Updated on August 14, 2022
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
It’s the best graphics cards that pump life into your gaming PC, delivering stunning images to your monitor in real time. Because no two people are the same, we’re here to assist you sort out the necessities from the extras. While some gamers are looking for the most powerful graphics card, others are looking for the most cost-effective option. To have the best possible gaming experience, it’s vital to pick a graphics card with the ideal combination of performance, price, features/functionality, and efficiency.
For our best graphics card ranking, we consider more than just raw performance when comparing the many graphics cards available. Regardless of how much weight any of these criteria is given, they all play a part. Miners are stealing graphics cards from manufacturers, causing problems for the supply chain and making it impossible to find GPUs at a reasonable price.
However, there are more graphics cards to consider besides from those mentioned above (the Radeon RX 6500XT, GeForce RTX 3050, and Intel Arc Alchemist). The theoretical MSRPs of AMD and Nvidia are $199 and $249, respectively, whereas the first two are currently available (and sold out). Still a long way off before GPU prices return to pre-pandemic levels, as bitcoin mining revenues continue to tumble, though. The journey is far from over, but we’re making progress in the right direction.
Graphics Card Deals
Since last year, GPU pricing has been affected by supply constraints, price gouging, and scalping. You can save money on a new graphics card by checking out our pages for RTX 3080 deals, RTX 3070 discounts, and pre-built systems that include the graphics card, which can save you money on either the graphics card or a pre-built system. Only 25–50 percent more than MSRP is typically enough to get a good price. Pre-built PCs may also be an option for individuals who are seeking for a total system overhaul, as they frequently have lower costs on the GPU.
| GPU | Performance Rank | DXR Rank | Value Rank – eBay (MSRP) |
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| Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 | 2 – 124.6 fps) | 1 – 75.7 fps | 13 – $2,341 ($1,499) |
| AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT | 1 – 128.4 fps | 4 – 49.5 fps | 11 – $1,421 ($999) |
| AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT | 3 – 122.9 fps | 5 – 45.8 fps | 10 – $1,176 ($649) |
| Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 | 4 – 114.5 fps | 2 – 66.6 fps | 12 – $1,440 ($699) |
| AMD Radeon RX 6800 | 5 – 110.1 fps | 7 – 39.1 fps | 9 – $1,033 ($579) |
| Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 | 6 – 98.4 fps | 3 – 49.7 fps | 8 – $988 ($499) |
| AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT | 7 – 95.0 fps | 9 – 30.5 fps | 6 – $783 ($489) |
| Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti | 8 – 90.3 fps | 6 – 43.3 fps | 7 – $847 ($399) |
| AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT | 9 – 84.0 fps | 10 – 24.1 fps | 4 – $568 ($379) |
| Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 12GB | 10 – 69.4 fps | 8 – 31.9 fps | 5 – $636 ($329) |
| Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super | 11 – 44.3 fps | N/A | 3 – $422 ($229) |
| Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Super | 12 – 33.1 fps | N/A | 1 – $265 ($159) |
| AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT 4GB | 13 – 36.2 fps | N/A | 2 – $277 ($169)
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Keep in mind that the prices of most graphics cards are still messed up. Additionally, we’ve given the most recent average pricing from eBay, which represents what we’d be willing to pay right now in addition to the official launch MSRPs. A lot of these cards cost more than twice as much as the suggested retail price and some cost more than five times as much as the official MSRP.
In addition to their performance, we’ve also taken into account our own subjective opinions while sorting the cards below, which we’ve included in our rankings. Consequently, our rating is based on personal choices in terms of performance, cost and power. The current pricing make it difficult to put a price on anything.
Best Graphics Cards for Gaming 2022
1. GeForce RTX 3080
Best Graphics Card Overall, for 4K and More
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With the new and upgraded Ampere architecture, the GeForce RTX 3080 from Nvidia is a powerful graphics card. The new 2080 Ti is faster by over 30% and reportedly costs $500 less than the previous generation. There was no substitute for the RTX 3080 Ti because of its much higher price. As long as you want to play in 4K or 1440p resolutions, this is the graphics card for you. It’s a bit much for 1080p gameplay, but it’s still playable at that resolution when you enable all of the game’s ray tracing effects.
The RTX 30-series GPUs may be your ticket to ray tracing if you missed the first generation of RTX GPUs. In titles like Cyberpunk 2077, the RTX 3080 is your best chance for ray tracing-enhanced gaming without breaking the budget, thanks to the card’s possible performance boost over Turing and the inclusion of even more ray tracing effects.
We should expect to see more use of DLSS in future games now that it doesn’t require a supercomputer to be trained per game. These days, we’re seeing a growing number of games featuring DLSS 2.0 thanks to the fact that it’s just a simple toggle and UI update in Unreal Engine and Unity. Even while Nvidia’s RT and DLSS performance are significantly quicker than AMD’s new RX 6000 cards, Nvidia still falls behind in traditional rasterization performance (which is what our raw numbers are based on).
