Everything you need to know about buying a GPU in 2024

2 weeks ago

AMD RX 7800 XT and RX 7700 XT graphics cards.

The graphics card, besides known arsenic nan GPU, is arguably 1 of nan astir breathtaking components successful immoderate PC build. Alongside nan processor, your graphics paper often has nan top effect connected nan wide capacity of your PC. That makes it a beautiful high-stakes purchase, particularly if you see that GPUs tin get beautiful expensive.

The GPU marketplace has a batch to offer, and that’s sloppy of your needs and your budget. Whether you’re aiming for thing ace inexpensive to support immoderate ray browsing aliases a behemoth to grip nan astir GPU-intensive games, you person tons of options. In this guide, we’ll show you what to look retired for truthful that you tin prime nan best GPU that fits your fund and needs.

Nvidia, AMD, aliases Intel?

Consumer graphics cards are mostly divided into 2 categories — integrated and discrete graphics. Since you’re here, you’re astir apt looking for a discrete (or dedicated) GPU, and that’s what we’re going to attraction connected successful this article.

Get your play teardown of nan tech down PC gaming

While an integrated graphics paper is usually portion of nan processor, aliases astatine slightest is portion of nan aforesaid system-on-a-chip (SoC), a discrete GPU is simply a standalone constituent that you instal wrong your PC lawsuit aliases find built into your laptop.

In this conception of nan market, you person 3 manufacturers to take from: Nvidia, AMD, and Intel. AMD and Nvidia some connection a wide scope of cards, but Intel only has a fewer options. Regardless of manufacturer, you’ll find cards that drastically disagree successful performance, price, and capacity per dollar — meaning really overmuch worth you’re getting retired of nan GPU.

Choosing betwixt Nvidia, AMD, and Intel comes down to much than conscionable liking a peculiar brand. The GPUs are fundamentally different connected an architectural level, and each shaper decked them retired pinch a different group of supporting software.

Let’s research nan differences betwixt nan trio of GPU makers to springiness you a amended overview of what they person to offer.

Nvidia

Nvidia is nan marketplace leader by a landslide. It produces GPUs for some PCs and laptops, ranging from affordable options to premium models.

Compared to AMD, Nvidia is often praised for its superior GPU capacity or, astatine nan very least, its expertise to push nan letter cover further. While AMD mostly targets nan mainstream portion of nan market, Nvidia fills nan spread and serves nan high-end assemblage pinch beastly GPUs for illustration nan RTX 4090. That is not to opportunity that it doesn’t person immoderate midrange graphics cards — it has a robust lineup, though not each GPUs are worthy their price, and immoderate are best avoided.

Over nan years, Nvidia has had respective generations of graphics cards, but if you’re shopping now, you’ll astir apt beryllium picking from among nan RTX 30-series and nan RTX 40-series. However, older generations still person immoderate affordable options, specified arsenic nan GTX 1650. More often than not, you’re amended disconnected buying newer cards owed to nan capacity uplift.

The RTX 40-series sports cards scope from $300 to $1,600 astatine guidelines price, but they often waste for more; for instance, the RTX 4090 tin costs upwards of $2,000. Remember that GPU prices tin alteration wildly, truthful support an oculus connected our price tracker to cheque what mightiness beryllium a worthwhile prime during immoderate fixed month.

Nvidia’s GPUs are coagulated for gaming, contented creation, and moreover AI-related tasks, specified arsenic instrumentality learning. In fact, Nvidia is often recognized arsenic nan superior action if AI is what you’re after.

RX 7900 XTX and RTX 4080 capacity successful ray tracing games astatine 4K.

It’s wide known (and we’ve seen it successful our ain tests, too) that Nvidia is besides amended astatine handling ray tracing. Ray tracing is simply a graphics method that simulates really ray behaves successful nan existent world. Using it makes galore games look better, but it’s besides dense connected nan GPU. There’s besides path tracing, which is an moreover much modern method of simulating move lighting successful games.

Nvidia GPUs besides travel pinch Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS). This tech relies connected AI to amended gaming capacity and visuals by upscaling lower-resolution images. By generating further pixels, DLSS creates higher-resolution images.

RTX 40-series graphics cards connection an moreover amended type of DLSS — DLSS 3, and moreover DLSS 3.5. Capable of generating full frames alternatively of conscionable pixels, it tin importantly boost framework rates successful galore games. It’s been a awesome trading constituent for Nvidia’s latest graphics cards.

Nvidia is connected nan cusp of releasing a caller procreation of GPUs, pinch nan RTX 50-series said to debut successful early 2025.

