTX 1070 / 1080	Snappy timelines with proxies; heavy effects take time.

Driver And Longevity Notes

GTX covers multiple chip families. Pascal‑based cards (the 10‑series) are aging out of new Game Ready optimizations after 2025 but keep security fixes for several years. Turing‑based cards (the 16‑series) continue to receive fresh Game Ready drivers alongside their RTX cousins. Game support won’t vanish overnight, yet new effects and AI helpers land first on RTX. If you care about day‑one patches and extra features, keep that in mind when you weigh a used GTX against a newer RTX option.

Recommended Pairings And Upgrade Paths

Planning a mid‑cycle refresh? Keep the rest of the build in sync so that a GTX card doesn’t feel slower than it should.

CPU headroom: A modern 6‑ or 8‑core chip avoids CPU bottlenecks in esports titles that hammer frame times.
Memory: 16 GB is the floor for new games; 32 GB smooths out big worlds and creator apps.
Storage: Move your top games to an NVMe SSD. Texture streaming hiccups hurt more than a small drop in raw fps.
PSU and airflow: Give the GPU fresh air and clean power. Replace dried thermal paste on older cards if temps creep up.

Who Should Still Buy GTX?

Three clear groups get solid value from GTX right now:

Budget builders: You want a plug‑in card that plays today’s hits at 1080p without chasing every effect slider.
Streamers on starter rigs: A 16‑series card gives you NVENC and leaves your CPU free to run the game and chat.
Office and school PCs that game at night: Light gaming, photo tweaks, and a few renders are all on the menu.

Who Should Skip GTX?

If you plan to play with ray‑traced lighting, want DLSS or Frame Generation, stream AV1, or target 1440p and beyond, skip to RTX. The feature gap matters more than the raw fps number on a single benchmark. Long term, RTX cards age better because new engines and tools keep adding RTX‑only boosts.

Final Take

Are GTX graphics cards good? Yes—for the right jobs. They’re cheap to run, easy to find, and still punchy at 1080p with the right settings. They fall behind when games lean on ray tracing and AI, and they miss modern codecs that help creators. If your target is smooth 1080p and your budget is tight, a clean GTX can serve you well. If your target includes fancy effects, higher resolutions, or long‑term headroom, aim for RTX.