Whether you are upgrading an existing gaming rig or building a new PC, the graphics card (GPU) is one of the most integral components that ultimately decide your gaming performance. To help you achieve the best visual experience, high frame rates, and smoother gaming, we have covered all the best GPUs for gaming in this guide. We tell you about the highest-performing graphics cards from NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel at various price points.
We have recommended GPUs across a variety of price points, including mid-range, high-end, budget, and even sub-$200 entry-level models, which support up to 4K gaming. So, it doesn’t matter if you have only $200 to spend on a budget GPU or if you are looking for a top-of-the-line performer; we have you covered.
Top Graphics Cards (GPU) to Buy for Gaming in 2025
1. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090
- Current Price: Starts from $3,999.99
- MSRP (at launch): $1599 (Founders Edition)
- VRAM & Effective Memory Clock: 24GB GDDR6X 21 Gbps
- Boost Core Clock: 2520MHz [Depends on AIB]
- Thermal Design Power (TDP): 450W
- CUDA Cores: 16,384
- Transistor Count: 76,300 Million
- Manufacturing Process: 4 nm
The RTX 4090 is at the top of our list in the high-end GPU category because it beats everything on the market in terms of all-out performance. With its insane TDP of 450W (requires 3x or 4x 8-pin connectors) and 4-slot sizing (for the FE variant), this graphics card is quite the behemoth. RTX 4090 has up to 24GB of GDDR6X memory, which runs at an effective 21Gbps. How does it perform compared to the previous-gen flagship? Well, when it comes to 4K Gaming, in many games, the RTX 4090 performs almost twice as fast as the RTX 3090 Ti.
Regarding features, the RTX 4090 has many new improvements that the Ada Lovelace architecture brought to the table. We will talk about what’s important to gamers, and the first one is NVIDIA DLSS 3. This is the new generation of DLSS that includes something called AI Frame Generation. DLSS 3 leverages AI to create artificial frames, resulting in a higher overall FPS and contributing to the smoothness of your game. It has its merits and demerits, but it is definitely a revolutionary feature. Apart from this, the RTX 4090 also has AV1 encoding.
While it is literally the fastest GPU currently, you should really be playing at 4K to take full advantage of this video card. People who are using 1440p high-refresh rate monitors might also find this GPU appealing, but generally speaking, fewer games benefit from the RTX 4090 at resolutions below 4K. Basically, you can really see this card flex its muscles and showcase its complete capability at 4K – but anything lower and you will start to see diminishing returns.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| World’s fastest graphics card for gaming & professional use | Demands lots of power from the PSU, has a proprietary power connector, massive overall size |
| Best 4K Gaming GPU, futureproof for years to come | Overkill and Expensive |
| Has innovative features like DLSS 3 & Dual AV1 Encoding, NVENC makes it better for streaming compared to AMD | At times, bottlenecks even high-end CPUs |
2. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090
- Current Price: Starts from $2,749.99
- MSRP (at launch): $1,999.99 (Founders Edition)
- VRAM & Effective Memory Clock: 32 GB GDDR7 at 28 Gbps
- Boost Core Clock: 2410MHz
- Thermal Design Power (TDP): 575W
- CUDA Cores: 21,760
- Transistor Count: 92,200 Million
- Manufacturing Process: 5 nm
You might question why the latest NVIDIA card is not at the top of our list. Well, before we get into the negatives, let us touch on the positives. The RTX 5090 comes with a massive stat sheet. Yes, it includes 32GB of GDDR7 VRAM at 28 Gbps, a 2410MHz boost clock, and a staggering 21,760 CUDA cores.
With the Blackwell architecture, 5090 gets more AI performance, generating better frames and ray-tracing textures. However, that enticing offer sounds troublesome when you enter the compatibility region. Most modern games are still not familiar with the new DLSS4 module, which can make the 5090 almost useless.
Furthermore, The high TDP could also lead to thermal throttling under heavy loads, impacting sustained performance. We have already seen multiple reports of RTX 5090 connectors melting away. So, even if the GPU is amazing, we cannot put it at the top of our list until NVIDIA optimizes it properly.
