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Introduction

The greatest graphics cards available will completely change your gaming computer. Even the fastest CPU will struggle to achieve much without a capable GPU pushing pixels. There are several GPUs available for less than MSRP right now, practically all of which are AMD graphics cards. Everything else is secondary to the greatest graphics cards, which are the throbbing heart of any gaming Machine. Obtaining the greatest Nvidia GeForce graphics cards and the top AMD graphics cards has become simpler.

There is no single GPU that works for everyone, just as there is no single Computer component that works for everyone. While some users may seek the very finest gaming experience on PC, others may prefer something more affordable, albeit less powerful. Many people are seeking for the best graphic card for gaming. We’ve evaluated virtually all of the top GPUs from prominent companies, as well as Nvidia and AMD reference cards, so we know precisely which graphics cards will allow you to play the greatest PC games, work with cutting-edge video editing and 3D rendering tools, and occasionally edit family vacation photographs.

AMD and NVIDIA’s most recent versions include A.I. upscaling technology, ray tracing capabilities, and the ability to handle high frame rates in 4K. The competition between AMD and Nvidia is fiercer than it has been in years, and costs are beginning to fall significantly from their recent highs, making it an excellent time to get a new graphics card. While no one graphics card is ideal for everyone, we’ve mentioned alternatives for every viewpoint below.

Factors to Consider When Choosing the Best Graphic Card for Gaming

Picking the right graphics card for your gaming rig can be a daunting task, considering the plethora of options available. Here are some essential factors to consider when making your decision:

Performance

The performance of a graphics card is a crucial aspect to consider. Look for benchmarks and reviews that compare frame rates and image quality across various games. Choose a card that offers smooth gameplay at your desired resolution and graphics settings.

VRAM (Video RAM)

VRAM is responsible for storing graphical assets that the GPU needs during rendering. Opt for a graphics card with ample VRAM to ensure it can handle high-resolution textures and other demanding graphical effects.

Cooling Solution

Powerful graphics cards generate a substantial amount of heat. Ensure that the card you choose comes with an efficient cooling solution to prevent overheating and maintain optimal performance.

Connectivity and Ports

Consider the connectivity options the graphics card offers. Ensure it has the necessary ports (HDMI, DisplayPort, etc.) to connect to your monitor and other peripherals.

Power Requirements

Check the power requirements of the graphics card and ensure that your power supply can handle it. Some high-end cards require additional power connectors.

BEST GAMING GPU

1. AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX

SPECIFICATIONS

PROS

High refresh rate 4K gaming

Impressive cooling performance

Lots of VRAM and cache

Competitive price

CONS

Relatively high power consumption

Much slower RT performance

Loud and hot

AMD’s Radeon RX 7900 XTX is the most affordable high-end graphics card on the market. The RX 7900 XTX has carved out a nice niche for itself among high-end GPUs owing to its great performance but inexpensive pricing compared to the upcoming RTX 40 series. In terms of raw performance, the RX 7900 XTX can run the most demanding PC games at more over 60 frames per second (fps), and in the case of titles like Red Dead Redemption 2 and Horizon Zero Dawn, it can even reach around 100 fps.

The 7900 XTX does not support DLSS, however it does support FSR, an open-source replacement with comparable visual quality. Also, it is smaller, and it requires conventional 8-pin power rather than the 12-pin connection seen in Nvidia’s most current GPUs. There’s little doubt that Nvidia’s GPUs are a lot superior choice for AI or deep learning research. But, for this generation, AMD’s fastest choice is the RX 7900 XTX, and it surely packs a punch. That doesn’t mean the RX 7900 XTX is without flaws. It becomes noisy and hot, and it falls short in ray tracing games when compared to Nvidia.

AMD’s GPUs can also be utilised for professional work, however the results are hit or miss. Many applications in the SPECviewperf suite perform admirably on AMD hardware, while others fall short. The RX 7900 XTX provides flagship performance at a good value in today’s overpriced GPU market. Despite with certain limitations, the RX 7900 XTX is a great graphics card capable of powering high-end gaming in demanding titles such as Cyberpunk 2077.

2. Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090

SPECIFICATIONS

PROS

Excellent ray tracing performance

Power consumption relatively low

Excellent 4K and maybe even 8K gaming

24GB is great for content creation workloads

CONS

Expensive

Needs a fast CPU and large PSU

DLSS 3 image quality needs some work

The Nvidia RTX 4090 is the highest powerful consumer graphics card available for purchase. The RTX 4090 is about 80% quicker than the RTX 3090 Ti in professional content production workloads as as Blender, Octane, and V-Ray. It’s more than three times quicker with Blender than the RX 7900 XTX. The RTX 4090 is so strong that neither 4K nor ray tracing in current games can drag it down. In terms of gaming performance, it’s the only graphics card capable of gaming at native 4K resolution with ray tracing without the assistance of DLSS.

It’s the first GPU from Nvidia to include a hardware AV1 encoder, while the NVENC encoder isn’t bad either. To get the most out of the RTX 4090, you actually need a high refresh rate 4K display. It’s more than 50% quicker on average than the RTX 3090 Ti, and with DLSS 3 and complete frame generation, the RTX 4090 can reach up to double the frame rate of the previous generation’s DLSS 2.0. Because of the tremendous horsepower, there are no slowdowns while scrubbing timelines and making modifications, even when no proxies or lower-resolution timelines are used.

The RTX 4090 is based on Nvidia’s new Ada Lovelace architecture and has the massive AD102 GPU with 16,384 Cuda cores, 24GB GDDR6X VRAM, a base speed of 2.23 GHz, and Nvidia’s third generation ray tracing cores. It’s also the first Nvidia GPU with DLSS 3.0 capability and HDMI 2.1 outputs on the rear. It uses the new 12VHPWR power connection and is rated at 450W TGP. This is the type of card that will be able to stay up with the latest titles for many years, making it an excellent investment.

3. AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT

SPECIFICATIONS

PROS

High clock speeds

Plenty of VRAM\

High framerates at 1440p

Good price to performance ratio

CONS

FSR can’t overcome DLSS

Slows at 4K

Weaker RT performance

We suggest AMD’s RX 6700 XT for 1440p gaming because of its affordable pricing and performance that falls between between the RTX 3060 Ti and the RTX 3070. Those two Nvidia GPUs, on the other hand, are much more expensive than the 6700 XT. The 6700 XT features the same amount of GPU cores as the RX 5700 XT from the previous generation, but slightly faster clock rates and greater cache give it a 30% performance gain. If we add almost any game using DLSS or ray tracing, the 6700 XT looks more like an RTX 3060 contender.

The RX 6700 XT has 40 compute units (CUs) for a total of 2,560 RDNA 2 cores and 64 ROPs, which is precisely half of the maximum configuration of the Navi 21 GPU, but the card has more than its fair share of RAM and Infinity Cache. During gaming, the RX 6700 XT achieved clock rates in excess of 2.6GHz – and this was on the reference card. Factory overclocked variants may bring it closer to 2.7GHz without overheating the GPU.

There’s 12GB of GDDR6 jammed into this card: an effort at what we optimistically term ‘future-proofing’. Given the smaller device and less VRAM, we’d anticipate a big drop in power consumption compared to the RX 6800, but AMD cites a TBP (Typical Board Power, which covers all power and not just the GPU) of 230W. That’s not awful, and it’s certainly within the capabilities of most recent gaming Computers. If you don’t mind ray tracing and prefer the additional RAM, the RX 6700 XT is the better all-around GPU to buy right now.

4. Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Ti

SPECIFICATIONS

PROS

Cheapest next-gen graphics card

Exceptional cooling

Can mostly do 4K at 60 fps or more

Excellent gaming performance

CONS

12GB VRAM isn’t great for 8K gaming

Outpaced by competition

Overkill for 1080p displays

Nvidia’s RTX 4070 Ti is the finest overall gaming GPU you can purchase right now; you get most of the greatest features of Nvidia’s flagship GPUs of this generation without the excessive price tag. Because of third-generation ray tracing cores, fourth-generation tensor cores, and powerful Nvidia Lovelace architecture. At 1440p and 4K resolutions, the 4070 Ti is basically similar to the RTX 3090 Ti. Ray tracing performance is comparable to that of the 3090 Ti. The 4070 Ti has a single obvious performance benefit over the 3090 Ti: support for DLSS 3. Nevertheless, this new version of DLSS is prone to visual artifacts.

The Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Ti supports DLSS 3, boasts top-tier ray-tracing technology, and has enough raw horsepower to handle just much any game available today at 1440p at high frame rates with ease. Nvidia upped the clock speed on the RTX 4070 Ti marginally to compensate for the lower resource count, but the 2,310MHz base clock and 2,610MHz boost clock on the baseline RTX 4070 Ti are insufficient to compensate. The RTX 4070 Ti also features a 192-bit memory interface and slower VRAM.

