1. The account in brief
2. Best overall
3. Best AMD
4. Best $500 - $600
5. Best $400 - $500
6. Best $250 - $400
7. Best budget
8. Also tested
9. GPU hierarchy
10. Price list
11. Where to buy
12. GPU FAQ
The best cartoon agenda is considerately Nvidia's RTX 4090. Subjectively, however, you're activity to appetite to counterbalance up the pros and cons of spending $1,600 or added on a distinct GPU. It's not for everyone. That's why we've activated every new GPU out of the Nvidia, AMD, and now Intel stables to acquisition the best agenda beyond assorted amount points. The after-effects ability abruptness you.
For the high-end gamer, you've affluence of new cards to accept from. Nvidia has its RTX 40-series led by the RTX 4090, and that affair absolutely is a barbarian of massive proportions. No seriously, it's huge. Again there's the RTX 4080, which is a bit too cher for us, and the RTX 4070 Ti. The RTX 4070 Ti isn't as bargain as we'd like, but at atomic it's added reasonable than Nvidia's finest for a altogether 4K able card.
On the added end of the market, there's not abundant new to address about. Nvidia hasn't appear a accurate account GPU for the desktop yet, but its mid-range RTX 4060 Ti is out now, to a aerial fanfare, with the RTX 4060 is afterward in July. Best recently, we saw AMD absolution its $269 RX 7600. But Intel now rules the account bold with two far added affordable cartoon cards, the Arc A770 and Arc A750. These two Alchemist bearing cards are activity alike cheaper today.
We advance alienated the high-end RX 6950 XT and RTX 3090 Ti nowadays, as these cards are about actuality pushed out by analogously priced newer options. And we additionally don't acclaim Nvidia's account GPUs appropriate now, such as the RTX 3060, as AMD and alike Intel accept them about exhausted on price. I've listed the specific cartoon cards we acclaim in altered categories below, but I've additionally lined up the best accordant GPUs of this latest bearing (with a few bedfellow appearances by still advantageous last-gen cards) all in adjustment of gaming performance.
The quick list
The best all-embracing GPU
The RTX 4090 is area it's at. This is the cartoon agenda that absolutely represents a absolutely next-generation experience. It's additionally the best big-ticket card. Admitting the fact, if you booty aggrandizement into account, it's arguably cheaper than the RTX 3090 was.
The best AMD GPU
AMD has managed a chiefly absorbing accomplishment with the RX 7900 XTX: it has managed to accomplish the aboriginal bearing of chiplet GPU absolutely work, and assignment at the aerial end. Sometimes it beats the RTX 4080, and for a acceptable block beneath cash, too.
The best $500 - $600 GPU
This is area the new Ada bearing of Nvidia cartoon cards started to absolutely accomplish sense. The market's a bit of a blend aloft it, but the RTX 4070 is a able acceptable GPU, alms achievement at atomic at RTX 3080 levels, generally more, for $100 less.
The best $350 - $500 GPU
At $399 it maybe feels a lot of banknote for the tiny GPU at its heart, and for aloof 8GB of VRAM, but it's the fastest gaming agenda at this amount point. If the amount drops beneath its aboriginal $399 mark it could still become a fast favourite of mid-range PC gamers.
The best $250 - $350 GPU
The RX 6700 XT has adapted into a abundant amount card, authoritative things rather boxy for the RTX 4060 Ti. It's RDNA 2 architecture lacks the brio of Nvidia's DLSS 3 and Anatomy Gen tech, but there's a lot of cartoon agenda actuality for its sub-$350 price-point.
The best account GPU
No-one saw this coming, Intel's Arc A750 has absolutely become one of the best account cartoon cards around. It had a asperous start, but adamantine assignment on the drivers agency you're added generally than not accepting RTX 3060 gaming achievement for aloof ~$200.
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090
✅ You appetite the best: The RTX 4090 is artlessly the best able GPU you can buy for your gaming PC today. The silicon central it is monstrously powerful, and forth with DLSS3 and Anatomy Bearing it provides a absolutely next-gen experience.
✅ You appetite to attach 4K gaming: This is the agenda that makes 4K gaming buttery smooth. That 24GB anatomy absorber agency you're not activity to run out of VRAM any time soon.
✅ You're a architect as able-bodied as gamer: Time is money if you do any array of able GPU work, and the RTX 4090 could alpha to pay for itself appropriate abroad accustomed its apprehension and compute power.
❌ You charge to ask the price: It's fair to say that it's one of the best amount Ada GPUs accustomed its about amount achievement ratio, but it's still $1,600 at best. Still, it's far cheaper than the RTX 3090 Ti was, and the RTX 3090 if you booty aggrandizement into account.
❌ You accept a bunched rig: This affair is BIG. Like, comically big.
🪛 The RTX 4090 is the accurate next-gen acquaintance that we artlessly haven't apparent from any of the added AMD or Nvidia cards from this new generation. And that almost makes it account that absonant amount tag.
There's annihilation attenuate about Nvidia's GeForce RTX 4090 cartoon card. It's a ample abundant agglomeration of a pixel pusher, and while there are some added curves added to what could contrarily attending like a respin of the RTX 3090 shroud, it still has that change cartoon agenda aesthetic.
It looks like some semi-satirical artificial archetypal fabricated up to skewer GPU makers for the ever-increasing admeasurement of their cards. But it's no model, and it's no moon, this is the beat for the absolute RTX 40-series GPU bearing and our aboriginal aftertaste of the new Ada Lovelace architecture.
On the one hand, it's a hell of an addition to the array of acute achievement Ada can bear back accustomed a continued leash, and on the other, a hardly tone-deaf absolution in ablaze of a all-around bread-and-butter crisis that makes ablution a cartoon agenda for a tight, actual loaded boyhood of gamers feel a bit off.
But we can't avoid it for this adviser to the best GPUs about artlessly because, as it stands today, there's no another to the RTX 4090 that can get anywhere abutting to its performance. It's unstoppable, and will break advanced of the backpack as we now apperceive AMD's accomplished achievement cartoon card, the RX 7900 XTX, is able-bodied and absolutely an RTX 4080 competitor.
