Best graphics card for gaming: our top GPUs for every budget
Table of Contents
For many gamers, the best graphics card is simply the one they can afford. System builders are sometimes plagued with price hikes, but it looks as though we are finally seeing some stability in the market. Price aside, there are strong options from Nvidia, AMD, and Intel across every price point.
After extensive benchmarking and testing, we found the RTX 5080 to be the best graphics card for most gamers. It delivers excellent 1440p and 4K performance, access to DLSS 4 and Multi Frame Generation, and significantly better value than the flagship. That being said, for raw performance, the RTX 5090 is in a league of its own, delivering 4K results that no other GPU can match. For pure value, the RX 9070 XT remains one of the most competitive gaming GPUs available.
Products at a glance
-
Best overall GPU for gaming
ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080 OC
- GPU: GB203
- CUDA Cores: 10,752
- VRAM: 16GB GDDR7
- Memory Bus Width: 256 bit
- Base Clock Speed: 2,295 MHz
- Boost Clock Speed: 2,790 MHz
-
Best graphics card for 4K
MSI GeForce RTX 5090 SUPRIM SOC
- GPU: GB202
- CUDA cores: 21,760
- VRAM: 32GB GDDR7
- Memory Bus width: 512-bit
- Base clock speed: 2,010MHz
- Boost clock speed: 2,565MHz
-
Best value GPU
ASUS Prime RX 9070 XT OC
- GPU: Navi 48 XT
- Stream Processors: 4,096
- VRAM: 16GB GDDR6
- Memory Bus Width: 256-bit
- Base/Game/Boost clock speed: 1,660/2,400/2,970 MHz
- TBP: 304W
-
Best Intel graphics card
SPARKLE Intel Arc B580 TITAN OC
- GPU: BGM-G21
- Shading units: 2,560
- VRAM: 12GB GDDR6
- Memory bus width: 192-bit
- Bandwidth: 456GB/s
- Base/Boost clock speed: 2,670/2,740 MHz
-
Best entry-level graphics card
ASUS Prime RTX 5060 Ti 16GB OC
- GPU: GB206-300
- CUDA Cores: 4,608
- VRAM: 16GB GDDR7
- Memory Bus Width: 128-bit
- Base/Boost Clock: 2.4/2.65 GHz
- TBP: 180W
How PC Guide tests GPUs
At PC Guide, we evaluate graphics cards using a combination of hands-on testing, synthetic benchmarks, and real-world gaming performance. Every GPU is assessed across multiple resolutions, including 1080p, 1440p, and 4K, using a consistent test platform to ensure fair comparisons.
Latest PC & Tech deals
- ASUS ROG Strix 34â QD-OLED XG34WCDG - was $7499 now $629
- Hisense 75" U8 Series ULED Mini-LED 4K TV - was $1,499 now $1,354
- ASUS ROG XG27AQNGV- was $999 now $649
- TCL 98 Inch Class QM8L - was $2,499 now $2,309
- CyberPowerPC Gaming PC (RTX 5060) - was $599 now $459
Prices correct as of August 20th, 2026.
We test performance in modern games, ray tracing workloads, and industry-standard benchmarking software while also monitoring thermals, power consumption, noise levels, and overall system stability. Beyond raw performance, we consider pricing, feature sets, software support, and long-term value to ensure our recommendations suit a range of budgets and use cases.
The best graphics cards for gaming
After testing the latest GPUs across modern games, synthetic benchmarks, and productivity workloads, these are the graphics cards we recommend.
1. ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080 OC
- GPU: GB203
- CUDA Cores: 10,752
- VRAM: 16GB GDDR7
- Memory Bus Width: 256 bit
- Base Clock Speed: 2,295 MHz
- Boost Clock Speed: 2,790 MHz
The RTX 5080 brings all the greatest features and improvements of the Blackwell architecture but without the price and unavailability of the 5090. That means most gamers might get to enjoy it with some great performance behind it.
