1. The Quick List
2. Best overall
3. Best 4K
4. Best value
5. Best budget
5. Best 1440p
6. Best 1080p
7. Best last-gen
The best graphics card is arguably the most important gaming PC part you'll buy, especially if you're looking to run the latest games. That said, there isn't just one GPU to rule them all, and we've tested a variety of cards that cater to different budgets, build requirements, and performance preferences. Whether you're looking for ferocious frame rates or something that'll prevent your favorite games looking like a demake, we've got you covered.
You might be wondering what actually makes the best graphics card, especially given that there are so many out there. Typically, we look for great value GPUs that pair nicely with the best gaming PC builds, but that's just scratching the surface. These days, cards by AMD, Nvidia, and even Intel can boost fps higher than ever using AI upscaling tricks, and tools like DLSS 3 can provide a performance uplift without visual caveats. You don't have to pick up the monstrous GeForce RTX 4090 to benefit from the tech, and more games are starting to support GPU-specific settings.
Sounds pretty advanced, right? Well, and AI-powered RTX 4000 and Radeon RX 7000 GPUs cost a pretty penny. Not that everyone is immediately jumping on the new-gen bandwagon right now, as while the budget friendly Nvidia RTX 4060 is now available, last-gen GPUs are still relevant in 2023. Therefore, there's no shame in opting for a card that's either cheaper or older if it suits your specific needs, and we've got plenty of recommendations that'll fit the bill.
Quick list
Best graphics card
The Nvidia RTX 4090 is redefines the idea of gaming PC performance and boosts fps to new heights, this this premium GPU comes with an eye watering price.
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Best 4K graphics card
It currently lacks AI-powered bells and whistles, but the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX packs a native performance punch and costs less than the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090.
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Best value GPU
Packing 16GB VRAM and great 1440p capabilities, the Intel Arc A770 has what it takes to challenge entry-level AMD and Nvidia rivals. A great example of new-gen bang for buck.
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Best budget GPU
Competitive performance and a low price tag to boot, the AMD RX 6600 XT offers great 1080p performance and is a favorite among esports players. If you're looking to spend little as possible on a GPU but still run new releases, this is the card for you.
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Best 1440p GPU
The RTX 4070 strikes more of a balance between performance and price than its Ti sibling, and its 1440p capabilities earn it a seat at the top GPU table. Not to mention it still boasts all the same DLSS 3 abilities as other RTX 4000 cards.
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Best 1080p GPU
The RTX 4060 is the cheapest new-gen GeForce GPU on the block, but it still packs excellent 1080p performance. Better still, DLSS 3 AI upscaling abilities mean you can dabble with 1440p and 4K, but you're better using its abilities to crank up settings in the latest PC games.
Best last-gen GPU
The Nvidia RTX 3080 once reigned supreme, and it's still a fantastic high-end graphics card. If you can grab one for a good price, you'll find that it can keep up with fancy RTX 40-series newcomers, even if it lacks Frame Generation and newer DLSS tricks.
Best overall
The Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 is simply put, the best consumer graphics card on the market in terms of performance. It runs circles around the last-gen flagship RTX 3090 Ti and easily chews through any game we throw at it, no matter the settings. That said, with great power comes great price, and this GPU kaiju will set you back at least $1,599.
Thanks to a 4nm GPU, the RTX 4090 packs in 52% more graphics processing CUDA cores than the RTX 3090 Ti, and it also runs 43% faster than the RTX 3090 Ti as well — all while drawing the same amount of power as the last-gen card. In terms of gaming performance, it’s the only graphics card that can confidently game at a native 4K resolution with ray tracing without the help of DLSS. It’s more than 50% faster on average than the RTX 3090 Ti, and with DLSS 3 with full frame generation, the RTX 4090 can get as much as double the frame rate achieved with last gen’s DLSS 2.0.
If you can comfortably afford an RTX 4090, you probably won't need to upgrade your GPU for the best part of a decade. While even the best gaming monitors out largely stick to 4K, Nvidia's latest flagship GPU can actually handle 8K gaming, meaning it'll play nice with screens of the future that cater to beyond UHD. Not that we'd suggest picking one up for that purpose, as the RTX 5090 will eventually arrive to properly raise the resolution bar.