Pros Cons AI performance gets massive upgrade for more frames Extreme pricing is not justified GDDR7 memory of 32GB is futureproof Expensive and under-tested for older PSU Better ray-tracing than any other card
3. AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX & RX 7900 XT
- Current Price: Starts from $799.99 for XT, $1397 for XTX
- MSRP (at launch): $899 for XT, $999 for XTX [Reference Design]
- VRAM & Effective Memory Clock: 20GB GDDR6 20 Gbps (XT), 24GB GDDR6 20 Gbps (XTX)
- Boost Core Clock: 2394MHz (XT), 2499MHz (XTX) [Higher depending on AIB]
- Thermal Design Power (TDP): 300W (XT), 355W (XTX)
- Stream Processors: 5,376 (XT), 6,144 (XTX)
- Transistor Count: 57,700 Million (XT & XTX)
- Manufacturing Process: 5 nm, 6 nm
The RX 7900 XTX and XT are both powerful graphics cards offered at relatively accessible prices. Compatible with a wider range of PC cases, they generally won’t require a power supply upgrade, provided it has two 8-pin power connectors. While NVIDIA leads in ray-tracing performance in some games, AMD has significantly improved its ray-tracing capabilities, offering competitive performance in titles where it’s enabled.
The RX 7000 series also features FSR 3 while leveraging AMD’s Fluid Motion Frames technology. FSR 3 promises to double the frame rate compared to FSR 2, rivaling NVIDIA’s DLSS 3. Additionally, these cards support DisplayPort 2.1, enabling resolutions up to 8K at 165Hz, 4K at 480Hz, or 1440p at 900Hz.
When we talk about performance, these are capable of being excellent 4K graphics cards, and you should definitely have a 4K monitor to pair with these GPUs. Both these GPUs are quite appealing to gamers with a 1440p high refresh rate, but these GPUs are pretty overkill for that resolution, in our opinion. Compared to the predecessors, the RX 6900 XT & RX 6950 XT, these graphics cards perform up to 1.5 to 1.7 times better, respectively, at 4K, in select titles, according to AMD.
Pros Cons AMD’s fastest next-gen offerings, available at better prices compared to NVIDIA Expensive, more so during stock issues Top-notch performance, great for 4K at Max Settings Diminishing returns below 4K resolution Features AV1 Encoding and upcoming FSR 3 Competitive but worse performance with ray-tracing enabled Wider compatibility with PC Cases & power supplies when compared to NVIDIA flagships DisplayPort 2.1 Support makes the RX 7000 Series very futureproof for upcoming monitors that will take advantage of it
4. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080
- Current Price: Starts from $1,998.99
- MSRP (at launch): $1,199
- VRAM & Effective Memory Clock: 16GB GDDR6X 22.4Gbps
- Boost Core Clock: 2505MHz [Depends on AIB]
- Thermal Design Power (TDP): 320W
- CUDA Cores: 9,728
- Transistor Count: 45,900 Million
- Manufacturing Process: 4 nm
The RTX 4080 is another new graphics card released by NVIDIA under its RTX 4000 Series lineup. Previously, there were going to be two models (one being 16GB, and the other being 12GB) but NVIDIA ‘unlaunched’ the lower-end variant. Nevertheless, the RTX 4080 16GB is an excellent graphics card, albeit very expensive. Compared to its big brother, the RTX 4090, this one is more reasonably priced.
This GPU is also similar to the RTX 4090 in size, coming in at about four slots of width and a TDP of 320W. The specs have been reduced to 9728 CUDA cores with 16GB of GDDR6X instead of 20. But how does the RTX 4080 perform? Compared to its predecessor, the RTX 3080, NVIDIA claims that this graphics card can operate up to 2x faster. This GPU is a very capable performer and excellent for 4K Gaming at maxed-out settings.
As we said, we hope you can pair this GPU with a 4K monitor for other options in this category. If you’re playing at 1440p and debating whether to get a 4090 or 4080, both are somewhat overkill at that resolution. Some might still buy it for 1440p high refresh rate gaming, but in our opinion, the mid-range category of this guide contains the best 1440p GPUs. The RTX 3080 is great if you have the money for it.
We highly recommend you consider it over the RTX 4090 since it is at a slightly more attainable price point. You get the same feature set, just with negligibly lower performance.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Top-notch performance in gaming, great for 4K at Max Settings | Diminishing returns below 4K resolution |
| Overkill but appealing for 1440p high refresh rate gaming | Proprietary power connector on FE model |
| Not as power demanding as the 4090 | |
| Has innovative features like DLSS 3 & AV1 Encoding, NVENC makes it better for streaming compared to AMD |
5. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super
- Current Price: Starts from $1,199
- MSRP (at launch): $800
- VRAM & Effective Memory Clock: 16GB GDDR6X 21Gbps
- Boost Core Clock: 2610 MHz [Depends on AIB]
- Thermal Design Power (TDP): 285W
- CUDA Cores: 8,448
- Transistor Count: 45,900 Million
- Manufacturing Process: 5 nm
The 4070 Ti has been in a dilemma for many consumers, given the launch price. While that did not change, what did is the release of the RTX 4070 Ti Super. And it delivers. Compared to the other 4070 cards, this one is preferably stronger regarding raw resolution and great frame generation.