In terms of RTX 3080, finding one in stock at a reasonable price is going to be the biggest challenge. During the last month, the average price on eBay was more than $1,440. Although the 3080 Ti and 3090 are more expensive, this is still our top option for a fast GPU right now.
Best AMD GPU, Forget About DLSS
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Team Red’s greatest card is AMD’s Radeon RX 6800 XT. RX Radeon 6900 XT is technically faster, but costs 54% more than the RX Radeon 6900 – a trade-off. In light of the fact that you won’t be receiving any additional VRAM or bonuses, that’s a poor offer. The RX 6800 XT is a major improvement over the previous generation RX 5700 XT in terms of performance and functionality. On average, it’s a whopping 70-90 percent quicker, plus it supports ray tracing (through DirectX Raytracing or VulkanRT).
Enthusiasts have been calling the GPU “Big Navi” before it launched, and we got precisely what we wanted. There are twice as many shader cores and RAM in Navi 21 as there were in Navi 10. As a result, the GPU now runs at clock speeds of up to 2.1-2.3 GHz, which is 300 MHz faster than the previous record set by a reference GPU. As a result, AMD’s RX 6800 XT has a TDP of 300W, which is somewhat lower than that of the RTX 3080’s 320W TDP.
The 128MB Infinity Cache is a major contributor to AMD’s performance. It boosts the bandwidth by a whopping 119 percent (according to AMD). Because we believe that very few games will require more than 16GB of RAM in the near future, the 6800 XT is a strong contender in this category.
What could possibly go wrong? The ray tracing performance isn’t fantastic, but it’s not terrible either. The 6800 XT’s ray tracing performance is just marginally better than the RTX 3070’s, and it lags behind in numerous games by up to 25%. This could be because current games are more likely to be tailored for the Nvidia’s RTX GPUs. And that’s without using DLSS, which can boost RTX card performance by 20-40 percent even in Quality mode (sometimes more). Although AMD is working on FidelityFX Super Resolution, which is meant to compete with DLSS, it hasn’t yet arrived, and it’s urgently needed.
As with all current GPUs, the price and availability are still awful. Last month, the RX 6800 XT sold for an average of over $1,200 on eBay. While the RTX 3080 is technically superior, it costs nearly twice as much as AMD’s MSRP.
Review of the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT
3. GeForce RTX 3090
Fastest Graphics Card, Great for Creators
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For some, speed trumps all other considerations when choosing a credit card. GeForce RTX 3090 from Nvidia is tailored for this user. There is little to no difference in performance between this and the RTX 3080, even though it costs more than twice as much. In many ways, it’s the Titan RTX’s replacement, albeit, at a significantly higher price point If you’re on a budget, you won’t notice much of a difference with the RTX 3080 Ti’s 12GB of GDDR5X.
Nvidia’s top GPU will be the RTX 3090 unless the RTX 3090 Ti appears. New Titan cards are out of the question until the Ampere architecture GA102 chip is ready. Nvidia claims that the 3090 provides Titan-class performance and features to the GeForce lineup as well (especially the 24GB VRAM). When it comes to graphics cards, the RTX 3090 is currently the quickest available. But the average price on eBay last month was over $2,300 so you’ll need a lot of money to purchase one right now if you want one.
Is this just about games? Of course not! The RTX 3090 is the only GeForce Ampere with NVLink compatibility that’s suitable for professional use and GPU calculation. 24GB of GDDR6X RAM is ideal for content-creation applications. The Titan RTX was twice as fast when compared to the 3080, yet Blender often indicated a 30% boost in performance. Titan RTX has additional capabilities enabled in its drivers that aren’t enabled for GeForce cards in its drivers, so keep a look out for lower than expected performance in specific SPECviewperf 13 programmes.
RTX 3090 is AMD’s RX 6900 XT’s direct opponent in traditional rasterization. A number of SPECviewperf tests have shown it to be the best in the industry, as well. Nvidia is your best bet if you want the most powerful graphics card on the market today. RTX 3090 Ti, with its quicker speeds and more GPU cores, is projected to overtake the RTX 2080 Ti in terms of performance this month.
Check out our review of the GeForce RTX 3090 from Nvidia.
Best Bang for the Buck Graphics Card
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Nvidia’s Ampere march appears to have gotten a lot more spectacular. As with all of the other GPUs in the GeForce RTX 30 series, there are no significant differences. While theoretically possible, no new graphics card has sold more than this one in the last year. More than double the MSRP may be found on eBay. <Sigh>
The 3060 Ti outperforms the previous generation’s 2080 Super when it comes to performance, taking first place in every category. It is only 9% slower and 20% less expensive than the 3070. The 3060 Ti can surpass graphics cards like the GTX 1070 and RX Vega 56 by up to two times in terms of performance.
VRAM is the only thing that warrants concern. As of today, 8GB is more than enough space for most games. You can, of course, lower the quality of the texture, but you’ll regret it in the long run. In most cases, the distinction between high and extreme is negligible.)
