The best graphics cards for gaming can ensure that your PC performs at the level required for the games you want to play, the way you want to play them. Many consumer graphics cards, or GPUs, are built specifically with gaming in mind, but the right one for you will depend on your needs and budget.
As a writer who specialises in gaming, I'm often asked to recommend the best graphics cards. While it'd be easy to just recommend the current top dog, Nvidia's RTX 4090, the reality is that most people can't afford to drop that kind of money on a GPU, and may not need it. I've compared the results of our own tests and reviews, and those of our sister sites, to draw up a list of the best gaming GPUs for a range of users balancing performance, features and price.
Top of the list is the Nvidia 4070 Ti Super, brand new for 2024. Below, I'll start with a quick overview of my recommendations before taking a closer look at the pros and cons of each card. If cost is an issue, you can also check our dedicated guide to the best budget graphics cards for gaming. We also have a guide to the best graphics cards for video editing.
The Quick List
I'll start with a quick overview of my picks of the best graphics cards for gaming. Scroll down or click 'read more' to see more of my evaluation of each card.
This hits the sweet spot as a new GPU offering a sizeable but not overly costly upgrade with solid performance, including improved 4K gaming, and all the benefits of a new Nvidia card. Read more below
The RTX 4090 is hands down the best graphics card for gaming that money can buy today, and by far the best for ray tracing at 4K. Such power is expensive, but this card will last you for years. Read more below
In a market dominated by Nvidia and AMD, this might seem an unusual choice, but it offers exceptionally good performance for its seriously cheap price point. Read more below
This isn't a 4K performer, but we think it offers great value. With impressive clock speeds and cooling, we think it's the graphic card that offers most bang for buck for 1440p. Read more below
The RX 6700 XT offers value, but this is the best AMD graphics card for gaming overall, and the one to consider for 4K performance. Comparable to Nvidia's RTX 4080, it provides excellent ray tracing. Read more below
The 3060 Ti is still going strong, and it's a sound choice if you prefer to go for FHD gaming and crank the frame rates up or if don't have the CPU to support a newer card. Just compare prices on the 4060 and 4060 Ti for discounts. Read more below
The best graphics cards for gaming in full
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The best graphics card for gaming for most people
(Image credit: Nvidia)
01. Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super
The best balance between price and performance
Specifications
CUDA cores: 8,448
Base clock: 2,340 MHz
Boost clock: 2,610 MHz
Memory: 16GB GDDR6X
Reasons to buy
+
RTX 3080-level performance
+
Great value
+
Runs cool and quiet
+
Improved 4K PC gaming compared to the RTX 4070
Reasons to avoid
-
Only worth the extra cost for 4K
It's often the case that you have to look at the middle of the pack to find the best graphics card for gaming that offers genuine value for money. In my opinion, the RTX 4070 Ti Super is the card that balances price and performance in 2024. It replaces the 4070 Ti, providing more memory and improved 4K performance, meaning that you can actually play top PC games at 4K with less power draw (and it absolutely belts out games at 1080p and 1440p)
It also provides all the benefits of a new Nvidia card. So, along with its 16GB of GDDR6X VRAM and 8,448 CUDA cores within, you get DLSS 3, Frame Generation, and advance ray tracing capability. Like with anything other than the very expensive RTX 4090 below, ray tracing at 4K is what is most lacking, but this is a brilliant upper mid-range addition to the Nvidia lineup. That said, other than the improvement for 4K, performance is only marginally better than on its predecessor, so those that are only interested in 1080p or 1440p gaming might want to opt for a cheaper option further down our list.
The best graphics card for gaming if price is no issue
Our expert review:
Specifications
CUDA cores: 16,384
Base clock: 2,230 MHz
Boost clock: 2,520 MHz
Memory: 24GB GDDR6X
Reasons to buy
+
Incredible performance
+
4K capable - impressively so
+
DLSS Frame Generation is great
+
Excellent clock speeds
Reasons to avoid
-
The priciest card of them all
-
Physically enormous
Perhaps somewhat unsurprisingly, but when it comes to gaming and having confidence that your card can do it all, the RTX 4090 is the best graphics card for gaming to get right now if money is issue. Its 24GB of video memory and 16,384 CUDA cores means it can handle anything, at any resolution, and crunch through even the most demanding games to give you high-quality detail, and smooth-as-butter frames.
If you want the crispest of game images at 4K, this is for you; if you want to game at 1440p or even 1080p but with eye-bleedingly fast frames, then this is for you too. Of course, the price for this performance is high – so high that the cost of this component will likely be the same as many people's whole PC. However, I can attest to the fact that you get uncompromised performance, exquisite 4K, high frame rate gaming, and all the benefits of a new Nvidia card (DLSS 3, Fram Generation, et al).Such is the power of the 4090, by default it is not only the best GPU for gaming, but the best 4K gaming GPU, and the best Nvidia card right now too.
