The Best Graphics Cards You Can Buy In 2024

With the advent of the RTX 4000 series that shook up the entire GPU market and the subsequent RX 7000 series launch by AMD, we live in exciting times for new graphics cards. It is difficult to navigate a market where there is an abundance of last-generation graphics cards at a large discount, even as newer GPUs vie for a greater balance between power and price to compete in an increasingly price-sensitive PC market.

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Since the launch of the RTX 4060 and 4060TI as well as AMD’s RX 7600, RX 7700XT, and RX 7800XT GPUs, much of the focus of late has been on the entry-level or mid-range market for users from aging GPUs like the Nvidia GTX 1660 Super and the ever-popular AMD RX 580. Whether one wants the best of the best RTX 4090 SKUs possible, something that offers the best value in the current market or something to get started with, Game Rant has them covered on all aspects of their purchase, helping enthusiasts and gamers alike make an informed choice while navigating a choice-heavy graphics card market.

How To Choose The Best Graphics Cards

There are several things that buyers should consider when looking for a graphics card. Consider these factors before making a purchase:

• Performance: Raw performance or rasterization is a central part of any GPU’s value-addition and what sets it apart from considerably weaker Integrated Graphics (iGPU) options. While newer AI sharpening techniques, such as FSR and DLSS, do skirt around this significantly thanks to powerful software solutions, a large segment of what a GPU is capable of is determined by the raw processing power it offers under the hood, especially when it comes to older, less-optimized titles.
• Software Support: Drivers and software support are what make the world go round for GPUs. This can be specific to proprietary AI sharpening tech, specific game optimizations, and software such as Nvidia’s Hairworks, all of which contribute to a better experience for gamers and professionals alike. This also means that newer entrants to the market, like Intel, have their work cut out for them when it comes to catching up with decades of experience from their competition, which translates to poorer performance in older titles.
• Value: With modern GPU prices pushing well into the sub-$1k region for the mid to high-end tier, finding value is a task with moving goalposts this generation. Finding the right value-for-money purchase is a hard task, but it’s one that can be achieved simply by finding the perfect price-to-performance ratio while meeting certain performance targets.
• Memory/VRAM: Modern games, benchmarks, and simulations require copious amounts of VRAM. While modern operating systems do offer solutions, they are significantly slower than onboard VRAM for GPUs. Users need to find an adequate solution for their target resolution and fidelity requirements. The higher they move on either scale, the higher the recommended requirements in terms of VRAM speeds and capacity, making this an important metric to track to avoid significant performance impediments.

Game Rant’s Picks for the Best Graphics Cards

ASUS Dual GeForce RTX 4070 Super OC

Best Overall Graphics Card

ASUS Dual GeForce RTX 4070 Super OC brings about 20% improvement over the non-Super edition for a slightly higher price and comes in a dual axial-tech fan design with factory-overclocked. Boasting a clock speed of 2550MHz in the OC mode, it provides a slight advantage to the Founders Edition along with a better cooling solution.

Brand

Asus

Cooling Method

Dual fan air cooling

GPU Speed

2520MHz

Interface

PCI-E 4.0

Memory

12GB GDDRX6

Power

220W

Boost Speed

2550MHz(OC)

CUDA Cores

7168

Pros

• Offers great price to performance ratio
• Power efficient
• Excellent for maxing out games at 1440p

Cons

• VRAM could be higher and the same goes for memory bus

Released in Jan, the RTX 4070 Super didn’t spare the chance to replace the mid-range and high-end GPUs by providing the highest possible value in those categories. RTX 4070 Super uses the same GPU chip AD104 as used in the RTX 4070 but comes with 20% more Cuda Cores, more Tensor, and Cuda Cores for providing a significant uplift in games. The card is roughly 19% faster than the non-Super edition and costs just $50 more officially.

This is why the RTX 4070 Super is possibly the best gaming card for 1440p gaming monitors that can last for several years and has all the necessary gaming tech to boost the frame rates even further. The Dual OC edition provides higher boost clocks compared to the FE edition and comes with a dual fan design with 0db technology for silent operation. Had it featured 16GB of VRAM on a 256-bit memory bus, it would have made future-proofing even easier.

