The 10 Best Graphics Cards to Buy

What are the best graphics cards on the market?

Graphics cards are an essential part of any gaming PC, and in order to have the perfect gaming experience, you’re going to need a quality graphics card.

However, not all graphics cards are created equal, so we’ve created a list of the best graphics cards you can invest in, as well as how each one excels.

The Best Graphics Cards

All of these graphics cards have been thoroughly tested to ensure that they can provide a top-of-the-line gaming experience.

Here’s our list of the 10 best graphics cards on the market right now:

In A Rush? Here’s Our Top Pick:

10. Asus TUF Gaming RTX 3070

The Asus TUF Gaming RTX 3070 graphics card lets users experience the quality of Nvidia’s RTX 3070 but with the benefit of a different design that can make it more suitable for some PC builds than others.

With this card, you get to take advantage of Nvidia’s Ampere Streaming Multiprocessors which provide superior power efficiency, as well as support for up to 8k resolution.

One of the biggest differences between this card and Nvidia’s model is that there are multiple HDMI 2.1 ports, which allow you to use multiple displays with the supported 4k/120hz signal.

This card also has a triple fan design that makes it easier to keep cool, even during long gaming sessions.

You can even overclock it, but you’ll want to make sure you know the pros and cons of overclocking before doing that yourself, and even then, the boost is minimal at best.

Pros:

• Great graphics
• Low risk of overheating
• Multiple HDMI ports

Cons:

• Power-hungry
• Minimal boost from overclocking

Bottom Line:

The Asus TUF Gaming RTX 3070 is the best Nvidia RTX graphics card for gaming PCs and it can definitely deliver an amazing experience.

Although it may not be the best option for gamers looking for a card to overclock, it is more than capable of allowing you to play even the most demanding games without worrying about frame rate loss.

9. AMD Ryzen 7 5700G

AMD Ryzen CPUs have regularly been one of the best CPUs you can buy for under $300, and this processor is a great alternative to Nvidia cards.

Not only can it enable you to play most games at 1080p, but you won’t even need a separate graphics card to do it.

Combining a CPU and GPU into one, the AMD Ryzen APU is an outlier on this list, but it is still more than capable of providing a fantastic PC gaming experience.

For one, this APU is perfect for smaller PC builds, as you don’t need to worry about having space for a dedicated graphics card, and it doesn’t require a huge power supply to function.

With eight cores, 16 threads, and the ability to boost clock speed up to 4.6GHz, this APU can even run some of the fastest and most demanding games without stuttering or lagging frame rates.

The AMD Wraith Stealth Cooler also comes included, so you can game without worrying about overheating.

Pros:

• Incredibly sophisticated integrated graphics
• Cool running
• Great value
• Compact size

Cons:

• Limited motherboard compatibility
• Eight cores may be too much for some users’ needs
• Not powerful enough for ultra settings

Bottom Line:

For not being dedicated hardware geared specifically towards graphics, the AMD Ryzen 7 5700G certainly performs as well as some of the best graphics cards on the market today.

While being an APU may make it unappealing for those looking for a heavy-duty graphics card, if you have a mini-ITX build, this can be the perfect solution for saving space without sacrificing performance.

It definitely is the best AMD graphics card, despite not being a dedicated GPU.

8. ASUS Phoenix NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 V2

If you’re looking for the best value graphics card, the ASUS Phoenix Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 V2 is for you.

Not only is this an extremely capable graphics card, but it has one of the best prices considering everything you get.

Similar to the Nvidia RTX 3060 TI, with this card, you can easily run games with high-quality settings and not worry about a decrease in gaming performance.

The cooling capabilities of this card are also worth noting, and the axial-tech fan design allows for an increase in downward air pressure that helps prevent overheating.

While it does exhibit some mediocre ray tracing performance, we’d argue that it more than makes up for this with everything else it provides.

Pros:

• Best overall value
• Large memory (12GB)
• Max Resolution (7680 x 4320)

Cons:

• Modest ray tracing performance

Bottom Line:

If you want power and performance without breaking the bank, the Asus ASUS Phoenix Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 V2 is the card for you.

Despite the ray-tracing support being a bit lacking when compared to others on our list, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better card for this price.

7. Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3070 Ti

Featuring second-gen RT cores and third-gen tensor cores, the Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is a powerful graphics card capable of providing up to 300 FPS while gaming with max settings.

In terms of clock speed, this card can reach as high as 1830 MHz, while the Windforce 3X cooling system provides superior heat dissipation.

This card also comes with 16.7 million customizable RGB color options, and you can choose numerous combinations to really compliment your PC setup.

Overclocking this card is definitely possible, and the temperature control and durable capacitors help to ensure it is able to withstand the strain without reducing system life.

Pros:

• Exceptional design
• Fantastic cooling
• Outstanding performance

Cons:

• Power-hungry
• High price

Bottom Line:

While this graphics card is amazing for running games, and it can definitely stand up with the best of them, the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is only around 9% slower than this card and costs a bit less.

For that reason, the 3060 Ti ranks slightly higher, but that isn’t to say that this card is a bad investment.

