Best graphics card 2024 – our top GPUs for gaming (original) (raw)

You can trust PC Guide: Our team of experts use a combination of independent consumer research, in-depth testing where appropriate - which will be flagged as such, and market analysis when recommending products, software and services. Find out how we test here.

There are more choices than ever for the best graphics cards available in 2024. You have the choice of budget, mid-range, and leading options from not only Nvidia and AMD but also Intel as the market is at its fiercest that it’s ever been. This year has already been exciting for new video cards with launches from both Team Green and Team Red and we’re expecting big things in the coming months as well.

It’s important to remember that the best graphics cards don’t always necessarily mean the most expensive, as while leading options can objectively offer the best performance, the price isn’t always right for people. That’s why our new buying guide goes over not only high-end but also more cost-effective choices, which is particularly important given our current financial situation as the world over’s feeling the pinch. For a more value-focused list, we’re also bringing you the best budget graphics cards, too.

AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D returns to Amazon

AMD's Ryzen 7 9800X3D is finally back in stock on Amazon.US. Remember, use the "other sellers" button to ensure you get the best price through Amazon.

Prices correct as of November 14th, 2024.

Products at a glance

ASUS TUF Gaming Radeon RX 7900 XTX OC

ASUS ROG Strix RTX 4060 OC Edition

ASUS ROG Strix RTX 4090 OC

ASUS TUF RTX 4070 Super OC Edition

Acer Predator BiFrost Intel Arc A770 OC

AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT

Sapphire Radeon Pulse RX 7700 XT

How we chose the best graphics cards in 2024

We’ve made our choices for the best graphics cards based on a combination of factors, but chief among them is the price-to-performance offered by each respective GPU. Where possible, we always endeavor to test all the latest GPUs and combine these tests with consumer sentiment analysis, overlayed with expert opinion. Let’s face it: regardless of how much you spend, a graphics card is an investment and likely to be one of (if not the most) expensive parts of your build.

Thanks to advancements with both Ada and RDNA 3 architecture, graphics cards have become more power efficient and now rely heavily on AI upscaling to push performance. For the former, that means DLSS 3, which has Frame Generation utilizing the onboard Tensor cores and Nvidia’s custom data model to digitally upscale the image while rendering natively. AMD, in contrast, uses FSR, which works similarly but is software and driver-based.

Regardless of the methods used, the result is a stronger performance at both the low-end and the high-end, meaning higher average FPS than when rendering natively. That means you can buy a budget card and still expect at least 1080p60 in most circumstances, and even mid-range offerings with the ability to hit 4K at respectable framerates. With this in mind, let’s get into our choices in more detail.

Best graphics card

01

Best in ClassExcellent

Specifications

What We Think

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX doesn’t come cheap but it offers exceptional 4K gaming performance with enough VRAM for creative workloads, too. What’s more, it undercuts Nvidia’s flagships significantly making it our current favorite GPU for gaming.

Reasons to Buy

Reasons to Avoid

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX takes the top spot for the best graphics card on the market, and we haven’t made this decision lightly. In our testing, we found that this top-end RNDA 3 GPU offers exceptional value for money, given its performance that many other video cards in its price bracket just can’t contend with.

This is further bolstered by its huge 24GB GDDR6 VRAM and 384-bit memory bus for a bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s, which is second only behind the RTX 4090 at around two-thirds its price.

In our full AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX review, we said that it’s a “stellar graphics card for 4K gaming with enough under the hood to achieve high frame rates natively,” as the bulk of our testing was done without the help of FSR to showcase its prowess.

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX is a stellar graphics card for 4K gaming with enough under the hood to achieve high frame rates natively

AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX review – PC Guide

That extends to the 1440p gaming potential, too, as the flagship RDNA 3 video card was able to achieve well over 100fps averages when maxed out in titles such as Cyberpunk 2077, Doom Eternal, and Far Cry 6, so high refresh rate monitors will benefit from the added power, especially when utilizing Fluid Motion Frames (frame generation) where available.

