The Best Graphics Card for 2024 – both Gaming & Rendering
Your gaming PC deserves one of the best graphics cards. In 2024, the competitiveness between Nvidia and AMD is hotter than it has ever been, and there are several great options regardless of your budget or performance target.
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Super
The best graphics card for gaming
PROS
- Solid performance improvement over RTX 4070
- Still highly efficient
- DLSS 3.5
- Fantastic ray tracing performance
- Great value
CONS
- Only minor uplifts in a few games
- 12GB of VRAM may limit some ray-traced titles at 4K
Why should you buy this:
Though it costs the same, it is far faster than the original model. $600 NEWEGG
Who’s it for:
Midrange to high-end players seeking a GPU capable of playing 1440p games with extreme graphical fidelity.
What we thought of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Super:
Nvidia’s Super refresh improved the already excellent RTX 4070 graphics hardware. Based on our tests, this new version is 10 to 15 percent faster than the standard model while maintaining all of the features that made the previous edition so remarkable.
You are now achieving frame rates at the target resolution which are frequently substantially higher than 100 frames per second. Furthermore, if you make a few concessions in the most taxing games, the RTX 4070 Super packs enough power to push up to 4K. It serves as a reliable gaming workhorse in nearly every scenario, making it the equivalent of the Swiss Army Knife of graphics cards.
It also includes the superb DLSS 3.5 from Nvidia. When path tracing is enabled, it’s a great help in games like Alan Wake 2, and it can improve the playability of challenging games in 4K. With its combination of DLSS 3, strong raw performance, and affordable pricing, the RTX 4070 Super hits an ideal point that most other graphics cards fail to meet.
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Super
The best graphics card for 4K gaming
PROS
- Great 4K performance
- DLSS 3.5
- Exceptional ray tracing performance
- Very power efficient
- $200 price drop
CONS
- Little improvement compared to base RTX 4080
- Power adapter can be unsightly
- Prices may not hold at $1,000
Why should you buy this:
Though pricey, the RTX 4080 Super feels like it was designed specifically for 4K gaming. Newegg
Who’s it for:
4K players who require more frames per second in the most taxing games.
What we thought of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Super:
Because of its expensive price, the original RTX 4080 was a little disappointing; however, the RTX 4080 Super makes up for that. It’s the high-end 4K gaming graphics card we’ve been waiting for, and it comes in $200 less. It offers consistent performance in a variety of titles.
Even while it lacks some of the power of the RTX 4090, the RTX 4080 Super makes up for it with features like DLSS 3. Ray tracing at 4K is thus feasible, even at high frame rates. Although DLSS is not new, the RTX 4080 Super’s frame generating and ray reconstruction features can significantly increase your frame rate in challenging games.
Although the card is large and heavy, it uses less power than the RTX 4090. It maintains the same power as the previous generation while using roughly 50W less in practice.
The RTX 4080 is hard to beat for video editing. Nvidia continues to dominate video editing, and it sped up operations in programs like Adobe After Effects and DaVinci, even though there are more affordable gaming solutions. Resolve in a manner incomprehensible to AMD graphics cards.
AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX
The best AMD graphics card for 4K gaming
PROS
- Fantastic value for the RX 7900 XTX
- Playable ray tracing performance
- High refresh rate 4K gaming
- Standard 8-pin power
CONS
- Disappointing generational improvements
- Loud and hot
Why should you buy this:
At a fair price, it provides some of the greatest 4K gaming performance available right now. Newegg
Who’s it for:
High-end gamers who require high frame rates, however don’t care about the ray tracing.
What we thought of this:
One characteristic unites the current generation of GPUs: their high price. This makes selecting the best GPU difficult, but AMD is making a strong case this time. The RX 7900 XTX provides flagship power at a very good pricing in the current inflated GPU market.
When it comes to pure efficiency, the RX 7900 XTX can run even the most demanding PC games at 60 frames per second (fps) or higher. For titles like Horizon Zero Dawn and Red Dead Redemption 2, it can even reach up to 100 fps. It can compete with the RTX 4080 Super, although since Nvidia lowered the price of their 4K GPU, it has fallen in the rankings.
It also requires conventional 8-pin power instead than the 12-pin connector used on Nvidia’s latest GPUs, and it is smaller. However, this does not imply that the RX 7900 XTX is flawless. It runs hot, makes noise, and isn’t as good at ray tracing games as Nvidia.
The RX 7900 XTX is a great graphic card that can run demanding games like Cyberpunk 2077, despite those limitations.
AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE
The best AMD graphics card
PROS
- Excellent value
- Often beats RTX 4070 Super
- 16GB of VRAM
- Surprisingly capable at 4K
CONS
- FSR 3 momentum is still slow
- Ray tracing performance falls a bit short
Why should you buy this:
This generation’s greatest AMD graphics card is this one. Buy now
Who’s it for:
Gamers who aren’t too concerned with ray tracing and who want excellent 1440p and 4K performance.
What we thought of this:
It appears that the AMD RX 7900 GRE is an error. The card was first made available in China a few months ago, and there was never any indication that it would make its way to the US. It’s finally here and available for a steal at $550.
It’s a direct rival to Nvidia’s offerings at this price point, offering marginally higher performance overall for less money than the RTX 4070 Super. We refer to it as the greatest AMD GPU of this generation in our review. It surpasses the RTX 4070 by about 15% at the same price, while managing to equal the RTX 4070 Super at a lesser cost.
The best GPU for frame chasers at this pricing is the RX 7900 GRE. The RTX 4070 Super, which offers superior ray tracing performance and DLSS for a small cost, is the primary reason the RX 7900 GRE misses out on a top spot.
AMD Radeon RX 7600
The best graphics card under $300
PROS
- Solid 1080p gaming performance
- Aggressive pricing
- Only a single 8-pin power connector
- Compact design
CONS
- Memory interface limits higher resolutions
- Ray tracing performance is lacking
Why should you buy this:
For the money, it’s a good 1080p graphics card. BuyNow
Who’s it for:
1080p players on a shoestring.
What we thought of this:
Although it’s not a visually stunning graphics card, the RX 7600 is the closest thing to a real low-cost option this generation. At $270, the GPU provides more over 60 frames per second in demanding games like Cyberpunk 2077 at 1080p.
That’s what a graphics card under $300 should offer. For demanding titles at 1080p, the RX 7600 meets and frequently surpasses the 60 frames per second threshold. Additionally, it is compatible with AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR), allowing it to run games like Alan Wake 2 and Starfield at greater frame rates.
The only area where the card truly suffers is with ray tracing. Ray tracing performance on AMD cards has never been excellent, and this entry-level model doesn’t improve that fact. Resident Evil 4 and other similar games allow for some light ray tracing, but anything more demanding will require you to disable this capability.
