Most people who find themselves available in the market for a brand new graphics card have one major query in thoughts: Which card will give me probably the most bang for my buck? Clearly, the reply will differ relying in your funds. Past that, there are a variety of things to think about: Uncooked efficiency is vital, however so are issues like noise, the motive force expertise, and supplemental software program. And do you need to pay a premium to get in on the bleeding fringe of real-time ray tracing?
Allow us to make it straightforward for you. We’ve examined almost each main GPU that’s hit the streets over the previous couple of years, from $100 funds playing cards to $1,800 luxurious fashions. Our data has been distilled into this text—a shopping for information with suggestions on which graphics card to purchase, it doesn’t matter what form of expertise you’re in search of.
And sure, you’ll be able to lastly purchase a GPU once more. After two years of an insane graphics card crunch spurred by chip shortages and an insane cryptocurrency surge, the dam has lastly burst. Provide points proceed, however the greatest ache factors have been alleviated; in the meantime, Bitcoin and Ethereum misplaced unbelievable quantities of worth in current weeks, prompting crypto miners to dump their used wares for affordable. Finish outcome? GPU costs are lastly plummeting and approaching MSRP. Whilst you can purchase a used mining GPU for much less money, choosing up a brand new mannequin with a full guarantee and no danger is much more attractive with costs lastly approaching sanity.
Rumors of next-gen Nvidia GeForce RTX 4000-series graphics playing cards abound, and AMD has publicly mentioned that its new RDNA 3-based Radeon GPUs will launch later this yr. A brand new contender, Intel, additionally seems able to launch its debut Arc GPUs later this summer season, given a current press tour exhibiting off its A380 and higher-end A750 GPUs. However for those who want a brand new graphics card right now, listed here are your finest choices. Road pricing for these playing cards nonetheless fluctuates wildly, and these rankings take real-world prices into consideration—which presently give AMD’s Radeon GPUs an edge.
Notice: There are custom-made variations of each graphics card from a bunch of distributors. For instance, you should purchase totally different GeForce GTX 3080 fashions from EVGA, Asus, MSI, and Zotac, amongst others.
We’ve linked to our full evaluate for every advice, however the shopping for hyperlinks result in fashions that hew carefully to every graphics card’s MSRP. Spending further can get you hefty out-of-the-box overclocks, beefier cooling methods, and extra. Try our “What to search for in a customized card” part beneath for tips about how to decide on a custom-made card that’s best for you.
The very best graphics playing cards for PC gaming
AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT – Finest funds graphics card
Costs could also be enjoyable, however presently, the much-maligned Radeon RX 6500 XT continues to be the one semi-reasonable sub-$250 possibility round. If you’ll find it for an excellent value, Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 3050 is a way more succesful trendy graphics card, however its pricing is often inflated at round $300. The Radeon RX 6500 XT is much less interesting due to its nerfed reminiscence, PCIe lanes, and restricted ports, to not point out decrease efficiency, however you’ll be able to typically discover them going for round $200 on the streets nowadays. These {hardware} limitations imply you’ll want to stay to Medium or Excessive graphics settings at 1080p decision in trendy video games with the intention to obtain playable body charges, however for those who do this, you’ll benefit from the expertise.
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Radeon RX 6500 XT evaluate
AMD Radeon RX 6600 – Finest 1080p graphics card
AMD’s Radeon RX 6600 and Nvidia’s rival GeForce RTX 3060 each ostensibly carry the identical $329 MSRP, however on the streets, there’s a a lot wider hole. You could find the 6600 going for costs beginning round $300, whereas the most affordable RTX 3060 begins at $400. These are each steep entry prices for 1080p gaming—no less than in comparison with the GPUs of yesteryear—however with 8GB of quick GDDR6 reminiscence, insanely good energy effectivity, and AMD’s Radeon Tremendous Decision in tow, the Radeon RX 6600 is a superb graphics card for folks trying to sport at 1080p decision at 60fps or increased with out compromising on visible constancy. (Or breaking the financial institution.)
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Radeon RX 6600 Swft 210 evaluate
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 – Finest 1080p graphics card for ray tracing
Nvidia is on its second-generation of devoted ray tracing {hardware}, and its killer DLSS upsampling function is in a whole bunch of video games to claw again the efficiency misplaced to turning on ray tracing (which carries a steep efficiency penalty). At $330-plus, it ain’t low-cost, but when enabling these cutting-edge lighting results is a precedence, you’ll need to go along with GeForce. The RTX 3060 is one other stable possibility, but it surely’s $400 on the streets and delivers efficiency on par with the $300 Radeon RX 6600 in video games that don’t use ray tracing.
