A sound graphics card is necessary to play video games of your choice without any hiccups or difficulties. In addition, if you are not fond of fun, the chances are that you still would like to have a robust graphics card connected to your system.

Besides gaming, you can use the same card for watching/editing videos or generating HD photographs. Furthermore, it can help several people, including 3D enthusiasts, create 3D environments and complicated digital artwork.

Moreover, choose the most incredible graphics cards to work for you to save time and work faster.

As far as computer gamers are concerned, consumer cards are traditionally designed for them. On the contrary, professionals use other kinds of graphics cards containing strong GPUs and are designed to build AI pros, as the name suggests. 

While the most excellent graphics card may be hard to come by, GPU stock is projected to rebound over the holiday season.

Obtaining a new GPU was nearly complicated just a few months ago, but the effort may soon give way to abundance. The demand and supply ratio gets out of balance when the cost of GPU starts to get out of hand. 

Even though the GPU market has been stretched to its limits by COVID-19 and cryptocurrency surges (among other things), we have evaluated every new graphics card from the most recent generation.

We put each GPU through its paces on our gaming benchmark test bench, comparing thermal performance, power draw measurements using specialist tools, and average frequencies and frame times.

Luckily, it is not essential to use expensive graphics cards every time since some cheaper ones are also known for their outstanding quality. Regarding frame rates and responsiveness, these can be perfect as far as competitive gaming rigs are concerned.

Still, it’s no secret that graphics cards have been tough lately, so finding one is another issue, no matter which graphics card you’re looking at on our list. Still, hope springs eternal, so let’s dig in.

Finally, as we’ve noticed from our testing, the GPU market is competitive again. With the launch of the Radeon RX and 6800 XT, things got very interesting, leaving both Nvidia and AMD vying for the best GPU crown.

Soon enough, Intel will drop in with its Arc Alchemist graphics card. That’s likely to make the GPU landscape a little more complicated.

Nvidia’s Ampere GPU generation has set the bar high for prospective contenders.

The GeForce RTX 3080 and GeForce RTX 3070 are two of the best graphics cards to date, and AMD isn’t far behind with the Radeon RX 6800 XT—it rivals even the RTX 3080’s stellar graphical performance at the high end.

So, we’ll have to wait and see if there’s room for Intel’s contributions. 

Best Graphics Cards for PC Gaming 2024

Will 2024 finally offer a graphics card for the budget gamer?

There might likely be a few on the way, like Nvidia, AMD, and Intel, who are all reportedly prepping some of their cheapest GPUs for launch.

The latest on that front is the word of Nvidia’s long-lost RTX 3050 and RTX 3050 Ti GPUs on desktop, reportedly arriving in the first half of 2024.

Nvidia first released the mobile RTX 3050 and RTX 3050 Ti way back in May 2021, and these GPUs have made it into many a laptop since, including the MSI Pulse GL66 that our Alan reviewed and thought okay at best.

You might think that tells us all we need to know about the discrete desktop cards. But apparently, you’d be wrong.

The RTX 3050 and RTX 3050 Ti are now rumored to arrive with the GA106 GPU on desktop, says reliable leaker kopite7kimi. That’s the same GPU found powering the RTX 3060 and a step up from the GA107 GPU commonly found powering the mobile RTX 3050 GPUs.

 How to choose the best graphics card for you?

It cannot be easy to choose the best graphics card for you.

While only two companies, AMD and Nvidia, are responsible for all the GPUs, each company has several entries for each price point and graphical need.

While it may seem like the first logical step is to choose a company, it’s more important to consider what you can afford and what resolution you plan on gaming at. 

After all, a high-end GPU like the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 may set you back quite a bit, but with that hefty price tag, the ability to keep up at 4K resolution.

In general, AMD’s newest lineup of cards will run a little cheaper than Nvidia’s offerings – although that might not be for long, with rumors about graphics cards possibly getting 

more expensive next year. But, when Nvidia released their newest GPUs, they dropped the price to be more competitive.

So, the price difference is not so stark, though it should still be considered. Each company has a GPU that’s competitive for each level of gaming, whether it’s 1080p, 1440p, or 4K, at similar price points. 

A critical metric for finding out how powerful a GPU is is how much memory it comes with.

For example, a strong GPU for 1080p might have 8GB of GDDR6 RAM, but one meant for higher resolutions, like the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT, comes with 12GB.

