The best graphics cards on the market today will turn your PC into a true gaming machine. Sure, you can run a PC with nothing but integrated graphics, but for real performance — the kind that nets you smooth frame rates in popular, modern games — you need one of these great graphics cards from either NVIDIA or AMD. Both manufacturers have plenty to offer, with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 coming out on top in terms of performance-to-price value. AMD isn't far behind with its Radeon RX 6800 XT, which can also deliver a premier gaming experience.
The graphics card (GPU) plays an integral role in your gaming PC. The better the graphics card you buy, the higher resolution and higher in-game settings you'll be able to enjoy. And there are a whole lot of other benefits associated with the best graphics cards, like ray tracing, image upscaling, and more. If you're wondering exactly where to start with either a fresh build or an upgrade project, we've collected a number of the best graphics cards available now for several different performance thresholds and budget ranges.
Memory: 10GB / 12GB GDDR6X | Memory speed: 19Gbps | Memory bus: 320-bit / 384-bit | Boost clock: 1.7GHz | CUDA cores: 8,704 / 8,960 | Process: 8nm | Power: 320W / 350W
There's no one true pick for everyone when it comes to the best graphics card, but if we're choosing what should suit most people based on performance and price, we have to go with NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 3080. While AMD has undoubtedly cut into NVIDIA's claim to the GPU throne with its Radeon RX 6000 cards, a few of which are included in this roundup, the top-tier option still belongs to Team Green.
In our NVIDIA RTX 3080 review, Windows Central GPU master Harish Jonnalagadda makes it clear that this is the card upgrade you've been waiting for. Not only does the RTX 3080 outperform last-generation GPUs, but it also delivers the extra benefits that make RTX cards so sought after. Ray tracing is becoming more prevalent in modern games, and NVIDIA's GPUs with dedicated ray-tracing cores are up to the task.
DLSS is perhaps the more impressive feature that comes standard with this GPU. It employs dedicated Tensor cores to run AI rendering in real-time, effectively boosting frame rates while also making frames come out at a much higher resolution. Because ray tracing can be detrimental to performance, DLSS is the perfect pairing. AMD's new RX 6000 cards feature ray tracing, but so far the hit to performance is far more severe compared to NVIDIA RTX. Grabbing one of the best CPUs for the RTX 3080 will really push things over the edge.
The RTX 3080 has some beefy specs, and it's the right card if you're looking to enjoy smooth 4K gaming at 60 FPS without having to turn down in-game settings. If you want the best PSU for the RTX 3080, NVIDIA recommends at least going with a 750W option. This card is compatible with G-Sync monitors, which have the adaptive sync technology to reduce screen tearing. It will also work with any FreeSync monitors that are "G-Sync compatible." Whether you're looking to game at 4K or 1440p, the RTX 3080 is the new best graphics card for many people.
The RTX 3080 is slowly returning to virtual store shelves, though prices are still generally far above where they should be. The best thing to do is to check back often for availability updates, and be sure to visit our guide on where to buy the NVIDIA RTX 3080 for more information on restock notifications. Also have a look at more GPU options in our best NVIDIA RTX 3080 graphics cards roundup.
Bottom line: Thanks to powerful Ampere performance and a competitive price, the RTX 3080 is an excellent pick for most people. It affords you the ability to choose FHD, QHD, or UHD resolutions at a high frame rate, and it delivers extra NVIDIA features like RTX ray tracing and Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS). It's much faster than the RTX 2080 and even beats out the RTX 2080 Ti in raw performance.
Memory: 16GB GDDR6 | Memory bandwidth: Up to 512Gbps | Memory bus: 256-bit | Base clock: 2,015MHz | Boost clock: 2,250MHz | Stream processors: 4,608 | Process: 7nm | Power: 300W
AMD's "Big Navi" Radeon RX 6000 GPUs based on RDNA 2 technology bring a ton of power that puts them among the top options out there. In particular, the RX 6800 XT will generally perform as well as the RTX 3080 in 1440p and 4K games, with each card moving up and down based on other factors. The RX 6800 XT is more power efficient, sitting somewhere between the RTX 3070 and RTX 3080.