Read more: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 review
Once known as the RTX 4080 12GB model the Nvidia RTX 4070 Ti is only midrange in name. That's ultimately reflected in its price, but it does pack a premium punch for less than the RTX 4080. Yes, new DLSS 3 features do the heavy lifting in games that boast support, and it could be doing with 16GB VRAM to bolster its 4K capabilities. However, this 70-series card is still worth a look in 2023, especially if you can grab a decent deal.
Coming in at $799, the RTX 4070 Ti is anything but cheap, and it's best described as a more affordable premium GPU. Understandably, most of you probably don't have over $1,000 to spend on a single gaming PC part, but Nvidia's new 70-series provides new-gen vibes by making short work of 4K and ray tracing workloads. In many ways, it's actually comparable to an RTX 3090, which isn't too shabby considering it costs a chunk less.
The GPU battlefield is unpredictable, and upcoming AMD GPUs like the Radeon RX 7800 could usurp the RTX 4070 Ti. That said, DLSS 3 and Frame generation give this card an undeniable edge, and while it admittedly feels like AI upscaling does a lot of heavy lifting, it'll help the Lovelace card stay in the running for quite a few years to come.
Read more:
PNY GeForce RTX 4070 Ti review
Zotac GeForce RTX 4070 Ti AMP AIRO review
Best 4k GPU
The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX had a lot of pressure on its shoulders when it hit the shelves. The latest flagship from Nvidia's biggest competitor needed to be strong to reinstate AMD as a genuine option. After all, PC gamers have heard nothing but demand for Nvidia's 30 Series for the last two years.
AMD's latest flagship is undoubtedly one of the best graphics cards you can buy right now. It undercuts the price RTX 4080 and more importantly, outperforms it. Where Nvidia's cards are pricey, the AMD Radeon 7900 XTX is remarkably affordable in comparison. Where the RTX 4090 is inconveniently large, AMD's heaviest hitter is compact and practical. In all honesty, if it weren't for the obscene power of the RTX 4090, the RX 7900 XTX would be the best GPU out there.
For under a grand (or slightly over when you get to any given retailer), this GPU is pushing the boundaries of what is possible. Yes, there are added bonuses to getting a 40 Series GPU that has superior ray tracing and DLSS 3. However, AMD's own new AI upscaler, FSR 3, is on the way, and it could bring Radeon RX 7900 XTX performance closer ever closer to its RTX 4090 rival.
Read more: AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX review
Best value GPU
New 16GB GPUs aren't all too common in 2023, and they're certainly not cheap when you do find them. This version of the Intel Arc A770 is still readily available, and now we've been able to test it fully, we deem it a genuine contender among the ranks of the best graphics cards.
Beating out the RTX 4060 in non-DLSS, non-ray tracing performance at 4K and 1440p, the Acer Predator BiFrost Intel Arc A770 is a cracking GPU for gaming that you shouldn't pass up simply because Acer and Intel aren't usually found in this computing realm. Intel's first batch of GPUs might have trundled through its first year on the shelves, but the continued support given to them has produced extremely viable boards if you want to buck the Nvidia and AMD trend.
In-game benchmarks were impressive enough, but we found in testing that 4K 60fps was achievable in Returnal, Cyberpunk, and Hitman 3 if we turned the settings down a touch. With that 16GB of GDDR6, a boost clock of 2400MHz, and 19.66TFLOPs to work with, there's a lot of headroom for great gaming performance here, and for under $300, that deserves your attention. Even older games that use DirectX11 or older, which the Intel Arc's struggled to find deal with originally, are now handled with ease.
Annoyingly, Acer's model is one of the pricier 16GB A770s around, particularly now that the Limited Edition has been retired. Particularly if you can get this on sale, it's the best value GPU on the market.