On the contrary, its cooling and overclocking abilities make it a strong contender and definitely a card to carefully consider.

6. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is one of the most popular graphics cards on the market, and it is the best for getting the most bang for your buck.

With exceptional responsiveness and low latency, the card can give you a significant advantage when playing fast-paced games.

This card may have some competition from the previous four on our list, but the RTX 3060 Ti still manages to outperform them, especially when it comes to ray tracing games.

The biggest drawbacks are the 8GB memory, which some users may not find to be enough in the long term, and the fact that there is currently a shortage which has led to inflated prices.

Pros:

• Exceptional performance for the price
• Perfect to play games at 1440p
• Exceptional responsiveness

Cons:

• Low 8GB memory
• Hard to find for the original price

Bottom Line:

Originally, this card had a retail price of about $399, but this has skyrocketed due to shortages, leading it to now be closer to $1000.

However, it is likely that this GPU shortage will end in the second half of 2022, meaning we can expect to see prices coming back down.

Aside from that, this graphics card remains one of the best for its price, and it is definitely worth considering, even if you have to wait a bit to get a good deal.

5. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti

The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is a step up from the GeForce RTX 2070, but it is just as capable in many respects as the GeForce RTX 3080.

Blending the 3070’s full GPU with the fast memory of the 3080, this graphics card can deliver high FPS at 1440p and offers a more affordable 4k gaming experience.

Boost clock speeds can top 1,770MHz, although it does require more power than the standard 3070.

In terms of ray tracing performance, this Nvidia card does a good job mitigating the impact of RT on most games, though its ray-tracing capabilities still fall a bit short of the 3080.

Despite this, the 3070 Ti offers far from poor ray tracing performance, and this card does come with 48 second-gen RT cores, which offer a noticeable improvement when compared to cards running gen one cores.

Pros:

• High-resolution capabilities
• 4k gaming
• Solid ray tracing

Cons:

• High power supply requirements
• Limited memory (8GB)

Bottom Line:

The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is the perfect middle ground in terms of price and performance, and it combines a lot of the features that make 3070 and 3080 great cards.

It is a solid, reliable graphics card for any gaming PC and arguably one of the best Nvidia graphics cards to be released.

4. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090

The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 is by far the fastest graphics card you’re going to find and it is perfect for gamers and creators alike.

With 24GB of memory and a boost clock speed up to 1,695MHz, this card has some serious power behind it.

4k gaming performance is perfect and you could even push this to 8k on some rigs for a truly incredible experience.

It will even handle real-time ray tracing without a stutter and beats both AMD and many other Nvidia graphics cards in terms of overall performance.

Although the GeForce RTX 3090 Ti, which just dropped, is slated to take the title as the fastest graphics card, this one is still leading the way and it’s slated to remain one of the best performing for years to come.

Pros:

• Fastest graphics card on the market
• 4k to 8k gaming performance
• 24GB memory

Cons:

• High power requirements
• High price

Bottom Line:

If speed is your priority when looking to invest in a graphics card, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 is the best you can find and the current fastest of all Nvidia GPUs.

While it does require a lot of power and the price is high, especially due to the graphics card shortage, this graphics card is a long-term investment that you can get a lot of use out of.

3. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti

While you may have expected the RTX 3090 to come in ahead of the RTX 3080 Ti, we had to give our third spot to this card for a few significant reasons.

Firstly, it is nearly as good as the RTX 3090, but it costs less, which is always a plus if you’re not looking to break the bank.

While it may not be the fastest or capable of running games at 8k, it can still handle 4k with ease and it doesn’t lack ray tracing abilities.

Powered by Ampere, this graphics card will allow you to play with ultra-high graphics settings without needing to sacrifice performance.

Generally speaking, if you’re a serious PC gamer, this is the best graphics card you’re going to find for playing some of today’s most demanding games.

Pros:

• Phenomenal 4k gaming performance
• Almost as good as the RTX 3090 for a lower price
• Exceptional ray tracing

Cons:

• Needs additional cooling
• Large power demand

Bottom Line:

You’ll find no better graphics card for playing PC games than the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti.

While it does heat up quickly and comes with a fairly steep price tag, its performance is almost flawless, which makes it one of the best graphics cards for any discerning PC gamer.

2. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080

The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Founders edition cards take our number two spot as runner-up to being called the best graphics card overall.

This graphics card is seriously impressive and its low temperatures and 4k gaming performance make it one of the most popular and most sought-after cards.

In terms of performance, this graphics card is 30% faster than the last-gen RTX 2080 Ti and its ray-tracing is just as sleek as the RTX 3080 Ti.

It can even hold its own against the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT with superior DLSS acceleration, visual integrity, and frame rates.

Pros:

• Exceptional performance
• Superior ray tracing
• 4k gaming at 60 fps or more

Cons:

• Limited availability
• High power demand

Bottom Line:

The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 founders edition card is capable of producing some truly stunning graphics and performance.

For PC games on max settings, the frame rates are some of the best, and both gamers and creators can benefit from what this card can provide.

While it is hard to come by currently, and when you do, the price can be high, ultimately we think that this card is worth every penny, especially once you see for yourself everything that it can do.

