Best GPU for Star Citizen
Here are the best GPUs to consider for Star Citizen
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Star Citizen is an ambitious video game, to say the least. It’s billed as a visual masterpiece (a space opera, if you will), and so far, the graphics have really been up to standard. The problem is that, in order to run it at optimal settings, a monster PC may be required. The developers will make certain enhancements as they polish the netcode, asset streaming, and other programming elements. However, it will still require every bit of power you can muster.
Right now, it’s reported that many of the performance issues are a server-side affair, so hardware isn’t everything. Be aware that Star Citizen’s complete release is still some years away before you invest in a new graphics card or CPU. Therefore, something you purchase today may struggle in a few years. Whatever you purchase is only intended for the upcoming two to three years, possibly a little longer.
Best GPU for Star Citizen
The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 is still one of best GPUs available today, even following the release of the newer 4000 series of GPUs – like the RTX 4090. The 3090 is a beast and runs admirably, even without overclocking. It contains 24 GB of GDDR6X memory, so it should keep up with the latest technology for many years. Additionally, it supports Ray Tracing, which adds a little more future-proofing.
ASUS TUF Gaming Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 OC
Clock Speed
1770MHz Boost Clock (OC)
VRAM
24GB GDDR6X
Thermal Design
Axial-tech Triple Fan
Best mid-range GPU for Star Citizen
The most advantageous mid-range option is the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070. There are actually several excellent cards in this pricing range, and there isn’t much of a difference between them. However, we believe that the 2070 Super strikes the sweet spot for the mid-range price range.
MSI GAMING Z GeForce RTX 2070 8GB
Clock Speed
1620 MHz
VRAM
8GB GDDR6
Memory Bus Width
256 Bit
Best entry-level GPU for Star Citizen
The AMD Radeon RX 580 is the entry-level graphics card we advise you to choose because it can compete in Star Citizen. For the majority of games, it is actually a pretty good card. When it came to price/performance, this card punched above its weight. As a matter of fact, it might be the price/performance champion.
MSI ARMOR 8GB OC RX 580
Clock Speed
1366 MHz
VRAM
8GB GDDR5
Length
10.6 inches
Just be aware that there are 4GB and 8GB versions of the card; we suggest selecting the 8GB version. While 4GB will also play Star Citizen just fine, opting for 8GB will give you a little more future-proofing. In cases where money is limited, you might even think about a used option.
Is Star Citizen GPU-intensive?
Many modern games these days tend to be fairly focused on sourcing more power from the GPU, to allow the CPU to deal with multitasking a little more, while drawing as much graphical power as possible. This doesn’t always mean all games are GPU-intensive though. Star Citizen is a pretty demanding game all round. Overall though, we’d say the game is a little more CPU-intensive rather than GPU-intensive – especially if running on low graphics settings, where the GPU is utilized less.
Picking out the best GPU for Star Citizen right now is mostly a question of budget, because the space exploration epic has plenty of room for improvement when it comes to optimization, meaning you want the best you can get for smoother gameplay.
Other GPU guides
Best GPU for Star Citizen FAQs
What is the best GPU for Star Citizen?
For Star Citizen, the best GPU is the RTX 3090 which will offer unparalleled performance. With an older choice, it means it should be a cheaper option. But will also give the best performance.
Whilst for a mid-range choice there is the RTX 2070, which is an even older choice that will do the job. And for a budget choice, even an RX 580 can get the job done.
What GPU do you need for Star Citizen?
If you’re looking to play the game you might be looking at what hardware to use on it. So the minimum GPU required for Star Citizen is a 3GB card with DX 11 support. So a GTX 1050 Ti, or Radeon HD 7970, or RX 470.
It is heavily recommended to use a GPU with at least 4 or more GB of VRAM. So a GTX 970 or GTX 1060, whilst AMD’s RX 580 or RX 5500 XT / 6500 XT would be enough too.