This is a all-inclusive GPU that packs in 170% added transistors than alike the impossibly chonk GA102 dent that powered the RTX 3090 Ti. And, for the best part, it makes the antecedent flagship agenda of the Ampere bearing attending able-bodied off the pace. That's alike afore you get into the according mix of majesty and atramentous abracadabra that lies abaft the new DLSS 3.0 afterlight advised absolutely for Ada.
Look, it's quick, okay. With aggregate angry on, with DLSS 3 and Anatomy Bearing alive its magic, the RTX 4090 is monumentally faster than the RTX 3090 that came afore it. The beeline 3DMark Time Spy Acute account is alert that of the big Ampere core, and afore ray archetype or DLSS appear into it, the raw silicon offers alert the 4K anatomy amount in Cyberpunk 2077, too.
There's no abstinent it is an ultra-niche ultra-enthusiast card, and that about makes the RTX 4090 little added than a advertence point for best of us PC gamers. We're again larboard counting the canicule until Ada descends to the appraisement branch of us bald mortals, which is still yet to appear admitting the barrage of the RTX 4070 Ti.
In itself, however, the RTX 4090 is an accomplished cartoon agenda and will amuse the achievement cravings of every being who could anytime aspect spending $1,600 on a new GPU. That's whether they're inconceivably flush gamers, or agreeable creators not accommodating to go all-in on a Quadro card. And it will appropriately sell, because there's no added GPU that can appear abreast it appropriate now.
Read our abounding Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 review.
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080
✅ You acquisition a discount: At its $1,200 amount it's a poor deal, but if you can acquisition the RTX 4080 beneath $999 it ability be account a punt for the austere gaming achievement it offers.
❌ You can realistically allow the RTX 4090: If you're actively because $1,200 an accept absorb on a GPU, accept a anticipate if you could amplitude to an RTX 4090 because it's a decidedly bigger card, added so than the ~$400 difference.
❌ Space is a premium: It's the aforementioned admeasurement as the RTX 4090, and by that I beggarly it's actually ENORMOUS. Anticipate actively about the admeasurement of your case afore you hit the buy button.
🪛 The RTX 4080 is about absurd to acclaim at its $1,200 amount point. At $999 or beneath it becomes a lot added appetizing attributable to its actively absorbing performance, and DLSS 3 support. Appropriate now, though, it's badly overpriced.
The Nvidia RTX 4080 is addition accelerated cartoon card—it blood-soaked should be for $1,200—and back you booty DLSS 3 into annual you are accepting on for alert the achievement of the analogously priced RTX 3080 Ti from the aftermost generation. Seriously, Anatomy Bearing is atramentous magic.
But reviewing the RTX 4080 is tougher than actuality Jen-Hsun's spatula wrangler. Admitting it's a lot added aboveboard now there's alone a 16GB adaptation and it doesn't appear with some added 12GB bisected brand abaft it around.
During a time of acute bread-and-butter adversity and ambiguity beyond the globe, it's not a abundant attending for both the capital GPU makers to acknowledge their abutting bearing cartoon cards with the starting amount actuality $900 at best. There will be arguments the $1,200 RTX 4080's achievement over and aloft the RTX 3080 Ti renders it an amateur success. But I accept thoughts on that, too.
The RTX 4080 calmly outperforms the analogously priced cards from the antecedent generation, best conspicuously the $1,200 RTX 3080 Ti, and accordingly is absolutely hitting that gen-on-gen achievement boost we crave. But neither these GeForce cards should anytime accept been a $1,200 GPU.
Nvidia has pared the silicon aback a accomplished lot to actualize the AD103 GPU in allegory to the AD102 dent of the RTX 4090. Generalising, it's 60% the size, has 60% of the transistors, and 60% of the CUDA cores, and yet is 75% of the amount of the RTX 4090. If you capital to do some simple maths the RTX 4080 absolutely care to be about $960.
But acknowledgment to the bootless accommodation to barrage with a brace of RTX 4080 cards at $1,200 and $899 respectively—with altered levels of anamnesis and wholly different GPUs—Nvidia was bound into this amount alike already it unlaunched the cheaper 12GB card.
How does it assemblage up adjoin the Radeon RX 7900 XTX? We're attractive at a actual close-run thing. The AMD agenda performs at a almost agnate akin to the RTX 3090, and for a $999 agenda that would accomplish it appetizing compared to a hardly quicker $1,200 RTX 4080, abnormally with its bigger ray archetype capabilities.
AMD does lose on achievement for the best allotment but sits calmly lower in agreement of pricing.
Read our abounding Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 review.
AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX
✅ You appetite the best AMD can offer: This is the acme of AMD's RDNA 3 technology appropriate now, and the actuality the red aggregation has got a chiplet GPU active so able-bodied in its aboriginal bearing is absolutely impressive.
✅ You charge a lot of video memory: With a abounding 24GB of GDDR6 at its disposal, for a lot beneath than the RTX 4090, the RX 7900 XTX has a lot to action the creator.
✅ Ray tracing's not for you: If you affliction not a jot for ray tracing, the raster achievement of the Navi 31 GPU is excellent. It has bigger RT accomplishment compared with AMD's aftermost generation, but it's still abaft Nvidia on that score.
❌ The AMD advertence agenda is the alone option: Commonly we're big admirers of both AMD and Nvidia's advertence cards, but the RX 7900 XTX has a calefaction affair with the advertence acknowledgment not begin on third-party versions. We've accomplished the botheration on both the analysis cards AMD provided for testing.
❌ You're attractive for constant RTX 4080 performance: We'd hoped for a added consistently aggressive gaming acquaintance from the RX 7900 XTX, but sometimes it's a continued way abaft Nvidia's second-tier card.
🪛 As the finest Radeon anytime made, the AMD RX 7900 XTX has a lot activity for it. If it was afterpiece to the RTX 4080 in gaming terms, added regularly, we'd accept no averseness advising this top red aggregation GPU.
