Stop chasing 'Ultra' settings: Why buying a flagship GPU ...

What’s Happening

Real talk: Going over budget is all too easy when shopping for a graphics card, especially now.

Stop chasing ‘Ultra’ settings: Why buying a flagship GPU is a trap Credit: Ismar Hrnjicevic / How-To Geek By Monica J. White Published Feb 1, 2026, 5:30 PM EST Monica J. (we’re not making this up)

White is a journalist with over a decade of experience in covering technology.

The Details

She built her first PC nearly 20 years ago, and she has since built and tested dozens of PCs. PC hardware is her main beat, and graphics cards and the GPU market at large are her main area of interest, but she has written thousands of articles covering everything related to PCs, laptops, handhelds, and peripherals.

From GPUs and CPUs to headsets and software, Monica’s always willing to geek out over all things related to computing. Outside of her work with How-To Geek , Monica contributes to TechRadar , PC Gamer , Tom’s Guide , Laptop Mag , SlashGear , Whop , and Digital Trends , among others.

Why This Matters

Her ultimate goal is to make PC gaming and computing approachable and fun to any audience. Monica spends a lot of time elbow-deep in her PC case, as she’s always making upgrades, testing something, or plotting out her next build. She’s the go-to tech support person in her immediate circle, so she’s never out of things to do.

This could have major implications for how we use technology going forward.

Key Takeaways

• Whenever she has spare time, you’ll find her gaming until the early hours and hanging out with her dog.
• But the reality is that you probably spent too much on your graphics card—I know I have.

The Bottom Line

After all, it’s often the single most impactful component in a PC, and upgrading your graphics card can give you a major performance boost in all your games. But the reality is that you probably spent too much on your graphics card—I know I have.

Is this a W or an L? You decide.