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GeForce RTX 3050 evaluate
AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT – Finest 1440p graphics card
In a sane world, Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 3060 Ti would dominate 1440p gaming at its $400 MSRP. It’s that good, and it affords superior ray tracing efficiency to AMD’s Radeon rivals. However we nonetheless aren’t dwelling in a sane world, and the RTX 3060 Ti goes for $500+ on the streets, and sometimes $550 to $600. Nvidia’s RTX 3070, ostensibly $500, goes for $650 to $700 on-line. Get AMD’s Radeon RX 6700 XT as an alternative. It’s lots quick for 1440p gaming at 60fps+ with out compromise, whereas its beefy 12GB of GDDR6 reminiscence supplies loads of headroom for flipping on all probably the most intense graphical options. The one draw back? AMD’s card is simply able to enjoying ray-traced video games at 1080p decision until you activate Radeon Tremendous Decision, or FSR 1 or 2 in video games that help it. One the flip facet, the Radeon RX 6700 XT can reap the benefits of AMD’s superior performance-boosting Good Entry Reminiscence function for those who’re operating a contemporary Ryzen system that helps it.
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Radeon RX 6700 XT evaluate
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti – Finest 1440p graphics card for ray tracing
Sure, the RTX 3060 Ti stays overpriced in comparison with its MSRP, going for $500+ quite than the anticipated $400—however that’s as a result of it’s that good. If you’d like a killer 1440p gaming expertise with top-notch ray tracing because the cherry on prime, that is the cardboard to purchase even at an inflated value. The step-down GeForce RTX 3060 can also be price contemplating, although it’s possible you’ll want to show down some graphics settings whenever you allow ray tracing, whereas the step-up RTX 3070 doesn’t ship sufficient of a efficiency enhance to justify spending but extra.
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GeForce RTX 3060 Ti evaluate
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Founders Version – Finest 4K graphics card
In the event you’ve acquired a 4K monitor and need to put all these pixels to work, the RTX 3070, 3070 Ti and AMD’s Radeon RX 6750 XT and RX 6800 are all first rate cheaper choices. However if you’d like the very best expertise with none visible compromises, spend $800 and choose up the 10GB model of the RTX 3080. (The $1,000 12GB mannequin isn’t well worth the upcharge regardless of being barely extra future-proof.) The GeForce RTX 3080 packs sufficient energy to blow by way of video games even at 4K decision with eye sweet cranked, together with ray traced video games due to Nvidia’s killer combo of second-gen ray tracing {hardware} and DLSS.
The one drawback? That is an insanely widespread GPU, and it may nonetheless be tough to seek out fashions across the 3080’s $800 MSRP (although they’re undoubtedly popping up). AMD’s rival Radeon RX 6800 XT is less complicated to seek out, simply as quick, and packs a whopping 16GB of GDDR6 reminiscence, however Nvidia’s superior ray tracing and DLSS chops earn it the nod for this value level for those who’re capable of finding one round MSRP.
All that mentioned, new GPU generations from each Nvidia and AMD are anticipated earlier than the top of the yr, and when these launch, paying MSRP value for the two-year-old RTX 3080 or any of its rivals might sting, since new graphics households often demolish the efficiency of last-gen’s high-end GPUs for the same value. Contemplate whether or not you need to hop on board now, or danger ready just a few months to see what’s brewing.
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GeForce RTX 3080 evaluate
AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT – Finest high-end 4K graphics card
Graphics playing cards that price $1,000 didn’t used to exist, however now they’re commonplace, with the $1,000 12GB RTX 3080, $1,000 Radeon RX 6900 XT, $1,100 Radeon RX 6950 XT, $1,200 GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, $1,500 GeForce RTX 3090, and $2,000 RTX 3090 Ti all out there on this value vary.
Their steep value will increase don’t translate into lots of further efficiency over the extra inexpensive RTX 3080 or Radeon RX 6800 XT, so we suggest most individuals keep on with these as an alternative. However costs are being slashed quickly on the high-end, and for those who’re trying to splurge, we suggest the Radeon RX 6950 XT for most individuals.
The Radeon RX 6950 XT is quicker than the RTX 3090 for $400 much less, and comes with an ample 16GB of reminiscence. Heck, it even surpasses the $2,000 RTX 3090 Ti in efficiency in some video games. In the event you merely need to play some video games with face-melting pace and constancy, the 6950 XT is a killer worth possibility, and it’ll ship a killer expertise—particularly for those who use AMD options like Radeon Tremendous Decision, Good Entry Reminiscence, and FSR. (The identical holds true for the Radeon RX 6900 XT, which we’ve seen on sale for lower than $900 now that the GPU crunch is letting up.) It isn’t nearly as good as Nvidia’s GPUs at ray tracing, nonetheless, so go for the RTX 3080 Ti as an alternative for those who’re a gamer trying to flip on all these cutting-edge lighting results. Notice that the Sapphire Nitro+ Pure mannequin we reviewed is an ultra-luxe enthusiast-class model that prices extra, and deservedly so, although you’ll find different RX 6950 XTs for MSRP.