Nvidia’s 3060 Ti surpasses AMD’s RX 6600 and RX 6600 XT in ray-tracing games. If you’re ready to spend a little more, you can get the RX 6600XT for about $250 less than the 3060 Ti. It’s impossible to find a better deal than $399 for a 3060 Ti. The RX 5700 XT is 25-30% faster than the 2060 Super, while the RX 5700 XT is 35-45% faster.
One of these cards is the most important thing to do right now. The 3070’s non-LHR variations are equivalent to AMD’s current generation cards in terms of mining performance, demonstrating that the 3070’s costs are still high. Aside from the GTX 1070 from five years ago, the current 8 GB of memory isn’t that amazing.
A review of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti may be found in this article.
Excellent 1440p Performance
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A new wave of Ampere designs keeps the assault going. To put it another way, it’s significantly less powerful than AMD’s RX 6800 series. Instead of being much more expensive, AMD’s new GPUs offer better ray-tracing performance and support for DirectX 12 than the 3070. At any price around the recommended retail price, all 3070 cards have sold out. As RTX 3070 Ti consumes 30% more power than the non-Ti model, we don’t recommend upgrading right now.
The 3060 Ti’s $400 price tag diminishes the 3070’s appeal. Even though it’s theoretically 10-12 percent faster, it’s theoretically 25% more expensive. 3070 Ti sold on eBay for an average of $1,050 over the 3060 Ti last month, which is $150 more than the previous month. $100 to $175 isn’t a big number in the overall scheme of things, but it would normally buy the fastest non-Titan GPU. Don’t spend more than $300 creating a new gaming PC, unless the GPU is an Ampere or Big Navi. Then then, we have some reservations.
In spite of the fact that 1440p and 4K gaming are both possible, 4K at its best quality often falls below 60 fps. Even with DLSS enabled, ray tracing at 4K typically results in frame rates of 40 to 50 fps. This can be addressed if the game supports it. Furthermore, the 8GB of GDDR6 is cause for concern. Not only is there less memory on a smaller bus, but the 3080 is also running at a significantly lower clock speed. We’ve already found a few games where 8GB is a little too limited when playing at their top level. AMD introduced 16GB of RAM to its Navi 21 GPUs, while Nvidia upped the RTX 3060 and 3060 Ti to 12GB of RAM, making 8GB even worse for Nvidia in the process.
3060 Ti is the greatest Nvidia GPU for the lowest possible price. What if you had an extra $100? You could get the 3070 and then the 3070 Ti, and why not the 3080? In the end, it’s the best all-in-one card around. The law of diminishing returns kicks in when you contemplate more expensive cards. The RTX 2080 Ti was previously out of reach for the typical gamer due to its high price. As a result of the reduction, the price has dropped by half.
To learn more about the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070, check out our in-depth review.
A graphics card from AMD.
Good 1440p Graphics Card, Lower Price
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The Navi 22 and RX 6700 XT from AMD’s division are the result of reducing the number of functional units in the Navi 21 GPU to build a smaller chip that can be offered at a lower price. Improves performance by about 25 percent over the previous generation RX 5700 XT with the same number of GPU cores but a slightly higher clock rate and more cache (at higher settings and resolutions, at least).
With a maximum clock speed of 2.5GHz when playing games, AMD’s 6700 XT is the most powerful graphics card on the market. Without hurting the GPU, we managed to obtain 2.7-2.8GHz speeds with some tweaking and overclocking. With only 2,560 GPU cores, it nonetheless packs a powerful punch.
In our performance tests, the RX 6700 XT competes with the RTX 3070 and RTX 3060 Ti. Because it’s a little faster than the other two, and a little slower than the other two, the $479 price tag seems acceptable. For the most part, the 6700 XT’s performance is comparable to that of a 3060 Ti, save for games that employ DLSS or ray-tracing.
It all comes down to the same thing in the end, just like every other issue. The RX 6700 XT quickly sells out even at exorbitantly high prices. Currently, the card is listed on eBay for $775. Even if it’s a step forward from both of the previous models, it doesn’t justify the price of a $500 high-end device.
To understand more, read our in-depth review of the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT.
AMD’s reference design for the RX 6800 graphics card.
Great 1440p Graphics Card, Okay Ray Tracing
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To achieve the vanilla RX 6800, take the amazing features of the new Navi 21 GPU found in the 6800 XT (seen above) and reduce them by around 10%. Only 96 ROPs and somewhat lower clock speeds are provided, however the 16GB GDDR6 and 128MB Infinity Cache remain fully functional. It’s a good compromise, but we think the 6800 XT is the superior choice overall (unless pricing eventually drops a bit more on the vanilla cards).
There is currently a 6-800 on eBay for $1,033, roughly $140 cheaper than the XT version and somewhat more expensive than the 3070 Ti. It’s not even necessary to point out the absurdity of the costs. In terms of total performance, the RX 6800 topped Nvidia’s RTX 3070 by 12 percent, and it also beat the 3070 Ti by 5 percent, excluding ray tracing and DLSS, which are not included in this comparison.
