I'm putting together a dedicated gaming PC just for playing 2D games that feature pixel art and sprites in 4K resolution. Right now, I have an older PC with a cheap NVIDIA card (maybe a 1070) that's decent for emulating older games, but it really struggles with 4K gaming on Steam with these types of visuals. I also have a powerful 5080 PC for AAA gaming on a monitor, but I want to keep that setup separate. I'm looking for recommendations on a good graphics card that would work well for newer pixel art games at 4K, especially since I'll be connecting it to a 4K TV. Any advice?
4 Answers
Back in the day, I used a 1080 Ti, and it was fantastic for 2D games. It handled pixel art really well, so that could be a solid option for your setup!
It depends on the games you're playing. Some newer 2D games actually use 3D engines with 2D artwork. They might require more powerful hardware than traditional pixel art games, so keep that in mind when choosing your setup!
Isn't pixel art meant to be low resolution? I thought games like that are usually around 640x480 or even lower. How do you even get them to look good in 4K?
If you're using a 4K TV, consider solutions like Moonlight or Steam Link to stream your games, and make sure you have long HDMI or DisplayPort cables for smooth performance.
Yeah, I get that a lot of pixel art games are low res originally, but my TV can upscale those to 4K. The problem is, when I try to upscale on my old PC, it gets really laggy with stutters and skipped frames. The 5080 runs it perfectly, but that's not ideal for what I’m trying to do.