- Small and clean design with no compromise
- Upgraded GDDR7 fast memory
- Offers fast connectivity with HDMI 2.1, DP 2.1, and PCIe Gen 5
- Still highly priced due to current state of GPU market
- Increased power requirement
If you’re looking for a GPU with excellent, well-rounded performance in synthetic and gaming workloads, check out the RTX 5080. This is a great graphics card with significant performance improvements, as we found in our RTX 5080 FE review and ROG Astral review model review as well.
This GPU features a higher core count than its predecessor, but one of the major changes it brought was a new and faster memory type, GDDR7. This memory type has a per-pin maximum speed of 32GB/s, whereas GDDR6X has 24GB/s. So, this is a huge difference, meaning the RTX 5080 can handle and process more data efficiently, giving it a much better performance.
Besides that, it has a PCIe 5.0 connection, meaning it can use the full bandwidth of the PCIe 5 slot on a motherboard. This also works in its favor, as more bandwidth means fewer chances of a system bottleneck and better performance.
The design of this GPU is also great, as it is a 2-slot GPU with 304x137x48mm dimensions on the Founder’s Edition model, which means that it takes up less space on your board compared to the previous generation, and despite its smaller size, it has excellent cooling. In comparison, the ROG Astral has dimensions of 358x149x76mm.
Overall, the RTX 5080 Founderâs Edition is an impressive graphics card. Bringing upgrades across the board with faster frequencies, memory, and more CUDA cores, it is a firm offering without a price hike over the last generation.
PC Guide
To test both of their performances, we paired them with the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, currently the best processor for gaming, as we put it through our GPU tests.
In gaming, we ran multiple titles, but we will take Cyberpunk 2077 and F1 24 as examples, as they are very graphically demanding. Natively, we got 171, 136, and 84 FPS in F1 24 at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K, respectively. However, with the AI advancements of DLSS 4, we got 192 FPS at 1080p with DLSS set to quality, 183 FPS at 1440p with DLSS set to balance, and 147 FPS at 4K with DLSS performance. That being said, Multi-Frame Generation wasn’t a part of this, and when we turned it on with DLSS, we got 189 FPS at 4K, which is an increase of 105 frames.
ROG Astral RTX 5080 OC Blender 4.3, Image by PC Guide
ROG Astral RTX 5080 OC 3DMark, Image by PC Guide
ROG Astral RTX 5080 OC Geekbench AI 1.2, Image by PC Guide
ROG Astral RTX 5080 OC Geekbench 6, Image by PC Guide
ROG Astral RTX 5080 OC Cyberpunk 2077, Image by PC Guide
ROG Astral RTX 5080 OC Doom Eternal, Image by PC Guide
ROG Astral RTX 5080 OC CS2, Image by PC Guide
ROG Astral RTX 5080 OC Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, Image by PC Guide
ROG Astral RTX 5080 OC Geekbench AI 1.2, Image by PC Guide
ROG Astral RTX 5080 OC Cyberpunk 2077 DLSS, Image by PC Guide
ROG Astral RTX 5080 OC F1 24, Image by PC Guide
ROG Astral RTX 5080 OC Indiana Jones The Great Circle, Image by PC Guide
ROG Astral RTX 5080 OC AC Mirage, Image by PC Guide
In Cyberpunk 2077, we got 213, 151, and 72 FPS in the same three resolutions. For comparison, the RTX 4080 managed 201, 126, and 57 frames per second. After that, we decided to push this GPU limit by turning on Ray Tracing Overdrive, and the FPS dropped to 19. With DLSS performance, it jumped up to 58, adding MFG 2x, which increased it further to 103 FPS, and finally, MFG 4X delivered 183 FPS. The increase from 19 to 183 is approximately 162%, which goes to show how far AI technologies have progressed.
However, that wasn’t all, as a GPU isn’t only used for gaming. For professional workflows, we ran benchmarking software like 3DMark, which has tests like Fire Strike Ultra and Time Spy Extreme, both of which test a GPU’s ability to render 4K frames. Besides that, we also ran the Port Royal test, which is real-time ray tracing and really pushes the GPU to its limit.