Our analysis RX 7900 XTX sample suffered from an issue with GPU hotspot temperatures exceeding the accustomed accepted ambit beneath load. We've back been in acquaintance with AMD about a backup for retesting, which we've back received, but abominably we've had the aforementioned affair bang again. Fun, eh?
You can analysis out our reviews for the Asus TUF Gaming Radeon RX 7900 XTX OC Edition and Sapphire Nitro RX 7900 XTX Vapor-X, as these cards are absolutely artless by the affair and bigger appearance what array of achievement you can apprehend from this card's spec.
Still, the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX has a lot activity for it. We're acclimated to seeing GPU ancestors that access on abate action nodes, redesigned architectures, beyond caches, reworked shaders, added memory—the account goes on. But all of that, all at once? That's what RDNA 3 delivers: the accomplished lot in one fell swoop.
The RX 7900 XTX is a superb 4K GPU at its aboriginal $999 amount tag. It's cardinal its own articulation of the market, and it offers a cogent achievement addition over what RDNA 2's could aggregation in the ~$1,100 RX 6950 XT or $999 RX 6900 XT. It's expensive, but not any dearer than the agenda it replaces.
Admittedly the RX 6950 XT is boilerplate abreast its abounding amount today, added like $800 or less. Admitting the RX 7900 XTX has abundant clip to absolve its amount tag. You're advantageous about 20% added than an RX 6950 XT as it stands today for a agenda that about outperforms it by 20% or, on a few occasions in my benchmarking, a accomplished lot more.
The access in anamnesis accommodation from 16GB to 24GB with the RX 7900 XTX is a bonus, and the ray archetype achievement on RDNA 3 is abundant added acceptable to accomplish me allotment with my money.
Yet as an RTX 4080 adversary the RX 7900 XTX is beneath convincing. It's rarely able to bout the RTX 4080. The RTX 4080 is up to 28% faster in my testing, admitting it's added like 15% on average. For an RTX agenda that asks at atomic 20% added banknote than the RX 7900 XTX, that carbon is not a dealbreaker, but it does accomplish the XTX's assets added abstinent by comparison. What helps the XTX's amount hypothesis is that it has added anamnesis and, on attenuate occasions, absolutely beats the RTX 4080. If you're alone arena Far Cry 6 again you're bedlam with an XTX, but let's be honest, you're not.
This leaves Nvidia with aphorism of the ultra-high-end segment. But AMD has played the duke dealt to it by Navi 31's achievement here. It has a agenda that's not consistently outperforming the RTX 4080, but it's conspicuously cheaper. That actually brings the XTX aback into application at the $1,000 mark.
If the $999 amount tag on the RX 7900 XTX can advisedly stick about for a while, and by that I beggarly you accept to be able to buy this agenda for that amount tag or similar, the RX 7900 XTX will abide as a abundant 4K cartoon agenda for an ultra high-end PC body in 2023. Yes, there are better, and the RTX 4090 is now acutely the top dog for gaming, but It's all about belief up what you absolutely charge and what you can afford—i.e. apparently not an RTX 4090.
Combined with a high-end CPU and a 4K (or ultrawide) monitor, you'll net superb anatomy ante with the RX 7900 XTX in your body for potentially bisected the price.
Read our abounding AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX review.
AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT
✅ The amount keeps dropping: At barrage its $899 sticker amount was too abutting to the above RX 7900 XTX, but now it's bit-by-bit able-bodied beneath $800 it's acceptable a added appetizing 20GB GPU option.
❌ You amount Nvidia's DLSS 3 and Anatomy Bearing tech: At added or beneath the aforementioned amount as the RTX 4070 Ti, and trading assault at accepted raster anatomy rates, the absolutely actual allowances of the complete DLSS 3 amalgamation can accomplish a difference.
🪛 The AMD RX 7900 XT makes things a little added afflictive for both the RTX 4070 Ti and RX 7900 XTX because it's now the aforementioned amount as the former, and appreciably cheaper than the latter.
AMD's Radeon RX 7900 XT is a hardly slimmed aback adaptation of the Navi 31 GPU and the company's top cartoon card, the RX 7900 XTX. Starting at $899, now bottomward beneath $800, it's accordingly alms a hardly cheaper way into the RDNA 3 generation, you could additionally be forgiven for cerebration it's not that abundant cheaper than the best. The RX 7900 XTX is priced tantalisingly abutting at $999. So why would you aces up the cheaper dent of the two? That's a acceptable question, and I'm not abiding I accept a acceptable acknowledgment afar from price.
The RX 7900 XT outperforms AMD's antecedent top card, the RX 6950 XT, in every criterion I activated and by a acceptable margin, too. Because the RX 6950 XT launched at over $1,000, and now sits about $800, maybe less, that's a point of pride for the RX 7900 XT.
Overall, I'd say there are a few things the RX 7900 XT does well. For starters, it appears to be a acceptable advancement on alike the RX 6950 XT, and because the amount aberration amid the two at launch, that's a acceptable assurance of AMD's progression with the RDNA 3 architecture. The advertence acknowledgment on this additionally seems appealing able for the price, with temperatures active almost air-conditioned because its performance.
There are a few times back the differences amid the XT and XTX are minimal, and the achievement basin about non-existent. The XT is additionally the abundant added able and acknowledgment active of the two. Generally, though, you get what you pay for with the higher-end XTX card, if not a bit more.
Is it bigger than an RX 6950 XT? Yes. Cheaper than an RX 6950 XT at launch? Yes. An RTX 4080 competitor? Nope. Is it account extenuative your money on this instead of the XTX? Apparently not. It's a acceptable 4K cartoon agenda if you attending at the anatomy ante in isolation, but with a about abundant bigger agenda appropriate there for the taking, you best accept I'm activity to appetite to acquisition the added $100 about in my body and aces up the XTX instead.
Read our abounding AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT review.
Nvidia RTX 4070 Ti
✅ You lusted afterwards an RTX 3090 for gaming: With RTX 3090-level gaming anatomy rates, the RTX 4070 Ti is almost a good-value GPU at its $799 amount point.
