Between Nvidia's powerful Ampere GPUs and AMD's designs using a 7nm process, the graphics card market may be the most competitive it has been in some time. That competition means good value for you as a consumer, especially considering there are options to fit just about every need. So, if you're looking to outfit your gaming PC with one of its most crucial parts, you've come to the right place.
You can find one for a little over $300 that will make short work of 1080p gaming, and you won't break the bank to enjoy 1440p at high frame rates or even a perfectly playable 4K. Thanks to so many variants, like Nivida's Ti and AMD's XT cards, you can find something that'll perfectly pair with your gaming monitor. We'll walk you through the best options, so you can pick out exactly what you need to make your computer hum – and click here to see them in the UK.
TL;DR – These are the Best Graphics Cards:
- Nvidia RTX 3070
- EVGA RTX 3060 XC Black
- Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Founders Edition
- AMD Radeon RX 6800
- Nvidia RTX 3060 Ti Founders Edition
- Asus TUF Gaming RTX 3070
- AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT
- MSI RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio
- Nvidia RTX 3090
- AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
1. Nvidia RTX 3070
Best Graphics Card
For an incredible marriage of performance and price, you can't do better than the new Nvidia RTX 3070. This card costs just $500, but it is capable of offering performance levels exceeding even the Nvidia RTX 2080 Ti, which had been retailing often for more than three times the price of the RTX 3070.
This latest model offers up 5,888 CUDA cores that can run at a decent clip with a 1,730MHz boost clock. It also includes 8GB of GDDR6, so you'll have plenty of memory for game textures and frame buffer. This card can do some 4K if that's your aim, but it's best suited for maxing out on 1440p. We're not talking 1440p/60Hz either, but rather high-speed and high-resolution gaming.
2. EVGA RTX 3060 XC Black
Best Budget Graphics Card
If you’re shopping for components for your gaming PC build on a budget and lucky enough to come across the EVGA RTX 3060 XC Black at its retail price of $389, it’s a very worthwhile component. You’ll be getting a ton of power for your dollar with 3,585 CUDA Cores offering speeds and capabilities more in line with the previous generation’s RTX 2070 than with the RTX 2060 or GTX 1660 Super that it succeeds.
The EVGA RTX 3060 XC Black also dials things up above the stock RTX 3060. That comes in the form of a ramped up clock speed that we saw exceed the default boost clock of 1,777MHz, even going as high as 1.9GHz in our testing. EVGA has also built the RTX 3060 XC Black to run fairly cool and quiet, as it peaked at 69C and 36dB in our testing. As a bonus for those who like a subtle build, the card is also all black, including the PCB.
3. Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Founders Edition
Best 4K Graphics Card
Nvidia has stepped things up with the new Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti Founders Edition graphics card. This new card is more than a small upgrade to the original RTX 3080. It has a whopping 10,240 CUDA cores, giving it over a 17% increase over the RTX 3080’s 8,704 CUDA cores and bringing it close to the RTX 3090’s 10,496 CUA cores. The RTX 3080 Ti may be running them at slightly lower clocks, but you’ll still see heaps of performance out of this card.
That’s not the only upgrade in store. The RTX 3080 Ti includes 2GB of extra GDDR6X memory and boosts the memory bus to 384-bit, giving it an edge when handling large game assets. Despite the increase in performance, the RTX 3080 Ti maintains the same proportions as the RTX 3080, so you should have no trouble fitting it into your system if you’re upgrading. And, at 350W, it’s only drawing 30W more power than the RTX 3080 before it.
4. AMD Radeon RX 6800
Best 1440p Graphics Card
AMD came out swinging with the Radeon RX 6800. It isn’t the most powerful around, but it goes toe to toe with Nvidia’s RTX 3070 in pretty much any match-up that doesn’t pull in ray-tracing and DLSS, and it usually comes out ahead. This performance sees it especially well suited for 1440p gameplay, where you can enjoy high frame rates.