In almost every new game, this card outperforms every card on the market regarding frames. While it already comes with AI features, the CUDA cores for such a cheap rate are an absolute bargain. Let me also remind you that it compares to many 5000 series cards, which is massive in terms of the price and power consumption difference.
Pros Cons Most affordable next-gen GPU from NVIDIA with ideal overall performance Slightly faster than 4070 Ti All current-gen features like DLSS 3 & AV1 Encoding, and NVENC makes it better for streaming compared to AMD
6. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti
- Current Price: Starts from $599.99
- MSRP (at launch): $599
- VRAM & Effective Memory Clock: 8GB GDDR6X 19Gbps
- Boost Core Clock: 1770 MHz [Depends on AIB]
- Thermal Design Power (TDP): 290W
- CUDA Cores: 6144
- Transistor Count: 17,400 Million
- Manufacturing Process: 8nm
The RTX 3070 Ti is another last-gen GPU on this list, but it made this rank because of its competitive performance and the features it brings. If your budget doesn’t dictate enough money for the RTX 4070 Ti, this one is still an excellent choice, with plenty of stock available at around the FE Model’s MSRP, and sometimes even lower, when GPU deals are taking place. Being an NVIDIA card, it includes features such as G-Sync, DLSS 2, the excellent onboard NVENC streaming encoder, and capable ray-tracing performance in games.
The power consumption is also somewhat lower than that of the flagship models, at a stock TDP limit of 290W, which requires 2x 8-pin power connectors. While it only has 8GB of GDDR6X memory, the GPU packs enough punch for 4K gaming at medium settings and does very well as a 1440p card. Only a few games will require you to lower a few settings to reduce VRAM consumption. If you’re looking for something like a dedicated 1080p high-refresh-rate gaming GPU that also has good ray-tracing performance, the RTX 3070 Ti is definitely a great choice to consider.
Pros Cons Capable of 4K Gaming at Low-Medium settings, most suited for 1440p gaming 8GB VRAM feels less at this price NVENC makes it better for streaming compared to AMD Cost should be lesser being a last-gen GPU, but stock issues make the price higher Has come down in price and is available around MSRP during deals Ray-tracing performance is more optimized on NVIDIA
7. AMD Radeon RX 6700 & RX 6700 XT
- Current Price: Starts at $329.99 (non-XT) and $369.99 (XT)
- MSRP (at launch): Unknown for non-XT, $479 (XT)
- VRAM & Effective Memory Clock: 10GB GDDR6 16Gbps (non XT), 12GB GDDR6 16Gbps (XT)
- Boost Core Clock: 2450MHz (non-XT), 2581MHx (XT) [Depends on AIB]
- Thermal Design Power (TDP): 175W (non-XT), 230W (XT)
- Stream Processors: 2304 (non-XT), 2560 (XT)
- Transistor Count: 17,200 Million (both)
- Manufacturing Process: 7 nm
The RX 6700 and 6700 XT are awesome GPUs at the prices they are currently sold at. The XT variant performs on par with the RTX 3070 and sometimes better. We love this GPU for its bang-for-the-buck pricing and availability at deal prices. Also, many of the models you buy could have promotional offers, including two free games. It’s quite an efficient card, only having a 175W TWP for the non-XT and 230W for the XT variant.
It has its usual features like FreeSync and AMD Smart Access Memory technologies. Ray-tracing performance is not as good as that of the competing cards from NVIDIA, but it works well enough if you wish to enable it. NVIDIA’s NVENC is also a superior streaming solution to AMD’s VCE encoder. Then again, some people already have multi-core Ryzen CPUs that they could stream with, and also, those might not turn on ray-tracing as much. So, nonetheless, these are excellent choices to consider. There’s also the RX 6750 XT at a slightly higher price if you can extend your budget.
What these cards are really amazing at is performing above expectations. For the price, they have become one of the most value-for-money GPU options available in the current market. You also get plenty of VRAM at 10GB and 12GB of GDDR6 memory, respectively, for both models, so you can turn up the texture quality easily in your games. This card is enough for 1440p gaming and extremely capable of being a 1080p high-refresh-rate gaming GPU, making it one of the best affordable GPUs available in this price range.
