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01Best overall Nvidia GPU
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02Best overkill Nvidia GPU
ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4090 OC Edition
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03Best value Nvidia graphics card
If you’re wondering what the best Nvidia GPU around we have you covered in this list. But there are plenty of other ranges of cards to pick from, not just the best GPU all around as that might not be the best pick for you. So you will be able to find the best graphics card for your build.
Now Nvidia has been kind of dominating the market, Founded in 1993 it has certainly grown in size and power. Only recently have AMD graphics cards given it any sort of push and alternate options for gamers, even though it is still not the popular choice.
With such a range of powerful cards and better optimisations it’s no surprise it is the favourite choice. But the pricing hasn’t exactly been popular recently and so there are some considerations to make before blindly picking out the top spot.
Best Nvidia GPUs
- MSI GeForce RTX 4070 12G Ventus 3X
- ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4090 OC Edition
- EVGA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FTW Ultra Gaming
Best overall Nvidia GPU – MSI GeForce RTX 4070 12G Ventus 3X
MSI GeForce RTX 4070 12G Ventus 3X
Base clock
1,920MHz
Boost clock
2,505MHz
VRAM
12GB
Dimensions
308 x 120 x 43mm
Recommended PSU
650 W
- More than 60FPS across the baord
- Much better price point in the Ada range
- Still an increase over its predecessor
A surprisingly lower model than you might expect, the RTX 4070 is quite honestly the best Nvidia GPU to go for overall. It has a much better price point ($599) than the rest of the Ada cards which are much inflated over their predecessors. It’s certainly not the best budget graphics card, we have that later on, but it is a good trajectory.
The GPU is utilising the AD104-250 processor, with a 295mm² die with 35.8 billion transistors. Which holds in it 5,888 CUDA cores, 184 TMUs, 64 ROPs, 46 SMs, 46 RT, and 184 Tensor cores. Supported by 12GB of GDDR6X memory with a 192-bit bus, it’s clocked at 21Gbps, which provides a memory bandwidth of 504.2GB/s. It then has a clock speed of 1,920MHz with a boost clock up to 2,475Mhz. All of that package comes with a 200W board power.
The card gets a good FPS across the board, as the architectural improvements have got to the point where even the 70 model can play at 4k. But the price still reflects that much with an increase over the previous. But if you can afford it, it really is a good all-around card, even over the RTX 4070 Ti.
Best overkill Nvidia GPU – ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4090 OC Edition
ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4090 OC Edition
Base Clock
2235MHz
Boost Clock
2610MHz
VRAM
24GB GDDR6X
Dimensions
357.6 x 149.3 x 70.1mm
Recommended PSU
1000W
Newegg
- Performance not held back by anything
- Defintely will last you a life time till it dies
- Way too expesnive for most
- High power consumption and cooling makes it inconvenient
Right at the top of the ranks, there is only one card you can really place without any competition, you find the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090. It is very overkill for a lot of you but it is the overkill choice for a reason. The gaming performance is more than you could ever need even at 4k and anything you throw at it as the high-end choice is quite a choice.
The top pick of the Ada architecture, it has the full-fat AD102-300 processor in it. Made with TSMc’s 5nm process, it has a die size of 608mm² with 76.3 billion transistors. That holds in itself, 16,384 CUDA cores, 512 TMUs, 176 ROPs, 128 SMs, 512 Tensors, and 128 RT cores. Along with 24GB of GDDR6X, with a 384-bit bus, it’s clocked at 21 Gbps to give it a 1,008GB/s bandwidth.
It’s then clocked in with a 2,235MHz base clock and a boost clock up to 2,520MHz on the Founders Edition card. But for all that performance and power, it does have a TGP of 450W. So it does require a good cooling solution and a high-wattage power supply. That’s where we saw the ridiculous custom cards coming in at four slots big, along with some recommending 1000W PSUs. Even then, you require the new power connector with the 16/12-pin 12VHPWR connector, which will require an adapter at least.
However, nothing comes close to it. And clearly, the performance does need all of that. But the MSRP of $1,599 might not be for everyone, especially with custom cards pushing that higher. Surprisingly it was the best value option though in the RTX 40 series range as many options below it seem to raise the price significantly. But now there are some more affordable entries.
Best value Nvidia graphics card – EVGA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FTW Ultra Gaming
EVGA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FTW Ultra Gaming
Base Clock
1410 MHz
Boost Clock
1800 MHz
VRAM
8GB GDDR6
Dimensions
285 x 111 mm
Recommended PSU
550W
- A great price to performance offering
- Good 1440p performance, and excellent at 1080p
- On the larger side for the low TDP
Looking for a good value buy, then you have to look to the previous generation of cards from Nvidia. And there you can find the RTX 3060 Ti, which has become a fan favourite across the board. Although it might be more limited to 1440p performance, it still is capable of high frame rates at that range and so if you don’t need much more it’s a good selection.
