By the FlowUP team, gaming PC assembler in Genappe (Belgium) · Updated 13 October 2026
In brief: for a successful Black Friday graphics card, start from your screen: RTX 5050 or RX 9060 XT for 1080p, RTX 5060 Ti 16GB or RTX 5070 for 1440p, RTX 5070 Ti or RTX 5080 for 1440p ultra and 4K. And ask yourself a question before buying the card on its own: will your current PC keep up? Often, a complete gaming PC that’s already well-positioned on price is the best deal.
Black Friday graphics card: which one to target for your screen
Every year, you see players come into the workshop after buying the biggest card on sale, hooked up to a 1080p screen at 60Hz. Result: a card that ends up idling, and a budget that could have been spent elsewhere.
The right method fits in one sentence: it’s the screen that decides. A high-refresh 1080p display is satisfied with an entry-level or mid-range card. 1440p needs 12 to 16GB of video memory. For 4K, you’ll need the top of the line.
The PC Swift and its RTX 5060 Ti 16GB, our favourite pick for 1440p.
| Your screen | Recommended graphics card | Video memory | Our best-value PC | Difference vs the closest equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1080p, 60 to 144Hz | RTX 3050 or RTX 5050 | 6 to 8GB | PC Nova, PC Corvus | 22% and 12% cheaper |
| High-refresh 1080p | RX 9060 XT | 8 or 16GB | PC Spike | 8% cheaper |
| 1440p | RTX 5060 Ti 16GB or RTX 5070 | 12 to 16GB | PC Swift, PC Cheetoh | 8% and 13% cheaper |
| 1440p ultra, 4K | RTX 5070 Ti or RTX 5080 | 16GB | PC Abyssin, PC Arctic | 11% and 8% cheaper |
Video memory according to the official NVIDIA and AMD specs. Price differences: FlowUP’s findings from 12 October 2026 on PCs assembled by three major French system integrators, with identical or equivalent processor and graphics card.
To go further into choosing between these cards, read RTX 5070, RTX 5060 or RTX 5070 Ti: which card should you choose and 8, 12 or 16GB of VRAM: how much do you need in 2026.
Buy a graphics card on its own, or a full PC on Black Friday?
The PC Cheetoh: RTX 5070 and Ryzen 7 7800X3D, a duo designed for high-refresh 1440p.
A graphics card on offer is tempting. But it won’t run any faster than the rest of the machine. On a PC that’s five or six years old, three things often hold you back: a processor that bottlenecks the card at 1080p, a power supply that’s too small for a RTX 5070 Ti, and a case where it doesn’t fit.
If two of those three points apply to you, the calculation changes. The PC Cheetoh, for example, pairs a RTX 5070 with the Ryzen 7 7800X3D, the gaming processor that gets the most out of this card, and it’s already 13% cheaper than its closest equivalent.
Before upgrading just the card, also check your power supply with our guide how to choose your power supply.
Black Friday RTX 5070 Ti and RTX 5080: the high end
The searches “Black Friday RTX 5070 Ti” and “Black Friday RTX 5080” aren’t there by chance: these are the cards where a discount gives you the most value in absolute terms. Both offer 16GB of GDDR7 video memory and DLSS 4, giving them headroom for 1440p in ultra settings and 4K.
Our recommendation: the RTX 5070 Ti is the best balance for 1440p at 144Hz and beyond. The RTX 5080 is mainly justified for 4K or if you stream while gaming.
PC Abyssin: RTX 5070 Ti
Ryzen 5 7500X3D and RTX 5070 Ti 16GB, 11% below its equivalent. Optional upgrade to 32GB of RAM.
PC Rainbow V2: RTX 5070 Ti and Ryzen 7 7800X3D
1440p ultra, 5% below its equivalent. Choose either Ryzen 7 9800X3D or Core i7 14700KF.
Black Friday graphics card: traps to avoid
- The hidden 8GB version. The RTX 5060 Ti exists in 8 and 16GB: check the amount of memory, not just the name.
- The older generation on offer. A card from the previous generation may seem heavily discounted, but it doesn’t have DLSS 4 with multi-image generation.
- The fake crossed-out price. The reference price should be the lowest of the last 30 days: note the price now to compare.
The PC Rift (Ryzen 5 7500F and RX 9060 XT 16GB) was tested in games by Mathis and Gauthier, so you can see what a recent mid-range card looks like in a FlowUP PC:
Mathis and Gauthier, test of the FlowUP Rift PC, September 2026.
FAQ: Black Friday graphics card
Which graphics card should you buy for Black Friday 2026?
The one that matches your screen: RTX 5050 or RX 9060 XT for 1080p, RTX 5060 Ti 16GB or RTX 5070 for 1440p, RTX 5070 Ti or RTX 5080 for 1440p ultra and 4K.
Is it better to buy a graphics card on its own or a complete PC?
If your processor, power supply, and case are recent, the graphics card alone may be enough. Otherwise, a complete PC avoids bottlenecks and unpleasant surprises.
Will the RTX 5070 Ti be cheaper on Black Friday?
No one can guarantee that. Memory prices keep rising, according to TrendForce, which puts pressure on the prices of graphics cards and PCs.
How much video memory do you need for gaming in 2026?
8 GB for 1080p, 12 to 16 GB for 1440p, 16 GB for 4K.
Sources
- NVIDIA, GeForce RTX 50 series graphics cards
- TrendForce, memory price forecasts for Q4 2026 (30 September 2026)
- FlowUP price tracking for 12 October 2026