ASUS Dual GeForce RTX 4070 OC Edition

Best Mid-Range Graphics Card

$570 $580 Save $10

The Asus Dual GeForce RTX 4070 OC Edition is an excellent entry-level RTX 4070 GPU that gets the job done with a decent overclock, a quiet design, and a price tag that goes neck and neck with Nvidia’s own FE offerings MSRP. With 12GB of GDDR6X memory this generation, the Dual RTX 4070 OC is the go-to GPU for many smaller case owners and ITX builders this generation thanks to its more compact design and adequate cooling.

Brand

ASUS

Cooling Method

Dual Fan Air-Cooled

GPU Speed

1920 MHz

Interface

PCI Express Gen 4

Memory

12GB GDDR6X

Power

205W

Boost Speed

2505 MHz

CUDA Cores

5888

Pros

• Awesome Ray Tracing performance
• Supports Frame Generation
• Highly power efficient

Cons

• Slightly lower price to performance ratio compared to its Super edition
• VRAM size and memory bus somewhat limits its potential

Initially, the RTX 4070 received a lot of criticism for its price tag and also for its memory configuration. As time passed, the RTX 4070 became hugely popular, becoming not only one of the best-selling GPUs on desktops, but also one of the most used GPUs on gaming laptops. The reason is quite obvious. The GPU doesn’t have a solid competitor at its price tag of $550. The only close competitor is the RX 7800 XT, but that loses easily in both rasterization and RT performance.

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The RTX 4070 provides a 12GB VRAM on a 192-bit bus that offers excellent performance even on higher resolutions. Asus Dual OC edition is a 2.5-slot card, featuring a 75MHz higher boost clock than the FE edition, and has Axial-tech fans for dissipating heat quickly. The fans come to a halt completely once the temperature of the GPU drops to a point where active cooling is no longer needed, resulting in a completely quiet operation. The RTX 4070 manages to almost join its Super edition in providing an excellent price-to-performance ratio, though it does fall a bit short.

ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4090 OC Edition

Best Premium Graphics Card

A Pricey Endeavor

$2499 $2640 Save $141

The ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4090 OC Edition may be one of its largest GPUs ever, but the patented design supports the most potent overclocking potential out of its peers.

With a vapor chamber in tow, the ROG Strix comes in both black and white and does not disappoint in either looks or power. It is easily the most powerful 4090 out there, clocking at a stable 3120 MHz in Game Rant’s in-house testing.

Brand

Asus

Cooling Method

Air-Cooled w/Vapor Chamber

GPU Speed

2640 Mhz

Interface

PCI-E 4.0

Memory

24 GB GDDR6X

Power

600W

Boost Speed

2640 Mhz

Pros

• Fastest RTX 4090 available
• Very well-designed 24-phase VRM
• Extremely cool and silent compared to similar SKUs
• Undervolts well and can run a lot more efficiently than stock with some tweaks

Cons

• Size might be a restricting factor for ITX/M-ATX builds while some ATX cases might also have trouble fitting the RTX 4090 Strix
• RTX 4090 Strix OC already trades at a premium but goes for even more thanks to a massive China-induced RTX 4090 shortage

The Asus RTX 4090 Strix OC needs no introduction. It’s currently named the best performance RTX 4090 on Game Rant’s RTX 4090 comparison guide and to date is the fastest Ada Lovelace-based card money can buy. It is therefore of little surprise that it tops the list as the best overall graphics card that money can buy. The monolithic design around the vapor chamber has found mass appeal with system builders, who praise its build quality and RGB lighting.

What is not up for debate is the fact that the Asus ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4090 is packed with genuine top-of-the-line specs. Built with a 24-phase VRM, excellent thermals, and a full 600W power limit, the Strix OC is expected to push boundaries on a chip that has already pushed the definition of what is possible in this generation of graphics cards. The RTX 4090 graphics card additionally features 4th Generation Tensor Cores and 3rd Generation RT Cores, doubling both the AI and ray-tracing performance from previous versions. At the same time, the framing and backplate are more durable than ever, pairing well with an overall improved design that maximizes airflow and heat dissipation.

The Asus RTX 4090 Strix OC Edition has seen further supply limitations, driving prices up. This is primarily due to a large amount of AI-centric demand in the face of a ban on multiple countries centering around China, given the RTX 4090’s AI use cases, resulting in export restrictions. While supply should normalize, they do currently result in a large premium for Nvidia’s highest-end consumer-grade GPU and, by proxy, arguably its most premium SKU of the same.