AMD

RX 7900 XTX installed successful a trial bench.

In caller years, AMD has emerged from nan shadows and go a unit to beryllium reckoned pinch — though Nvidia still maintains complete 80% of nan marketplace share.

AMD surely has immoderate absorbing GPUs successful its lineup, and while Nvidia gets much attention, AMD plays an important domiciled successful making judge that Nvidia doesn’t afloat monopolize nan market. It’s besides often nan much budget-friendly option, though nan latest procreation has blurred those lines a small bit.

It’s difficult to make immoderate broad statements astir AMD’s pros and cons compared to Nvidia based connected its latest generation, nan Radeon RX 7000 series. However, nan GPUs mostly thin to beryllium cheaper while offering nan aforesaid capacity successful rasterization arsenic their Nvidia equivalents. AMD falls down successful ray tracing and doesn’t connection DLSS 3 to thief boost framework rates successful nan aforesaid measurement arsenic Nvidia does, though.

Much for illustration Nvidia, if you’re buying an AMD card, you should look astatine nan past 2 gens, meaning RX 6000 and RX 7000. Particularly nan RX 6000 lineup still makes a awesome action if you want to get nan champion bang for your subordinate — but much connected that later.

In nan latest gen, AMD has cards ranging from $240 to $1,000 and above. This procreation marks a measurement up for AMD successful position of nan measurement it handles ray tracing, though Nvidia is still nan undisputed leader there, arsenic good arsenic successful AI tasks. Still, there’s been an betterment successful that regard, truthful you tin safely bargain AMD and still get bully results.

AMD’s reply to Nvidia’s DLSS is called FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR), which is now successful its 3rd loop (FSR 3.0). Unlike Nvidia, AMD doesn’t fastener FSR to a azygous procreation of its GPUs, and FSR offers cross-vendor support.

AMD has 3 versions of FSR retired simultaneously, and they don’t each look successful nan aforesaid games. FSR 1.0 and FSR 2.0 some activity rather differently, but nan agelong communicative short is that they usage an algorithm to upscale nan image and use a sharpening filter. FSR 1.0 does that aft anti-aliasing, but FSR 2.0 does it beforehand, which produces a overmuch amended image quality. AMD’s latest FSR 3.0 is nan closest point to Nvidia’s DLSS 3, but not rather — it inserts an further framework betwixt 2 frames that person already been rendered.

The problem pinch FSR 3.0 is that its take has been very slow, but successful nan fewer titles that do support it, nan tech does a bully job. FSR 2.0 is much wide available, but it besides doesn’t connection nan aforesaid benignant of performance.

Much for illustration Nvidia, AMD is moving connected its next-gen GPUs. RDNA 4, aliases RX 8000 series, is expected sometime successful nan first half of 2025.

Intel

Intel makes immoderate of nan best processors, but successful nan GPU arena, it’s a mini food successful a very large pond. While it has immoderate awesome plans for nan early successful nan shape of Intel Battlemage, it hardly dents Nvidia’s and AMD’s marketplace stock correct now. The latest estimates put its stock astatine 0%, mostly owed to nan truth that Intel hasn’t had immoderate caller releases successful a agelong time. With that said, if you’re looking for a fund GPU and you don’t request nan champion of nan best, Intel shouldn’t beryllium overlooked.

For years, Intel’s only task into graphics was related to integrated GPUs connected its processor chips. However, successful 2022, it launched Arc Alchemist — a mini lineup of discrete graphics cards. That includes nan Arc A380, Arc A580, Arc A750, and Arc A770.

Many group had reasonably debased expectations for Intel’s first due effort astatine making GPUs, but nan extremity consequence was amazingly decent. In our ain testing, we recovered that nan Arc A770 and Arc A750 clasp up good successful gaming scenarios, beating GPUs for illustration nan RTX 3060 and coming adjacent to competing against nan RTX 3060 Ti. Of course, those are last-gen GPUs, and pinch nan adjacent procreation astir nan corner, nan Alchemist cards are increasing much and much outdated.

1080p gaming results for nan Intel Arc graphics cards.

Still, capacity was ne'er nan main target, and Intel has been clear from nan get-go that it wasn’t trying to hit Nvidia and AMD successful that regard. Instead, it aggressively targeted capacity per dollar, keeping nan merchandise pricing comparatively competitive. All of Intel’s GPUs are increasing much outdated by nan minute; however, for a much budget-oriented build, Intel makes a bully replacement for Nvidia, pinch its much costly graphics paper only costing astir $280 to $350.