The ray tracing performance of Nvidia’s previous generation RTX 2080 Super appears to be mediocre. In the long run, AMD’s FSR as a DLSS substitute could be helpful, but it isn’t used in as many games and can’t match the DLSS image quality. At native rendering, the RTX 3070 already outperforms the 6800 by 12 percent in ray tracing performance, but when DLSS Quality mode is enabled, the difference widens to more than 50 percent.
Even though AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) is now available, Nvidia GPUs can also take use of it, thanks to AMD’s FidelityFX. For rasterization, rather than ray tracing, we’d go with an RX 6800. For this particular card, we’d rather wait till the price drops below $600 before purchasing. RDNA 3 and Lovelace are more likely to come first, hopefully by the end of 2022.
Read the review of the AMD Radeon RX 6800.
RTX 3060 12GB from Nvidia
An Excellent Mainstream Graphics Card
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It’s possible that Nvidia’s desktop Ampere lineup’s processor power savings have gone too far as we approach the lowest price and performance rung. Even if it’s better than RTX 3050, this is still the first GA106 card, which has an improved memory interface and 12GB of VRAM. Overall performance is only on par with the RTX 2070 due to a 26% reduction in GPU cores compared to the 3060 Ti and a 20% reduction in memory bandwidth. Two and a half years later, you can now get a $500 graphics card for $330.
In theory, at least. We’re seeing RTX 3060 12GB cards on eBay for over $625 because demand has once again surpassed availability. Nvidia’s attempts to reduce Ethereum mining performance by 50% were rendered ineffective when the company’s own drivers were hacked (on accident). Even though the mining lock has been supposedly fixed with new firmware, it is evident that miners are still using the cards.
When it comes to VRAM, the 3060 12GB is competitive with the 3060 Ti in most cases, if not all. However, the 3060 Ti remains the superior option if you can get one at a fair price.
Despite having the same amount of VRAM, AMD’s Radeon RX 6700 XT performs significantly better thanks to its 96MB Infinity Cache. It is possible to save money by purchasing AMD’s RX 6600 XT instead, which has slightly superior non-ray tracing performance and costs roughly $5 less (on eBay).
AMD’s RX 5700 XT and Nvidia’s RTX 3060 are nearly the same performance 18 months after the RX 3060 was released. There isn’t much to excite the masses about this, but that is to be expected in the mainstream. We can only hope that supply and pricing return to their normal levels as soon as possible.
Check out our review of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 here.
RX 6600 CST from AMD
Phantom Gaming OC Edition of the ASRock Radeon RX 6600 tomshardware.com/image
Good Mainstream Performance, Weak RT
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The Navi 23 architecture is AMD’s (kind of) response to the RTX 3060. For the RX 6700 non-XT, AMD lowered CU counts, memory interface width, and Infinity Cache sizes in order to make the chip smaller and more affordable while still delivering excellent performance.
The RX 5700 XT performs marginally better than the previous generation, which is impressive given that the memory bus has been reduced to just 128 bits.. However, the 8GB of VRAM is a legitimate problem, and in some circumstances, the RTX 3060 is a better option. Even a 32MB Infinity Cache appears to enhance performance when compared to the memory bandwidth, which is remarkable. Smaller than Navi 10, but with 10–15 percent greater 1080p frame rates, this is simply a smaller version of the N7 TSMC N7 node.
However, ray tracing is one of the areas where it has difficulty. Many games with DirectX Raytracing (DXR) compatibility couldn’t even run at 20 fps at 1080p when we tried them. Without DLSS, the RTX 3060 from Nvidia was nearly two times as quick (where available). Neither AMD nor Nvidia — or even Intel — GPUs benefit from FSR’s performance improvement, so it doesn’t fix the problem. The RX 6600 XT feels like a disappointment after giving tremendous levels of VRAM on the previous Big Navi chips.
To be honest, it’s hard to see why 379 dollars is a decent starting point since this GPU is supposed to replace the $279 launch price of the previous iteration, the RX 5600 XT ($279 debut price). The RX 6600 XT is now sold out in retail stores and fetches prices at least 50% more on places like eBay, where it presently sells for roughly $570. This is in contrast to the initial launch supply at retail stores, which was quite good.
Read our review of the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT.
Radeon XT 6900 from AMD
AMD’s Fastest GPU, Severely Expensive
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The other end of Navi 21 has arrived. The performance of the RX 6900 XT has been greatly enhanced, but the (theoretical) price has increased by nearly 50%. As a result, you’re parting with a large sum of cash for little to no return. This is the only redeeming quality of the RTX 3090. There aren’t any available under the current price range of $1,400 either.
For AMD, the RX 6900 XT was a major step forward. Rare since it has a fully functional Navi 21 GPU. AMD might benefit more from creating additional Zen 3 CPUs or console processors than it would from producing additional Big Navi processors. This GPU and the RX 6800 are nearly identical in terms of Ethereum mining performance.
Raytracing issues and the lack of an immediate replacement for DLSS are still key concerns. When it comes to deploying DLSS, Nvidia is three years ahead of the rest of the industry. For the time being, Nvidia’s Radeon Technologies (RT) remains a bastion for the company (not that you need RT to enjoy games).