❌ $800 is too affluent for your blood: If you're because affairs a kidney, authority that thought. The RTX 4070 is appreciably beneath big-ticket and is alone about 25% slower. And bethink 25% slower still agency absolutely aerial 1440p and alike 4K anatomy rates.
🪛 It's a acceptable card, but like about every Ada GPU, the RTX 4070 Ti still feels like a amount bank too aerial to feel like a accurate generational uplift. The RX 7900 XT is additionally about the aforementioned amount now, and sometimes quicker, and the RTX 4070 not a lot slower for less.
The unlaunching and consecutive rebadging and repricing of the RTX 4080 12GB was the best affair to appear to this third-tier Ada GPU. Now and always to be accepted as the RTX 4070 Ti, this is the agenda that now makes it absurd to recommend AMD's RX 7900 XT.
Possibly the best absorbing affair to say about the RTX 4070 Ti is that actual consistently it's akin to, or faster than an RTX 3090. Back you anticipate that's the $1,500 GPU of the aftermost bearing that looks like a abundant gen-on-gen uptick in performance, abnormally back that's at the top 4K resolution.
What's maybe beneath agitative is that, back you're aloof talking in beeline rasterized gaming terms, it's not a accomplished lot faster than the old, cheaper RTX 3080 10GB at 4K. It is faster, best abnormally back you accompany those third gen RT Cores into the equation, but it's bright the college clocks and heftier L2 accumulation is accepting to assignment adamantine to accord it the advance in raw anatomy amount agreement over the earlier Ampere card.
Where it looks far added absolute is up adjoin the new AMD RDNA 3 cards, the RX 7900 XTX and RX 7900 XT. It is about slower than the top Radeon GPU, but adjoin the still added big-ticket RX 7900 XT the RTX 4070 Ti consistently posts college 4K performance.
Without any of the DLSS 3/Frame Gen being in appearance the RTX 4070 Ti is a actual able performer, but already afresh the ability of Nvidia's upscaling tech is preposterously good. I accumulate aggravating to see area the Anatomy Bearing technology fails but I can't do it. Every time I'm like 'aha, there it is, the clue achievement of affected AI frames!' I again analysis out the built-in apprehension and it looks absolutely the same. If not worse.
And with the added 18-carat achievement of the upscaled frames and the amid accuracy of the AI-generated frames, the achievement advance is amazing area DLSS 3 is available. Which should be added and added often, with Nvidia's Accumulate SDK alms devs a one-stop advantage for enabling it and added vendors' upscaling tech too.
In gaming terms, the 4K achievement of the RTX 4070 Ti is absorbing alike after upscaling, and is rather alarming with it.
There's absolutely an altercation to be fabricated that in its own amount bracket the RTX 4070 Ti is a bigger advantage for anyone attractive to absorb the best allotment of a admirable on their new GPU. With its lower amount point the RTX 4070 Ti makes added faculty than it did as an RTX 4080 at $899, and with RTX 3090-level gaming achievement there's a lot of ability beneath that triple-fan shroud.
Read our abounding Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Ti review.
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070
✅ You consistently capital an RTX 3080: With the aforementioned able performance, a lower price, and DLSS 3.0 support, the RTX 4070 is a abundant backup for the backward GPU.
✅ You're architecture a tiny gaming rig: The RTX 4070 is cool, quiet, and chiefly efficient. It's additionally a lot abate than any added agenda of agnate performance.
❌ You already own a appropriate RTX 30- or RX 6800-series GPU: At ~20% college achievement than the RTX 3070 Ti, and agnate achievement to the RX 6800 XT, spending addition $600 so anon isn't account it aloof for Anatomy Generation.
🪛 The RTX 4070 is apparently my favourite cartoon agenda from the accepted Ada lineup, and of both AMD and Nvidia's new generations. It may be pricier than the old RTX 3070, but it's able to accumulate clip with the RTX 3080, and sometimes alike exhausted it back you accompany DLSS 3 to bear.
The Nvidia RTX 4070 is a $100 cheaper RTX 3080. That's the easiest, but apparently additionally the best facile, way to call the blooming team's cartoon card. This is the fourth access in the awfully big-ticket Ada bearing of GPUs, and in accepted metrics performs as able-bodied as the fourth bank agenda from the Ampere lineup. On the face of it again it's aloof a cheaper chip.
But it's not just that. The RTX 4070, this acute new Nvidia agenda is an RTX 3080 with benefits.
This is the aboriginal of the Ada cartoon cards to utilise the aforementioned GPU as the antecedent release, aloof with a little of the acceptable being cut aback to actualize a added affordable offering. And that additionally agency Nvidia is able to do article advantageous with any dent that fails to accomplish the brand as an RTX 4070 Ti, which contrarily uses the abounding AD104 die, or a adaptable RTX 4080.
Though the RTX 4070 is cheaper than an RTX 3080, with its $599 sticker price, Nvidia is already added adopting the amount of acutely agnate classes of card. The RTX 3070 of the aftermost gen came in at $499, which agency realistically this new GPU is finer replacing the analogously $599 RTX 3070 Ti. This about assured about-face in the amount tiers takes a blow of the flash of the RTX 4070, but there are abounding added affidavit why I'm still a fan of this new card.
The RTX 4070 is like a able cartoon card. It's not some aberrant blob of PCIe socket-rending GPU, it's a bashful agenda the admeasurement of its RTX 3070 forebear. That makes it a rather cute-looking thing. Well, in agreement of calibration anyways; that brushed aluminium Nvidia Founders Copy anatomy still looks affably serious.
And that's added than aesthetics, too. The admeasurement of the agenda hints at the ability of the 4nm Ada GPU agilely thrumming abroad central of it. If you appetite a powerful, but low ability card, the RTX 4070 fits the bill. Which will no agnosticism accomplish it the angel of the baby anatomy agency PC brigade, and appropriately so.
That's absolutely one of the allowances I was alluding to beforehand in the RTX 4070 vs. RTX 3080 debate, but the key one is the actuality the Ada agenda has admission to DLSS 3.0 and Anatomy Generation. And back that comes into comedy it's a bold changer, abnormally for titles that contrarily would attempt at ray-traced 4K settings.
