What is the best graphics card for 4K movies? As many of the best movies are being filmed in 4K anymore (and most YouTubers, streaming platforms, and even social media websites), you need to find a video card that will allow you to see everything to the fullest potential.
When you have a video card for watching movies, everything looks sharper and more like real life. You won’t have trouble with rendering or lag. The contrast will be great, even on those movies where they didn’t pay the lighting bill.
Contents
Comparison Table
| Product | Pros | Cons |
| EVGA GeForce GT 1030 SC 2GB GDDR5 Passive |
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| Gigabyte GeForce GT 1030 GV-N1030D5-2GL Low Profile 2G Computer Graphics Card |
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| MSI GT 1030 2GD4 LP OC Computer Graphics Cards |
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| Gigabyte Geforce GTX 1050 Ti OC 4GB GDDR5 128 Bit PCI-E Graphic Card |
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But what is the best video card for 4K movies?
When looking for the best graphics card for 4K movies, we were able to narrow down the options to just a few that really stood out. These are the choices that make colors vivid, help to make nature come to life, and more.
Check out some of our favorites:
1. EVGA GeForce GT 1030 SC 2GB GDDR5 Passive
Specifications:
- Memory: 2GB GDDR5 64bit memory
- Low Profile Design: 150 mm card length
- Core Clock: 1252 MHz in OC Mode and 1227 MHz in Gaming Mode
- Boost Clock: 1506 MHz in OC Mode and 1468 MHz in Gaming Mode
- Compatibility: 1 x Dual-Link DVI-D 1 x HDMI 2.0b
- Stream Processors: 384
- Interface: PCI Express 3.0 x4
- One-click overclocking via AORUS Graphics Engine
Overview:
The EVGA GeForce FT is one of the best low profile video cards for 4K movies. It is able to keep up with the visual changes of movies and many reviewers have also noted how well it performs when you watch a lot of darker movies.
The video card is a great option with a low price and it has a power-friendly build so you won’t have to compete with the cooling system of your laptop. It only uses 30W TDP, so you can use this in a low power build as well.
If you have an available PCIe slot, this is a great option. If you don’t have that slow available, you may want to look into another option.
The EVGA GeForce GT 1030 isn’t the newest video card on the market, but it is still a good option for the price. As far as 4K goes, it does an admirable job. It is also a little cheaper than most of the other options.
Since it has been on the market for some time, we have been able to track how people like it and whether there is any degradation in the performance, and most people seem to be happy with how it has held up. There isn’t much people have complained about that wasn’t apparent to them from the start.
The EVGA GeForce GT 1030 is a 4K video card that is composed of 1.8 billion transistors, but it stays small at just 70mm². There are many reasons why they have been able to do this, but the 14nm FinFET process in manufacturing is the main reason why.
For movie lovers, it comes with three Streaming Multiprocessors, which is what helps to make your movies come to life.
Pros:
Extremely affordable, produces stunning image quality; no degradation over time; low profile form factor; single slot utility; sales quite often
Cons:
Sold out on many platforms; is a bit older now
2. Gigabyte GeForce GT 1030 GV-N1030D5-2GL Low Profile 2G Computer Graphics Card
Specifications:
- Memory: 2GB GDDR5 64bit memory
- Low Profile Design: 150 mm card length
- Core Clock: 1252 MHz in OC Mode and 1227 MHz in Gaming Mode
- Boost Clock: 1506 MHz in OC Mode and 1468 MHz in Gaming Mode
- Compatibility: 1 x Dual-Link DVI-D 1 x HDMI 2.0b
- Stream Processors: 384
- Interface: PCI Express 3.0 x4
- One-click overclocking via AORUS Graphics Engine
Overview:
The GeForce GT 1030 from NVIDIA is another great option for a graphic card for movies. It is lower in price and doesn’t consume much power either. It can be used in casual gaming, but it is really a better option for streaming movies.
The GeForce GT 1030 was manufactured under 14nm technology, has 384 cores, and is based on the GP 108 chip. It has a base clock of 1,227 Mhz and a turbo clock of 1,468 MHz. This will help to make streaming easier and lessens the amount of rendering time.
There are some other cards from GeForce that use different technology, but this one uses a 64-bit bus, which has accessibility to 2 GB of GDDR5 memory at 6 GHz. It has a bandwidth of about 48 GB/s, but you won’t notice much of a difference.
This isn’t a graphics card that people who are looking to game hardcore, but rather those who are looking to watch movies in 4K. It is also a popular option for those who are graphic designers or movie editors because they can edit in real-time.
There are some reasons to pick this card over some of the other options on this list. The GeForce GT 1030 has a very low power consumption, coming in with a TDP of 30W. You will not need to add another power connector. People will use it in a compact build and at half-heigh. You can even use it with a passive cooling system.
It is important to note that this is suited for more casual computer uses, as it does not support SLI, Ansel, G-SYNC, GameStream, VR Ready, and Simultaneous Multi-Projection technologies.
Pros:
Cheap price; produces good images; low profile; easily accessible; doesn’t take up much space at all
Cons:
Not for gaming; somewhat difficult to get; doesn’t support various tools; never goes on sale
3. MSI GT 1030 2GD4 LP OC Computer Graphics Cards
Specifications:
- Series: GeForce GT 1030 2G LP OC
- Brand: MSI
- Graphics Coprocessor: NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030
- Video Output Interface: DisplayPort, HDMI
- Chipset Brand: Nvidia
Overview:
The MSI GT 1030 is a good entry level option from NVIDIA. It is based on Pascal architecture, which means that it is going to be a more budget option and it will use less power. Most people will use it for casual gaming or for streaming movies.
The specifications of this card are similar to many of the others on this list, so there isn’t really anything that will stand out. It was created under 14nm technology, has 384 cores, and is based on the GP 108 chip. It has a base clock of 1,227 Mhz and a turbo clock of 1,468 MHz.