If you only require the fastest AMD GPU, the 6900 XT is an excellent pick. In terms of mining performance, the older Radeon VII is still more than 30 percent quicker than the newer one. Furthermore, this product is currently being sold at outrageous costs.
Click here to read the rest of our in-depth analysis of the AMD Radeon Rx 6900 XT video card.
There is no better graphics card on the market than NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 TI.
Processor Graphics (GPU) Nvidia has shared an image of this card.
SLI-capable Graphics card: GeForce GTX 1660
Best Mainstream Esports / 1080p High Graphics Card
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As long as you’re looking for a graphics card that doesn’t cost more than $200, you’re out of luck. GTX 1660 Super is 15% faster than the normal 1660, and 20% faster than the RX 5500 8GB, which is 20% faster than the 6500 XT. As a result, it appears that all three cards are viable options. We recommend that you spend the extra money to improve the performance of your computer. As long as you’re willing to shell out less than $230, you can have one. The GTX 1660 Super is much less of a bargain at $400+ than the GTX 1660.
Although it’s evident that the GTX 1660 is superior to the AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT, we prefer the GTX 1660 Super. Because of the escalating costs, we no longer consider these cards to be as good as they were in the beginning. In addition, when they hit the market, the RX 6500 XT and RTX 3050 are expected to outsell the 1660 Super. Maybe. To discover out, tune in at the end of the month.
When using TSMC 7nm FinFET to develop your chips, you’ll obtain the same amount of power as when using TSMC 12nm FinFET. While using the identical manufacturing process, Nvidia outperforms AMD in terms of performance and power consumption. Compared to the GTX 1070, the GTX 1660 Super provides the same level of performance at a lower cost. Because of this, it is an excellent option for streaming video.
The GTX 1660 Super is substantially more expensive than Ampere and RDNA 2. Could or could not, depending on how long the shortfalls last. However, even if a GTX 1660 Super is quicker and less energy-intensive, it is still a risky purchase because of current market conditions.
Details on the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 can be found in our review of that graphics card.
In terms of graphics performance, a GTX 1650 Super Twin is the best option available.
GTX 1650 TI from Zotac (Image credit: Future)
Best Budget Gaming Card That’s Not Ancient Tech
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In comparison to the most recent graphics cards, Ampere and RDNA 2 are two generations old. The GTX 1650 Super has finally exceeded the RX 570 4GB, as though it had been a long time coming. The 1650 Super’s 30 percent increase in power saves a lot of energy. For whatever reason, AMD’s latest graphics card (the GeForce GTX 570) is more expensive than AMD’s prior iteration (the GeForce GTX 570).
A lower-end graphics card is the best option for saving money. In the past, the 1650 Super was available for just $150, but nowadays it’s very impossible to find one for less than $250.. The RX 5500 XT 8GB and the GTX 1660 Super have both seen recent price increases. It costs about $190 on eBay to buy an RX 570 4GB card that has been pre-owned. We’d be apprehensive about taking on the task of purchasing one.
Nvidia’s inclusion of the 1650 Super’s new NVENC hardware is a welcome development. In order to play Counter-Strike: Global Offensive or League of Legends, all you need is an inexpensive PC. Video conferencing apps are becoming increasingly popular in our COVID-infected environment. Keep in mind that the GTX 1050 Ti has a 4-pin power connector, whereas the 1650 Super has a 6-pin connector.
Our Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 review is here.
If only the RX 5500 XT 4GB were less expensive, it would be perfect.
A graphics card from ASUS, the RX 5500 xT (Image credit: ASRock)
Best AMD ‘Budget’ Gaming Card
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The performance of the RX 5500 XT 4GB and the GTX 1650 Super is nearly identical. They’re practically indistinguishable when it comes to performance and power. There is no telling what it has been through in its past existence. In terms of performance at high resolutions, the older Navi 14 GPUs outperform the RX 6500 XT.
However, despite its theoretical ability to run any game at 1080 x 60 frames per second, the RX 5500 XT is unable to do so in practise. Once the price drops below $150, we recommend you buy this graphics card. At 1080p medium, our tests averaged more than 60 frames per second to allow you to experiment with the video’s visual quality.
This generation’s GPUs should be obsolete at $450 and $270, which is why they’re being sold at such a high price. No “cheap” alternative exists.
The AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT 4GB is the subject of this article.
We search for the greatest graphics card during our testing.
How We Test the Best Graphics Cards
To get an accurate picture of a graphics card’s raw performance, it’s best to remove any and all other potential bottlenecks. As of this writing, our 2022 graphics card testbed consists of a Core i9-12900K processor; MSI Z690 motherboard; 32GB Corsair DDR4-3600 CL16 memory; Crucial P5 Plus 2TB SSD; Cooler Master PSU; case; and CPU cooler. ”
For the three most common gaming resolutions, 1080p, 1440p, and 4K, we used “medium” and “extreme” settings to assess the performance. In most of these tests, we use’reference’ cards, such as Nvidia Founders Edition models and AMD’s reference designs. In some circumstances, we only have factory overclocked cards available for testing for mid-range and lower GPUs. In these situations, we try everything we can to pick cards that are as close to the reference specs as possible.