The accessible check is that Anatomy Gen is not broadly available. Alike so, accepting a $100 abatement on a cooler, quieter, and far added able RTX 3080 has got to feel like a win aback you've got that added abeyant perf bang in the aback pocket.
Read our abounding Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 review.
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 Ti
✅ You've been eyeing up the RTX 3060 Ti: Coming in at the aforementioned price, and with the earlier agenda alone aloof dipping beneath MSRP itself, the RTX 4060 Ti represents a abundant advantage for a mid-range machine.
✅ You're agitation an RTX 20-series or RX 5000-series GPU: With a sub-20% addition over the RTX 3060 Ti, it's not necessarily a decidedly able advancement over best RTX 30-series GPUs, but it will be a cogent advancement to an earlier Nvidia or AMD card.
❌ You're decidedly afraid about 8GB VRAM: I'm still not assertive there's a huge affair activity advanced for 1080p gaming on an 8GB card, but there is a concern, abnormally about ailing optimised games, about how able-bodied that will book at 1440p and up activity forward. There is a 16GB adaptation on the way if you're able to pay the $100 tax…
❌ You've got a mid-range GPU from the aftermost generation: There is not a huge boost over either the RTX 30- or RX 6000-series cartoon cards back it comes to the average adjustment of those antecedent GPU generations.
🪛 I don't like it either, but the RTX 4060 Ti is the agenda you should buy if you were attractive for a new mid-range GPU and had ahead been blockage out an RTX 3060 Ti. It is faster than both the RTX 3060 Ti and RX 6700 XT, and it has the DLSS 3 support, but its GPU silicon ability not angle the analysis of time.
I get it. It's been tough. You've been cat-and-mouse for two years to advancement your old cartoon card. You've waited out the GPU accumulation alternation drought, the mining apocalypse, and all the ensuing, barbarous amount hikes. You've alike waited out the allurement to absorb on a last-gen GPU alike admitting prices accept alone advanced of this new apartment of Nvidia and AMD cards.
Surely, the Ada-based almsman to the RTX 3060 Ti is activity to be the graphics agenda of this bearing for the GPU-thirsty masses. Surely, surely, now it's time to cull the activate on a new RTX 40-series card.
Oh, how I ambition I could acquaint you it was an amoral 'yes!' But, while this is actually the agenda you should buy if you were ahead because an RTX 3060 Ti or RX 6700 XT, all because of its gaming achievement lead, I don't feel abundant about authoritative that recommendation.
The RTX 4060 Ti is a deeply regimented cartoon card, durably taped out to hit a assertive achievement akin as cheaply as possible, and to accommodate Nvidia with an access for any AD106 GPUs that don't accomplish the brand as higher-spec adaptable RTX 4070 chips.
It's been advised to exhausted an RTX 3060 Ti by as bound a achievement allowance as possible—and you candidly can't altercate with the business affidavit for accomplishing so—but after DLSS 3 and Anatomy Bearing it absolutely doesn't feel like a decidedly agitative generational advancement over the old Ampere card.
And, to me, it doesn't actually feel like a allotment of silicon that's actually account the $400 sticker price, alike if the achievement on action arguably is. That all makes it a actual afraid advocacy admitting the actuality that it is actually the fastest cartoon agenda at this amount point.
It's additionally account adage that all it will booty is either a appropriate amount bead on this 8GB version, or for the 16GB RTX 4060 Ti to eventually alter it at this $399 amount point (instead of the $499 sticker amount that card's set to barrage at), for the RTX 4060 Ti to become the GPU angel of the mid-range PC gamer.
Read our abounding Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8GB review.
AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT
✅ You're afterwards a abundant amount 1440p card: The RX 6700 XT was absolutely poor amount at launch, but with broadly accessible cards at $330 or less, it's a abundant gaming GPU today. It's additionally antic 12GB of VRAM, added than the pricier—though about quicker—RTX 4060 Ti.
❌ The RTX 4060 Ti starts to bead in price: We've already apparent it appear bottomward beneath MSRP in some locales, and added bottomward appear $350 the mid-range Ada agenda becomes a added appetizing prospect.
❌ Stock starts to dry up: As it's a last-gen card, apparently assembly will slow, and banal will alpha to dwindle. At that point prices usually either constipate or alpha to rise.
🪛 As last-gen GPUs go, the RX 6700 XT is still able to authority its arch high. It has a chonky 12GB anatomy absorber and appropriate 1440p achievement for its sub-$350 amount tag.
There's a assertive akin of affectation and action that comes with every above architectural overhaul, admitting conceivably we're not giving abundant adulation to what comes after. Those added affordable cartoon cards that absolutely accompany that new technology to the masses are aloof as important, if not added so to abounding gamers eyeing up an upgrade. The AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT was the alpha of that adventure for RDNA 2: The GPU with the balance of a next-gen animate for beneath $500.
AMD has appear the RDNA 3 architectonics now, but it's not for the brand of the account gamer with the cheapest agenda costing $899. So RDNA 2 it is, then.
We're not talking the cheapest of chips here, either. The Radeon RX 6700 XT is still a high-ish-end agenda by best counts. But its amount tag is bottomward into the added affordable end of the bazaar by the week, and that's aerial up on a account of things we actually adulation to see.
There's added to the Radeon RX 6700 XT than a simple halving of silicon from AMD's top RDNA 2 chip, the Radeon RX 6900 XT. In some ways, sure, it's a beeline allotment bottomward the middle. The RX 6700 XT appearance 40 compute units (CUs) for a absolute of 2,560 RDNA 2 cores and is able with 64 ROPs—exactly bisected of the best agreement of the Navi 21 GPU—but the agenda comes with added than its fair allotment of anamnesis and Beyond Cache.
A banderole affection of AMD's RDNA 2 calendar has been bigger than thou anamnesis capacities compared with battling RTX 30-series GeForce GPUs, and the RX 6700 XT doesn't blade that trend. There's 12GB of GDDR6 arranged assimilate this card: an attack at what we optimistically alarm 'future-proofing'. That's greater VRAM accommodation than the RTX 3060 Ti and RTX 3070, and is a bout for the RTX 3060 12GB.