The performance between the companies differs in ray tracing – a new rendering technology that improves reflections and shadows and more realistically mimics light. With AMD RDNA 2, the company is just implementing this new tech.

Whereas Nvidia Ampere GPUs are not Nvidia’s first entries, developers have recently found a way to enable it in Quake 2 on older GPUs.

The company has been at it longer, so it’s better implemented.

ZOTAC GAMING GeForce GTX 1650 OC 4GB GDDR6 128-bit Gaming Graphics Card, Super Compact, ZT-T16520F-10L

$299.99  in stock
1 used from $299.99
Amazon.com
as of December 5, 2024 2:01 pm

ZOTAC Gaming GeForce GTX 1660 6GB GDDR5 192-bit Gaming Graphics Card, Super Compact, ZT-T16600K-10M

$269.00  in stock
7 new from $217.00
15 used from $110.57
Amazon.com
as of December 5, 2024 2:01 pm

NVIDIA - GeForce RTX 3070 Ti 8GB GDDR6X PCI Express 4.0 Graphics Card - Dark Platinum and Black

$649.99  in stock
10 new from $529.99
4 used from $438.00
Amazon.com
as of December 5, 2024 2:01 pm

HJKKLL Gaming Graphics CardGTX 750Ti 2GB GDDR5 128-Bit for PC Low-Noise and Ultra-High-Definition Desktop Gaming Discrete Video Card for PC Dropship,Graphics CardGraphics Card Graphics Card Gaming pc

$1,143.99  out of stock
Amazon.com
as of December 5, 2024 2:01 pm

MSI GeForce RTX 3080 VENTUS 3X 10G 10GB GDDR6X Graphics Card – 8704 Cuda Cores, 320bit, G-Sync, VR Ready, DirectX 12, HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4a

$1,889.00  in stock
2 new from $1,889.00
5 used from $939.65
Amazon.com
as of December 5, 2024 2:01 pm

PowerColor Red Devil AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT Gaming Graphics Card with 8GB GDDR6 Memory, Powered by AMD RDNA 2, HDMI 2.1

$458.69  in stock
15 new from $449.99
4 used from $199.99
Amazon.com
as of December 5, 2024 2:01 pm

ZOTAC Gaming GeForce RTX 2060 6GB GDDR6 192-bit Gaming Graphics Card, Super Compact, ZT-T20600H-10M

$229.90  in stock
2 used from $229.90
Amazon.com
as of December 5, 2024 2:01 pm

ZOTAC Gaming GeForce RTX 3070 Twin Edge OC Low Hash Rate 8GB GDDR6 256-bit 14 Gbps PCIE 4.0 Gaming Graphics Card, IceStorm 2.0 Advanced Cooling, White LED Logo Lighting, ZT-A30700H-10PLHR

$529.99
$497.00
 in stock
3 new from $497.00
1 used from $319.99
Amazon.com
as of December 5, 2024 2:01 pm

MSI Gaming GeForce GTX 1660 Super 192-bit HDMI/DP 6GB GDRR6 HDCP Support DirectX 12 Dual Fan VR Ready OC Graphics Card (GTX 1660 Super Gaming X)

$399.00  in stock
3 new from $389.10
5 used from $165.54
Amazon.com
as of December 5, 2024 2:01 pm

GIGABYTE Radeon RX 6600 XT Eagle 8G Graphics Card, WINDFORCE 3X Cooling System, 8GB 128-bit GDDR6, GV-R66XTEAGLE-8GD Video Card

$680.00  in stock
2 used from $680.00
Amazon.com
as of December 5, 2024 2:01 pm
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Kevin Johnson
Hi, I'm Kevin Johnson, an author for TheComputerGeeks.org. I'm obsessed with all things related to computer monitors, from LCDs to LEDs, touch screens, and gaming. I've been writing about these topics for years and am passionate about helping people learn more about the latest in computer monitor technology. From selecting the right monitor for your needs to troubleshooting any issues you might be experiencing, I'm always here to provide helpful guidance. I always look for the latest monitors to share all my findings with our readers. I am a computer geek and proud of it. From building my custom rig to figuring out what's wrong with your PC, you can count on me for top-notch service at an affordable price. Whether you're looking for someone who knows his way around technology or wants help fixing the basics, like setting up email accounts, I'm here to serve. So if you need a reliable tech support professional in Denver, call Kevin today!