The AMD Radeon RX 6800 needs a modest 250 watts of power, which should make it easier to slot into existing computers without needing to upgrade your power supply to something beefier. And, even if you’re only gaming at 1440p, the RX 6800’s 16GB of GDDR6 memory will serve as a solid buffer for your frames as well as home to extra-high resolution textures — the last thing you want is sharp and smooth visuals to show off low-res game textures because your card didn’t have enough VRAM.
5. Nvidia RTX 3060 Ti Founders Edition
Best 1080p Graphics Card
4K and 1440p may be exciting, but they can also be an entry into the stressful world of constantly trying to optimize your gaming rig to run at either high quality or high frame rates. Playing at 1080p still provides clear visuals and makes it so much easier to just crank everything to the max without worrying too much about low frame rates. And, the new Nvidia RTX 3060 Ti Founders Edition is geared for epic performance in 1080p.
This graphics card comes with the slick styling of its RTX 30-Series siblings, but tones down the performance for a corresponding reduction in price. We're talking just $400. That'll land you a card that's got more than enough VRAM to handle high-quality game assets and enough muscle to spit out high frame rates a 1080p. And, unlike the GTX 1660 Ti, the RTX 3060 Ti is built with dedicated hardware for ray tracing and Deep Learning Super Sampling. In many cases, the RTX 3060 Ti can even outperform the RTX 2080 Super.
6. Asus TUF Gaming RTX 3070
Best Nvidia RTX Graphics Card
One of the best ways to enjoy Nvidia's excellent new RTX 3070 is through the options available from Nvidia's board partners. Asus's TUF Gaming RTX 3070 is an excellent option. You'll still get the same 5.888 CUDA cores and boost clock, but you'll be getting a different design that comes a few perks of its own.
There are a couple of chief differences between this card and Nvidia's reference model. For one, you'll get multiple HDMI 2.1 ports, letting you take advantage of the supported 4K/120Hz signal on multiple displays that lack DisplayPort. You'll also find two 8-pin power connectors instead of the new 12-pin connector that Nvidia has implemented. And then there's the triple-fan design, which should have no trouble keeping this card cool and quiet, just as the Asus TUF Gaming RTX 3080 did in our review.
7. AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT
Best AMD Graphics Card
At $649, AMD's Radeon RX 6800 XT clears a niche for itself in the market of recently released graphic cards. It's more affordable than Nvidia's RTX 3080, and it's only a bit more expensive than the non-XT RX 6800 while increasing the number of compute units and clock speeds. That makes it an especially potent choice for anyone that's optimizing for value.
The RX 6800 XT can hold its own against the RTX 3080 in a lot of cases, with exceptional performance at 1440p and decent chops in 4K. It may not have much to offer when it comes to ray tracing, but that's still not a widely implemented feature in games, and the RX 6800 XT may yet regain some ground when AMD eventually launches its FidelityFX Super Resolution feature. So, if you're not overly concerned about uncertain performance in ray-tracing, the Radeon RX 6800 XT offers a compelling alternative to Nvidia's RTX 3080 while costing less and drawing less power from your wall.
8. MSI RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio
Best for High-End Gaming for Most Gamers
If you're looking at the RTX 3080, you definitely are looking for speed. The MSI RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio takes the already excellent GPU card, and makes it even faster. In our testing, it was one of the faster RTX 3080 models. Those speeds come right out of the box as well, so with some tweaking, you could potentially see even more.
The MSI RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio is fairly beefy, as it's stacking on a triple-fan cooler to keep temperatures in check, and it'll require you to have three 8-pin connectors. That extra power may come in handy if you're trying to overclock this card for even more performance. MSI tops it all off with a bit of RGB lighting. All that's on offer here makes up for the $50 price hike over the Nvidia reference RTX 3080.
9. Nvidia RTX 3090 Founders Edition
The Out of Your Mind Graphics Card
If you need a machine that won't sweat in even the most demanding situations, then you'll want the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 Founds Edition. Nvidia decided to make this the top dog in its latest Ampere line, forgoing a Titan card or 3080 Ti. The RTX 3090 more than doubles the CUDA cores found on the earlier Titan RTX that used to hold this ranking in our guide, and it runs all of those cores at an even higher base clock.