It has some impressive raw specs, including a whopping 16GB of VRAM that will set it up nicely for the future. If you're buying a new GPU today and want it to last for the next five years, 8GB of RAM doesn't look so impressive. One big advancement with these GPUs is the addition of ray tracing, previously something only NVIDIA could offer. Your games are going to look prettier, but you're going to see a more significant hit to performance on the AMD cards. Chalk it up to having more time to develop on NVIDIA's part. This still generally holds true today, though AMD is making strides to catch up.
AMD's Radeon RX 6800 XT can generally be found at a more affordable price compared to the RTX 3080, and it delivers raw performance on par with NVIDIA's flagship.
AMD has something called Smart Access Memory (SAM) that can boost performance in some games. The gains aren't huge, but they are noticeable in plenty of titles. We benchmarked Smart Access Memory to see how much of a difference it really makes. NVIDIA has since opened up Resizable BAR Support for its own GPUs, essentially making this point null.
Want to overclock and not void your warranty? AMD's Rage Mode is another nice addition that will get the job done without harming your hardware. And finally, AMD has now introduced FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) and Radeon Super Resolution to its GPUs new and old.
These technologies are a rebuttal to NVIDIA's DLSS, DSR, and DLDSR, and for the most part they work quite well when it comes to boosting performance in most games available today. Take a look at our AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution vs. NVIDIA DLSS comparison for more information.
If you're on Team Red and want a GPU that can handle 1440p and 4K gaming, the RX 6800 XT is undeniably a great option that should cost less than the RTX 3080 once stock and prices settle. If this is the card you're aiming at, check out our collection of best motherboards for AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT and of best PSUs for AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT to get your rig ready.
Bottom line: AMD's "Big Navi" RX 6800 XT is a bit more affordable than the RTX 3080, yet it trades performance blows and doesn't suck up as much power. Its 16GB of VRAM are great for futureproofing, and it has a number of included features gamers will love. Just remember that its ray-tracing abilities aren't as developed.
Memory: 8GB GDDR6 | Memory bandwidth: 448Gbps | Memory bus: 256-bit | Base clock: 1,410MHz | Boost clock: 1,670MHz | CUDA cores: 4,864 | Process: 8nm | Power: 200W
In our NVIDIA RTX 3060 Ti review, Senior Editor Rich Edmonds states that this might be the most impressive GPU from NVIDIA thanks to its performance that bests the RTX 2080 Super when it comes to 1080p and 1440p gaming. He definitively says it is the card to buy for gaming at these resolutions when you consider price and feature set. The RTX 3060 Ti is supposed to cost less than $400 under normal circumstances, and hopefully we'll see that again soon.
That's mighty impressive, and it's likely going to be extremely popular for anyone who's not too interested in 4K gaming. It also compares well to the more expensive RX 6700 XT. Our comparison of the NVIDIA RTX 3060 Ti vs. AMD RX 6700 XT has more information. Despite it launching later than the other RTX 30-series cards, you're still getting capable ray tracing and DLSS technology. All this at a 200W TDP that should be ideal for those who don't want to upgrade the PSU in an older PC.
This card isn't going to be as future proof as the heavy hitters in this list, but if you can find one and want to keep your wallet from catching fire, it should make a great choice. It's also a top pick for best mining GPU thanks to a strong hashrate and bargain price.
Bottom line: The RTX 3060 Ti includes all the benefits of RTX cards, and it costs the least money out of all the Ampere cards. It bests the RTX 2080 Super, making it capable of crushing 1440p and handling some 4K gaming. This is the best value in gaming today, if you can find one.
Memory: 8GB GDDR6 | Memory bus: 256-bit | Base clock: 1.50GHz | Boost clock: 1.73GHz | CUDA cores: 5,888 | Process: 8nm | Power: 220W
When GPU expert Harish Jonnalagadda reviewed the NVIDIA RTX 3070, he made it clear that the GPU hits the sweet spot for gaming. It performs nearly on par with the RTX 2080 Ti, except this time the card costs around $500 when prices aren't out of whack. That's a huge achievement, and anyone who aims for the mid-range PC market should be happy. A year ago, before NVIDIA's other 30-series GPUs and AMD's RX 6000 cards, the RTX 3070 would have broken the internet. Have a look at our picks for best NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 GPUs for a bunch of great buying options.