This GPU is just as strong in synthetic testing as well, with leading figures in the likes of Fire Strike, Time Spy, and Port Royal showcasing the advancements made with the newer TSMC 5nm process over its predecessor. It’s second only to the RTX 4090 as this video card outperforms the RTX 4080 Super, which is available at the same price. That’s why we’ve decided to include this one as the stronger value play in the $999 price bracket; you’re getting more raw power with a greater amount of VRAM without splashing out unnecessarily.

What users say

The Asus TUF RX 7900 XTX has been rated by 390+ customers, and it has a rating of 4.4 stars on Amazon. As per the reviews, most buyers said that the graphics card runs games at high fps and is of good quality. They also think that it’s reasonably priced. One of the reviews reads, “One of the best GPU cards available today from AMD. Could not be happier.” That being said, a few customers thought that the card was too big in size.

Best graphics card for 1080p

02

Specifications

What We Think

While the RTX 4060 is far from the most powerful graphics card available, it offers a ton of bang for your buck in 1080p and is further bolstered by DLSS 3 Frame Generation for high framerates when maxing games out for an all-star price.

Reasons to Buy

Reasons to Avoid

If you’re looking to get a high-quality graphics card for 1080p gaming then you can look no further than the RTX 4060. While it may be humbly specced out, the weakest of the current Ada lineup still offers exceptional gaming in Full HD, especially when compared to its rival, the RX 7600. It’s available now for $299, depending on the partner card of choice, as the cheapest way to get your hands on DLSS 3 Frame Generation for a much-needed framerate boost.

The Nvidia RTX 4060 is a solid video card for 1080p and 1440p gaming at a good price point

Nvidia RTX 4060 review – PC Guide

In our testing, we found that the RTX 4060 more than lived up to its promise of providing cash-strapped gamers with average frame rates of 60fps and above in today’s demanding titles. This includes games such as Cyberpunk 2077, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, and Far Cry 6, with certain titles such as Doom Eternal, CS: GO, and Rainbow Six Siege pushing up into the 300+ fps mark. Simply put, if you’re looking for a capable GPU for Full HD gaming, this one hits all the right notes.

Our full RTX 4060 review goes over the specifics in more detail, but to summarize, there’s a lot of performance that’s been squeezed out of the AD107 die, the only Ada model on this GPU, with the 8GB GDDR6 and smaller 128-bit memory bus best utilized for this lower resolution. 1440p is possible, but your mileage is going to vary. We recommend the RTX 4060 Ti if you want something with a little more horsepower for QHD, but you’re paying another 100to100 to 100to200, depending on VRAM allocation.

What users say

The Asus ROG Strix RTX 4060 GPU has a rating of 4.7 stars. Judging from the 1800+ ratings, it seems to be a popular choice. As per the reviews, buyers seem to be pleased with the performance, build quality, aesthetics, and even the cooling system. “It runs great and so far has handled every game I have thrown at it on ultra high,” one of the reviewers mentioned.

Best graphics card for 4K

03

Excellent

Specifications

What We Think

The Nvidia RTX 4090 is a leading graphics card in every sense of the word with a price tag to match. It’s incredibly powerful for true 4K gaming and creatives are going to love the bandwidth and memory pool allocation here, too.

Reasons to Buy

Reasons to Avoid

If we’re talking from a strictly technical perspective, then the Nvidia RTX 4090 is confidently the best graphics card that money can buy in 2024, as nothing quite comes close to its performance potential.

The Nvidia flagship features a staggering 24GB GDDR6X VRAM and a leading bandwidth of 1,008GB/sec being the fastest consumer GPU available. As the only video card built on the AD102 die and featuring 16,384 CUDA cores, Team Green’s frontrunner can play anything at 4K with impressive results.

The RTX 4090 doesn’t come cheap by any stretch but there’s no denying its capabilities for true 4K gaming and creativity

Nvidia RTX 4090 review – PC Guide

Now, whether you strictly need all of this excess power or not is going to come down to your use case. For example, if you’re purely after a gaming GPU, then we recommend the RX 7900 XTX over this one, and the price is a major factor. Simply put, the RTX 4090 doesn’t come cheap with its 1,599pricetag,andthat’sbeforefactoringinpartnervariants,whichcanrunascostlyas1,599 price tag, and that’s before factoring in partner variants, which can run as costly as 1,599pricetag,andthat’sbeforefactoringinpartnervariants,whichcanrunascostlyas2,000 and up. If you want to be on the bleeding edge and use your machine for all manner of tasks, then there’s nothing better.