You'll need a beefy power supply to run the RTX 3090 in your system, but you'll get that energy back in the form of serious performance. The RTX 3090 can achieve smooth 4K gaming. Depending on the type of game you throw at it and whether it has any enhancements like DLSS, it can even make 8K playable. In our tests, we saw games like Rocket League and Rainbow Six Siege run at well over 60fps in 8K with no DLSS, and even Control and Death Stranding were in the ballpark of 60fps at 8K with DLSS in Ultra Performance Mode. And, when you're not gaming, this card puts Nvidia's other options to shame in rendering and 3D modeling tasks.
10. AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
Best HTPC Graphics Card
OK, hear us out. No, this isn’t a graphics card, but it can handle the graphics. The Ryzen 7 5700G is an APU from AMD that combines both the CPU and GPU on a single chip. While that may not be the ideal setup for a high-power gaming rig, it’s almost perfect for a home theater PC setup.
Going with an APU will let you stick with a smaller build. You don’t need to consider the space for a dedicated graphics card, nor do you need to alot for one in the power budget. The AMD Ryzen 7 5700G actually doesn’t require a beefy power supply to run, and with a 65W TDP, it doesn’t need all that serious cooling either. The eight Radeon Graphics cores on this APU will handle your HTPC needs nicely and can even spit out some playable frame rates in a wide variety of games. Just slap this baby onto a Mini ITX motherboard, feed it with some fast RAM (don’t slouch on memory for an APU, as both parts of the chip share it), throw it into one of the best Mini ITX cases, and your home theater will be ready to rock.
Where to Get the Best Graphics Cards in the UK
There aren't too many differences when it comes to the graphics cards you can pick up in the UK, but the main takeaway is where you can purchase them. All of the following links have been updated with UK vendors, saving you some time and money if you're interested in picking up any of the graphics cards we've mentioned. Don't see the graphic cards below? Click here.
What to Look for in a Graphics Card
Below we explain how to pick the right GPU for the your display, why there are so many variants of the same Nvidia and AMD graphics cards, and a few factors you should consider when buying. Above all, you should buy the graphics card you need for the display you’re using.
If you’re gaming on a Full HD monitor, it would be a huge waste to buy a component designed to play games at 2160p or 1440p. Likewise, you’ll want a powerful graphics card to drive games playing on that premium 4K gaming monitor or 4K TV.
We’ve laid out what are the best graphics cards to play games at 1080p, 1440p, and 2160p resolutions above, but here are some more general rules. For a decent to high-frame-rate Full HD experience, you should look at parts ranging from the GTX 1650 to the GTX 1660 Ti on Nvidia’s end. If you’re looking at AMD’s family, you’ll want a Radeon RX 5500 or up.
Jumping up to QHD resolutions will require a more capable graphics card, ideally an Nvidia GTX 1660 Ti or AMD Radeon RX 5600 and up. 4K gaming using a single card is still a tough proposition, but thanks to recent developments it’s actually approachable with the latest graphics cards like the Nvidia RTX 2080 Super and AMD Radeon VII.
Another Variable
Another thing to keep in mind when choosing the right graphics card for your gaming monitor (or vice versa) is what kind of variable refresh rate technology can you take the most advantage of. For the uninitiated, variable refresh rate (VRR) technology basically syncs the number of frames shooting out of your GPU to the frame rate of your display.
This way it isn't overworking itself for nothing while also helping to eliminate screen tearing on your monitor. Without this VRR tech, your GPU might end up clogging the frame bugger with two or more frames, which your display might then try and display two different shots of gameplay at the same time. If you have a TV and gaming monitor that supports FreeSync, you should get an AMD graphics card.
Alternatively, if you happen to be playing primarily a G-Sync gaming monitor or one of the latest LG C1 OLED TVs then you'll want an Nvidia card. Luckily for you, the line separating G-Sync and Freesync is quickly disappearing as more and more displays that offer the latter are adding support for the former.