With a bulk tag afterpiece to the GeForce RTX 3070, yet achievement amid it and the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, best generally afterpiece to the latter, the Radeon was a solid another but hadn't been my aboriginal anchorage of alarm for this array of banknote for a acceptable allocation of its life. That's all afflicted now that it's generally absolutely a reasonable bulk cheaper than the RTX 3060 Ti or annihilation the newer bearing can manage.
That said I still anticipate you could aces up an RTX 3060 Ti appropriate now and be blessed with it. If alone because that agenda was possibly the best amount hypothesis of the absolute RTX 30-series, and is still article abutting to that (it's all out of whack). If ray archetype doesn't bother you and you'd adopt the added memory, however, the RX 6700 XT is the added all-round GPU to buy appropriate now.
Read our abounding AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT review.
AMD Radeon RX 7600
✅ You're advance from a agenda that's a few years old: It's a acceptable advancement if your crumbling GPU is disturbing to authority playable anatomy ante in avant-garde and ambitious titles.
✅ You're architecture a bunched gaming rig: Acknowledgment to it's tiny size, the advertence RX 7600 is a solid best for a little gaming rig or lounge allowance PC. It's AV1 encode and DisplayPort 2.1 are nice bonuses too.
❌ You already own a mid ambit RX 6000 or RTX-30 alternation GPU. The RX 7600 is actual abundant a agenda for boilerplate gamers. It can't bout aftermost gen mid/upper bank cards and its 8GB anatomy absorber will more become a aqueduct in the years ahead.
🪛 It's not been a abundant addition to the Navi 33 GPU, but the Radeon RX 7600 is still a faster GPU than the analogously priced RX 6600 XT it's evidently replacing. The affair is that Intel's Arc A750 is now aloof $200 and sometimes faster.
Following the absolution of AMD's Radeon RX 7900 XT and RX 7900 XTX, you ability accept accepted AMD to chase a acceptable absolution accent and aftermath an RX 7800 or RX 7700-series agenda next. Not this time around. Surprisingly, the additional desktop RDNA 3 GPU to be appear is the Radeon RX 7600.
After years of massively aggrandized GPU pricing, is the RX 7600 the agenda the bazaar has been arrant out for? At $269 / £259 / AU$459, the RX 7600 is calmly the cheapest of the accepted bearing of GPUs from either AMD or Nvidia admitting it's important not to discount Intel's Arc cards either, at atomic from a amount perspective. Nvidia is set to acknowledge with the pricier $299 RTX 4060 in July, so for now, the RX 7600 is accustomed as actuality a solid advantage if you're afterwards a agenda on a bound budget.
I was afraid how baby the Radeon RX 7600 advertence agenda is. In fact, it's appealing abundant tiny compared to some of the amateur aperture behemoths we've seen. That abandoned will affect some buyers with bunched cases attractive to accomplish use of its absorbing affectation capabilities and media engine.
Then there's the albatross in the room. AMD did absence a ambush by afraid with 8GB of VRAM. It's abundant for 1080p in about every accepted game, but can we say that two years from now? What if Admirable Annexation Auto 6 turns out to be a VRAM acquisitive monster? 192-bit and 12GB of VRAM would accept accustomed the agenda added address and a best life. We're seeing accepted cards like the GTX 1060 and RTX 2060 6GB active into banned now, and there's no acumen to apprehend the RX 7600 won't hit agnate banned in a brace of years' time, if not sooner.
But that's in the future. For now, the RX 7600 is a competent, admitting not arch 1080p performer. It's calmly able of aerial framerates in eSport titles and advancement that important 60 fps akin at 1080p in about every game. It is still the ascendant gaming resolution and the RX 7600 does action a appropriate all-round advancement over the above cards.
There are things I adulation about the card. It's got a acceptable media agent that includes AV1 encode and break abutment up to 8K, DisplayPort 2.1 and abutment for up to four accompanying 4K displays at 144Hz each. That makes it a actual able HTPC or abundance GPU. There's annihilation accessible (yet) at its $269 amount point that ticks all of those boxes.
Read our abounding AMD Radeon RX 7600 review.
Intel Arc A750
✅ You appetite to abutment the little guy: Okay, so massive multi-billion dollar Intel isn't absolutely the 'little guy' per se, but in the GPU industry it is. And its A750 has become a decidedly able aboriginal access for the company, alms a 18-carat third advantage in the account end of the market.
✅ You alone accept $200 to spend: Let's face it, we all accept adamantine banned on our spending, and if you've alone got this abundant banknote the Arc A750 will bear the best blast for your buck.
❌ You're actual accident averse: The disciplinarian assemblage wasn't abundant at launch, with rather inconsistent performance. That has afflicted in the amid months, and it's far added solid, potentially with added allowance to grow. But there are still amateur area it doesn't bear college than RX 7600 anatomy rates.
🪛 This is not article we would accept expected, but we absolutely are advising the Intel Arc A750 as one of the best cartoon cards of 2023. That is primarily bottomward to a huge bead in amount to $200, but additionally because of some admirable assignment on convalescent its disciplinarian performance, too.
You ability be afraid to see the Intel Arc A750 as our aces for the best account cartoon agenda appropriate now. I'm absolutely afraid myself. But back I anticipation on what ability sit in this atom in this guide, absolutely anticipation about it, I came up abbreviate for addition cartoon agenda that can bout its affection set appropriate now.
The Arc A750 offers a moderately cut-down adaptation of the Arc A770 GPU, the G10, which you can apprehend about added in my Intel Arc A770 review. It comes with 28 Xe-cores, the architectonics blocks of the Xe-HPG architecture, which is alone four off the 32 Xe-cores begin in the Arc A770. For that, it's not massively off the clip of that agenda in agreement of performance, either, but it does run hardly slower and has bisected the absolute all-embracing anamnesis capacity.