The card is built on the GA104-200 processors, made on the older Ampere architecture, with Samsung’s 8nm process. It gives the 392mm² die 17.4 billion transistors. There you can find 4,864 CUDA cores, 80 ROPs, 38 SMs, 152 Tensors, and 38 RT cores. Along with 8GB of GDDR6 memory across a 256-bit bus, clocked at 14 Gbps it has a bandwidth of 448 GB/s. It has a base clock of 1,410MHz and a boost clock of 1,665MHz with a TDP of 200W.
With a $399 MSRP, it does achieve a lot for that price. Especially as the newer options don’t quite reach that value just yet. And from the trend we have seen, it’s unlikely to get any competition anytime soon. Maybe from AMD’s Radeon RX RDNA 3 cards instead, but Nvidia has shown a move to higher pricing.
Best cheap Nvidia graphics card – ZOTAC Gaming GeForce RTX 3050 Twin Edge OC
ZOTAC Gaming GeForce RTX 3050 Twin Edge OC
Base Clock
1552 MHz
Boost Clock
1807 MHz
VRAM
8GB
Dimensions
224 x 116 x 39 mm
Recommended PSU
300W
- Great price point for the perfromance
- Excellent 1080p FPS
- Cheap entry to RTX range for good features
- Relies on DLSS to get better 1440p running
Now if you’re looking for the best option for the absolute minimum, the best choice is the RTX 3050. With a price point of $249, it is a great way to gain entry into Nvidia’s RTX 30 range. As long as you don’t need anything more than 1080p as that’s really only where the card can get any good performance.
The GPU is based on the GA106-150 processor, in the Ampere architecture it is made with Samsungs 8nm process. So it has a 276mm² die with 12 billion transistors. On the board you can find 8GB of GDDR6 VRAM, a trend toward higher numbers. With a 128-bit bus, it is clocked at 14Gbps to give a bandwidth of 224GB/s. It’s then clocked at 1.52GHz and boosts up to 1.77GHz, with a TDP of just 130W.
You can get a lot of power in such a small package. It has a lot of power just for good HD gaming. It’s especially good for budget builds and Esports titles, although you still get access to good fidelity. Especially with the features you have access to with ray tracing and DLSS available you can push it much more.
Best Nvidia GPU buying guide
With a large selection of Nvidia graphics cards to pick from it can be a bit daunting to know what to go for. But we give you a quick rundown of what to look for when it comes to picking out your component for your gaming PC.
Resolution
One of the key factors is what resolution you’re going to be playing at. This makes the biggest difference, as running a game at a higher resolution requires more power. As with a higher size, your GPU needs to render more pixels and store them in a bigger VRAM option, along with better bandwidth.
So if you’re running 1440p, or even 4k you have to look to a higher-powered graphics card. And one that is capable of getting good frame rates at that level and to your satisfaction. Especially matching up the rest of your hardware well, as the CPU still has some effect on that.
Performance
Obviously, another important feature that carries on from the resolution is how well the card will do when planted in your motherboard. Your new graphics card should live up to your standards and so it’s best to check out what to expect. Looking at reviews and benchmarks is your best choice. Getting as close to what you want is important so you get a good idea of what to expect, it’s not always possible but still a good option.
Extra features
Although this list is all from Nvidia, there are still some differences to expect from the different architectures and series of GPUs. There is certain tech locked behind those groups of cards and so if any of those are important to you, it’s best to look at a certain set of them.
Such as ray tracing, although you’re unlikely to find much older than an RTX card these days, especially new, the ray tracing in RTX cards can still vary. The initial implementation of the RTX 20 series was new and not as good as it could have been. It was not until RTX 30 that it would improve to a more usable level.
DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) is another feature that varies between generations. Also limited to RTX cards, DLSS 3 in particular is limited to just the Ada, RTX 40 series of cards. As they are the ones with the frame generation module for it. So if you’re that keen on playing Cyberpunk at 4k, RT and still with a good framerate, one of those GPUs is a good choice.
Connectors
One of the variables that might change between models is what video connectors are available to use. These days you’re likely limited to just HDMI and DisplayPort, as they can handle the bandwidth required these days, unlike VGA or DVI that you still might have on your old second monitor. The number of these can also vary and so if you do want two HDMIs rather than more DP options that might be the better consideration.
Final thoughts
There is a wide range of best Nvidia GPUs to choose from. Whether you’re going for the top 4k choice or the best cheap option at 1080p. So there are factors for you to choose from, but if that’s not enough there are other choices to go from. With AMD RX and Intel Arc graphics cards are always a good alternative.
Frequently asked questions
What is NVIDIA’s best GPU?
At the top of the range, the best Nvidia GPU is currently the RTX 4090. With nothing coming close to its performance or price level. Although we can expect to see a Ti card at some point eventually.
Is NVIDIA GTX or RTX better?
An Nvidia RTX GPU is going to be better than any GTX option. This is since from the 20 series GPUs, the Nvidia GPUs were renamed to RTX, which now include ray tracing hardware and signify the newer range of cards. Which have improved over what any GTX GPUs had to offer.