In Fire Strike Ultra and Time Spy Extreme, the RTX 5080 managed 21,568 and 16,069 points, respectively. In Port Royal, it got 22,113 points. For reference, the RTX 4080 got 16,135, 12,930, and 16,894 points in the three respective tests. So, the RTX 5080 is leagues better than the RTX 4080 in 4K rendering and real-time ray tracing.
2. MSI GeForce RTX 5090 SUPRIM SOC
- GPU: GB202
- CUDA cores: 21,760
- VRAM: 32GB GDDR7
- Memory Bus width: 512-bit
- Base clock speed: 2,010MHz
- Boost clock speed: 2,565MHz
The Nvidia RTX 5090 is a leading graphics card in every sense of the word but comes with a very heavy 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.
- You want high-end 4K gaming
- You work in creative industries
- You want good overhead for the future
- You just want a gaming GPU
- You’re working with a tighter budget
The RTX 4090 has been replaced by the RTX 5090 as the most powerful GPU, and if you want the best of the best to run games at 4K with ray tracing, there is no better option.
This graphics card features a whopping 21,760 CUDA cores based on the new Blackwell architecture and has 32GB of GDDR7 memory. This means that regardless of the settings you play at, you won’t run out of VRAM or experience any sort of performance degradation.
It also features a 512-bit memory interface connection, which is the first we’ve seen. With a 28Gbps memory clock, that results in a bandwidth of 1.79TB/s; it’s an exceptionally fast memory to take advantage of. Coupled with the PCIe 5.0 support, you shouldn’t run into any bandwidth or performance issues, whether you’re gaming, rendering, editing, or using it for other resource-intensive workflows.
Sitting as the flagship card, the RTX 5090 is no doubt a spectacular graphics card. Shredding through any task you throw at it and playing games with great framerates, no matter the resolution. But the MSI Suprim SOC is a surprisingly big custom model for it, along with the price tag, itâs definitely not suited for everyone. However, it comes with a great overclock and an impressive cooling solution, which all make it one of the best graphics cards out there right now, with some incredible specs, particularly a high-end VRAM setup.
PC Guide
As we found in the review of the card, the performance was outstanding across the board. particularly when it comes to 4K, where the VRAM gives it that impressive performance across the board, both gaming and creative workloads. It even manages to keep the temperatures in check.
But to achieve that, the MSI Suprim SOC is greatly overclocked and built to a massive size, with dimensions of 359 x 150 x 76 mm, it definitely is an inconvenience to build with and heavy. Along with the higher price tag, it really might not be the best pick for everyone.
MSI Suprim SOC RTX 5090 Geekbench 6, Image by PC Guide
MSI Suprim SOC RTX 5090 AC Mirage, Image by PC Guide
MSI Suprim SOC RTX 5090 Cyberpunk 2077, Image by PC Guide
MSI Suprim SOC RTX 5090 Doom Eternal, Image by PC Guide
MSI Suprim SOC RTX 5090 Geekbench AI, Image by PC Guide
MSI Suprim SOC RTX 5090 3DMark, Image by PC Guide
MSI Suprim SOC RTX 5090 Blender 4.3, Image by PC Guide
MSI Suprim SOC RTX 5090 Indiana Jones Great Circle, Image by PC Guide
MSI Suprim SOC RTX 5090 F1 24, Image by PC Guide
MSI Suprim SOC RTX 5090 CS2, Image by PC Guide
MSI Suprim SOC RTX 5090 Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, Image by PC Guide
MSI Suprim SOC RTX 5090 Cyberpunk 2077 DLSS 4, Image by PC Guide
MSI Suprim SOC RTX 5090 Thermals, Image by PC Guide
3. ASUS Prime RX 9070 XT OC
- GPU: Navi 48 XT
- Stream Processors: 4,096
- VRAM: 16GB GDDR6
- Memory Bus Width: 256-bit
- Base/Game/Boost clock speed: 1,660/2,400/2,970 MHz
- TBP: 304W
AMD has made great strides in general performance, even in the ray tracing capabilities. Even though the nono-gaming ability isn’t quite on par with Nvidia, it offers great value for gaming and what it is capable of in general.