In our full RTX 4090 review, we praised the second-generation BFGPU for how it delivered true 4K gaming at 60fps and above with ray tracing enabled in the likes of Microsoft Flight Simulator, Warzone, Cyberpunk 2077, and Doom Eternal without breaking a sweat, with framerates in their hundreds when knocking down to 1440p.

It’s a steep price of investment, yes, but considering the memory pool and the lead it has over all other consumer cards, it may be worth it for you, if you would rather not upgrade again for a long time.

What users say

On Amazon, the Asus ROG Strix RTX 4090 has a 4.5-star rating, and the product has been rated by over 640 customers. From what we gathered through the customer reviews, buyers were pleased with the performance, build quality, and aesthetics of the GPU. “I upgraded from a 3080 to this 4090. The difference is nothing short of astounding!” one of the customers noted in a review.

However, the opinions were mixed on the card’s size as some people pointed out that it was a huge card. Further, a lot of buyers said that the GPU was too pricey.

Best graphics card for 1440p

04

Highly Recommended

Specifications

What We Think

The Nvidia RTX 4070 Super is a clear improvement over its original variant in every way thanks to 20% more CUDA cores leading to more consistent 1440p performance at no added cost.

Reasons to Buy

Reasons to Avoid

The Nvidia RTX 4070 Super redefines what a mid-range graphics card can do in 2024 by generously bumping up the CUDA core count by 20% of the original while keeping the price tag the same.

Ultimately, price is a major factor in the jump from Ampere to Ada, so if you’re running the likes of the RTX 3070, then this graphics card could be the one that helps you jump ship, especially as it’s running DLSS 3 Frame Generation for far higher frame rates enabling strong 1440p gaming and even 4K.

The RTX 4070 Super is a powerhouse for 1440p and offers respectable and playable framerates in 4K

RTX 4070 Super review – PC Guide

In our Nvidia RTX 4070 Super review, we were impressed by the video card’s abilities in these two target resolutions, with confident performance above 60fps in the likes of Cyberpunk 2077, Doom Eternal, CS2, The Finals, and Assassin’s Creed Mirage, with some titles even crossing over the 100fps mark. That extra bit of power also means that 4K is more of a possibility as well, which we saw playable figures of around 60fps or above in titles such as Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora as well as the aforementioned.

This GPU is flexing what’s possible from the AD104 die when pushed to its limits, and all the better for it, which is also reflected in the clock speeds as the RTX 4070 Super is no slouch. Out of the box, this GPU runs at 1,980 MHz, and that can be boosted all the way to 2,475 MHz (or even higher if you’ve got an OC model such as with our review unit). For most people, this is going to be the sweet spot between power and performance, and it’s priced accordingly from $599.

What users say

The Asus TUF RTX 4070 Super OC Edition has a rating of 4.7 stars, and more than 580 people have rated the graphics card. Looking at the reviews, most people seemed to praise the performance and build quality of the GPU. “So much nicer, huge improvement to gaming. FPS are crazy, 300+ fps now and somehow its cooler then my ASUS RTX 2060,” one of the customers said in a review. However, opinions were mixed about the value of the GPU.

Best Intel graphics card

05

Specifications

What We Think

The Intel Arc A770 may be far from a powerhouse model but it offers strong gaming performance in 1080p and 1440p provided you have a CPU that can take advantage of Resizable BAR.

Reasons to Buy

Reasons to Avoid

While Intel’s been a dominant name in the field of the best CPUs for gaming for decades, that’s not the case with its video card division until recently.

After a somewhat difficult launch window for Alchemist, many of the issues that plagued Team Blue’s foray into the mainstream GPU scene have largely been resolved. Combine this with aggressive pricing and respectable hardware and the Arc A770 stands out as a respected rival to what Nvidia and AMD are doing in its price bracket.

