Best graphics card in 2024 – Nvidia, AMD, and Intel GPUs tested

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The best graphics card is the most important part of your gaming PC, since it’s responsible for everything you see on screen. Skimp on the GPU, and you’ll make Cyberpunk 2077 look like Minecraft instead. Fortunately, Nvidia, AMD, and Intel have models to suit most budgets, and we’ve put them all to the test.

It’s no use going straight for the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 without thinking of the best CPU, too. Sure, it’s the most powerful graphics card if money is no object, but your other hardware needs to keep up. Pairing a goliath GPU with a processor, RAM, or storage that can’t hold its own will create a bottleneck. This means your system wastes time creating frames you’ll never see and could cause stutters. Your rig is only as strong as its weakest component.

The conversation further complicates when you factor in cost. Availability is better than it was a couple of years ago and most graphics cards are below MSRP. Still, retail prices haven’t been the kindest as inflation takes hold. The AMD Radeon 7600 and 7800 XT buck this trend, directly replacing the previous generation for the same price tag.

Even Intel now has skin in the game. The Arc series fares well for its first outing, with a compelling price. There are some teething issues that might push you back into the arms of AMD or Nvidia, but it at least looks towards a much more competitive market.

Whether you want the best GPU with no holds barred or a more affordable model targeting 1080p, there’s something for everyone. Keep in mind that CES 2024 is rumoured to shake things up, with a 6GB RTX 3050, RTX 4080 Super, and potentially more. Let’s take a look at your next upgrade options currently available.

At a glance 

1. Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 – best overall graphics card
2. AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX – best AMD graphics card 
3. AMD Radeon RX 7600 – best budget graphics card 
4. Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 – best mainstream Nvidia graphics card
5. AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT – best QHD graphics card 
6. Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 Ti – best 1080p graphics card 
7. Intel Arc A750 – best Intel graphics card 

The best GPUs in 2024

1. Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090

The best graphics card overall.

Specs
GPU	Ada Lovelace AD102
VRAM	24GB GDDR6X 20Gbps
GPU Cores	16,384
Boost clock	2,520MHz
RT Cores	128
PCIe interface	4.0 x16
Max TGP	450W
MSRP	From $1,599

The Nvidia RTX 4090 is unequivocally the best GPU money can buy right now. It stands miles apart from its closest competitor and can handle just about anything you throw at it. Of course, it’s not perfect, being bulky and expensive. That said, there’s a surprising amount of value in its quadruple-digit price tag thanks to a monumental generational uplift.

The Nvidia RTX 4090 doesn’t just beat other graphics cards at benchmarks, it’s a decisive single-punch knockout. Pushing the Ada Lovelace architecture to its limits with 170% more transistors than its predecessor, it boasts up to a 78% increase over the RTX 3090 Ti in our synthetic tests. Real-world gaming is no different, either, with a 53% jump in native frame rates even before you tinker with overclocking.

DLSS 3 also adds a new dimension compared to AMD FSR and Intel XeSS. You’ll find it on other RTX 40 series graphics cards, but none use it as wisely as RTX 4090. The feature is almost like having superpowers in Cyberpunk 2077. When running the RPG at 4K resolution with raytracing set to ultra, performance mode bolsters the frame rate by up to 110%. DLSS 3 is limited insofar as games need to add support for it, but that library is growing fast.

Even with all of this goodness, the elephant in the room is a $1,600 price tag. Even if you know this chonk will fit inside your PC case; even if you choose the right power supply to feed it; the cost relegates it to enthusiast territory. Nevertheless, if you can justify the bite out of your bank account, it’ll tick every box in a seasoned gamer’s and content creator’s wish list.

Read our complete Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 review.

2. AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX

The best AMD graphics card.

Specs
GPU	RDNA 3 Navi 31
VRAM	24GB GDDR6 20Gbps
GPU Cores	16,384
Boost clock	2,500MHz
RT Cores	96
PCIe interface	4.0 x16
Max TGP	355W
MSRP	From $999

AMD doesn’t have an answer to the RTX 4090, and it doesn’t really need to. The Radeon RX 7900 XTX instead gives the RTX 4080 a run for its money with great performance and even better value. It’s a 4K powerhouse with 24GB of video memory under the hood, but the card’s true strength lies with the divergent philosophy to its rival.

Keeping this beast under $1,000 is a stroke of genius in its own right. AMD focuses on an RDNA 3 chiplet-based design to slim the silicon costs, and it works wonders. The innovation comes at the cost of a little performance, but brings with it floating-point prowess, increased cache sizes, strengthens bandwidth communication, ups frequencies, improves ray tracing, and even sprinkles a little AI goodness into the mix.

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX offers a pretty big gen-on-gen jump over the Radeon RX 6950 XT with 30% better performance at UHD and 35% more value. The tussle between it and the Nvidia RTX 4080 is a close one in our tests with no decisive winner at a 4K resolution. Considering the RX 7900 XTX is around $200 cheaper, however, Team Red sneaks away with the high-end crown. It even wins in aesthetics, as aftermarket cards boast the best RGB implementation on any GPU – see for yourself in our Sapphire Nitro+ AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX Vapor-X review.