- Great value option
- Lots of VRAM for the price
- Big gains compared to the competition
- Falls behind in workload scenarios
- It can have spiking and high power draw
AMD made some great choices of late to compete with Nvidia, as the RX 9070 XT has shown. This GPU brings the Navi 48 chip to the table, offering up RDNA 4 at the top level but not fighting with the flagship 90 series from Nvidia. Instead, it still offers some of the latest features with some great speeds. Since it brings PCIe Gen 5 connectivity, along with its boost clocks touching 3GHz speeds, overclocked custom cards easily breach that threshold.
After keeping us waiting a few months, AMDâs RX 9070 XT seems worth the wait. It offers incredible performance and true 4K gaming for $600.
ASUS Prime RX 9070 XT OC review – PC Guide
Even with AMD moving back to a monolithic chip design and keeping to GDDR6 memory, it keeps costs down but provides great performance. In our testing, the 9070 XT mostly leads the 5070 by a decent margin while catching up with the RTX 4080 and 5080 GPUs, with a fraction of the price. Considering it has an MSRP of $599, it is a rather competitive option.
Delving more into the results, we see the 9070 XT get incredible speeds no matter the resolution. Even in Cyberpunk 2077 at 4K on ultra settings, it is capable of a 61FPS average, and even with enabling ray tracing, the penalty of doing so isn’t as bad as it used to be for AMD cards. It still sits between the Nvidia GPUs, even though the lead against the 5070 falls. Even then, the use of FSR is able to boost what it is capable of with the addition of frame generation, even if it’s not multi-frame like DLSS 4.
Another drawback of opting for Radeon is the synthetic and workload performance. It’s not quite as optimal as Nvidia’s, and it might be a detriment if you use your GPU for more than just gaming. We see the 3DMark and general rendering have no issues, but Geekbench showcases the falling behind of the architecture.
However, in general, for gaming, it offers some great value and excellent performance for the price. Especially compared to the RTX 5070, which is only just cheaper and performs a lot worse, you get a lot more value for your money.
ASUS Prime RX 9070 XT OC F1 24, Image by PC Guide
ASUS Prime RX 9070 XT OC Cyberpunk 2077, Image by PC Guide
ASUS Prime RX 9070 XT OC Indiana Jones The Great Circle, Image by PC Guide
ASUS Prime RX 9070 XT OC AC Mirage, Image by PC Guide
ASUS Prime RX 9070 XT OC Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, Image by PC Guide
ASUS Prime RX 9070 XT OC Cyberpunk 2077 DLSS FSR, Image by PC Guide
ASUS Prime RX 9070 XT OC Doom Eternal, Image by PC Guide
ASUS Prime RX 9070 XT OC 3DMark, Image by PC Guide
ASUS Prime RX 9070 XT OC CS2, Image by PC Guide
ASUS Prime RX 9070 XT OC Geekbench 6, Image by PC Guide
ASUS Prime RX 9070 XT OC Geekbench AI, Image by PC Guide
4. SPARKLE Intel Arc B580 TITAN OC
- GPU: BGM-G21
- Shading units: 2,560
- VRAM: 12GB GDDR6
- Memory bus width: 192-bit
- Bandwidth: 456GB/s
- Base/Boost clock speed: 2,670/2,740 MHz
The Intel Arc B580 is a great budget graphics card with an MSRP of $250; it provides competition and an entry-level solution where it seems to be lacking.
- Great price to performance
- Plenty of VRAM in comparison to the competition
- HDMI 2.1 and DP 2.1 are available
- Only Gen 4 x8 PCIe â may be an issue for older motherboards
- Slightly more expensive than reference card
- Still occasional troubles in older games specifically
Previously, Intel wasn’t on the map regarding GPUs, as AMD and Nvidia dominated the market. However, with the release of the Intel Arc B580, the landscape changed as this GPU offered better performance than the competition’s budget cards, making it the go-to option if you’re looking for the maximum value for money.
In our Intel Arc B580 review, we put it through its paces, and it delivered excellent performance at 1080p and 1440p and, to our surprise, even managed to push decent frames at 4K. This GPU has 20 Xe cores and 2,560 shading units. Comparatively, the RTX 4060 has 3072 CUDA cores, so a direct comparison can’t be drawn between them, but the Xe2 architecture enabled the 20 cores of the B580 to outperform the 4060’s 3072 cores.