We use the same set of tests for all of the graphics cards in our lab. In order to get the GPU “warmed up” before running the tests, we perform each benchmark at least twice, once for each configuration and resolution combination. We use the fastest of the two runs if the two runs are within 0.5 percent of each other. At a minimum, we repeat the test at least twice if the difference is more than a few percentage points.
It’s also important to look at all the data and look for any abnormalities, so for example, 3070 Ti, 3070, and 3060 Ti all normally perform in the same range of around 5% quicker than each other. To determine the “right” outcome, we’ll retest any cards that indicate an anomaly and go back to retest games where there are apparent outliers (i.e. performance is over 10% higher for the cards just described).
Updated drivers and game patches will inevitability be released that can impair performance due to the amount of time necessary to evaluate each GPU. If our findings haven’t held up over time, we retest the game(s) in question and the GPU in question, as well (s). This year, we may add games to our testing arsenal if we find an engaging and useful game to use as a benchmark. We’ll keep an eye out for such a game.
A Guide to Choosing the Best Graphics Card
Recognizing that there is a lot of overlap among the finest graphics cards, we’ve included a dozen of them. Nvidia’s Ampere cards and AMD’s RDNA2 cards make up the latest generation of GPUs. In addition to Nvidia and AMD, you can check out our launch reviews of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, GeForce RTX 3080 and GeForce RTX 3070 Ti and GeForce RTX 3070, along with AMD’s Radeon RX 6900 XT and RX 6800, Radeon RX 6700 xT, Radeon 6600 xT, and Radeon RX 6500 xT.
The RTX 3090 Ti and Intel Arc Alchemist GPUs are now on the horizon, completing the GPU baker’s dozen in about the same amount of time. It’s possible that Arc will arrive later than the “Q1-2022” launch timeframe currently scheduled. RDNA2 and Ampere enable DirectX 12 Ultimate and ray tracing, whereas Arc Alchemist and RDNA2 cards have additional Tensor Core technology.
We’ve compiled a list of the finest graphics cards currently on the market, as well as their estimated pricing. On eBay, the GeForce RTX 3060 12GB sells for roughly $635, while the Radeon RX 6700 XT sells for around $780 – both much higher than the etail pricing we confront (SEP). It’s possible to justify paying 25% more for a new GPU than the MSRP, but double or triple that amount is simply too much. Our recommendation is to check into pre-built gaming PCs instead if you’re in the market for a new system. Alternatively, you can wait, but prices may not return to a “normal” level until the end of 2022. (if then).
Although the RTX 3070 and RX 6800 cost less than half as much as the previous generation RTX 2080 Ti, they typically perform as well as or better than the previous generation RTX 2080 Ti. RTX 3080 and RX 6800 XT are 30% to 35% faster than the 2080 Ti while costing less, while the RTX 3090 is 10%-20% faster than the 3080 despite costing more than twice as much. Meanwhile, You can also examine how well the RTX 3080 performs on a broader range of CPUs with this comparison. Hint: You’ll want a recent model with at least six cores and twelve threads, and anything with eight or more cores will give you a few more percentage points of performance.
GPU prices have skyrocketed due to cryptocurrency mining and a lack of supplies, which has led to an increase in GPU costs. The best advise we can give you is to avoid paying more for old technology. You’ll soon be able to get an RTX 30-series or RX 6000-series graphics card at a price similar to the actual MSRP. Stay with your current graphics card, or sell it for a profit and put the money away until the price drops (assuming you have a spare you can live with in the interim). Lovelace and RDNA3 are expected to arrive in late 2022 and may have greater availability (don’t count on it yet) than Ampere and RDNA2.
It’s impossible to ignore the CPU if your primary purpose is gaming. The finest gaming GPU will do you little good if your CPU is weak or out of date. It’s important to check out our Best CPUs for Gaming page and our CPU Benchmark hierarchy before you buy a new processor to make sure it’s up to the task.
All of these factors have been taken into account while developing our current GPU recommendations. However, price, features, and efficiency are still taken into account when ranking the GPUs, so in certain circumstances a somewhat slower card may actually be placed higher. There’s been a lot of movement at the top of the performance rankings, and these are the greatest graphics cards available right now, assuming you can find them.
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Consider the following when purchasing a graphics card:
There is a direct correlation between resolution and performance. 1080p gaming doesn’t necessitate a high-end GPU.
Be sure your power supply has adequate juice and the correct 6- and/or 8-pin connector. • PSU (s). At least an 8-pin PEG connector and potentially an additional 6-pin connector are required for the RTX 3060, according to Nvidia’s recommendations.
Currently, a 4GB video card is the minimum need, however 6GB and 8GB ones are preferable. While 12GB of VRAM is now an option for some games, it’s still a rarity rather than the norm.