Intel Arc does a amended occupation erstwhile it plays newer games, and nan Intel driver squad is still moving connected improving nan capacity of nan GPUs successful DirectX 9 and DirectX 11-based games. To springiness in installments wherever it’s due, Intel has been improving by leaps and bounds to nan constituent wherever it’s a mostly safe pick.

Surprisingly, Intel besides does a amended occupation than AMD successful position of ray tracing, but of course, this only applies to comparable GPUs from nan aforesaid generation. The RX 7000 bid is already amended successful that regard.

Intel has its ain type of DLSS and FSR, referred to arsenic Intel Xe Super Sampling (XeSS). Much for illustration nan different two, it’s an upscaling feature, and it’s only disposable connected Arc Alchemist GPUs. It renders your crippled astatine a little solution and past relies connected instrumentality learning and AI to upscale nan image. The extremity consequence is an summation successful framework rates without doing excessively overmuch harm to image quality.

1080p, 1440p, aliases 4K?

If you’re a gamer, 1 of your main points of information is going to beryllium whether you want to play games astatine 1080p, 1440p (2K), aliases 4K. This applies to different users too, arsenic a higher show solution intends much surface existent estate, and that’s bully for conscionable astir anybody. Be it for productivity aliases for entertainment, nan move from 1080p to 1440p is noticeable, and scaling up to 4K bears moreover much impact.

Screen solution is an important point to support successful mind erstwhile you shop for a GPU. Let’s ideate that you bargain a 1440p graphics card, for illustration nan RTX 4070 Ti, successful nan hopes of utilizing it for games. Unless you bargain a show that matches it, you’ll fundamentally beryllium wasting immoderate of nan capacity your paper could beryllium putting out.

The aforesaid goes for show refresh rates — if your GPU tin tally supra 60 frames per 2nd (fps), buying a matching show that goes up to 75Hz aliases moreover 144Hz is simply a sound idea. Conversely, utilizing a high-end monitor pinch a fund GPU besides doesn’t rather adhd up, because your graphics paper is not beardown capable to powerfulness up that costly display.

So, which solution do you need?

It each comes down to penchant and your budget, but let’s spell complete this quickly to springiness you a amended thought of what to spell for.

Casual users don’t really request to spell supra 1080p. It makes things much expensive, some nan GPU itself and nan monitor. There are plentifulness of decent 1080p GPUs successful this procreation and nan erstwhile one, including cards for illustration nan AMD Radeon RX 7600 aliases nan Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060, arsenic good arsenic Intel’s last-gen Arc A770.

For gamers, 1440p is progressively becoming much popular, and that’ll require a somewhat amended graphics paper — fortunately, this existent gen is teeming pinch 1440p GPUs. AMD has nan precocious manus successful this one, pinch nan fantabulous RX 7800 XT, but nan RX 7700 XT is an acceptable alternative. The RX 7900 GRE marks an moreover amended but somewhat pricier option.

Nvidia has a batch to offer, too. We’d urge nan RTX 4070 Ti, arsenic now that Nvidia besides has nan RTX 40 Super refresh up for sale, nan GPU has dropped successful value a lot, making it one of nan GPUs we urge buying correct now. However, nan RTX 4070 Super and nan RTX 4070 Ti Super are some coagulated picks, too.

Gaming astatine 4K is simply a next-level characteristic correct now, and only nan astir powerful GPUs tin tally that solution seamlessly. For Nvidia, nan options that make consciousness correct now see nan RTX 4080, nan RTX 4080 Super, and nan RTX 4090, though nan RTX 4070 Ti Super tin besides grip 4K gaming if you’re consenting to discuss connected immoderate settings. If you for illustration AMD, you tin return your prime betwixt nan RX 6950 XT and nan newer duo: The RX 7900 XTX and RX 7900 XT.

Budget

All nan nosy bells and whistles of various GPUs don’t matter if they don’t fresh into your budget. Most of america are held backmost by monetary constraints, and choosing really to allocate your PC building fund plays a large portion successful really it performs later.

You mightiness beryllium tempted to adopt a “go large aliases spell home” attack and conscionable bargain nan champion GPU you tin get but spell inexpensive connected different components. However, it’s amended to equilibrium things retired and take a decent processor paired pinch a coagulated graphics card. Don’t effort to prevention money connected nan powerfulness proviso and cooling, either. Ultimately, your PC is only arsenic beardown arsenic its weakest parts.

Below, we’ll research various options based connected GPU price.

Under $300

AMD RX 6600 XT sitting connected a table.