Sapphire Radeon Pulse 6700XT

Best Budget Graphics Card

The Sapphire RX 6700XT Pulse is an excellent value-for-money mid-tier GPU offering that showcases a card that can go neck and neck with the Nvidia 3060TI while sporting an additional 4GB of VRAM, making it a much more well-rounded product than Nvidia’s mid-range offering in the RTX 3060TI which it regularly beats in raw rasterization throughput while being beaten on Ray-tracing centric benchmarks.

Brand

Sapphire

Cooling Method

Air-Cooled

GPU Speed

2424 Mhz

Interface

PCI-E 4.0

Memory

12GB GDDR6

Power

230W

Boost Speed

2581 Mhz

CUDA Cores

N/A

Pros

• Excellent value
• Bundled with a free copy of Starfield Premium Edition
• 12GB of VRAM
• Best-in-class rasterization performance

Cons

• Middling or inferior ray-tracing performance versus the competition
• Effectively a last-generation GPU that’s expected to get fewer optimizations than the new RX 7000 series

The Sapphire Pulse 6700XT 12GB is the newest contender for the best budget gaming GPU. The previous 6600XT SKU was considerably underwhelming in terms of value, combined with it ceding market space to the RX 7600. The Radeon RX 6700XT outpaces both the competing RTX 4060 and the RX 7600 in raw rasterization benchmarks while offering more memory in tow.

It also happens to be the most aggressively priced GPU currently on the market from Nvidia or AMD in terms of price to performance. The deep discount makes this an even more appealing purchase than its successor, even as the Pulse 6700XT offers an adequately cooled low-profile design for a GPU that more than holds its own for FHD or 2K gaming in 2024.

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All in all, while the 6700XT isn’t the newest kid on the block, it happens to pack a significantly better price-to-performance ratio. That makes it a viable option to consider alongside much newer GPU considerations from both Team Red and Team Green.

Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4060 AERO OC 8G

Best White Graphics Card

The Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4060 AERO OC 8G is the best-looking white-themed RTX 4060 SKU currently available on the market, offering decent boost clocks versus the stock option, a large, tri-fan air cooler that keeps temperatures low, and a stylish metal backplate design with ‘screen cooling’ that allows it to dissipate heat better. All of this is coupled with a dual-BIOS, dual-HDMI offering that gets the job done with style.

Brand

Gigabyte

Cooling Method

Tri-Fan Air Cooled

GPU Speed

1830 MHz

Interface

PCI Express 4.0

Memory

8GB GDDR6

Power

115W

Boost Speed

2550 MHz

CUDA Cores

3072

Pros

• Supports DLSS 3 Frame Generation
• Power efficient
• Powerful cooling solution

Cons

• Shouldn’t cost more than $300
• Smaller memory bus of 128-bit

For Nvidia lovers, the RTX 4060 comes out to be the top choice for a clean, white PC rig due to its stylish design, capability in Ray Tracing, and support for DLSS 3. In rasterization, the RX 6700 XT beats the RTX 4060, but when Ray Tracing is turned on, things go in the opposite direction. However, it isn’t behind the AMD GPU in every game and can close the gap significantly in some intensive titles like Microsoft Flight Simulator. That said, the RTX 4060 is actually the main competitor to the RX 7600, but outperforms the latter convincingly.

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The 4060 is not only a good performer on the screen, but also consumes significantly less power than its counterparts from AMD and Intel. Rated at 115W, it’s ultra-power efficient and provides more fps per watt than any other budget GPU. The Gigabyte Aero OC Edition is even better due to a larger cooling solution and a 90MHz higher clock speed than the standard edition. It not only performs well; it looks fabulous with a completely white shroud and fans.

Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Gaming OC 12G

Best RGB Graphics Card

$780 $900 Save $120

The Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4070TI is an easy recommendation given the price point it currently trades at and the fact that it has a capable vapor chamber and additional overclocking headroom on the card itself in addition to a mild overclock when it comes to boost speeds.

This makes it a viable contender for one of the best-looking RTX 4070TI cards out there if large-scale RGB lighting is not desired.