If you're familiar with graphics cards at all, then this may come as a bit of a surprise - and I'd allow you to raise an eyebrow. However, if you're looking for a truly cheap graphics card for gaming in 2023 - and one that won't just get you the bare minimum at 1080p - then the Arc A750 is a splendid candidate.
I'm confident that this will be a great servant for you at 1080p and also does a fine job of 1440p gaming with the latest and greatest and does so, crucially, at an incredibly attractive price point. The price point generally is attractive within the context of graphics cards - you can get the Arc A750 for around $250 / £230 now, which is exceptional. But it's also stupendous value for money. For that low price, you're getting a card with a solid 8GB of GDDR6 VRAM and 3,584 shading cores and that will give you pretty decent ray-trading performance too. It really is a cracking cheap card.
It's not without caveats of course, as it does demand a bunch of power, and an important one that our friends at PC Gamer recognised was that you'll need Resize BAR software installed to get the best out of it - this is crucial. Also, for a bit of context, if you are looking at the cheaper options alongside this card, but want something from the traditional two, then Nvidia's RTX 3050 is a good call, and AMDs 6500 XT or 7600 (if you can up the budget a fraction) are great options.
There are a few cards now that do a pretty good job of offering great bang for buck value, but if I had to pick one for getting literally the 'most graphics card' for your money - and using the 1440p sweet spot as, well, the sweet spot - then the RX 6700 XT takes the biscuit.
It offers an excellent generation-on-generation performance bounce, and has the chops to back it up: with 12GB of GDDR6 RAM under the hood as well as the strong supporting act of 2,048 stream processors, you're getting something that not only will have you caning games at 1080p but also crunching through all the latest demanding titles at 1440p too. And what's more, you're getting something from the latest line of AMD that bags you all the benefits of RDNA 2 architecture such as FSR 2.0 which boosts the card's performance even further.
Given the card now sells regularly for around the $330 / £350 mark, the RX 6700 XT is incredibly good value for money for anyone looking for a sub-$500 graphics card for gaming. It's a good low-cost alternative to Nvidia's RTX 4080, which we haven't included on our list as it's currently significantly overpriced for what you get.
This AMD graphics card provide great performance at 4K
Our expert review:
Specifications
Stream Processors: 6,144
Base clock: 2,300 MHz
Boost clock: 2,500 MHz
Memory: 24GB GDDR6
Reasons to buy
+
Excellent performance - and at 4K
+
Very efficient
+
Great ray tracing
+
Multichiplet design
Reasons to avoid
-
Can get quite hot
-
Very power-hungry
-
A sizeable investment
If you're loyal to Team Red or are just looking to get a card from the top of the pile while saving as many pennies as possible then the best AMD graphics card for gaming, the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX, is the one for you. It fights directly against Nvidia's RTX 4080 and while it isn't quite as consistent as that card from Team Green, it offers similar-level performance, all the benefits of a high-end, latest-gen AMD card, and does it all for comfortably less money.
Yes, it's still got a high price tag, but we're swimming in high-end card territory here; it's no more expensive than its predecessor, is cheaper than its main rivals, and at its price point it really does offer a decent, premium performance-to-value ratio. Stand-out features include its multi-chipset design offering a big performance boost from the last gen, a massive 24GB of GDDR6 memory, 6,144 stream processors, and excellent performance in ray-tracing on the RDNA 3 architecture - all of which combine to offer a serious, premium package from AMD that continues Team Red's proposition of offering high value for money cards to gamers.
Yes, there are many competent 1080p performers from the very latest generation of graphics cards for gaming, but if you're looking for something to absolutely own the 1080p resolution, do so with some bells and whistles, and maximise your investment in the process, then you'd (still) be hard-pushed to beat the RTX 3060 Ti.
Rightly hailed as arguably the best pound-for-pound graphics card to come out of the last generation of GPUs, the 3060 Ti is still going strong in 2023. And if you're genuinely keeping your games at Full HD resolutions, and primarily want to crank the frame rates up, then I think the 3060 Ti and its beefy specs have you covered. Inside this card is 8GB of GDDR6 memory, and chunky 4,864 CUDA cores – specs that might seem a little lean compared to the very latest GPUS, but specs that are tight, mean, and punchy, nonetheless.
For full disclosure though, if you are interested in the 3060 Ti right now (mid-2023) then it might just be worth keeping tabs on the 4060 and 4060 Ti cards too – should these get price cuts or plummet in sales, then it'd be harder to still stick to the 3060 Ti. Until then, however, the 3060 Ti is still a superb choice for 1080p gaming.
