Rendering complex geometries in gaming scenes is only possible because of graphics cards. While CPUs have been carrying out these tasks for ages, their integrated graphics solutions are typically lackluster when it comes to intensive graphical workloads such as 3D graphics rendering in games.
Gamers often find themselves confused between choosing a graphics card for casual and intensive gaming requirements. Not anymore! Our recommended graphics cards will guide you toward an uncompromised gaming experience at your desired resolution while also being budget-friendly most of the time.
With the entry of the latest AMD RDNA 3-based and Nvidia’s Ada-based GPUs, we have carefully compiled the list of the best graphics cards that offer excellent value per dollar, a smooth gaming experience, and the support for the latest game technologies to uplift your gaming experience.
TCG’s Picks for the Best Graphics Cards in 2024
RTX 4070 Ti Super is an upgraded 4070 Ti card with more VRAM and CUDA cores. Costing the same as the non-Super edition, the RTX 4070 Ti Super offers great value and the ability to max out visual quality at 1440p. With the Asus Dual OC edition, you will get higher clock speeds out of the box, a compact design, and a decent dual-fan cooling solution.
There is always a GPU that exceeds expectations and the RTX 4070 Ti Super is all about that. Since the release of the first batch of RTX 4000 GPUs, there hasn’t been a GPU that was able to deliver better value than the RTX 4070 Ti(non-Super) edition. Fast-forward to 2024, exactly one year after the 4070 Ti’s launch, the RTX 4070 Ti Super makes an entry into the high-end GPU category, replacing the non-Super edition for the same price tag of $800.
This time, however, the RTX 4070 Ti Super receives an upgraded AD103 chip and a better VRAM configuration. The Cuda Cores are increased by 10% and the memory size by 4GB GDDR6X VRAM on a wider 256-bit memory bus, unlocking better performance overall at not only 1080p and 1440p but also at higher resolutions such as 4K. The GPU also gets bulkier with a 3-slot design but if you go with the Asus Dual OC edition, you will get a 2.56-slot design that is easier to fit in most PC cases that have at least 267cm of clearance for the GPU.
From rasterization to ray tracing, the RTX 4070 Ti Super absolutely owns any card at $800 and can max out graphics presets at 1440p, and delivers over 100 fps consistently.
An ideal GPU for gamers on a budget that delivers satisfactory 1080p gaming performance and is also ray tracing capable. With the Zotac Twin Edge OC edition, you get a slightly higher boost clock and a compact 2-slot dual-fan design for your budget gaming build.
The vast majority of gamers around the world don’t possess a thousand dollars for the GPU alone. While enthusiasts are willing to pay $800-$1000 on the GPU, budget gamers often tend to spend this amount on their PC build. For such a gaming build, the RTX 4060 is nothing less than a boon, offering excellent gaming performance at 1080p resolution with ultra graphics presets.
The GPU replaces the RTX 3060 from the previous gen and is the direct competitor of the RX 7600 GPUs. However, it manages to outperform them in a lot of areas for a similar price. Power-efficient operation and good RT capabilities make it a solid choice for modern triple-A titles. At just 115W, it delivers far higher fps per watt than any other budget GPU. That said, the 8GB VRAM limitation does lack the juice modern titles need at 1440p. Still, there is nothing you need to worry about as this is mostly applicable in a select titles.
The RX 7700 XT offers a great balance between price and performance. Offering excellent 1080p performance and satisfactory 1440p gaming capabilities, the RX 7700 XT has all the bells and whistles for a mid-range gaming build.
Between the budget and high-end categories, there are a couple of mid-range GPUs that promise a captivating 1440p gaming experience. As most of these fall between $500-$600 price tag, users who have $400 in their pocket are left with only two available options. Due to the lack of competition at this price tag, you can either have Nvidia’s RTX 4060 Ti 8GB edition or the Radeon RX 7700 XT. The RX 7700 XT beats the 4060 Ti fair and square in rasterization and proves to be a better value card despite losing to it in Ray Tracing.