1. MSI RTX 3090 Gaming X Trio

Taking our top spot is the best graphics card of all, and one that packs a seriously powerful punch.

Not only does this graphics card have the cooling power to handle the RTX 3090 without overheating, but it can also handle an overclocked GPU with ease.

This means you can make this already staggeringly powerful graphics card even more powerful.

With a boost clock and memory speed of 1785 MHz and 19.5 Gbs, this graphics card can easily run any game quickly and in full 4k without frame rate issues.

There is even RGB lighting built in to help you show off this impressive card, and you can customize it to match any other RGB lights you already have installed.

Pros:

• Insanely powerful
• Integrated RGB
• Seemless overclocking capabilities

Cons:

• Needs a lot of power
• Very expensive

Bottom Line:

The MSI RTX 3090 Gaming X Trio graphics card is a complete beast. There isn’t a lot that this card can’t do.

While its biggest downside is how incredibly expensive it is, this card is definitely worth every cent with just how much power is packed into it.

FAQs About Graphics Cards

Now that we’ve covered the best graphics cards on the market today, let’s take a look at some of our answers to the most frequently asked questions about them.

Q: What are the most important specs of a graphics card?

When looking to buy a graphics card, all of the specs are important, but some are more crucial to take note of than others.

Memory

Memory — VRAM — is the amount of video memory that a card has, and it is measured in gigabytes.

If you’re planning on gaming, you should look for cards with at least 6 GB of VRAM and definitely none lower than 4 GB.

However, memory also plays a part in the resolution that you can achieve, so if you want to play at 1440p or 4K, you’ll want a card with at least 8 GB of memory.

Power

The amount of power a card needs is something else that you’ll want to consider before making a purchase.

Most high-quality graphics cards for gaming require a lot of power, so you’ll need to make sure that your PC’s power supply can handle the connection.

Ports

There is no point in buying a graphics card if you can’t connect it, so take note of the ports that it has.

The most universal is HDMI, but some also have DisplayPort or VGA/DVI.

Check to make sure your monitor is capable of connecting to your new card before buying it so that you don’t also need to invest in a new monitor.

Q: Which graphics card is best for gaming?

Currently, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is the best graphics card you can invest in for a fantastic gaming experience.

It can provide graphics almost as well as the RTX 3090 but with a lower price tag, and it can allow you to play with ultra-high settings without worrying about dropping frame rates or lagging.

Without a doubt, it is the best graphics card for gamers and it is slated to remain the best for years to come.

Q: Which graphic card is the most powerful?

Currently, Nvidia’s RTX 3090 is the most powerful graphics card on the market, excluding commercial and professional GPUs, and it is the one that took our number one spot on this list.

With this graphics card, you can do literally everything, and its 24 GB of VRAM ensures that even the newest and most demanding games play like a dream.

Q: Is GTX or RTX graphics card better?

The difference between GTX and RTX graphics cards can sometimes be confusing, but it’s important to know what each specializes in, so you can invest in the right type.

GTX

Nvidia GeForce GTX was first introduced in 2008 and it stands for Giga Texel Shader eXtreme.

GTX graphics cards were and still are some of the best cards for playing fast-paced multiplayer games like Fortnite, League of Legends, Overwatch, and various E-sports titles.

RTX

RTX, on the other hand, stands for Ray Tracing Texel eXtreme, and these cards were first released in 2018 and geared towards Ai and real-time ray tracing.

These graphics cards are perfect for rendering games in real-time to create a cinematic, visually rich experience.

Games like Cyberpunk 2077, Battlefield, Call of Duty, and The Last of Us Part 2, all benefit highly from these cards and they are often considered the best performing on the market.

That said, as great as the lighting and reflection effects are with RTX cards, they are often much more expensive than GTX cards, which is something to keep in mind.

Q: Which graphics card brand is best?

If you ask two different PC builders what graphics card brand is best, chances are you’ll get two different answers.

The debate between AMD and Nvidia fans will likely continue to rage on in much the same way that PlayStation and Xbox players will continue to debate which console is best.

In terms of performance, the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT can easily go toe to toe with the Nvidia RTX 3090.

Both can provide a great 4k gaming experience and both are incredibly powerful.

When it comes to price, AMD has always been noticeably more affordable, although this isn’t always necessarily the case, with the AMD Radeon RX 6700 and 6800 being slightly more expensive than their Nvidia equivalents.

Ultimately, the choice is up to you and which brand you prefer.

Summary

Even the most impressive PC builds are nothing without a solid and reliable graphics card, and the ones on this list are the best that you can buy today.

We hope this has helped narrow down your search and answer some of your questions so that you can find the perfect graphics card for your PC.

Here’s a quick recap of the 10 best graphics cards on the market right now:

1. MSI RTX 3090 Gaming X Trio
2. Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080
3. Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti
4. Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090
5. Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti
6. Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
7. Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3070 Ti
8. ASUS Phoenix Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 V2
9. AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
10. Asus TUF Gaming RTX 3070

What’s the best graphics card, in your opinion? Leave a comment below.