Hot off the heels of both the Nvidia RTX 3080 and the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT, the best graphics cards have never been better.
The best graphics cards 2022 has to offer are a must if you’re planning on doing anything beyond typical day-to-day computing. While integrated graphics are more than capable of streaming video or tackling your productivity workload, you need more power to dive into the latest AAA adventure or to handle graphically intense projects like 3D modeling, game development, or video rendering. Though the global shortage and third-party market may suggest otherwise, the price of entry for a solid graphics card has actually dropped over the last few years due to the ongoing competition between Nvidia and AMD. Even the most expensive flagship GPUs will set you back less these days, such as the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070, which is much cheaper than its predecessor. That means that no matter what budget you’re working with, you have more performance available to you than ever before. For those really trying to keep costs down, consider checking out the best cheap graphics cards. You may have to compromise on some in-game settings, but you’ll be able to play the best PC games without any issues. Regardless of the budget you’re working with, you’ll find excellent options from both companies to power your rig. To help find the right one for you, we’ve narrowed things down to make it simpler to choose. It’s no secret that graphics cards of all kinds have been tough to get lately, and actually finding one is a whole other issue. Luckily, we keep an eye on the best graphics cards deals so you can save a few bucks. It can be difficult choosing the best graphics card for you. While there are just two companies, AMD and Nvidia, responsible for all the GPUs out there, each company has a number of entries for each price point and graphical need. And, 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 is going to run a little cheaper than Nvidia’s offerings – although that might not be for long with rumors about graphics cards possibly geting more expensive next year swirling around. But, when Nvidia released their newest GPUs, they dropped the price to be more competitive. So, the difference in price is not so stark, though it should still be a consideration. In fact, each company has a GPU that’s competitive for each level of gaming, whether it’s 1080p,1440p, or 4K, at similar price points. One important metric for finding out how powerful a GPU 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. Where the performance between the companies differ is in ray tracing — new rendering technology that improves reflections, shadows, and more realistically mimics light. With AMD RDNA 2, the company is just getting started on implementing this new tech. Whereas Nvidia Ampere GPUs are not Nvidia’s first entries, although developers have recently found a way to enable it in Quake 2 on older GPUs. In fact, the company has been at it longer so it’s better implemented. Other considerations, particularly if you’re about to build your own PC or upgrade one of the best gaming PCs, is to make sure whatever GPU you end up with is compatible with that PC’s motherboard. After all, you won’t be able to play the best PC games if your desktop is having trouble recognizing the GPU you installed. And, while you won’t be able to swap the graphics card out on a gaming laptop, these same considerations apply. You might be able to get a cheaper one with a Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 or splurge on one with an RTX 3080. Where to buy the best graphics cards right now: Is AMD no longer the king of great value GPUs? The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti certainly threatens that claim with its price to performance ratio. The newest arrival in the RTX 3000 line, this graphics card punches way above its weight class, delivering a performance that could rival that of the RTX 2080 Super while keeping its price tag incredibly affordable for most people.
