NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 Buyer's Guide
Positioning and generation
The GeForce GTX 570 is a desktop graphics card based on NVIDIA's Fermi architecture, and it sits in the integrated or very old entry-level band of our requirement tiers. It shares that tier with the AMD Radeon HD 5870, Radeon HD 6950 and Radeon HD 7850.
Its role today is clear. It can handle lightweight games and titles with conservative graphics settings, but it is not a practical choice for recent AAA releases. Fermi predates the ray tracing hardware and upscaling technology that modern cards use, so it is also behind on features.
If you mainly want to replay older games, indie titles or light online games, it still has a use. If you want to play new releases smoothly, treat it as a stopgap rather than a long-term investment.
Key specs explained
Our database only holds the architecture (Fermi), the form factor (desktop) and the video memory size (1 GB) for this card. Other specifications such as core clock, memory bus width and power draw are not specified here, so we do not estimate them.
One gigabyte of video memory is very tight by today's standards. VRAM stores textures, models and render buffers. When it runs short, games must lower texture quality or keep reaching into system memory, which causes stutter and delayed asset loading. This is one of the main reasons the card struggles with newer games.
For features, Fermi has no ray tracing hardware and no DLSS or FSR-style upscaling to lean on. Your main tools are lowering shadows, effects and anti-aliasing rather than relying on upscaling to recover performance.
Suitable games and resolutions
Against official requirements across 439 games in our catalogue, this card falls below the minimum in 262 of them. It meets the minimum but not the recommended level in 88, reaches the recommended level in 39, and clears the recommended level well in 30. Most of the catalogue is out of reach.
The titles it reaches at the recommended level or better include Peglin, Balatro, Brotato, Vampire Survivors and Trombone Champ, mostly 2D or lightweight 3D games. Titles where it only meets the minimum include Hades II, Hollow Knight: Silksong and Scrap Mechanic, which means settling for the lowest graphics settings and accepting inconsistent results. Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) 40th Anniversary Edition and Palworld fall below the minimum, so they are not worth attempting.
For resolution, 1080p is the most this card can reasonably target, and only with low graphics settings. Higher resolutions add more load on video memory and fill rate, so they are not recommended.
Compared with similar hardware
In our tiering, the GTX 570 sits alongside the Radeon HD 5870, Radeon HD 6950 and Radeon HD 7850. These are all older entry-level desktop cards, so if you are weighing a used older card, they are fair comparisons, though the real gap depends on the games you play and their official requirements.
One tier down, the GeForce GTX 650 Ti sits a step lower, with the GTX 560 Ti and GTX 470 in the same earlier group. Within NVIDIA's lineup the GTX 570 is one of the stronger earlier cards, but against competing brands in the same band its advantage is not clear-cut.
Overall, the gap to its peers shows up mainly in video memory capacity and feature support, and both have become limiting factors today.
Buying new or used
Most of the supply for this card is now used or leftover stock, so check its condition carefully. If it was used for mining or run under heavy load for long periods, fan wear, thermal paste and capacitor condition can all affect stability. Listen for fan noise, look for heavy dust build-up, and confirm that it boots and outputs video.
Check your power supply and connectors as well. Make sure your case has room for the card's length, that your PSU has the correct power connectors, and that its wattage is sufficient. An aging or underpowered PSU can cause instability or even damage.
Used cards usually come without warranty or with an expired one. If you buy new old stock, confirm the seller's warranty terms. Check the item's condition and return policy before buying to reduce your risk. Specific warranty and power requirements are not specified in our data.
Upgrade advice
If your current system is equally old, moving to this card will improve basic playability, but the gain is modest and the 1 GB of video memory remains a hard limit. If your budget allows, a newer entry-level card from a later generation will give you more VRAM and better feature support.
Before spending on a graphics card, check that your processor and memory can keep up. An old CPU or too little RAM will hold back any card and waste its potential. Aim for a CPU, memory and GPU that are roughly balanced before you upgrade.
If you want to move up a full tier, look at newer entry-level or mid-range cards and choose based on the official recommended requirements of the games you play most.