But the anamnesis blueprint on the Arc A750, for a agenda of its price, is immense. Mostly that's because Intel's Arc A750 is added cartoon agenda than it should be for the money. Intel invested on some able-bodied specs for its first-generation GPUs, including a massive anamnesis spec, and ultimately the drivers couldn't get to area Intel capital them to be. That agency some amateur don't comedy accurately on the Arc A750, but it's not all bad. It additionally agency that the Arc A750 has a lot of beginning potential.
Potential that Intel is gradually base with every new disciplinarian update.
In the meantime, Intel and its ally (such as ASRock) accept been bottomward the amount of the Arc A750 to battling AMD's RX 6600. The RX 6600 was my antecedent aces for this spot, but ultimately I feel the Intel has added cartoon agenda to action for the money than the competition. And there are a few added things to sweeten the deal.
The Arc A750 comes with absorbing AV1 dispatch for encoding in the new, bandwidth-savvy codec. That's a big accord if you're a banderole or agreeable architect attractive to advance the affection of your videos. The A750's ray archetype adeptness is analogously beefed up compared to the competition's.
There will be cases area the A750 is way off the mark, and that appealing abundant rules this agenda out for anyone on an earlier arrangement after Resize BAR support, but about I anticipate it's a adeptness buy for its new lower amount and absolutely a bit of a account underdog appropriate now. At a time back cartoon cards are generally underwhelming for the money and clumsily accepted at the lower-end, I'm award myself accepting decidedly added and added onboard with the Arc A750 as a abundant option.
Who'd accept thought? Not me.
Read our abounding Intel Arc A750 review.
PC Gamer cartoon agenda reviews
"This frankly enormous graphics card is supremely powerful, but is more worthy of its Titan credentials than the GeForce branding. For your average gamer it doesn't deliver enough over the RTX 3080 to make sense, but for the pro-creator it's a workload-crushing card." " data-widget-type="deal" data-render-type="editorial">
The GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is helluva graphics card for 4K gaming, in much the same way Nvidia's RTX 3090 is. However, a price tag closer to Ampere's finest—and far in excess of the RTX 3080—will see this card only finds its way into the most expensive PC builds around. " data-widget-type="deal" data-render-type="editorial">
"It's cool-running, quiet, and impressively powerful. Though far more thirsty than RDNA 2 cards before it. The real issues, however, are all external, and stem from the expectation that AMD and Nvidia's next-gen GPUs are but a handful of months away now." " data-widget-type="deal" data-render-type="editorial">
"With the launch of the Radeon RX 6800 XT, AMD can claim 4K-capable performance in earnest. It marks a huge step in the right direction for team red, and delivers genuine competition to Nvidia's high-end." " data-widget-type="deal" data-render-type="editorial">
"The GeForce RTX 3070 Ti delivers frustratingly variable performance, often too close to an RTX 3070 for a price smack between it and the RTX 3080. It doesn't have quite the same impact as Ampere's best cards, but at the very least offers PC gamers another chance to pick up a graphics card at MSRP this year." " data-widget-type="deal" data-render-type="editorial">
"The RTX 3060 Ti is exactly what we expected from a fourth-tier RTX 30-series graphics card, but that's no mark against it. Nvidia's Ampere cards offers an almost unprecedented leap in gaming performance over past generations, and the RTX 3060 Ti manages to deliver more of the same on a slimmer budget." " data-widget-type="deal" data-render-type="editorial">
"The Asus spin of the RX 6750 XT features a stunningly effective GPU cooler, a chip that runs at near 2.7GHz on average, but draws a whole heap of power doing it. And it's also super expensive at a time where the second-hand market is reborn and the notion of an MSRP product is once more a thing." " data-widget-type="deal" data-render-type="editorial">
"A healthy upgrade over the RTX 2060, but a little of the wow factor has worn off for Ampere's cheapest. You can at least be confident that you won't run out of memory, at least, and that feels like it will be important for gaming into 2021 and beyond, even if we're not quite there yet." " data-widget-type="deal" data-render-type="editorial">
"The Arc A770 Limited Edition is far from perfect but does deliver very playable frame rates at 1440p and with ray tracing enabled. It's certainly not a bad start for Intel Arc. But while it focuses on facing down Nvidia and the popular RTX 3060, it is AMD's RX 6600 XT that simply offers a better alternative right now." " data-widget-type="deal" data-render-type="editorial">
"In an alternate universe, without the current silicon drought, AMD's RX 6600 XT is less than $300 and a great mid-range option. In this, the darkest timeline, it's almost $400, negligibly quicker than an RX 5700 XT and only slightly cheaper. Though at least it's better than the RTX 3060." " data-widget-type="deal" data-render-type="editorial">
"The Radeon RX 6600 delivers enough for modern 1080p gaming, which is good going considering AMD has preened this package into a much more power-savvy design than the RX 6600 XT. That said, Nvidia's RTX 3060 12GB is still the card we'd recommend at this price point, if you can find one in stock. Otherwise, the RX 6600 makes for a viable, if not sparkling, alternative." " data-widget-type="deal" data-render-type="editorial">
"We're essentially looking at Nvidia taking away the 'GTX' prefix and giving us an RTX 1660 Ti. That makes it a good 1080p GPU, though the addition of DLSS support is far more tempting a proposition, especially at this level of GPU, than the promise of 1080p ray traced gaming. Fingers crossed it stays in stock at a reasonable price." " data-widget-type="deal" data-render-type="editorial">
"A graphics card built to offer the barest minimum of hardware, fails to move the game on, and feels like the most cynical, GPU-crisis graphics card we've seen yet." " data-widget-type="deal" data-render-type="editorial">
GPU hierarchy
Every new GPU bearing offers new appearance and possibilities. But rasterized apprehension is still the best important metric for accepted gaming achievement beyond the PC gaming world. Sure, Nvidia GPUs ability able-bodied be bigger at the ray archetype benchmarks they added or beneath instigated, but back it comes to accepted gaming achievement AMD's latest band up can absolutely accumulate pace.
It's additionally account acquainted that the antecedent bearing of cartoon cards do still accept article to offer, with article like the GTX 1650 Cool able to outdistance a added avant-garde RTX 3050 in best benchmarks.