All of this is to say that it glimpses at a future where Nvidia and AMD couldn’t be more different. The Radeon RX 7900 XTX already walks the high-end tightrope, balancing value with power in the current economic climate. Future models from Team Red might just do the same.

Read our complete AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX review.

3. AMD Radeon RX 7600

The best budget graphics card.

Specs
GPU	RDNA 3 Navi 33
VRAM	8GB GDDR6 18Gbps
GPU Cores	2,048
Boost clock	2,625MHz
RT Cores	32
PCIe interface	4.0 x8
Max TGP	165W
MSRP	From $269

The entire AMD Radeon RX 7000 series is conscious of price, but none more so than mid-range Radeon RX 7600. It’s designed with the essence of bringing decent gaming performance to the masses without breaking the bank. The card boasts a modest number of stream processors which, while not groundbreaking, provides enough muscle for mainstream gaming at 1080p resolution and a healthy uplift when upgrading from a much older card.

It’s no surprise that it’s not a ray tracing powerhouse, but it does a fair job in delivering a smooth gaming experience in modern titles with medium-to-high settings. Sticking with HD resolution, you’ll get more than 100fps in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker, and Rainbow Six Extraction. It’s even capable at QHD if you keep expectations in check, sitting above 60fps in all the above.

There’s no sweat to speak of as it keeps cool and quiet. This naturally depends on the cooler, so your mileage may vary, but the dual Sapphire fans on our test model performed exactly as expected. It also gave us enough overhead to dive into the AMD software for overclocking. With a bit of tinkering, which doesn’t take much know-how nowadays, we saw a 4.2% increase in frame rates.

At under $300, the AMD Radeon RX 7600 seeks to democratise good gaming performance, making it accessible to a broader audience. This goes beyond the initial purchase, with modest power consumption that doesn’t gobble up your entire electricity budget.

Read our complete AMD Radeon RX 7600 review.

4. Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060

The best mainstream Nvidia graphics card.

Specs
GPU	Ada Lovelace AD107
VRAM	24GB GDDR6 17Gbps
GPU Cores	3,072
Boost clock	2,460MHz
RT Cores	24
PCIe interface	4.0 x8
Max TGP	115W
MSRP	From $299

The Nvidia RTX 40 series is a pricey proposition, and RTX 4060 is no exception. Arriving at the $300 MSRP mark, it’s not as egregious as its brethren but still a big ask for the performance you get. It does feature a secret weapon, though: it’s the most affordable way to get Nvidia DLSS 3 with Frame Generation.

Rasterised performance is a bit middling and not the most compelling upgrade from the RTX 30 series. In fact, it falls short of the RTX 3060 Ti in every test we performed. Where it truly shines is with the help of Nvidia’s AI solution: DLSS 3 with Frame Generation. Using quality mode sees a huge 91% frame rate improvement in Cyberpunk 2077 in FHD and a 131% difference at QHD. Comparatively, that’s an 80% and 131% leap over its predecessor, respectively.

All of this comes with a distinctly low overhead, with RTX 4060 being one of the more efficient 1080p graphics cards. It’ll merely sip juice from your power supply rather than chug. This is thanks to cutting-edge Ada Lovelace architecture and a refined manufacturing process. The takeaway from this is that it keeps your electric bill low, and it shouldn’t generate a great deal of heat, which is ideal for smaller PC cases.

Our main criticism comes from its price to performance. After all, the value-conscious Radeon RX 7600 is sitting right there… but the undeniable fact is that while AMD has Nvidia beat at raw performance on a budget, there’s nothing out there that currently compares to the power of DLSS 3, and RTX 4060 holds the keys.

Read our complete Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 review.

5. AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT

The best QHD graphics card.

Specs
GPU	RDNA 3 Navi 31
VRAM	16GB GDDR6 19.5Gbps
GPU Cores	6,144
Boost clock	2,430MHz
RT Cores	60
PCIe interface	4.0 x16
Max TGP	263W
MSRP	From $499

The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT is a curious card. It doesn’t offer the generational uplift we’d expect, meaning it’s not worth the upgrade if you’re already running an RX 6800 XT. That said, the RDNA 3 GPU is the best for 1440p gaming in the current crop and definitely one to consider if you’re looking to step up from ubiquitous 1080p FHD.

QHD gaming holds a special allure, promising a balance between visual fidelity and performance. It’s more detailed than HD but not quite as taxing as 4K. The 16GB GDDR6 VRAM-clad Radeon RX 7800 XT sits in that gap nicely, beating the Nvidia RTX 4070 with one hand tied behind its back. It’s slightly hotter, louder, and more power hungry, but you might not notice too much of a difference in a well-ventilated PC case. The trade-off in our tests is up to a 7.8% improvement over its rival, meaning it’s probably worth it anyway.

Form lends to function. The sleek design is capped with a triple-fan design on our ASRock test model, giving it headroom to overclock. As with the other AMD GPUs here, it’s an easy process enabled by the Radeon software, and yields up to a 6.5% performance uplift. In some games, this might even mean the difference between double- and triple-figure frame rates.