There are 5,888 CUDA cores packed into the RTX 3070, more than double that of the RTX 2070 Super. It also benefits from RTX enhancements like ray tracing and DLSS AI, boosting frame rates significantly in compatible games. It is, however, still using 8GB of VRAM. If that's an issue for you, check out AMD's Radeon RX 6800 with 16GB of VRAM and a similar cost. We've even compared the two in a NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 vs. AMD Radeon RX 6800 showdown.
In any case, if you can get your hands on this card, your 1440p gaming experience will take off. The RTX 3070 can handle 4K, but you'll see much better results with a QHD monitor. And be sure to pair the new hardware up with one of the best motherboards for NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 3070. Grabbing one of the best CPUs for the RTX 3070 won't hurt either.
Bottom line: The NVIDIA RTX 3070 is the best mid-range GPU you can buy right now thanks to stellar performance and feature set. It rivals the RTX 2080 Ti in terms of power, yet it should cost far, far less money.
Memory: 16GB GDDR6 | Memory bandwidth: Up to 512Gbps | Memory bus: 256-bit | Base clock: 1,815MHz | Boost clock: 2,105MHz | Stream processors: 3,840 | Process: 7nm | Power: 250W
The Radeon RX 6800 (minus the XT) is another of AMD's flagship RDNA 2 GPUs. It has many of the same features as the beefier RX 6800 XT — including ray tracing, FSR, RSR, and Smart Access Memory — but it costs less and is more power efficient (250W compared to the RX 6800 XT's 300W). It's still going to handle 4K and 1440p gaming, and its 16GB of VRAM sets up better for the future than the comparable RTX 3070. There are plenty of third-party versions available, but the best AMD Radeon RX 6800 graphics cards will deliver a similar experience.
In my AMD Radeon RX 6800 review, I discovered that you can expect better overall performance from the RX 6800, though at a higher power draw than the RTX 3070. It also cost a bit more money in a world without crazy inflated prices and nonexistent stock. Ray tracing is available with the RX 6800, though it's not going to compare to what NVIDIA's RTX cards can do. And, of course, NVIDIA offers DLSS tech that is clearly becoming a huge boon. AMD now has an answer with FidelityFX Super Resolution and Radeon Super Resolution, but it still has a way to go to catch up with NVIDIA.
If you want to go with more raw performance at 1440p and 4K and don't mind paying a bit more compared to the RTX 3070, the RX 6800 should make a fine choice for your gaming PC. And for those who do decide on the RX 6800 as their next GPU, get the right supporting components with our best PSU for AMD Radeon RX 6800 and best motherboard for AMD Radeon RX 6800 roundup.
Bottom line: The RX 6800 is a direct competitor to the RTX 3070, and in fact it will perform better with 4K and 1440p gaming. It costs a bit more and doesn't offer as-developed ray-tracing or upscaling abilities, but the price-to-performance ratio is excellent.
Memory: 24GB GDDR6X | Memory speed: 19.5Gbps | Memory bus: 384-bit | Boost clock: 1,785MHz | CUDA cores: 10,496 | Process: 8nm | Power: 370W
NVIDIA's RTX 3090 is a huge card both physically and on paper. It has a whopping 24GB of GDDR6X VRAM and 10,496 CUDA cores, but don't assume that translates to raw gaming power. If you're interested in 4K gaming, you'll likely see only about a 10% increase in performance over the RTX 3080. Our comparison of the NVIDIA RTX 3080 vs. RTX 3090 has more information on that front. And don't even think about buying this GPU for 1440p or 1080p; it's just not worth the money.
Considering it's more than double the price of most RTX 3080 cards, this is going to be a piece of hardware reserved for professionals and those with big budgets. Yes, this is the card to kill the expensive RTX Titan, and developers and designers will be very interested.
If you are going all-out for one of these cards, be sure it fits into your case and be sure you have a big enough PSU to handle power demands. We've put together a collection with options for the best PSU for RTX 3090 to help you get started. And for further information, check out our guide on how to prepare your PC for NVIDIA RTX 30-series system requirements.
Bottom line: The RTX 3090 is a physically large GPU, stacking 24GB of GDDR6X VRAM to help handle design and development work. It'll deliver about 10% better performance than the RTX 3080 for 4K gaming, but it also costs more than double the price. This is a card best cut out for professionals or those with money to burn.