We're not adage you should buy an earlier card—Intel or AMD's account options are a abundant bigger accord today—but it's account alive area your accepted GPU endless up, or aloof alive the lie of the land. But there is additionally the actuality there will be gaming rigs on auction with earlier cartoon cards over the advancing days, and if they're bargain abundant they may still be account a punt as a bargain access into PC gaming.
We've benchmarked all the latest GPUs of this generation, and accept tracked their achievement adjoin the antecedent bearing in agreement of 3DMark Time Spy Acute scores. Area we don't accept the referential numbers for an earlier agenda we accept acclimated the boilerplate basis account from the UL database. These abstracts clue alongside an aggregated 1440p anatomy amount account from beyond our apartment of benchmarks.
Except for Intel's Arc GPUs. We haven't included them in this blueprint as the A770 and A750 3DMark after-effects skew college than their absolute gaming achievement and would be misleading. The two Intel GPUs about column anatomy amount numbers that put them about either the RTX 3060 or RTX 3060 Ti at a pinch.
Graphics agenda MSRP list
Here's a account of the architect set retail prices (MSRP), or recommended retail amount (RRP), for best the latest cartoon cards. For the best part, these are the set prices for the banal or advertence versions of these cards, if applicable, and not adumbrative of overclocked or third-party cartoon cards, which may able-bodied be priced higher.
Nvidia
- RTX 4090 - $1,599 | £1,699
- RTX 4080 - $1,199 | £1,269
- RTX 4070 Ti - $799 | £799
- RTX 3090 Ti - $1,999 | ~£1,999
- RTX 3090 - $1,499 | £1,399
- RTX 3080 Ti - $1,199 | £1,049
- RTX 3080 - $699 | £649
- RTX 4070 - $599 | £589
- RTX 3070 Ti - $599 | £529
- RTX 3070 - $499 | £469
- RTX 4060 Ti - $399 | £389
- RTX 3060 Ti - $399 | £349
- RTX 3060 - $329 | £299
- RTX 3050 - $249 | £239
AMD
- RX 7900 XTX - $999 | ~£999
- RX 7900 XT - $899 | ~£899
- RX 6950 XT - $1,099 | ~£1,060
- RX 6900 XT - $999 | ~£770
- RX 6800 XT - $649 | ~£600
- RX 6800 - $579 | ~£530
- RX 6750 XT - $549 | ~£530
- RX 6700 XT - $479 | ~£420
- RX 6650 XT - $399 | ~£389
- RX 6600 XT - $379 | ~£320
- RX 6600 - $329 | ~£299
- RX 7600 - $269 | £269
- RX 6500 XT - $199 | ~£180
Where to buy cartoon cards
Where are the best cartoon agenda deals?
In the US:
- Amazon - savings on last-gen Nvidia & AMD cartoon cards
- Best Buy - the alone abode to buy Founders Copy cards in the US
- Walmart - Rare discounts on earlier or account GPUs
- B&H Photo - discounts on baddest GPUs
- Newegg - save on the account amount of cartoon cards
In the UK:
- Amazon UK - deals on last-gen GPUs
- Scan - money off Nvidia cartoon cards
- Box - save on GPUs
- Ebuyer - often AMD cards with discounts
- Overclockers - discounts on last-gen AMD and Nvidia GPUs
- Currys - some discounts on GeForce GPUs
- Laptops Direct - some abundant GPU deals, but you accept to search...
Graphics agenda FAQ
Which is bigger GTX or RTX?
The earlier GTX prefix is now acclimated to denote earlier Nvidia cartoon cards which don't accept the added AI and ray archetype silicon that the RTX-level cards do. This RTX prefix was alien with the RTX 20-series, and highlights which cards accept GPUs which action both the Tensor Cores and RT Cores all-important for real-time ray archetype and Abysmal Acquirements Cool Sampling (DLSS).
Nowadays you'll alone acquisition earlier 16-series GPUs with the GTX prefix attached, so it's appealing abundant RTX all the way.
Is ray archetype alone for RTX cards?
The RTX prefix is alone acclimated to denote cards which abode Nvidia GPUs with committed ray archetype hardware, but AMD's RDNA 2 GPUs and RDNA 3 GPUs additionally abutment real-time ray archetype acceleration.
Intel's Alchemist cartoon cards abutment ray tracing, even, admitting as added account offerings you can't apprehend super-high anatomy ante while it's enabled. Contrarily Intel's ray archetype dispatch is appealing good.
Is SLI or Battery still a thing?
If you're attractive for best performance, you acclimated to run two cards in SLI or CrossFire. However, it's become more accepted for above amateur to avoid multi-GPU users completely. That includes all DXR games. There's additionally the actuality that beneath and beneath avant-garde cards absolutely abutment the bond of two cards together.
So, no. It's not a thing.
Do I charge a 4K able cartoon card?
The accessible acknowledgment is: Alone if you accept a 4K gaming monitor. But there are added things to accede here, such as what kinds of amateur do you play? If anatomy ante are actually baron for you, and you're into ultra-competitive shooters, again you appetite to be aiming for cool aerial fps figures. And, appropriate now, you're bigger placed to do that at either 1440p or 1080p resolutions.
That said, the added amateur that absorb upscaling technologies, such as DLSS, FSR, and XeSS, the added cards will be able of authoritative a abutting approximation of 4K visuals on your 4K monitor, but at college anatomy rates.
What's a Founders Copy cartoon card?
The Founders Copy cards are artlessly Nvidia's centralized designs for its cartoon cards, as against to those advised by its partners. These are usually advertence cards, acceptation they run at banal clocks.
Briefly, for the RTX 20-series, Nvidia absitively to action Founders Editions with branch overclocks. These had fabricated it a little difficult to analyze cards, as Founders Copy cards accord us a baseline for performance, but Nvidia has back alternate to bearing them as advertence again.
Intel additionally offers article agnate with its Bound Copy Arc Alchemist cards featuring its own centralized acknowledgment design, as does AMD with its advertence cards.
