Fallout 76 Video Card Buyer’s Guide: The Best GPU for Every Budget

Answering the question “What video card should I get for Fallout 76?” We’ve compared and selected the best graphics card options for Fallout 76 based on their reviews, benchmarks, price and performance.

Quickly find the video card with the best performance and value for your target budget. The best choices for each price range are listed in order: from entry level $100 to $150, mid range $200 to $250, and on up to $350, $500, and higher.

The Best Entry Level, Budget Video Card for Fallout 76 under $150

• $100 – $150 Budget
• An affordable option for 1080p resolutions (1920×1080)
• Also good for small or cramped PC cases due to its small form factor
• 55 FPS @ 1080p, Medium Quality in Fallout 76
• 40 FPS @ 1080p, Ultra Quality in Fallout 76

The EVGA GTX 1050 SC 2GB Graphics Card is the most affordable GPU we’d recommend for Fallout 76, offering just enough horsepower to run the game without issues. However you will probably want to lower your settings to Medium to get a smoother framerate near 60 FPS. While you may miss out on a bit of eye candy from Ultra settings, you’ll still be able to head out into the wasteland alone or with friends not worry about laggy, choppy framerates. The GTX 1050 2GB beats out the competing Radeon RX 560 in performance here.

As an added bonus, this card is small enough to fit in almost any case and has low power usage. It would be a good option as an upgrade for a small form factor case or a pre-built PC like a Dell where the internals are very cramped.

Pop! Funko 479 Fallout 76 – Blue Tricentennial Power Armor (Walmart Exclusive)

(226)

View on Amazon

The Best Overall Value (Mid-Range) Video Cards for Fallout 76 under $250

• $200 – $250 Budget
• Recommended for 1080p or 1440p resolutions
• Play with maximum detail settings at 1080p, or get a solid 60 FPS at 1440p
• Best overall value for price to performance.

Here the performance is very similar between two main options. Both the Radeon RX 580 8GB and GTX 1060 6GB hit at the same price points and almost exactly the same performance. One thing to consider is some users feel Nvidia driver support and software has been a bit better over recent years, and performance with the GTX 1060 is slightly better in some situations. The difference is very minor however, and you may find this MSI RX 580 8GB to be considerably cheaper.

• RX 580 8GB Benchmarks for Fallout 76:
• 85 FPS @ 1080p Ultra in Fallout 76
• 59 FPS @ 1440p Ultra in Fallout 76

Prices fluctuate, so consider both the GTX 1060 below and the RX 580 above. Both of these cards perform similarly in Fallout 76 so price may be your deciding factor.

• GTX 1060 6GB Benchmarks for Fallout 76:
• 80 FPS @ 1080p Ultra
• 57 FPS @ 1440p Ultra

Fallout Mega Merge Series 1 – T-45 Armor

View on Amazon

The Best GPU for Fallout 76 under $400

• $350 Budget
• The most affordable option for 144hz monitors
• Recommended for 1440p resolution
• Stay well above 60 FPS at 1080p and 1440p, Ultra Settings
• 147 FPS @ 1080p, Medium Settings
• 120 FPS @ 1080p, Ultra
• 80 FPS @ 1440p, Ultra
• 40 FPS @ 4K, Ultra

The Gigabyte GTX 1070 WINDFORCE OC 8GB is a little overpowered for 1080p gaming, but that’s never a bad thing if your budget allows it. For 1440p resolutions, it has enough extra power to safely keep you above 60 FPS even with a lot of on screen action. It’s a great option if you have a bit more room in your budget over the previously mentioned GTX 1060 / RX 580. It’s also the most affordable option to hit 144fps on Medium settings for 144hz monitor owners.

PowerA Spectra Infinity Enhanced Wired Controller for Xbox Series X|S- Black, Officially Licensed for Xbox

Twenty different colors and tons of vivid combinations across three distinct Spectra Zones.The Spectra Infinity Enhanced Wired Controller for Xbox Ser… read more

(27180)

$49.00

View on Amazon

The Best High End Graphics Card for Fallout 76 around $500

• $500 Budget
• Recommended for 4K resolution, 144hz monitors and high framerates
• 150 FPS @ 1080p, Ultra in Fallout 76
• 105 FPS @ 1440p, Ultra in Fallout 76
• 58 FPS @ 4K, Ultra

The RTX 2070 is the most reasonable high-end GPU for Fallout 76. Anything more would be overkill if you’re buying specifically for Fallout 76. You can play at the highest resolutions and framerates while keeping all the graphics settings maxed at Ultra. The alternative at this price would be the GTX 1080, but prices and performance are very similar. In the next couple of years we should also see some of the RTX specific ray tracing technology become more widely used, and that is only supported on the RTX cards.

The Most Powerful GPU Options for Fallout 76 – $800 or more

• $800 Budget
• Recommended for 4K resolution, 144hz monitors, and future-proofing your PC build
• 155 FPS @ 1080p, Ultra Settings in Fallout 76
• 130 FPS @ 1440p, Ultra Settings in Fallout 76
• 70 FPS @ 4K, Ultra Settings in Fallout 76

The RTX 2080 is for when money is (almost) no object. While you could go with the upgraded version – the RTX 2080 Ti – we really can’t recommend that as a good value to anyone right now. On the other hand, this RTX 2080, while still very expensive, is reasonable if you really want a great 4K gaming experience.

Exquisite Gaming: Fallout 76: Variant Vault Boy – Original Mobile Phone & Gaming Controller Holder, Device Stand, Cable Guys, Licensed Figure

FALLOUT 76: VAULT BOY phone, remote control and gaming controller stand / holder. Comes with a 6' cable for charging your device. 8" FIGURE: Heavy dut… read more

$48.98 $45.82

View on Amazon

Criteria for Determining the Best GPU Choices

In general, the target in PC gaming is to reach at least a solid 60 frames per second. We use this as our general starting criteria in combination with manufacturer quality and warranty, price, driver performance, and other factors. There are some specific hardware factors to consider for individuals – mostly what resolution you plan to play at – and this is addressed in the list above. As a sidenote, a general rule of thumb is you can usually achieve somewhere around 20-30% increase in FPS when you lower graphics settings from Ultra to High.

Conclusion

The cheapest option – the EVGA GTX 1050 2GB – will struggle at ultra quality settings, it offers enough performance to do the job at medium settings. The best overall value for the average gamer with a 1080p monitor is the MSI RX 580 8GB. This video card lets you run at maximum detail settings with a smooth framerate in Fallout 76. The Nvidia counterpart, the Gigabyte GTX 1060 6GB is nearly identical in performance, but you’ll find its usually a bit more expensive.

Getting into more powerful cards allows you to take advantage of the features of high end gaming monitors. The most affordable option for taking advantage of 144hz monitors in Fallout 76 would be the Gigabyte GTX 1070 8GB. For high end 4K gaming at maximum graphics settings you’ll want to go with the Gigabyte RTX 2070 8GB or go all out with the $800 EVGA RTX 2080 8GB.