Pros Cons Available under MSRP, one of the best cards when it comes to price to performance Streaming encoder not as good as NVIDIA Capable of 4K Gaming at Low-Medium settings, most suited for 1440p gaming Competitive but worse performance in ray-tracing titles High VRAM quantity offered Close to RTX 3070 in performance with driver updates
8. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti & RTX 3060
- Current Price: Starts at $359.99 (Non-Ti) and $457.69 (Ti)
- MSRP (at launch): $329 (Non-Ti), $399 (Ti) [Founders Edition]
- VRAM & Effective Memory Clock: 8GB GDDR6 14Gbps (3060 Ti), 12GB GDDR6 12Gbps (3060)
- Boost Core Clock: 1777 MHz (Non-Ti), 1665 MHz (Ti) [Depends on AIB]
- Thermal Design Power (TDP): 170W (Non-Ti), 200W (Ti)
- CUDA Cores: 3584 (Non Ti), 4684 (Ti)
- Transistor Count: 12,000 Million (Non-Ti), 17,400 Million (Ti)
- Manufacturing Process: 8 nm
The RTX 3060 Ti and RTX 3060 are from the previous generation of NVIDIA 30-series cards, but their prices have come down considerably since the crypto-mining days are over. They are currently available at slightly higher prices than the Founder’s Edition MSRP, but you can sometimes find them at deal prices.
These are some of the most efficient cards in the 30 Series lineup. They have a stock TDP of 200W & 170 W, respectively, and unless you’re playing very intensive titles, the GPU remains well under the power consumption limit. The VRAM offered here is 8GB for the RTX 3060 Ti Model and 12GB for the RTX 3060 Model. If you’re confused as to why the higher-end model has less VRAM, remember that the 3060 has a 192-bit memory interface, while the 3060 Ti has faster VRAM as it features a 256-bit interface instead.
Many models will run quite cool & silently at their stock profiles, and if you buy triple fan models with more power connectors, there is a decent OC potential, too. Both of these GPUs are well suited for 1440p, especially the Ti model, but you might need to turn down the settings a bit to get smoother gameplay in more intensive games. Entry-level 4K Gaming is possible too here, but don’t expect much unless you’re playing less demanding titles. These GPUs offer a good overall proposition when considering the performance combined with NVIDIA’s advantages, like in ray-tracing or streaming scenarios. Those who wish to play at 1080p at high refresh rates will love how this GPU performs.
The RTX 3060 Ti model performs similarly to the RTX 3070, and the lower-end 3060 variant is plenty good for today’s games. With features such as DLSS, G-Sync, NVIDIA NVENC for streaming, and satisfying performance in today’s RT-enabled Games, both of these become compelling options in this range. While we would have liked to see higher VRAM on the 3060 Ti, it’s still very fast, and things work out well in modern games. Only in a few games will you have to turn some settings down if your VRAM consumption is over 8GB. Considering everything, the RTX 3060 & RTX 3060 Ti are the best budget graphics cards from NVIDIA.
Pros Cons Capable of 1440p Gaming at Medium-High settings, quite viable for 1080p gaming Should be cheaper, still sold above FE model’s MSRP in most markets 12GB VRAM on 3060 Model, albeit at slower speeds Fewer triple-fan variants available at good prices Runs really efficiently, cool & quiet graphics card Ray-tracing performance is more optimized on NVIDIA
9. AMD Radeon RX 6600 & RX 6600 XT
- Current Price: Starts at $234.99 (non-XT) and $259.90 (XT)
- MSRP (at launch): $329 (non-XT), $379 (XT)
- VRAM & Effective Memory Clock: 8GB GDDR6 14Gbps (non XT), 8GB GDDR6 16Gbps (XT)
- Boost Core Clock: 2491MHz (non-XT), 2589MHz (XT) [Depends on AIB]
- Thermal Design Power (TDP): 132W (non-XT), 160W (XT)
- Stream Processors: 1792 (non-XT), 2048 (XT)
- Transistor Count: 11,060 Million (both)
- Manufacturing Process: 7 nm
The Radeon RX 6600 and RX 6600 XT are the fastest GPUs under $300. They are available well under MSRP and even have ongoing promotions where you can get two bundled games for free with your purchase. The TDP is 132W for the lower-end variant and 160W for the XT one. Both require a single 8-pin power connector and run quite efficiently at their stock settings. Both models have 8GB GDDR6 memory.
