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Best GPU for Emulation

Smooth emulation is easy with one of these GPUs

Updated: Jul 3, 2023 1:42 pm
Best GPU for Emulation

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When it comes to playing games, do you feel like travelling back in time? Or perhaps you want to use your PC to play console games. Console games, however, employ quite different hardware and software. When trying to play on a PC, you can potentially run into some compatibility problems. Emulation or emulators can help with it.

Playing console and portable games on a PC is possible thanks to emulators. GPU is crucial if you intend to build a PC for emulation. Possibly, after the CPU, the second-most significant piece of hardware. We cover the top GPUs for emulation and classic gaming in this article. GPUs capable of running 1080p and higher resolution console and retro games.

Best GPU for emulation

One of the top entry-level gaming cards for 1080p gaming is an upgraded version of the GTX 1660, the GTX 1660 Super. The GTX 1660 Super offers good performance for its price range. When playing graphics-intensive games at high resolutions, you can reach 60+ FPS (1440p and 4K). Additionally, the GTX 1660 Super doesn’t throttle the GPU under stress and keeps running cool.

MSI GTX 1660 Super VENTUS XS OC

msi ventus 1660 super

Clock Speed

1830 MHz

VRAM

6 GB GDDR6

Memory Bus Width

192 bit

Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1660 GAMING OC 6G

Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1660 GAMING OC 6G

Clock Speed

1758 MHz

VRAM

6 GB GDDR5

Memory Bus Width

192 bit

Overall, the best GPU for emulation is the GTX 1660 Super. When run at high resolutions, it can easily support a large number of consoles and older game titles. This GPU comes highly recommended for PC emulation builds.

Second best GPU for emulation

Another reliable GPU for emulation is the GTX 1650. It is also reasonably priced. The performance is excellent and more than sufficient to support emulation. Similar to the GTX 1660 Super, the GTX 1650 can run games at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K resolutions without stuttering. As it meets the suggested system requirements for emulation software and has high clock rates, memory bandwidth, and 4GB VRAM.

MSI GeForce GTX 1650 Gaming X 4G

MSI GeForce GTX 1650 Gaming X 4G

Boost Clock Speed

1860 MHz

Outputs

2x DisplayPort, 1x HDMI 2.0b

Cooling

TORX Fan 3.0

Third best GPU for emulation

The NVIDIA GT 1030’s single slot and modest profile may be its best advantage. The majority of GPUs are enormous and feature many slots. The GT 1030 is hence ideal for mini-PC emulation projects. The GPU doesn’t need to be housed in a huge chassis. However, a mini-case is adequate for the GT 1030. It also consumes little power, makes less noise, and generates less heat. This inexpensive GPU is ideal for a low-cost PC emulation project.

EVGA GeForce GT 1030 SC 2GB GDDR5

EVGA Geforce GT 1030 2GB

Clock Speed

1290MHz – 1544MHz

VRAM

2GB GDDR5

Memory Bus Width

64 bit


As a Junior Staff Writer, Jack is involved in writing and maintaining a bunch of hardware guides & reviews. With an interest in PC gaming, he now focuses on writing about monitors, headsets, and more.

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