It uses a 64-bit bus, has accessibility to 2 GB of GDDR5 memory at 6 GHz, and many people who use it will say that it works a bit better than those specs let on. In fact, many people have said that the MSI card will perform better than cards that are 25% more expensive.
It is used in many general desktop computers that are a bit more expensive, or you can buy it separately to build your own computer. If you are a graphic designer, a movie lover, a YouTube lover, or you stream games frequently, you may have some great options. However, if you are going to stream heavy-duty games, it may not be the best choice.
There are some distinct advantages to this card that I would pay attention to is the power consumption, which is something that I always have trouble with when I’m streaming movies.
You won’t have to worry about your fan buzzing in the background or your computer overheating. This card has a TDP of only 30W, which means that it runs cool.
It is important to note that, like some of the other cards on this list, it does not support SLI, Ansel, G-SYNC, GameStream, VR Ready, and Simultaneous Multi-Projection technologies. This won’t be a problem for most people, but could be an issue for gamers.
Pros:
More affordable option; easy to get; low profile
Cons:
Not for gamers; doesn’t support various features; never goes on sale or lessens in price
4. Gigabyte Geforce GTX 1050 Ti OC 4GB GDDR5 128 Bit PCI-E Graphic Card
Specifications:
- Stream Processors: 640 CUDA Cores
- Interface: PCI Express 3.0 x16
- Supported APIs: DirectX: 12
- OpenGL: 5
- Memory Speed: 7 Gb/s
- Memory Configuration: 2 GB
- Memory Interface: GDDR5
- Memory Interface Width: 128-Bit
- Display Connectors: 1 x DisplayPort 1.4, 1 x HDMI 2.0b and 1 x DVI-D DL
- Digital Resolution: 7680 x 4320 at 60 Hz
Overview:
The last video card for 4K movies is the Gigabyte Geforce GTX 1050. This card is going to offer some of the best performances on the list. It offers an extremely small form factor while still pushing out high-quality images.
This is a perfect option for anyone who likes to stream movies or TV shows. It doesn’t require any additional power connections and it gets all that it needs from the PCI Express x 16 slot. This will help to keep your other resources free, which is important when you are building low profile machines or when you want a machine that doesn’t overheat.
If you aren’t looking to build a new computer, you may not get this option because it doesn’t come standard in very many machines.
This is going to be a bit more expensive than some of the other options on the list, but not that much more. It is worth it to spend the extra money. This is a low-profile card, but it is still full-height, which is going to limit some of the cases that it will fit into.
Overall, the Gigabyte Geforce GTX 1050 is a great option if you don’t want to spend too much, but you still want a great option. It will give you some really good streaming results.
Pros:
The smallest GTX 1050 on the market; it is extremely affordable; no external power connections are necessary; it is almost always available
Cons:
Still full height so it won’t fit into all cases; doesn’t always maintain 60fps; doesn’t perform consistently at high settings
Some Other Things To Consider When Picking A Video Card
Of course, there are some other things you want to consider when it comes to your video card. If you will only be using your graphics card for watching movies, then there really isn’t much else to consider.
However, if you are going to be gaming, doing work, and just generally using your computer, you may want to look at some other options. For some 4K movies, using the integrated GPU in your CPU will actually be powerful enough. Before you invest in a new GPU, you will want to check out how things look. Often, you can get mostly there and people won’t think it is worth it to purchase a whole new card.
You can also consider a card extension that will connect to the PC’s motherboard, which is basically an adapter that will help to improve the quality of the images . It really depends how you set up your system and how in-depth you want to get.
For 4K movies, you will want to get the full effect of the shoot.
While older movies aren’t in 4K (unless they have been remastered, which isn’t happening much), you will still see a better image quality on those really old movies that are nearly impossible to watch on a regular screen.
Everything in the 4K movie will be clear. The colors are more lush and vivid. The blacks look deeper than every before-just remember that looking at any screen now will show you just how nice 4K is.
Getting your system set up for 4K isn’t as easy as it was to switch in the past.
Why Does A Video Card Matter?
Most people who watch movies know that there are typical problems with image quality. There are serious gamers and those who make videos that need a high power video card to perform. As GPUs get faster and technology improves, manufacturers need to make better video cards.
If you aren’t a gamer, having a good video card may not have really mattered in the past. You probably didn’t care much about the GPU unless you needed it for specific applications. Increasingly, it is starting to matter more and more.
Quick Tips To Pick The Best Video Card For 4K Movies
If you are going to buy a new video card to watch 4K movies, here are some quick tips:
- You should save money for the CPU of your computer. You will need a good CPU to attach your video card to. Your system needs to work well together – one good piece isn’t going to be enough.
- Be sure to match your monitor resolution. Many mainstream cards are fine for gaming or watching movies at 1080p resolutions, but you will need to get something a bit special to watch near 4K resolutions.
- You also want to consider your refresh rate. If your monitor has triple-digit refresh rates, you will want to go with a card that is more powerful and a processor to reach its full potential. If your monitor tops out at 60Hz and 1080p, there is no need to pay for a powerful card.
- Another thing you want to think about is the power and space that your card needs. Make sure that your case has enough room and that the power supply is enough to handle it all.
- Look at the launch price. You will want to check if you are getting a good deal. Look at the price that the card launched for and then see what it is selling for now.
- Do not get dual cards.
- Don’t count on overclocking. It won’t help you with streaming 4K movies.
Overall, getting a video card for 4K movies isn’t going to be that hard. There are more and more options on the market today, so you will have plenty of material to wade through. Be sure to look at price, the performance, and the reviews.
However, you really do need to think about the rest of your computer and whether or not it will support 4K streaming and movies.