At $300 and under, you’re shopping for a 1080p graphics card. It tin beryllium thing to crippled on, but it tin besides conscionable beryllium a GPU to support regular activity and entertainment. You won’t get insane performance, but it’s perfectly imaginable to play astir AAA games connected these GPUs arsenic agelong arsenic you don’t request max settings.

These graphics cards person different perk extracurricular of being inexpensive — they besides don’t devour overmuch power. This intends you won’t request a beefy PSU and will beryllium capable to prevention a small much money there, too.

For Nvidia, we urge nan , which costs astir $280 to $320 and gives you entree to DLSS 3. That’s a monolithic boost successful immoderate games. The RTX 3060 is somewhat cheaper, but it lacks DLSS 3 and it’s progressively difficult to travel by, truthful it’s champion to debar it astatine this point. There are cheaper options too, for illustration nan GTX 1650 priced astatine astir , but it’s a beautiful dated card, truthful steer clear unless you’re connected a really tight budget.

AMD has respective GPUs up for grabs astatine this value point, and they’re each immoderate of nan champion if you’re looking to get nan astir bang for your buck. The , , and nan caller are each bully options, pinch nan second being your champion pick. There’s besides nan , which has a batch much VRAM, but offers akin capacity to nan non-XT type and costs up to $70 more.

Don’t place Intel here. The is astir $240, and nan is simply a small pricier astatine $300. Both are decent options that will nett you coagulated performance. You tin moreover get nan , which is capable for 1080p, for astir $180 to $200.

Under $1,000

The RTX 4070 Ti graphics paper connected a pinkish background.

Increasing your fund to up to $1,000 opens a batch of doors erstwhile you’re shopping for a GPU. Of course, there’s a beautiful large spread between, let’s say, $400 and $1,000, and that’s besides reflected successful nan capacity of these cards.

Let’s commencement adjacent nan little end. The RTX 4060 Ti costs , but it’s not an outstanding GPU — truthful overmuch truthful that it’s really one of nan 3 GPUs we presently urge avoiding. Instead, you could drawback nan RTX 4070 Super aliases nan RTX 4070 (not-so-Super, but still great), astatine astir for nan Super type and astir $530 to $570 for nan .

The RTX 4070 Ti offers a capacity boost, but it’s besides pricier, hovering adjacent nan mark. The besides fits, and is now unchangeable astatine astir $800 to $850.

The RTX 40 Super refresh brought america a caller action successful nan nether $1,000 bracket successful nan shape of nan RTX 4080 Super. Although this GPU is fundamentally nan RTX 4080 pinch a caller name, nan value trim makes it descent correct nether that $1,000 mark, pinch nan cheapest models . This is nan astir affordable Nvidia GPU that gives you unchangeable gaming astatine 4K connected max settings successful astir titles.

AMD besides has a fewer astonishing contenders successful this value scope — which is bully for you arsenic nan buyer. There’s nan , which utilized to beryllium nan best-value GPU successful this full procreation until nan came along. Next, location is nan RX 7900 XT for , followed by nan RX 7900 XTX for . Both tin beryllium considered 1440p and 4K graphics cards.

Over $1,000

Three RTX 4080 cards sitting connected a pinkish background.

In nan existent GPU landscape, only 1 action is really disposable astatine this stage, unless you bargain an overclocked card. The RTX 4080 utilized to beryllium an action to consider, but it’s difficult to travel by now, and nan RTX 4080 Super is cheaper and performs conscionable arsenic well. That leaves america pinch nan RTX 4090.

The RTX 4090 is nan champion GPU successful this procreation by a landslide, but it’s presently terribly overpriced. Launched astatine $1,600, it was ne'er cheap, but it’s presently a batch pricier. You whitethorn beryllium capable to find it astatine , but astir models costs supra $2,000.

Although nan RTX 4090 is outrageously expensive, it delivers capacity that tin benignant of warrant nan eye-watering value tag. It tin breeze done each of nan most demanding games, and that’s assuming you’re playing astatine 4K, connected ultra settings, and pinch ray tracing enabled. The RTX 4080, while coagulated successful its ain right, doesn’t connection nan aforesaid benignant of performance.

The RTX 4080 (and Super) is still an betterment complete nan RTX 4070 Ti. It besides offers nan aforesaid capacity successful rasterization arsenic nan RX 7900 XTX, but entree to DLSS 3 and superior ray tracing springiness it an edge.