G-Sync-compatible gaming monitors are all the rage now because they offer a tear-free and smooth gameplay experience when connecting to either an AMD and Nvidia graphics card.
Graphics card variants
Ok, you’ve decided which one you want, great! However, even with this monumental decision out of the way, the world of GPUs isn’t done being confusing and daunting just yet. Although there are only two companies—Nvidia and AMD—that actually manufacture the underlying chip, there are dozens of different variants of the same graphics card
For example, when the most recent graphics card launched, the Nvidia GTX 1650, there was a multitude of different versions from Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, EVGA and the list goes on. In this case, while Nvidia may have introduced only one new model, vendors or board partners will introduce their own versions featuring different overclock settings, cooling systems, and other differentiating factors we will explain below.
Length: One of the number one factors you should consider before plopping down cash for that shiny new component is whether it will actually fit. If you’re building your PC in a Mini ITX case, you should be looking at the smallest or mini graphics cards that will actually fit inside.
Overclocking: Most third-party cards—and even Nvidia’s own Founders Edition cards—will often come factory overclocked, and this means the card has been tuned to operate above its rated maximum clock speed. As you might expect, the higher the number the faster it will perform.
At this point, you won’t find many, including the entry-level cards, without some amount of ‘overclocking from the factory.’ However, even without a factory overclock, it’s easy enough do it yourself using software such as EVGA Precision X or MSI Afterburner.
Cooling solutions:
In your quest for the best graphics card, you might have noticed that some models come with one, two, or up to three fans. As you might expect, more fans equal better cooling, but there are also two distinct ways of keeping it chilled. GPUs equipped with a single fan often use a blower-style cooler, which means the card sucks in air and blows it out the back like a leaf blower.
Dual and triple fan setups are often used in conjunction with 'open-air cooling systems,' which are designed to move cool air through the open heatsinks and exhaust heat in every direction.
Blower style coolers are typically most useful for PCs built into small Mini ITX cases because they help exhaust heat out of a compact chassis with restricted airflow. If the system you're building is in a Micro ATX PC case or a larger Mid tower chassis, you’d be better off with an open-air cooled graphics card, as there are more mounting points for multiple case fans to do the brunt of cooling while the card's own two (or three) fans blow heat off the card itself.
RTX vs GTX: With Turing, Nvidia didn’t just introduce better, faster graphics cards it also debuted the RTX architecture with hardware designed to support real-time ray tracing, and AI-powered supersampling and anti-aliasing (known as Deep Learning Super Sampling).
Thankfully, Nvidia decreed in early April 2019 that you don’t need an RTX card with dedicated RT Cores to process real-time ray tracing. So any of the GTX 16-series cards and (most) older 10-series cards can run games with ray tracing turned on. DLSS is still an RTX exclusive since it requires Tensor cores to function, but it’s a niche performance smoothing feature compared to the strikingly realistic reflections and complex shadows effects that ray tracing produces.
Bargain your way to getting a graphics card
Strangely, one of the more affordable ways to get yourself the latest graphics card is to buy a gaming PC while it’s on sale. Gaming PCs from brands like Asus, Dell, MSI, Acer, and HP will often see discounts for hundreds of dollars off, so not only are you saving a ton of money, you’re also avoiding potential headaches that can accompany a DIY build—and you also get a warranty.
Prebuilt PCs have come a long way, too. They aren't proprietary machines with randomly soldered-on components. They're mostly as upgradeable as anything you might put together on your own.
Another way of enjoying the latest graphics cards is through gaming laptops. There are plenty of Nvidia RTX 20- and GTX 16-series gaming laptops out there right now. New GTX gaming laptops have also hit the streets and they’re far more affordable than the RTX-equipped models thanks to the laptops introduced during IFA 2019 like the new Acer Predator Triton 300.
Kevin Lee is IGN's Hardware and Roundups Editor. Follow him on Twitter @baggingspam
Mark Knapp is a regular contributor to IGN and an irregular Tweeter on Twitter @Techn0Mark