While the Intel Arc A770 is far from a powerhouse graphics card, it offers excellent performance in 1080p with strong figures in 1440p, too

Intel Arc A770 review – PC Guide

That’s because the Intel Arc A770 features 16GB GDDR6 VRAM with a 256-bit memory bus for a larger bandwidth than what’s possible from the similarly priced Nvidia RTX 4060 and AMD RX 7600. While Team Red clapped back with the AMD RX 7600 XT, its memory pool couldn’t quite be utilized the same way that Intel’s leader has done, hence its positioning here. In our full Intel Arc A770 review, we found that this card outperformed both models in 1440p, too.

Not bad considering that you can pick up an Intel Arc A770 for around $300, but that comes with something of a caveat. That’s the drivers and compatibility with older games, especially anything older than DirectX 11 just due to the lack of legacy support that Nvidia and AMD have in place, as well as the need for ReBAR (which 10th Gen Intel and 3rd Gen Ryzen CPUs can accommodate). If you’re using an older chipset or have concerns regarding driver compatibility, you may want an alternative.

What users say

The Acer Predator BiFrost Intel Arc A770 card has a 4.1-star rating on Amazon. Some 170 customers have rated the product, and most of them felt that the product had a good price-to-performance ratio. One of the customers said, “Price makes this a very compelling option, and these Arc cards are frequently on sale or bundled with promos like free games.” Opinions were mixed on the appearance and cooling system.

Best value graphics card

06

Specifications

What We Think

While the RX 7900 XT was originally quite pricey at release, its new $700 price tag makes it a far more aggressive purchase option in 2024 thanks to its high amount of VRAM and memory pool for high-end gaming.

Reasons to Buy

Reasons to Avoid

When we speak of value, few graphics cards come to mind as quickly as the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT in 2024. While it was originally just 100cheaperthanitssiblingatrelease,thetimehasbeenkindtothisGPUasyoucannowfinditforaslittleas100 cheaper than its sibling at release, the time has been kind to this GPU as you can now find it for as little as 100cheaperthanitssiblingatrelease,thetimehasbeenkindtothisGPUasyoucannowfinditforaslittleas700, which significantly undercuts the likes of the Nvidia RTX 4070 Ti and its Super variant while offering a ton more value for money. Then we get into the 20GB GDDR6 VRAM, 800GB/sec bandwidth, and huge 320-bit memory bus for good overhead for the future.

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT’s new price point and powerful performance put it firmly in competition with some of Nvidia’s best mid-range GPUs

AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT review – PC Guide

In our full RX 7900 XT review, we were blown away to see high-end 1440p performance well above the 60fps mark in demanding software such as Cyberpunk 2077 and Far Cry 6 which also largely extends to 4K as well. 2160p is more than possible with all titles we tested, barring Fortnite, achieving at least 60fps, but you won’t be getting the same gap as with the 7900 XTX, so if you want higher framerates in this resolution, then you may be better served by the latter.

What users say

On Amazon, the Sapphire RX 7900 XT has a rating of 4.5 stars, and more than 150 buyers have rated the product. As per the reviews, most customers felt that the card runs well, is good value for money, and is easy to install. One of the customers wrote in a review, “I’ve had this for awhile now and have used it on heavy workloads and lots of gaming, and it has been great.” A few customers said that the card got noisy under pressure.

Best mid-range graphics card

07

Specifications

What We Think

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT may not be the most exciting graphics card in our roundup, but it offers solid 1440p performance at a price that’s hard to argue against.

Reasons to Buy

Reasons to Avoid

When we think of mid-range graphics cards few are as instantly recognizable as the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT which targets 1440p at 60fps for $450. A mid-step between Full HD and 1440p, Quad HD (1440p) offers a good mix of fidelity and performance and that’s where this middle child RDNA 3 card shines with its 12GB GDDR6 VRAM and 192-bit memory bus allowing for top-quality gaming without the hefty price tag.

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT confidently delivers on its promise of 60fps and above in 1440p games

AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT review – PC Guide

In our full RX 7700 XT review, we saw in our testing that this GPU largely archives its goals with demanding games such as Far Cry 6, Cyberpunk 2077, Doom Eternal, and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, all running above 60fps when maxed out in 1440p. 4K is a possibility with this card, but it’s not where it shines; depending on your graphics settings, you may be able to target 60fps, but your mileage is going to vary. Considering the $450 asking price, we think the 7700 XT offers amazing value for money.