Selecting and committing to the best graphics card for gaming isn't as simple as going for the most power. Given the prices of modern cards, that approach isn't often possible, and it may not make sense depending on the specs of the rest of your set up. As a result, with all big tech purchases, it's important to consider your budget, the features you want, size and what resolution you game at.
It's also worth looking at the other aspects of your setup and factoring them into your decision-making. For instance, what is the resolution of your monitor? There's no point in spending a load of money on a 4K-capable graphics card if your monitor is only going to display it in 1080p with a maximum frame rate of 60 Hz. In this case, you might as well save yourself some money and get a cheaper card. Conversely, if you do have one of the best gaming monitors that can display your games in 4K, it makes sense to stretch for a card that will make the most of it.
Also, this may seem obvious but it does trip people up: make sure you get a card that can physically fit in your PC's case. You also want to check that your power supply has sufficient wattage and the correct type of power connectors for the card to fit (the card manufacturer will provide full specs if you aren't sure).
I have picked the best graphics cards for gaming for this guide based on our own hands-on reviews and tests here at Creative Bloq and on our sister site Techradar Gaming, of which I am deputy editor. I've also considered feedback on everyday real-life use from our contributors. I have aimed to suggest options for different needs and at different price points in order to recommend budget options as well as the best graphics card for gaming in terms of pure performance.
Simply put, if you're looking for the absolutely best graphics card for gaming then the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 is the card to go for. Its power and performance beat out any competitor. However, on our best graphics card for gaming list, we've endeavored to try and hit several different beats and niches in your search; if the best GPU for gaming for you is something cheap, something from AMD, or something for a specific resolution then you can find it here.
What does 'ray tracing' mean in graphics cards?
When modern graphics cards are discussed, you'll often see reference to their 'ray tracing' performance, with writers perhaps recommending that one card is good for ray tracing, while another isn't so much. What does this mean?
Essentially, ray tracing refers to computer-generated lighting. It's a system that makes rays of light behave realistically in computer-generated environments – whether they're bouncing off water, diffusing through translucent materials – in real time. Ray tracing is nothing new, as Pixar were using it in the making of Toy Story as early as 1995. However, it's relatively recently that it has started appearing on gaming graphics cards, with Nvidia first unveiling it as a feature on its GeForce RTX cards in 2018.
The effect of ray tracing can seem quite subtle, though when you turn it off and on again, the distance in the realism of light and shadows compared to rasterization is striking – and once you get used to gaming with it, it can be hard to go back. Ray tracing is certainly going to be a big part of video gaming graphical future, though for now you can think of it as a luxury rather than an essential. It's cool, but you can game just fine without it.
Should I choose Nvidia, AMD or Intel graphics cards?
Nvidia, AMD and Intel are the only three real names in graphics cards currently. Pages and pages have been written about which brand you should choose, but we'll keep it brief here. For the utmost in performance, if money is no object, you should definitely opt for Nvidia. The current leader in the market, pushing graphics forward in terms of features like ray tracing, Nvidia produces the current best GPU on the market, the RTX 4090, however this is also one of the most expensive.
For more budget-friendly cards, you're best off looking to AMD or Intel. I've recommended the Intel Arc A750 as our budget GPU pick, and the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT, which costs slightly more but in terms of graphical bang for your buck, is pretty unbeatable at the moment.
Do I need a dedicated graphics card for gaming?
Like many questions in the world of tech, the answer to this question essentially boils down to 'it depends'. If you are using a PC that supports swappable and customisable components, and you want to play the latest AAA games with performance settings dialled up to the max, then a dedicated graphics card is definitely a good idea. Improving both the look of your games and the frame rate – which can be very important for competitive online play – a dedicated graphics card is a great investment, and as we've seen throughout this guide, it doesn't have to cost too much.
If, however, you tend to play less resource-hungry games, like retro or indie games, then you probably won't see enough benefit from the graphics card to justify the price. Also, not all computers allow for the swapping of components like graphics cards – you can't swap out the parts of a MacBook Pro very easily, for instance.
To better understand graphics cards and whether you need one, you may want to read our rundown of what a graphics card does.
Deputy Editor, TechRadar Gaming; Tech, hardware and games writer
Rob is the Deputy Editor at TechRadar Gaming, and a writer on games, gaming hardware, and tech, and also gardens and landscapes. He has been in the gaming and tech media industry for more than six years with bylines at the likes of Eurogamer, PCGamer, RockPaperShotgun, GamesRadar+, and more. Previously to being at TechRadar Gaming, he had a short but successful stint as Games Editor at WePC, and prior to that spent more than four years at GamesRadar+, building its hardware team up from scratch to great success. Elsewhere, he is merging his passion and expertise in both gardens and landscapes and video games by crowdfunding a book on video game landscapes that you can back and pre-order now.