• G-Sync or FreeSync? • GPU frame rate and screen refresh rate can be kept in sync using one of these two methods. AMD’s FreeSync technology works with Radeon cards, whereas Nvidia’s G-Sync and G-Sync Compatible displays are supported by Nvidia (for recommendations, check our Best Gaming Monitors list).
DLSS and FSR are new features available on some graphics cards. Ray tracing is also supported by some of these cards’ newest graphics cards. DLSS delivers intelligent upscaling and anti-aliasing to enhance performance while maintaining the same image quality, but only on Nvidia RTX graphics cards. AMD’s FSR, on the other hand, works with a different set of games and is compatible with almost any GPU, as well as upscaling and improvement.
Results of Graphics Cards’ Performance
There are currently eight games in our testing library. The following charts are based on data gathered during the past few months. However, we do our best to test everything at 1080p medium and ultra, even if only the fastest cards are tested at 1440p and 4K (UHD).
For a few months now, AMD’s FSR, FidelityFX Super Resolution, and Nvidia’s DLSS have been available, but none of the titles in our benchmark suite support FSR. This signifies that all of these tests are being done at their native resolution. According to that article, DLSS enhances performance at the expense of image quality, but FSR can be used with any GPU.
There are charts for RTX 30-series and RX 6000-series GPUs from the current generation, and we are testing GPUs from the previous three generations as well. This list is always being updated, so don’t worry about seeing any missing GPUs like the RTX 2070. A Core i9-9900K is used in our 2020-2021 test system, which includes data from the previous generation of GPUs. As a visual aid, the charts are color-coded to show AMD in red/grey and Nvidia in blue/black.
The following charts were up to date as of March 4, 2022. All current generation GPUs are included, and we’ll be updating additional previous generation GPUs over the coming weeks.
Best Graphics Cards — 1080p Medium
Best Graphics Cards — 1080p Ultra
Best Graphics Cards — 1440p Ultra
Best Graphics Cards — 4K Ultra
Besides performance, we also test graphics card power consumption. We tested all current GPUs using Powenetics equipment and software, and while Nvidia generally had an efficiency lead on previous generation parts, AMD’s RDNA2 GPUs now rate as the most efficient options in most cases. Here are the main power charts from our testing, along with clock speeds, temperatures, and fan speeds — and we’ve retested the GTX 1650 Super to get correct data now.
Best Graphics Cards — Power Consumption
All GPUs Ranked
| Graphics Card | 1080p Ultra | 1080p Medium | 1440p Ultra | 4K Ultra | Specifications |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Radeon RX 6900 XT | 100.0% (129.2fps) | 100.0% (182.0fps) | 100.0% (105.8fps) | 100.0% (63.0fps) | Navi 21, 5120 shaders, 2250MHz, 16GB GDDR6 16Gbps, 300W |
| GeForce RTX 3090 | 96.5% (124.6fps) | 95.4% (173.7fps) | 99.2% (105.0fps) | 107.2% (67.6fps) | GA102, 10496 shaders, 1695MHz, 24GB GDDR6X 19.5Gbps, 350W |
| GeForce RTX 3080 12GB | 95.2% (123.0fps) | 95.9% (174.5fps) | 96.9% (102.5fps) | 103.3% (65.1fps) | GA102, 8960 shaders, 1845MHz, 12GB GDDR6X 19Gbps, 400W |
| Radeon RX 6800 XT | 95.1% (122.9fps) | 96.9% (176.3fps) | 94.6% (100.1fps) | 92.8% (58.5fps) | Navi 21, 4608 shaders, 2250MHz, 16GB GDDR6 16Gbps, 300W |
| GeForce RTX 3080 Ti | 94.2% (121.7fps) | 94.5% (172.0fps) | 96.5% (102.1fps) | 104.0% (65.6fps) | GA102, 10240 shaders, 1665MHz, 12GB GDDR6X 19Gbps, 350W |