Read more: Acer Predator BiFrost Intel Arc A770 OC review
Best budget GPU
The RX 6600 XT is built first and foremost with being one of the best graphics cards for PC gamers aiming for fast frame rates in 1080p. It's been geared in the marketing primarily towards the Esports crowd, as the competitive games in the circuit may not be too visually demanding, but require super-high FPS to compensate. The RX 6600 XT is a decent rival to Nvidia's base RTX 3060 model, however, if you're thinking of picking this GPU up for 1440p performance then you may need to cast a wider net in the field of AMD.
While the RTX 3060 Ti generally does ray tracing in Full HD better, the benchmarks for the RX 6600 XT really do speak for themselves. AMD published the full list online, where the GPU managed well above 70 FPS in the likes of Far Cry 6, Hitman 3, Resident Evil Village, Deathloop, and more. If you've wanted to max out the latest titles in Full HD, then this video card will serve you well.
Best 1440p GPU
The arrival of the RTX 4070 marks the emergence of cheaper new-gen GPUs, and the midrange card has a lot to offer for $499. It's still not the most budget friendly option out there, and the fact it's a great 1440p GPU is both a blessing and curse. Nevertheless, if you're looking to strike a balance between cost and performance, this non Ti 70-series card is worth a look.
As Nvidia's new-gen middle child, the RTX 4070 strikes a happy medium between budget and premium. If you know for a fact you're not going to pair the GPU with the best 4K gaming monitor, and are looking to avoid the constraints of 1080p, Nvidia's midrange GPU will offer a comfortable experience without swaying towards either entry-level or top-tier realms of performance.
That's not to say the RTX 4070 can't handle 4K, as you'll be able to experiment depending on the game. Just like the rest of the Lovelace lineup, it also wields DLSS 3 support, and the AI feature arguably matters more at the cheaper end of the spectrum. We'd still rather Nvidia provided more VRAM across all its RTX 4000 GPUs, but the 8GB included with the RTX 4070 will hopefully hold up for a good few years to come.
Read more: PNY GeForce RTX 4070 review
Best 1080p GPU
Coming in at $299, the Nvidia RTX 4060 is the cheapest of the Lovelace bunch yet. However, don't let its lower price fool you, as it's a punchy 1080p GPU that can actually handle a bit of 1440p and 4K with DLSS 3 enabled. You could say it relies on Frame Generation and fancy AI upscaling a bit too much, but the results speak for themselves when you can technically play demanding ports like Returnal without performance caveats.
We put the RTX 4060 through our usual benchmarks, and it managed to outpace the RTX 3060. We even ran specific RTX 4060 Cyberpunk 2077 tests and enjoyed around over 100fps at 1080p with all the ray tracing trimmings using DLSS 3. The GeForce tool even makes 4K possible on the entry-level card, as it achieved 72fps in Hitman 3, albeit with ray tracing set to one side.
It's worth noting that if you're looking to boost fps without picking up an RTX 4070, you'll probably want to consider the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 Ti. However, while the souped up version offers higher 1080p frame rates, it costs $100 more, and we reckon the vanilla RTX 4060 hits more of a sweet spot.
Overall issues with Nvidia's RTX 4000 pricing and reluctance to offer more than 8GB RAM at entry-level, the RTX 4060 is a solid 1080p option that isn't going to disappoint. That's particularly true if you're one of the many Steam players out there still using a GTX 1660 today, as while the 2019 card is still a budget favorite, it's worth considering an entry level Lovelace model over the aging Turing card.
Read more: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 review
Best last-gen GPU
The mighty RTX 3080 is still a pillar within the GPU scene today. While its newer RTX 4080 sibling has effectively replaced it, it's still worth picking up the Ampere card in 2023 - providing you can find it for a fair price. For whatever reason, previous price hikes are still haunting the card on the likes of Amazon, and some sellers still have models listed for near $1,000.
That might be a bit confusing given it arrived in 2020 with a $699 MSRP, and it is an attractive option at that price. The last-gen graphics card still makes short work of the latest games with high settings enabled today, and DLSS upscaling does a nice job at uplifting performance when needed. Sure, it lacks those fancy Frame Generation abilities included with all new-gen RTX 4000 cards, but since not every game supports the feature anyway, it might not be an issue for most players out there.