As the overall performance difference can be quite large(30%+) in some games, the slight disadvantage in ray tracing can be overlooked. The RX 7700 XT also boasts a higher VRAM capacity than the competitor and is perfect for modern titles like Starfield, Hogwarts Legacy, and The Last of Us: Part 1, which tend to consume a lot of VRAM at 1440p resolution. The triple fan XFX QICK319 edition of this card is a sleek-looking piece of hardware, which offers a 55MHz higher boost clock out of the box and a great cooling solution for maintaining higher clock speed for a longer duration.
The RTX 4070 is an upgraded upper-mid range RTX 4070 card that boasts 22% more Cuda Cores for achieving higher raster and ray tracing performance. For $50 more, the 4070 Super destroys most GPUs within the sub-$600 price range and is suitable for playing with ray tracing turned on.
In the upper mid-range category, by spending $200 more, you can replace your option from RX 7700 XT with the RTX 4070 Super card, which is a formidable gaming GPU to max out the graphics presets at 1440p without dropping below 80 fps(in most cases). Even the most intensive titles can achieve performance in triple digits, considering you haven’t turned on ray tracing yet. However, if you do, make sure to turn on DLSS 3.0 to maintain high frame rates.
Not only the RTX 4070 Super is an excellent choice for playing on native resolution with ray tracing, but it also offers the DLSS 3.0 Frame Generation technique to improve the performance without having to lower the graphics presets. Going from RTX 4070 to 4070 Super, you will gain roughly 20% higher performance overall, which is an incredible improvement for just $50 more. Compared to AMD cards in an equivalent price range, the RTX 4070 Super shows its superiority in power efficiency and remains a better choice overall.
The RX 6750 XT retains its unparalleled value for money and is still abundantly available in most retail stores with significant discounts. Offering great 1440p performance and 12GB VRAM, it is perfect for pure raster performance on ultra settings. The XFX edition gives you a triple-fan cooling solution for maintaining higher clock speeds.
It has been two years since the Radeon RX 6750 XT made it to the GPU market and there are no signs of it slowing down. A few months back, it was the RX 6700 XT that was in the talks but the 6750 XT is now at the same price tag, offering slightly better performance. Based on RDNA 2 architecture, the RX 6750 XT is one of the most successful cards in the budget segment. Originally launched for $549, the card has made it down to $300 after the launch of the newer RDNA 3 series.
The RX 6750 XT single-handedly destroys all the modern budget cards, including the RTX 4060 and RX 7600/XT GPUs for the same price. From offering uncompromised 1080p performance to a satisfactory 1440p gameplay experience, the card is the best one can have in their budget gaming system until you need solid ray tracing power. Though it is ray tracing capable, we strictly recommend going with the 4070 cards or higher. The RX 6750 XT will be a great general-purpose GPU that will suffice for gaming and graphically intensive workloads. The only flaw is its inability to encode in AV1 format but if you aren’t a streamer, there is no need to worry.
Consistent 60+ fps at 4K resolution and terrific Ray Tracing performance make the RTX 4080 Super one of our most recommended high-end GPUs. The MSI Ventus 3X OC is a decently-priced triple-fan AIB design with a 2595MHz boost clock out of the box.
For a thousand dollars, there are currently two GPUs to choose from. One is the Radeon RX 7900 XTX and the other is the RTX 4080 Super. There is no denying that the RX 7900 XTX is highly competitive and has the advantage of more VRAM but the RTX 4080 Super takes the crown due to being much better at ray tracing, power efficiency, and also has the support for DLSS 3.0, which is more stable than FSR 3.0. At this point, there the DLSS is simply a better upscaling technique but it’s not the only factor that decides the RTX 4080 Super to be a better choice.