| GeForce RTX 3080 | 88.6% (114.5fps) | 93.5% (170.1fps) | 88.8% (94.0fps) | 93.6% (59.0fps) | GA102, 8704 shaders, 1710MHz, 10GB GDDR6X 19Gbps, 320W |
| Radeon RX 6800 | 85.3% (110.1fps) | 93.9% (170.9fps) | 82.8% (87.6fps) | 80.0% (50.4fps) | Navi 21, 3840 shaders, 2105MHz, 16GB GDDR6 16Gbps, 250W |
| GeForce RTX 3070 Ti | 79.6% (102.8fps) | 87.6% (159.4fps) | 76.9% (81.4fps) | 73.3% (46.2fps) | GA104, 6144 shaders, 1770MHz, 8GB GDDR6X 19Gbps, 290W |
| GeForce RTX 3070 | 76.2% (98.4fps) | 84.8% (154.4fps) | 72.1% (76.3fps) | 67.5% (42.5fps) | GA104, 5888 shaders, 1725MHz, 8GB GDDR6 14Gbps, 220W |
| GeForce RTX 2080 Ti | 74.3% (96.0fps) | 83.3% (151.6fps) | 71.2% (75.3fps) | 70.8% (44.6fps) | TU102, 4352 shaders, 1545MHz, 11GB GDDR6 14Gbps, 250W |
| Radeon RX 6700 XT | 73.6% (95.0fps) | 87.0% (158.4fps) | 66.6% (70.5fps) | 61.2% (38.5fps) | Navi 22, 2560 shaders, 2581MHz, 12GB GDDR6 16Gbps, 230W |
| GeForce RTX 3060 Ti | 69.9% (90.3fps) | 80.4% (146.4fps) | 65.2% (69.0fps) | GA104, 4864 shaders, 1665MHz, 8GB GDDR6 14Gbps, 200W | |
| Radeon RX 6600 XT | 60.6% (78.3fps) | 75.1% (136.6fps) | 52.2% (55.2fps) | Navi 23, 2048 shaders, 2589MHz, 8GB GDDR6 16Gbps, 160W | |
| Radeon RX 5700 XT | 57.1% (73.7fps) | 69.1% (125.8fps) | 50.4% (53.3fps) | 46.4% (29.3fps) | Navi 10, 2560 shaders, 1905MHz, 8GB GDDR6 14Gbps, 225W |
| GeForce RTX 3060 | 53.7% (69.4fps) | 64.2% (116.8fps) | 49.0% (51.9fps) | GA106, 3584 shaders, 1777MHz, 12GB GDDR6 15Gbps, 170W | |
| Radeon RX 6600 | 51.9% (67.0fps) | 64.8% (117.9fps) | 44.0% (46.5fps) | Navi 23, 1792 shaders, 2491MHz, 8GB GDDR6 14Gbps, 132W | |
| Radeon RX 5600 XT | 45.0% (58.1fps) | 55.3% (100.6fps) | 39.7% (42.0fps) | Navi 10, 2304 shaders, 1750MHz, 8GB GDDR6 14Gbps, 160W | |
| GeForce RTX 2060 | 42.7% (55.2fps) | 53.2% (96.8fps) | 36.6% (38.7fps) | TU106, 1920 shaders, 1680MHz, 6GB GDDR6 14Gbps, 160W | |
| GeForce RTX 3050 | 39.5% (51.0fps) | 48.1% (87.6fps) | 35.2% (37.3fps) | GA106, 2560 shaders, 1777MHz, 8GB GDDR6 14Gbps, 130W | |
| GeForce GTX 1660 Super | 34.3% (44.3fps) | 45.5% (82.8fps) | 29.7% (31.5fps) | TU116, 1408 shaders, 1785MHz, 6GB GDDR6 14Gbps, 125W | |
| GeForce GTX 1660 Ti | 34.0% (43.9fps) | 45.0% (81.9fps) | 29.8% (31.6fps) | TU116, 1536 shaders, 1770MHz, 6GB GDDR6 12Gbps, 120W | |
| GeForce GTX 1660 | 30.9% (39.9fps) | 41.2% (75.1fps) | 27.0% (28.5fps) | TU116, 1408 shaders, 1785MHz, 6GB GDDR5 8Gbps, 120W | |
| Radeon RX 5500 XT 8GB | 30.7% (39.6fps) | 39.8% (72.4fps) | 26.9% (28.5fps) | Navi 14, 1408 shaders, 1845MHz, 8GB GDDR6 14Gbps, 130W | |
| Radeon RX 5500 XT 4GB | 25.9% (33.5fps) | 36.8% (66.9fps) | Navi 14, 1408 shaders, 1845MHz, 4GB GDDR6 14Gbps, 130W | ||
| GeForce GTX 1650 Super | 25.7% (33.1fps) | 37.3% (67.9fps) | 21.7% (23.0fps) | TU116, 1280 shaders, 1725MHz, 4GB GDDR6 12Gbps, 100W | |
| GeForce GTX 1060 6GB | 24.8% (32.1fps) | 31.5% (57.3fps) | 21.5% (22.8fps) | GP106, 1280 shaders, 1708MHz, 6GB GDDR5 8Gbps, 120W | |
| Radeon RX 570 4GB | 23.8% (30.8fps) | 36.2% (65.9fps) | 16.8% (17.7fps) | Polaris 20, 2048 shaders, 1244MHz, 4GB GDDR5 7Gbps, 150W | |
| Radeon RX 6500 XT | 21.9% (28.3fps) | 29.5% (53.6fps) | 18.9% (20.0fps) | Navi 24, 1024 shaders, 2815MHz, 4GB GDDR6 18Gbps, 107W | |
| GeForce GTX 1650 | 20.6% (26.6fps) | 28.1% (51.1fps) | TU117, 896 shaders, 1665MHz, 4GB GDDR5 8Gbps, 75W |
Finding Discounts on the Best Graphics Cards
There won’t be many graphics card sales these days due to the GPU shortages, but you can save money by using the latest Newegg, Best Buy, and Micro Center coupons.
We’d love to hear what you think about our top gaming graphics recommendations. The Tom’s Hardware Forums are a great place to share your thoughts.