Brand

Gigabyte

Cooling Method

Air-cooled Vapor Chamber

GPU Speed

2610 Mhz

Interface

PCI-E 4.0 x16

Memory

12 GB GDDR6X

Power

285W

Boost Speed

2640 Mhz

Pros

• Dual BIOS setup (silent & performance)
• Relatively cool thanks to its monolithic design around its vapor chamber
• Aesthetic upgrade versus last-gen Gigabyte offerings in same price bracket
• One of the cheapest AIB-offered RTX 4070TIs

Cons

• Gets a bit loud on the performance BIOS preset
• 12GB GDDR6 might be a limiting factor for some rendering requirements
• Tough competition from 7900XT

The Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Gaming OC 12G currently commands the sweet spot for high-end GPUs. While it is slightly slower in rasterization benchmarks versus the competing AMD 7900XT (which is more competitive given the fact that it currently trades at a discount), it does even the odds. Sometimes it even gains a lead thanks to DLSS 3 ‘frame generation’ technology coming into play. In its current iteration, it is far superior to AMD’s own proprietary FSR solution.

The RTX 4070TI, however, is more power-efficient than its AMD counterpart. It also has a considerable lead when it comes to rendering ray-traced content. Nvidia’s current RT hardware solutions are at least a generation ahead of AMD’s own offerings, and this tends to show when handling medium-to-high ray-tracing workloads. The 4070TI does have a tough upsell though for its features, as the RX 7900XT tends to be a more compelling upgrade for users looking for better rasterized performance.

XFX Speedster SWFT 210 Radeon RX 6600 CORE

Best Entry Level Graphics Card

The XFX Speedster SWFT 210 Radeon RX 6600 CORE is an excellent value proposition as it trades significantly cheaper than the RTX 3050 while performing as much as 15% faster which makes it a no-brainer for Team Red users looking to upgrade this year.

Brand

XFX

Cooling Method

Air-cooled dual-fan

GPU Speed

2044 Mhz

Interface

PCI-E 4.0 x8

Memory

8GB GDDR6

Power

160W

Boost Speed

2491 Mhz

Pros

• Excellent value for money, much cheaper than the competition
• Low profile dual slot design means it can easily be used in smaller cases

Cons

• AMD’s treatment of the RX 6000 lineup until recently was a bit unwanted as it delayed driver updates to concentrate on the RX 7000 lineup
• Limited thermal headroom means the card runs slightly hotter than other SKUs

As gaming continues to be more accessible to consumers at all price points, part of the driving force has been immensely better value cards at the low-end or the entry-level GPU market. This is a market that AMD has been spearheading for a while, whether one considers the extremely well-priced RX400 and RX500 lineups or simply AMD’s overall value proposition with the RX 6000 series lineup.

The XFX-badged RX 6600 is one such entrant that clocks in at the sub-$250 price bracket while sitting somewhere between the Nvidia RTX 3050 and the 3060 in terms of performance metrics. It can regularly trade blows with the latter in some games. However, it does have limited ray-tracing potential, given that AMD lags behind in this department.

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Currently, though, neither the RTX 3050/3060 nor the RX 6600 are great ray-tracing cards given their performance limitations as well as the target market, which somewhat allows us to ignore ray-tracing performance as a major factor or selling point for the RTX 3000 series cards. Also, while the RX 6600 does run slightly hotter than similar SKUs, it stays within proscribed thermal limits with ease.

Due to the lack of competition in newer current-generation AMD and Nvidia GPU lineups in the entry-level market, the RX 6600 still happens to be one of the best GPUs one can get on a strict budget. As a result, its price has remained more or less unchanged since it was last considered by Game Rant. It remains one of the top choices on offer for its price bracket.

FAQ

Q: What GPU is best for ray-tracing?

All Nvidia RTX series cards generally outperform their AMD counterparts for ray-tracing. If there is a comparable RTX card, it generally will deliver more favorable performance out of the box.

Q: Should buyers wait to get a new GPU in 2023?

The computer hardware landscape is ever-changing. However, the uptrend in prices has been visible since the last generation as GPUs move to higher price points. Part of this is due to more expensive silicon, more elaborate cooling, and higher profit margins for the chipmakers. That does mean that prices might not necessarily drop significantly throughout 2023, despite higher initial prices for most GPUs.