As with all RTX 30-series GPUs, whether or not you should pick one up is dependent on price. There's little sense picking up an RTX 3080 if you can get a RTX 4070 Ti for less, as the newer card packs more of a punch in terms of efficiency and performance. However, if you can grab one for less MSRP, it'll hold up as a great budget 4K GPU for quite a few years yet.
Read more:
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 review
Zotac GeForce RTX 3080 AMP HOLO review
How we test graphics cards
Why you can trust GamesRadar+ Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about our reviews policy.
At GamesRadar, we take an encompassing approach to testing the best graphics cards with a strict set of benchmarking tools before the GPUs end up on our list. First and foremost, we use the likes of 3DMark for quantified and comparable figures in our extensive write-ups. Secondly, and arguably most importantly, we use demanding games with ray tracing enabled, if applicable, to see how the graphics cards hold up in real-world performance.
You can find out how we test graphics cards in our full GamesRadar Hardware Policy.
Best graphics cards: Frequently asked questions
How to choose the best graphics card for you
Before picking up a graphics card for your gaming PC, it's important to consider your setup's capabilities. If you're rocking a state of the art 4K gaming monitor with a high refresh rate, something like the GeForce RTX 4090 will provide appropriate performance. However, if you're planning on upgrading a budget build paired with a 1080p screen, you'll be able to opt for a lower spec option that costs less and consumes less power. Simply put, taking your desired resolution and settings into consideration will help you choose the perfect GPU for your PC.
Graphics card vs GPU - what's the difference?
Graphics card and GPU are both used interchangeably, but they are two different things. The term 'graphics card' refers to the entire PC component, including its fans, VRAM, PCB, and 'Graphics Processing Unit', which means a 'GPU' is the chip living within your card of choice.
What is the top gaming graphics card right now?
The Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 is currently top of the food chain when it comes to raw graphics card power. Not only can it provide phenomenal 4K performance while maintaining triple digit frame rates, but it's also armed with DLSS AI upscaling, which should help futureproof your PC as more demanding games emerge on the scene.
How many gigabytes of RAM do graphics cards need in 2023?
Our advice is that 8GB GDDR6 memory should be considered the absolute minimum for graphics card gaming performance in 2023. This is because many modern games are pushing the VRAM to new limits due to increased texture sizes, game worlds, and reliance on the speeds afforded by newer storage drives. A good middle ground for futureproofing would be 12GB GDDR6/GDDR6X VRAM, which you can find in some of the best graphics cards from both AMD and Nvidia. This would give you enough overhead for high-FPS 1440p gaming as well as 4K60 in most instances.
What GPU is best for gaming?
Ultimately, if you stick with gaming brands like GeForce and Radeon, you'll end up with a GPU made for gaming, but it's important to consider individual GPU specs. For example, the AD102 GPU inside the monstrous RTX 4090 packs a much greater punch than the AD106 chip inside an RTX 4060, and extra CUDA cores and RT cores help to produce better ray tracing and 4K results.
Is RTX better than GTX?
If you've followed Nvidia's graphics cards for some time then you may not that the company's GeForce lines have rebranded from GTX to RTX. The latter delegation refers to the ray tracing potential of the video cards, which was first seen in the RTX 20-series (Turing) in 2018. Now, since late 2020, with the RTX 30-series (Ampere), the ray tracing performance has been vastly improved. It's currently unknown as to what the successor generation will be known as.
How many types of graphics cards are there?
There are two types of best graphics cards when you consider gaming PCs, integrated graphics and dedicated graphics cards. The former is weaker, and usually baked onto the processor chip in the form of an APU or SOC. Dedicated graphics cards, like all of those models listed above, as discrete models that are slotted into your computer's PCIe Express port, most being two-slot, but some taking up three-slots depending on size, to deliver far greater visual prowess. There are two main manufacturers, Nvidia, and AMD Radeon. Nvidia is definitely the most popular, and its GPUs can come in many forms from a lot of different gaming brands out there. Intel is also making its plays into the GPU market with the Intel Arc cards.
Looking to pay less for a GPU? Check out the best cheap graphics card deals and bag a budget AMD or Nvidia model. You might also want to check out our best gaming CPU picks if you're putting to gether an entire rig.