What’s more, it’s going to become even more competitive through the utilization of FSR and Fluid Motion Frames (frame generation) for higher frame rates than when playing natively. That could make all the difference when pushing upwards to 100fps and above, especially when gaming competitively. We saw the likes of Overwatch 2, Rainbow Six Siege, and CS:GO running flawlessly in silky smooth refresh rates upwards of the 240fps range, too.

What users say

On Amazon, the Sapphire RX 7700 XT has a 4.2-star rating. As per the customer reviews, buyers are satisfied with the performance, build quality, and price-to-performance ratio of the GPU. “Excellent graphics card (RX 7700XT). 0 coil whine, 0 noise, 0 over heating, perfect size. 100% satisfied,” one of the customers wrote in a review. However, a few customers complained about the drivers.

Things to consider with the best graphics cards in 2024

As we touched upon at the beginning of our guide, buying a graphics card is an investment so we’re going even more in-depth with our recommendations so you can buy with confidence. Let’s break things into categories and go over what you should be looking out for so you can work out if an AMD, Nvidia, or Intel GPU is the right pick.

Ray tracing performance

Nowadays every modern graphics card is capable of doing some form of real-time ray tracing. We think it’s fair to say that Nvidia takes the lead in this respect as it ushered in the lightning technique in 2018 with the RTX 20 series, the first to do it. AMD, by contrast, has been playing catch up with its RX 7000 being the second-generation model to feature ray accelerators compared to Nvidia’s third-generation RT cores.

Architecture

We don’t really recommend going for a previous generation graphics card as while they can sometimes offer the best value for money, you’ll often be paying for lacking futureproofing in the long run. The three current GPU generations in circulation are the RTX 40 series (Ada Lovelace architecture), RX 7000 series (AMD RDNA 3 architecture) and the Intel Arc A-series (Alchemist architecture).

Frame rate

Ideally, the minimum frame rate you want to be hitting is 60fps in 1080p, and this is what even budget graphics cards can achieve, even if they have to use AI upscaling to do it. If you’re using one of the best gaming monitors, then you’ll want a card that can keep up. 1080p is the lowest resolution, with 1440p doubling up and then 4K being four times the image size. However, a larger image at a high refresh rate requires significantly more power, so be aware of this.

Clock speed

Whether you’re considering buying AMD graphics cards or those made by Nvidia and Intel, the clock speed will be a factor. This is especially true for overclocking, with boost clock MHz usually being higher than partner brands such as ASUS, Sapphire, MSI, etc. Said partner cards will usually be more expensive and factor in larger heatsinks / big coolers, which means you’ll have to watch out for the size of the GPU on your machine.

Size

Every graphics card now comes with HDMI and DisplayPort as standard, usually several of each. Depending on the slot size, it is often dual-slot for an entry-level or mid-range model but can be as large as a triple slot for the likes of the RTX 4090 and the RX 7900 XTX. You’ll need to make sure that you not only have the clearance on your motherboard but also from within your PC case.

Power usage

Every graphics card has its own respective TDP (Thermal Design Power), with the larger and more powerful GPUs drawing more from your PSU. Typically, AMD, Intel, and Nvidia will offer a recommended PSU wattage for a card, but the rule of thumb is you want at least double the total power that the card draws overall. For example, the RTX 4070 Super has a 220W TDP so you’ll need a minimum of 550W PSU or above. We’d recommend a 600W brick in this case. It’s important to make sure your system can handle the component you’re slotting in. Check out the best PSUs for our recommendations.

Is GTX or RTX better?

All of Nvidia’s gaming graphics cards are either GTX or RTX. RTX is the newer of the two and the naming convention going forward for all of its flagship generations for six years now, starting with RTX 20 series, then RTX 30 series, and now the RTX 40 series. GTX, by comparison, is old and outdated.

Which GPU is overkill?

If you’re someone who just wants to play games in 1080p or 1440p and not too concerned about incredibly high framerates then the RTX 4090 will be overkill for your system. As well as being expensive, it will be a large power draw on your machine which may be unnecessary when an RTX 4070 Super or RX 7600 XT would suffice.