This GPU was a hit among the community because it offered 12GB VRAM at a much lower price point. This enabled it to perform well in gaming. To test it, we paired it with the Ryzen 7 7800X3D and ran a couple of games, comparing it against the RTX 4060, which we’ve also reviewed.
Coming in with a decent amount of VRAM for the ever-growing graphics requirements at a lower price, it even offers 1440p performance at times in a tier where the competition was a bit stale. Itâs certainly a great alternative to an entry-level gaming card.
PC Guide
In Cyberpunk 2077, we got 94 and 62 FPS at 1080p and 1440p, while the 4060 delivered 80 and 47 FPS, respectively. In Doom Eternal, we got 225, 166, and 90 FPS at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K, respectively. The RTX 4060 couldn’t push 4K due to its lower VRAM and managed 198 and 150 FPS at FHD and QHD. However, in Shadow of the Tomb Raider, it managed to render 4K frames and gave an output of 39 FPS, while the B580 maintained the lead with 54 FPS.
Regarding synthetic benchmarks, the B580 scores 6,916 points in Time Spy Extreme compared to the 4060’s 5,297 and 7,913 points in Port Royal, while the 4060 trailed behind with 6,282 points. This means that the B580 had a much easier time rendering 4K frames and running games with real-time ray tracing.
Overall, this is an excellent budget card that makes the RTX 4060 and the RX 7600 XT irrelevant, as you get much better performance. The inclusion of XeSS SR, XeFG, and XeLL further brings more value to this card, as it means that by leveraging AI technologies, this card can punch above its weight class, increasing the gap between itself and the alternatives.
Intel Arc B580 Doom Eternal, Image by PC Guide
Intel Arc B580 Cyberpunk 2077, Image by PC Guide
Intel Arc B580 Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Image by PC Guide
Intel Arc B580 AC Mirage, Image by PC Guide
Intel Arc B580 CS2, Image by PC Guide
Intel Arc B580 Indiana Jones The Great Circle, Image by PC Guide
Intel Arc B580 3DMark, Image by PC Guide
Intel Arc B580 HandBrake time taken, Image by PC Guide
Intel Arc B580 HandBrake average FPS, Image by PC Guide
Intel Arc B580 Blender 4.3 results, Image by PC Guide
5. ASUS Prime RTX 5060 Ti 16GB OC
- GPU: GB206-300
- CUDA Cores: 4,608
- VRAM: 16GB GDDR7
- Memory Bus Width: 128-bit
- Base/Boost Clock: 2.4/2.65 GHz
- TBP: 180W
- Great for 1080p and 1440p performance
- Improved value compared to RTX 40 series
- Access to Blackwell features and improvements
- Still a higher premium price compared to the competition
- Pricing and availability questionable on launch
The RTX 50 series has had plenty of time to release more products and has a lower entry point into the technology. That has culminated in the 60 series coming out and providing an introduction to the Blackwell range. This time, it’s the RTX 5060 Ti that we have reviewed and seen as a probable option for an entry-level graphics card.
Based on the GB206-300 processor, it’s the same offering as the RTX 5070 but a cut-back version, as the 5060 Ti brings about 4,608 CUDA cores, 144 TMUs, 36 RT cores, and so on. Along with a different memory implementation, as it opts for 16GB of GDDR7, and even though it might be more than the 70 model, it is, in fact, a smaller memory bus that slows down the total bandwidth for the VRAM.
The RTX 5060 Ti 16GB is an improvement over the last generation. Higher frame rates and speeds, with more features and upgraded specs, itâs safe to say the new card offers substantially better value for money.
ASUS Prime RTX 5060 Ti 16GB OC review – PC Guide
Now, instead of the memory bus of 128-bit with a 28Gbps memory clock, it results in a 448 GB/s bandwidth, whereas the 5070 has 672GB/s in comparison. That can still offer a better 1440p performance with a more plentiful supply of memory and speed, along with requiring a power of 180W. It’s a smaller, more entry-level card to opt for, unless you want to go for the RTX 5060, but the limited memory amount might leave it a dud from the get-go.