Being part of the RX 6000 Series, these GPUs feature the usual support for things like FSR, AMD Smart Access Memory, and Radeon Anti-Lag. AMD’s streaming encoder didn’t get any major updates in this generation, and while they have improved things in the updates, this card is simply not very well-suited for those who wish to stream. Nonetheless, it is fast and has support for ray-tracing if you wish to enable it. However, ray-tracing performance is not as good when comparing these GPUs to their NVIDIA counterparts. There’s also the RX 6650 XT that you can consider if you’re okay with extending the budget.
In terms of performance, as we said, this is the fastest entry-level GPU on this list. Getting this kind of performance in the entry-level price range will surely surprise you – this is a killer GPU for 1080p gaming, so good that we would consider the RX 6600 & RX 6600 XT the sweet spot for 1080p gamers. For 1440p, too, you can get away with smooth frames in many optimized games or if you lower the settings in the more intensive titles. If you want to consider 4K, then you could play titles with that sweet UHD clarity but don’t expect any crazy performance numbers from a GPU of this class. You might find it hard to believe that we are talking about 4K gaming in the entry-level segment of GPUs, but this GPU packs a lot of punch for its sub-$300 price. Both these GPUs are one of the best cheap graphics cards you can buy today.
Pros Cons Available under MSRP, one of the best cards when it comes to price to performance Streaming encoder not as good as NVIDIA Capable of 1440p Gaming at Low-Medium settings, perfect for 1080p gaming Competitive but worse performance in ray-tracing titles Only requires single 8-pin power connector on both models Good amount of VRAM (8GB) for the price
10. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050
- Current Price: Starts from $192.99
- MSRP (at launch): $249
- VRAM & Effective Memory Clock: 8GB GDDR6 (14Gbps)
- Boost Core Clock: 1777MHz [Depends on AIB]
- Thermal Design Power (TDP): 130W
- CUDA Cores: 2560
- Transistor Count: 12,000 Million
- Manufacturing Process: 8 nm
The RTX 3050 is the cheapest graphics card from NVIDIA, and it is an entry-level model of the RTX 30 Series. With a stock TDP of just 130W, many of its AIB models will definitely fit into most people’s existing rigs. It requires a single 8-pin PCI-e connector and the power consumption is definitely much higher than the predecessor, the GTX 1650. So, while it might not be ideal for office PC power supplies, it has enough performance to justify the higher TDP. It has 8GB of GDDR6 memory, which is pretty good, considering you could only get this kind of VRAM in higher-end GPUs a few years ago.
You get all the usual features of the RTX 3000 Series, such as DLSS 2, G-Sync, NVIDIA’s excellent NVENC streaming encoder, and being an RTX card, it has support for ray-tracing. How well does it work in the most intensive ray-tracing titles, though? You’ll definitely want to turn on DLSS and lower the graphics settings a bit in your games, but if you really love ray tracing and want it to be on in your games, this GPU can handle it quite decently. This is the cheapest ray-tracing GPU, and while the RTX 2060 is around the same price, it has more VRAM and runs more efficiently.
The RTX 2060 is a good alternative to this if you can find it at a good price and your PC can support the higher power requirement. But remember, this RTX 2060 has 6GB of memory, which might start to feel less in games that take advantage of higher VRAM. Compared to the previous-gen GTX 1650, the RTX 3050 is around 2x faster. It is an excellent choice for many gamers, with plus points such as NVIDIA’s streaming encoder and ray-tracing capabilities.
Pros Cons Readily available around MSRP pricing Fewer triple-fan variants available at good prices Capable of 1080p Gaming at Medium-High Settings, good enough for entry-level VR too Supports DLSS Ray-tracing performance is more optimized on NVIDIA, plus it’s the most affordable graphics card with ray-tracing support Good amount of VRAM (8GB) for the price NVENC makes it better for streaming compared to AMD
Bonus Gaming Graphics Card: Intel Arc A770
- Current Price: Starts from $412.48
- MSRP (at launch): $329
- VRAM & Effective Memory Clock: 16GB GDDR6 16Gbps
- Boost Core Clock: 2400 MHz [Depends on AIB]
- Thermal Design Power (TDP): 225W
- Xe Cores: 32
- Ray Tracing Units: 32
- Transistor Count: 21,700 Million
- Manufacturing Process: 6 nm
The Intel Arc A770 is the bonus pick of this buyer’s guide. We had been waiting to talk about this GPU at the end because it’s more of a wildcard pick that might not be suitable for many people. The A770 (and its younger brother, the A750) are both GPUs with a TDP of 225W, and they require a 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin connection on Intel’s reference design model. They’re not as big as some of the monstrous sizes we have seen recently, so compatibility is good with many PCs. Intel has focused a lot on making these Arc GPUs affordable, high-performance graphics cards in the mid-range/budget segment.