In pure rasterisation, it’s a clear winner in QHD gaming. DLSS and better ray tracing might tip the scales in favour of the RTX 4070 for some, but remembering the slimmer $499 / £479 price tag brings it right back into the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT’s court.

Read our complete AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT review.

6. Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 Ti

The best 1080p graphics card.

Specs
GPU	Ada Lovelace AD106
VRAM	8GB GDDR6 18Gbps
GPU Cores	4,352
Boost clock	2,535MHz
RT Cores	34
PCIe interface	4.0 x8
Max TGP	160W
MSRP	From $399

Nvidia promised us “unparalleled performance at fantastic value” with the RTX 4060 Ti. It does a good enough job at HD resolution with a $399 MSRP, but the conversation goes a bit deeper than Team Green dominating. After all, this graphics card only features 8GB of GDDR6 VRAM, which set chins wagging.

Since the RTX 3060 came with 12GB a couple of years prior, it might seem like a head-scratcher. It’s a cost-cutting measure that helps keep the price relatively low, but video memory is a contentious topic. Almost a fixation, gamers credit Nvidia’s lack of VRAM as the reason some games run poorly. This is somewhat true at higher resolutions, but 8GB is plenty for 1080p gaming provided those games are optimised on PC. Nvidia even drives this point home with a negligible difference in benchmarks between the original and 16GB RTX 4060 Ti released mid-2023.

Moving past the VRAM conundrum, RTX 4060 Ti fares well in our tests. It sees up to 32.1% performance uplift against the RTX 3060 Ti in synthetic benchmarks. Games similarly fare well, with up to a 23.3% frame rate increase over its predecessor. It even gives the RTX 3070 Ti a run for its money in a handful of scenarios. This is all without overclocking, which is simple with the help of MSI Afterburner. Tinker with the clocks and you can get up to 5.6% more from your card.

Admittedly, the price is a bit of a sticking point, much like the wider RTX 40 series. DLSS 3 support goes a long way toward remedying that, though, offering a staggering 38% bolster to your frame rate in certain games. It also helps that there isn’t any real competition out there from AMD. Given that Radeon RX 7700 XT failed to impress, RTX 4060 Ti is the de facto best HD GPU this year.

Read our complete Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 Ti review.

7. Intel Arc A750

The best Intel graphics card.

Specs
GPU	Arc Alchemist
VRAM	8GB GDDR6 16Gbps
GPU Cores	3,584
Boost clock	2,400MHz
RT Cores	28
PCIe interface	4.0 x16
Max TGP	225W
MSRP	From $299

Building on its integrated GPU experience, Intel’s first foray into the discrete graphics card market is a surprisingly respectable fledgling tale. The Arc A750 isn’t a perfect debut and falls slightly short of its rivals, but there’s a lot of promise here for budget-conscious gamers. Fortunately, Intel’s here to stay with several more desktop graphics cards lined up.

With 8GB of VRAM under the hood and a sub-$300 price tag, the Arc A750 sits in the same ballpark as the Nvidia RTX 4060 Ti. Performance, however, is closer to the previous-generation AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT. It’s slightly disappointing to see, but going up against established Nvidia and AMD cards is no small feat.

The A750 uses the same Arc architecture as the A770, which is $100 more expensive. Even though they’re a generation behind the times in current value, both notably sport a smaller gap between their minimum and average frame rate compared to Radeon and GeForce models. This might not seem too important, but less variance means a more stable frame rate with no noticeable drops. The larger the gap between the two, the more likely a frame drop is to impact your gaming experience. It’s why we measure the minimum frame rate as well.

For now, Intel is playing catch-up with AMD and Nvidia. The Arc A750 is Intel’s best value, but not necessarily better than the rest. At the very least, it shows signs of life in a third viable player in the GPU market. As Team Blue continues to iterate and improve, the Arc series may become a strong contender.

Read our complete Intel Arc A750 review.

Graphics card FAQ

Is GTX or RTX better?

RTX (Ray Tracing Texel eXtreme) is better than GTX (Giga Texel Shader eXtreme). Nvidia moved on from its GTX prefix, which is now only attached to older graphics cards. The RTX prefix replaced it in 2018 with the release of the RTX 20 series, denoting graphics cards that are capable of ray tracing and DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) with built-in Tensor Cores and RT Cores.

What is ray tracing?

Ray tracing is a visual image technique that improves lighting, reflections, and shadows in 3D graphics. It often gives a more photorealistic style to what you see on your screen. The feature has existed in pre-rendered graphics for years. When we talk about ray tracing and graphics cards, we’re specifically referring to real-time ray tracing and the ability to reproduce that technique on-the-fly as we play a game.

How many years does a GPU last?

The lifespan of a graphics card varies depending on your budget and what you need it for. Largely, it’s a good idea to use game system requirements as your guide, as they’ll dictate what hardware you need to play at a specific frame rate. AMD and Nvidia typically launch new GPUs every year and new generations every two years. Just remember, you don’t need to upgrade every time a new series lands as graphics cards released five years ago still hold their own today in varying degrees.