Things to watch retired for

Before we time off you to commencement your shopping spree, present are a mates much things to watch retired for if you’re buying a caller graphics card. They won’t matter if you’re gaming connected a laptop and reference this guideline to take a exemplary pinch decent graphics, truthful you tin skip correct past this if that’s nan case. If you’re a PC builder, this very overmuch applies, truthful beryllium judge to cheque it out.

Power consumption

Gigabyte Aorus P1200W powerfulness supply.

Modern graphics cards feast connected energy for illustration it’s candy, truthful it’s important to make judge your PC is prepared to grip immoderate you’re astir to put into it. This is wherever nan powerfulness proviso (PSU) comes in.

A PSU is an often overlooked constituent successful a PC, but having 1 that’s excessively anemic tin origin each mode of issues, beryllium it mediocre performance, crashes, aliases moreover a imperishable breakdown. That’s why it’s important to do your investigation beforehand and drawback a great PSU.

Each graphics paper comes pinch its ain proposal arsenic to really overmuch powerfulness it consumes. Nvidia refers to this arsenic full graphics powerfulness (TGP), AMD calls it full committee powerfulness (TBP), but they’re fundamentally nan aforesaid thing. For example, nan RTX 4090 sits astatine 450 watts and tin beryllium overclocked past that, but nan much power-conservative RTX 4060 will only request 115 watts.

Manufacturers will show you what benignant of PSU they urge for a peculiar graphics card. Still, you request to relationship for nan different components successful your PC. If you’re utilizing 1 of Intel’s champion processors, for example, which tin eat up rather a spot of power, you whitethorn request to adhd immoderate other wattage conscionable to beryllium safe. The wide norm of thumb is ever to get a amended PSU than you request — that way, if you upgrade successful nan future, you tin remainder assured that your PC will grip it conscionable fine.

If you’re not judge which PSU to buy, Newegg has a useful calculator that helps you adhd up and pick.

VRAM

RTX 4060 Ti sitting connected a pinkish background.

If you’re a gamer looking for a GPU that will past you a bully fewer years, VRAM is now a specification you request to salary adjacent attraction to. This is nan representation connected your GPU, responsible for storing and quickly accessing information related to graphics. It plays a captious domiciled successful nan measurement your GPU performs, arsenic it stores textures, shaders, framework buffers, and different information basal for rendering high-resolution images, videos, and 3D graphics.

As is often nan lawsuit pinch PC gaming, nan much VRAM you have, nan better. However, it’s not arsenic elemental arsenic that anymore. Some of nan latest games person shown america that nan VRAM capacity connected immoderate graphics cards is simply not enough anymore, which intends that moreover if they’re okay for now, they’ll beryllium struggling successful a mates of years.

This is why we counsel you against buying nan RTX 4060 Ti, for instance. While it’s a decent paper successful its ain way, it only has 8GB VRAM crossed a 128-bit representation autobus — it’s simply not capable to warrant its value tag. Instead, it’s safer to bargain GPUs that person much VRAM, and location are plentifulness of specified options. Even nan RTX 4070 has 12GB VRAM. Lots of AMD cards do, too; for example, nan RX 7800 XT sports 16GB.

If you’re a casual gamer who’s much into indie titles, this won’t beryllium an rumor — but if you want to play games like Cyberpunk 2077, past moreover nan base crippled now calls for 12GB VRAM. This business isn’t apt to alteration anytime soon, truthful for nan liking of future-proofing, spell for 12GB aliases more.

Choosing nan correct GPU for you

RX 7900 XTX and RX 7900 XT connected a pinkish background.

Ultimately, alternatively of choosing by nan shaper alone, effort to deliberation of buying a GPU successful position of what you want to person and really overmuch you’re consenting to salary for it.

If you want nan champion imaginable capacity and you don’t attraction astir nan money, Nvidia is still nan measurement to spell here. If you want a bully blend of capacity and affordable pricing, spell for AMD. Even then, it’s not arsenic achromatic and achromatic arsenic that because if you’re much worried astir nan fund but want to effort retired DLSS 3, that intends you’ll request to instrumentality to Nvidia. AMD cards are often amended worth but not ungraded cheap, truthful it’s each astir weighing nan pros and cons and deciding what matters to you more.

Intel only really fits into budget-oriented builds correct now, but erstwhile nan adjacent procreation comes out, it mightiness beryllium much competitive.

With each that said, most, if not all, of nan GPUs successful nan past 2 generations will tally modern games astatine an acceptable level. The cheapest options will require a batch of discuss connected settings, but they’ll still tally them. Don’t interest excessively much, and effort to prime what useful good for your budget.