The Arc A770 has 16GB of GDDR6 memory. You get a good amount of features on Intel Arc – like support for Intel Xe Super Sampling, Ray Tracing, and even AV1 encoding, which makes it as capable as the latest & greatest of NVIDIA & AMD when it comes to streaming quality. The lower-end variant, the A750, has 8GB of GDDR6 instead, although both of them are just as fast, unlike the 3060 & 3060 Ti NVIDIA models.
What about performance? Well, the A770 is a very capable performer, just not at everything. Older titles that use DirectX 9 don’t perform as per expectations, but Intel has been improving things with driver updates. Under the best-case scenarios, these are excellent GPUs for gaming at 1440p (medium to high settings) and more than enough for 1080p. But many games, for example, Star Citizen and Tarkov, have performance issues, so you’ll have to research whether the Arc is suitable for the titles you are going to be playing. Otherwise, the Intel Arc GPUs are a pretty good contender from Team Blue that could have made this list if it hadn’t been for the mixed results people have been having with it.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Extremely competitive performance in optimized titles | Poor VR support (fixable with drivers) |
| Good amount of VRAM (16GB) for the price | Enough games are having performance or stability issues which makes Intel Arc a hard bargain for most users |
| Includes AV1 Encoder for streaming, just like the new high-end AMD & NVIDIA GPUs | |
| Includes features like Intel XeSS, Ray-Tracing support, etc. |
Things to Remember When Buying a Graphics Card
Before you decide on the graphics card you want to install in your PC build, here are a few things you need to keep in mind:
- Your GPU will perform at different capabilities based on your setup. Firstly, the CPU should adequately support the GPU without causing bottlenecks. Do you play at 1080p? If so, then you don’t need a super high-end graphics card. Anything below 4K, and you start to see diminishing returns with the highest-end models of the latest generation GPUs. Remember to research the GPU’s capability based on aspects such as your monitor’s resolution and CPU performance, so you can avoid having a bottleneck or getting an overkill GPU.
- NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel all offer a different set of features, so remember to check which ones appeal to you. These include brand-exclusive features like DLSS vs FSR , G-Sync & Freesync, etc. AV1 encoding is a new factor to consider, and available on all the latest models from the three GPU brands. Power consumption and size are also as important when you pick a card.
That ends our list of the best graphics cards to buy in 2025 for gaming. Which one of these GPUs are you using? Do tell us in the comments.
It could, but it completely depends on the manufacturing side of things. Some GPUs are currently priced above the MSRP, while some are sold actively way under their launch price. But we still don’t see attractive prices in many models. New cards coming out later this year can also cause GPU prices to drop further in 2025.
The RTX 5090 is currently, by far, the best graphics card in the world. Its power consumption is 575 W, and it’s also quite a big graphics card. It outputs insane performance numbers, which makes 4K high refresh-rate gaming seem like a piece of cake.
This completely depends on how the GPU has been running so far. Don’t overclock it beyond what is considered safe. Monitor the temperatures to ensure it runs without overheating. You should also replace the thermal paste when needed and clean the fans regularly. A well-maintained graphics card can last anywhere from 5 to even 10 years.
Stock issues, combined with an increased demand for GPUs, are making them pretty expensive nowadays. Even the prices of the new-gen cards from AMD and NVIDIA are pretty high if you compare them to the MSRP of last-gen cards. People are eagerly waiting for mid-range and budget categories to come out. After that, we can expect GPU prices to fall more and become more accessible.
While Intel has some catching up to do in terms of optimization, both NVIDIA and AMD have similar feature sets when you compare the latest generation of GPUs. Still, one brand might have a more favorable feature set than the other, so the best GPU brand depends on the user’s needs and preferences.
You can check if a GPU supports ray tracing after observing its specs. Currently, everything with the RTX prefix supports ray-tracing. AMD’s Radeon RX 6000 series supports ray-tracing, too, but with slightly worse performance compared to the competing cards from NVIDIA. Intel Arc also has dedicated RT hardware for ray-tracing support.