The disadvantage is that the card will not fit well inside many cases, but it has excellent cooling performance. The heatsink is incredibly massive, and the trio of fans mounted above it resulted in far lower operating temperatures than predicted. The bottom line with the RTX 4070 Ti is that it’s the best overall since last generation GPUs are hard to come by at a reasonable price.

5. AMD Radeon RX 6600

SPECIFICATIONS

PROS

Works with 450W PSUs

Lower power requirements

Runs 1080p max settings and 60fps

Very quiet

CONS

No significant overclocking headroom

Only 8GB VRAM

Weaker ray tracing performance

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 is a solid midrange card that supports contemporary graphics technologies like as ray tracing and AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) upscaling. The AMD Radeon RX 6600 is the most recent and least expensive graphics card designed by the Red Team. If you’re not concerned about ray tracing, the RX 6600 is well worth considering. If you’re not interested in AMD’s or Nvidia’s new wave of incredibly costly GPUs and just want a good mainstream solution, this is a terrific alternative. The RX 6600 is more than competent of 1080p gaming in this day and age.

AMD isn’t adopting the same approach with Navi 23, and in addition to sacrificing some performance, the RX 6600 decreases the power demand to only 132W and lowers the stated starting price. When it comes to increasing performance per watt, the RDNA 2 architecture comes in useful for the RX 6600. It supports DirectX Raytracing (DXR) and implements the whole DirectX 12 Ultimate feature set, including Variable Rate Shading (VRS), mesh shaders, and sampler feedback. The RX 6600 is equipped with 1,792 cores (28 CUs). It’s also worth mentioning that the RX 6600 has a PCIe 4.0 x8 connectivity.

The RX 6600 has a 132W TBP (total board power), and AMD recommends pairing it with a 450W power supply. Under real-world gaming circumstances, the RX 6600 easily outperforms its Game Clock, consistently reaching 2,337MHz. The comparatively small cooler on our standard Powercolor Fighter keeps this card running at a remarkably low temperature. In titles that enable FSR, you’re more likely to utilise it. FSR works similarly to DLSS in that it produces a game at a lesser resolution and upscales it so that you get the framerate of the lower resolution while maintaining the picture quality of higher resolutions.

Conclusion

In conclusion, graphic cards for gaming play a pivotal role in elevating your gaming experience to unparalleled heights. From the evolution of pixelated graphics to the breathtaking realism of ray tracing, these cards have come a long way. When choosing a best graphic card for gaming setup, consider factors like performance, compatibility, and cooling solutions to ensure a seamless gaming experience. Overclocking can provide performance boosts but comes with its own set of pros and cons, so exercise caution and research before attempting it.

By following proper installation, maintenance, and overclocking practices, you can maximize the potential of your graphics card and enjoy seamless gameplay across various titles. Remember to keep the drivers updated and perform regular maintenance to ensure your graphics card performs optimally for years to come.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q. Can I use a gaming graphics card for other tasks like video editing?

Absolutely! Gaming graphics cards, with their powerful processing capabilities, are well-suited for demanding tasks like video editing and 3D rendering.

Q. Are gaming graphics cards compatible with all motherboards?

Most modern gaming graphics cards use PCIe slots and are compatible with standard desktop motherboards. However, it’s essential to check the motherboard specifications to ensure compatibility.

Q. What is the difference between a Founder’s Edition and a custom-designed graphics card?

Founder’s Edition cards are designed and produced by the GPU manufacturer (e.g., NVIDIA or AMD) and typically follow a reference design. Custom-designed cards, on the other hand, are produced by third-party manufacturers with their cooling solutions and sometimes come with factory overclocking.

Q. Should I choose a graphics card with more VRAM?

The amount of VRAM required depends on the resolution and graphical settings you plan to use in games. For higher resolutions and textures, a graphics card with more VRAM is beneficial.

Q. Can I use multiple graphics cards in SLI (NVIDIA) or CrossFire (AMD) configuration for better performance?

While SLI and CrossFire were popular in the past, many modern games do not support multi-GPU configurations. It’s generally more practical to invest in a single powerful graphics card rather than using multiple cards.

Q. How often should I update my graphic card drivers?

It’s advisable to update your graphic card drivers regularly, at least once every few months, to ensure optimal performance and compatibility with the latest games.