Below are some of the results of our benchmarks. Here, you can see the drop-off compared to the RTX 5070, with around a 25% lower performance level. However, it also benefits from the features and improvements that the generation has to offer, including the transformative DLSS 4.
It does come with a bit of a higher price tag than we might like, though. Considering it has an MSRP of $429, it’s not exactly a favorable option, but it is a more likely option to go down in price for the most part.
ASUS Prime RTX 5060 Ti 16GB OC Geekbench AI 1.2, Image by PC Guide
ASUS Prime RTX 5060 Ti 16GB OC F1 24, Image by PC Guide
ASUS Prime RTX 5060 Ti 16GB OC 3DMark, Image by PC Guide
ASUS Prime RTX 5060 Ti 16GB OC Cyberpunk 2077, Image by PC Guide
ASUS Prime RTX 5060 Ti 16GB OC Blender 4.3, Image by PC Guide
ASUS Prime RTX 5060 Ti 16GB OC Geekbench 6, Image by PC Guide
ASUS Prime RTX 5060 Ti 16GB OC HandBrake Average FPS, Image by PC Guide
ASUS Prime RTX 5060 Ti 16GB OC Cyberpunk 2077 Upscaling, Image by PC Guide
ASUS Prime RTX 5060 Ti 16GB OC Doom Eternal, Image by PC Guide
ASUS Prime RTX 5060 Ti 16GB OC CS2, Image by PC Guide
ASUS Prime RTX 5060 Ti 16GB OC Indiana Jones The Great Circle, Image by PC Guide
ASUS Prime RTX 5060 Ti 16GB OC AC Mirage, Image by PC Guide
ASUS Prime RTX 5060 Ti 16GB OC Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, Image by PC Guide
ASUS Prime RTX 5060 Ti 16GB OC Handbrake Time Taken, Image by PC Guide
6. ASUS RTX 5080 Noctua OC Edition
- GPU: GB203
- CUDA cores: 10,752
- VRAM: 16GB GDDR7
- Memory bus width: 256-bit
- Base clock speed: 2,295MHz
- Boost clock speed: 2,700MHz
The Noctua Edition of the RTX 5080 brings the premium cooling solution to the latest GPUs. That means low noise and even lower temperatures. But for that, you have to pay a rather premium price, and have plenty of space in your case to fit it in.
- Impressive thermal and sound performance
- Great performance across the board
- Plenty of video connectors
- Lots of overclocking headroom
- Fantastic build quality and design
- Quite expensive
- Bigger than even some 5090s, causing compatibility issues
- Colors are not to everyoneâs tastes and hard to match
Now, if it’s the noise you’re most worried about, there’s certainly one company that knows all about that when it comes to cooling efficiently and quietly. That is the Austrian company Noctua, and it has made its way to graphics cards too, teaming up with ASUS to release models sporting its more unique colorways and impressive fans on them.
That’s where the ASUS RTX 5080 Noctua OC Edition comes in. As we found in our review, the performance and general specs are those of any other 5080, but the design is far different, and so are the thermals. That’s where it shines; as fully loading it in Furmark 2, the GPU die, and memory temperature wavered around the 60°C mark.
Even with the fans reaching 66% utilization and a speed of over 1,100 RPM, it stayed pretty silent. With the Noctua fans designed to precision with vents, minimal gaps to the frame, and angled to perfection, it does create a silent yet powerful graphics card.
What also helps is the absolutely massive size of the GPU. Where I thought the ROG Astral was big, this goes even further. Taking up a whole four slots, a length of 385mm, and a weight of 2.6kg, you are getting plenty of GPU for your money, so much so that you have to really scrutinize your case support.
It also comes at a premium price. Standing above the rest for the Noctua fans included those that came at a higher price, and even the amount of material in it does make the price creep up. Doubled up with the general pricing increase of tech products, it is hard to afford for most users.