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Nitro+ Pure Radeon RX 6950 XT evaluate
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 – Finest high-end 4K graphics card for content material creation and ray tracing
If you’d like a few of the finest gaming efficiency on the planet, together with ray tracing, and in addition need to do some work on the facet, the $1,500 RTX 3090 is the graphics card to purchase. This card works arduous and performs arduous due to a huge 24GB of ultra-fast GDDR6 reminiscence that makes it excel at content material creation and machine studying duties, particularly high-res video rendering. And it slings gaming frames with the very best of them. The newer RTX 3090 Ti affords barely sooner GPU and reminiscence efficiency, however prices $500 extra, making the non-Ti 3090 a way more (considerably) sensible alternative. You pay for the privilege, nonetheless, with the Radeon RX 6950 XT and GeForce RTX 3080 Ti delivering comparable gaming efficiency for considerably much less.
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Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 evaluate
How we take a look at graphics playing cards
We take a look at graphics playing cards on a devoted take a look at system used just for this function, with minimal further software program concerned. That ensures that any efficiency adjustments we see are generated solely by the graphics card being examined and new GPU drivers, with out the variability of different {hardware} or software program adjustments. Right here is the configuration of our present testbed:
- AMD Ryzen 5900X, inventory settings
- AMD Wraith Max cooler
- MSI Godlike X570 motherboard
- 32GB G.Talent Trident Z Neo DDR4 3800 reminiscence
- EVGA 1200W SuperNova P2 energy provide
- 2x 1TB SK Hynix Gold S31 SSD
So far as video games go, we use a set set of video games to check each graphics card that comes out in a given era, and replace the suite when a brand new era of GPUs is launched. We take a look at quite a lot of video games spanning most main sport sorts (ways, racing, FPS, and so on.), engines (Unreal Engine, Unity, Anvil, and so on.) and underlying graphics APIs (DirectX 11, DX12, Vulkan). We use the built-in benchmarks for every sport, however solely after validating the accuracy of the outcomes by operating the benchmarks and evaluating the outcomes to efficiency witnessed by third-party GPU measurement instruments like OCAT. Every sport is examined no less than 3 times per decision, producing a median from these runs, with further assessments run if we encounter any hiccups. We may carry out further testing with instruments like OCAT if any efficiency oddities are observed. Energy draw is measured on a whole-system foundation, itemizing each idle and absolutely burdened states as measured through a Watts Up meter that the system is plugged into.
What to search for in a customized graphics card
If you wish to store past the scope of our picks, know that discovering the correct graphics card might be difficult. Numerous distributors provide custom-made variations of each GPU. For instance, you should purchase totally different Radeon RX 6700 XT fashions from Sapphire, XFX, Asus, MSI, and PowerColor.
To assist slender down the choices and discover the correct card for you, you need to think about the next issues when doing all your analysis:
Overclocks: Greater-priced customized fashions are sometimes overclocked out-of-the-box to various levels, which might result in increased efficiency. Most trendy customized playing cards provide the identical important stage of efficiency,nonetheless.
Cooling options: Many graphics playing cards can be found with customized coolers that decrease temperatures and fan noise. The overwhelming majority carry out properly. Liquid-cooled graphics playing cards run even cooler, however require further room inside your case for the tubing and radiator. Keep away from graphics playing cards with single-fan, blower-style cooling methods for those who will help it, until you’ve got a small-form-factor PC or plan on utilizing customized water-cooling blocks.
Dimension: Many graphics playing cards are of an identical dimension, however longer and shorter fashions of many GPUs exist. Excessive-end graphics playing cards are beginning to sport particularly huge customized cooling options to tame their enthusiast-class GPUs. Double-check that your chosen graphics card will slot in your case before you purchase.
Compatibility: Not all {hardware} helps a variety of connectivity choices. Greater-end graphics playing cards might lack DVI ports, whereas lower-end displays might lack DisplayPorts. Solely probably the most trendy Radeon and GeForce graphics playing cards help HDMI 2.1 outputs. Guarantee your graphics card and monitor can join to one another. Likewise, be certain that your energy provide meets the advisable wattage for the graphics card you select.
Actual-time ray tracing and DLSS: AMD’s Radeon RX 6000-sereis graphics playing cards and all of Nvidia’s RTX choices can play video games with real-time ray tracing results energetic. Nvidia’s RTX 30-series GPUs maintain an enormous benefit over all the things else although, propelled even additional by devoted tensor cores for processing machine studying duties resembling Deep Studying Tremendous Sampling, which makes use of AI to hurry up the efficiency of your video games with minimal hit to visible constancy. GeForce RTX 20-series GPUs additionally help DLSS, however AMD has no reply for it but, although the corporate is teasing a extra open “FidelityFX Tremendous Decision” function to rival it within the coming months.