Its amazing value for its price tag compels a lot of enthusiasts to use it for gaming at 4K. The original RTX 4080 suffered from a bad price point but the RTX 4080 Super brings identical performance for $200 less. Even though the 4080 Super brings better specs on paper, in real-world tests, the difference is hardly 1-2%. Still, the RTX 4080 Super is going to be flawless for 4K gaming due to the availability of 16GB VRAM which is more than enough for modern titles.
The RTX 4090 is unparalleled in the world of GPUs and is currently at the top of the chart in gaming performance. Whether you want to play games with or without ray tracing, it will make sure you get consistently high frame rates at 4K resolution.
The RTX 4090 boasts immense power for a premium gaming experience. Being the only one at the top of the chart with no other GPU near its capabilities, the RTX 4090 has been unbeaten since its release in 2022. Featuring over 16,000 Cuda Cores, 24GB GDDR6X VRAM on a big 384-bit bus, and the highest number of RT and Tensor cores a gaming GPU has ever seen, you can rely on the 4090 for maintaining frame rates in triple digits almost all the time.
Of course, there are instances where you will need to turn on DLSS 3.0 Frame Generation such as in running an RT-compatible game like Cyberpunk 2077 on max settings with the highest presets. However, in most cases, the 4090 does the job well even on the native resolution with ray tracing turned on.
The 4090 uses a quite big 609mm2 die based on TSMC’s 5nm process node and is incredibly power-hungry with 450W of TGP. Power consumption is one of the factors that forces its users to opt for one of the best power supplies with 1000W capacity or higher. Despite this, the RTX 4090 sells like hotcakes and is best when paired with a high-end gaming CPU like Core i7 14700K or Ryzen 7 7800X3D.
What to Look for When Buying the Best Graphics Card?
Generation: Opt for the latest generation unless you can find a previous-gen GPU for a much lower price that also outperforms the current-gen GPU in performance. Typically, the latest-gen GPUs offer a solid price-to-performance ratio, better power efficiency, better upscaling support, and better optimizations for modern games. Generational improvements are a dealbreaker in games, which is why we always advise going with the latest GPU families.
VRAM Configuration: VRAM requirements differ from resolution to resolution and game to game. A decade ago, 4GB VRAM was quite enough for the triple-A titles. Not anymore! Many modern games consume 6GB+ VRAM even at 1080p resolution. Unless you don’t have much to spend, never settle below 8GB VRAM. For 1440p, 12GB is the sweet spot but for 4K, 16GB is what you should look for. Also check for other memory specs like memory bandwidth, type of memory, and memory speed as they all affect the gaming performance.
Ray Tracing Performance: While not necessary, good ray tracing capability has already become a deciding factor in choosing a GPU. Nvidia has been at the forefront since the introduction of real-time dynamic lighting and shadows in the game. Their GPUs are much more mature than their AMD counterparts. However, keep away from choices like RTX 4060 Ti as it offers nothing good except for good RT performance at its price tag.
Power-Efficiency and Power Requirements: Most discrete GPUs require an external power supply and have dedicated power connectors for the same. Power-efficient GPUs generally generate less heat and are more user-friendly. They don’t result in hefty electricity bills and require a smaller capacity PSU. In this department too, Nvidia is beating AMD quite convincingly but when it comes to its flagship GPU like RTX 4090, power-efficiency is not something you can boast about.
FAQ
Do I need a high-end graphics card for gaming?
Not at all. You can play games with budget GPUs such as RTX 4060, and RX 7600 and with even some older-gen cards like RX 6600 or GTX 1660 Super. High-end graphics cards are suitable for maxing out visual presets at higher resolutions and are more beneficial for competitive gamers.
What is the best budget graphics card for gaming?
Currently, the best budget graphics card from the latest generation is RTX 4060. However, the RX 6750 XT takes that title if you ignore the generation. Ultimately, the price determines what’s the best budget GPU, and the RX 6750 XT is unbeatable at the moment.
What GPU to use for 4K gaming?
We recommend at least RTX 4080 Super or RX 7900 XTX for 4K gaming. For even smoother performance, consider upgrading to the RTX 4090.