ASUS RTX 5080 Noctua OC F1 24, Image by PC Guide
ASUS RTX 5080 Noctua OC Geekbench 6, Image by PC Guide
ASUS RTX 5080 Noctua OC AC Mirage, Image by PC Guide
ASUS RTX 5080 Noctua OC Horizon Zero Dawn, Image by PC Guide
ASUS RTX 5080 Noctua OC Cyberpunk DLSS FG, Image by PC Guide
ASUS RTX 5080 Noctua OC Doom Eternal, Image by PC Guide
ASUS RTX 5080 Noctua OC Cyberpunk, Image by PC Guide
ASUS RTX 5080 Noctua OC Geekbench AI, Image by PC Guide
ASUS RTX 5080 Noctua OC CS2, Image by PC Guide
ASUS RTX 5080 Noctua OC Edition thermals, Image by PC Guide
ASUS RTX 5080 Noctua OC Indiana Jones, Image by PC Guide
ASUS RTX 5080 Noctua OC 3DMark, Image by PC Guide
ASUS RTX 5080 Noctua OC Blender, Image by PC Guide
How to choose the right graphics card
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, and it’s just about providing a worthy alternative with the release of the RX 9000 series and
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 future-proofing in the long run. The three current GPU generations in circulation are the RTX 50 series (Blackwell architecture), the RX 9000 series (AMD RDNA 4 architecture), and the Intel Arc B-series (Battlemage architecture).
However, since not all the cards are released at the same time, and it tends to be the high-end cards that are first to pass, you may have to wait for the card you want. It’s usually the entry-level budget cards that come later and might need some patience, but it can be worth considering a previous option if there’s not much improvement.
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 and 4K exponentially increasing in the number of pixels.
Along with wanting higher refresh rates, it is a lot tougher to get a better performance at higher resolutions. So you want to make sure you match the GPU to the monitor or vice versa, so you can be sure to achieve the best combination between the two and not waste your money.
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 5090 and the RTX 5080. 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 TBP (Total Board 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 5070 has a 250W TDP, so you’ll need a minimum of a 600W PSU or above. We’d recommend a 650W brick in this case. It’s important to ensure your system can handle the component you’re slotting in. Check out the best PSUs for our recommendations.
Which GPU is overkill?
If you’re someone who just wants to play games in 1080p or 1440p and is not too concerned about incredibly high framerates, then the RTX 5090 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 5070 or RX 9070 XT will suffice. A flagship like that only makes sense when you have plenty of reasons to use the massive VRAM and speed, with nearly $2,000 to spend.
AMD vs Nvidia
When comparing the two GPU lineups, each has its own benefits and drawbacks. If you’re looking for great value gaming performance, AMD is the one to go for; its RX 9070 XT has some great capabilities for a very competitive price. It outshines Nvidia’s offerings, especially providing a lot more specs for the price.
On the other hand, the Nvidia cards are the ones to go for if you’re after multi-purpose and general performance. Their work and render ability are better compared to AMD, but that doesn’t mean Team Red isn’t slacking, as it has been improving with each generation. So it comes down to your use case and needs, as Nvidia is a more expensive option with a lot more to it compared to AMD’s value.
What does RTX stand for?
In Nvidia’s hardware, RTX stands for Ray Tracing Texel eXtreme. It shows the graphics card generations’ features and the power behind it, mainly being able to run ray tracing a lot better than its previous GTX lineup. The hardware enabling real-time ray tracing gives games that extra realism from the way they look with lighting sources and rays for that extra appealing look. But with the power that it takes to calculate, it does affect the performance that these RTX cards aim to resolve.
Final word
For most gamers, the RTX 5080 is the best GPU available today. It delivers excellent gaming performance, supports Nvidia’s latest DLSS 4 technology, and avoids the extreme pricing of the RTX 5090. However, there isn’t a single GPU that’s right for everyone. AMD’s RX 9070 XT offers outstanding gaming value, Intel’s Arc B580 remains one of the strongest budget options available, and the RTX 5090 continues to dominate the high-end market for enthusiasts and creators. By matching your graphics card to your target resolution, budget, and workload, you’ll get far better value than simply buying the most expensive GPU available.
About the Author
