Graphics cards have come a long way in recent years, and the latest models offer incredible performance for gaming, content creation, and other demanding tasks. If you’re looking to upgrade your graphics card in 2023, there are a few things you’ll need to consider before looking at our list of top graphics cards.
Performance to Suit Your Style
If you’re a serious gamer aiming to play the latest releases at the highest settings, you’ll require a high-end graphics card, such as the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 or the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX. Although these powerhouses offer exceptional performance, they have a higher price tag.
On a Budget? No Problem
Don’t worry if you’re on a budget! There are still impressive options available. The Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT provide excellent performance for their price, handling even the most demanding games without breaking the bank.
Beyond Budget and Performance
Beyond budget and performance, there are other crucial factors to consider. Are you concerned about the size of the card? The noise level? Power consumption? Features? Don’t fret; we’ve got you covered on all fronts.
Without further ado, here’s our carefully curated list of the best graphics cards for gaming PCs of 2023, including their pros and cons:
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090
We all know and love Nvidia Graphic Cards is one of the most potent GPUs ever created and the best Nvidia GPU overall, taking a leap in performance and efficiency. Its AI-powered graphics will provide exhilarating high performance while gaming, taking you to breathtakingly realistic virtual worlds, improving your productivity, and removing boundaries for creative opportunities. This graphics card is truly an experience like no other, specially designed to cater to the needs of gamers and creators. Its price starts at $1.599,00
- Pros: Incredible performance, support for ray tracing and DLSS, a large amount of VRAM
- Cons: Expensive, takes a lot of power, is very large
AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX
Its elegant design and construction stand out when you have it in front of you. This is another high-end desktop graphics card powered by an RDNA 3 architecture. This card delivers exceptional performance for playing this year’s most popular games in 4K quality. Although it is slightly slower than our first option in this list, it’s a significant improvement from AMD’s previous generations on GPUs.
- Pros: Excellent performance, support for ray tracing and FidelityFX Super Resolution, more affordable than the RTX 4090
- Cons: Not as powerful as the RTX 4090, smaller amount of VRAM
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080
This powerhouse of graphics cards brings one of the latest leaps in GPIU history; however, its benefits diminish at lower resolutions. A high-end gaming experience becomes attainable, by running the best PC games with a faster refresh rate and a higher resolution for less money.
- Pros: Still a very powerful graphics card, support for ray tracing and DLSS, good value for money
- Cons: Not as powerful as the newer RTX 4000 series cards
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070
Experience incredible gaming and creative power with this card. It is powered by the ultra-efficient NVIDIA Ada Lovelace architecture. As the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090, it uses AI for its accelerated performance with DLSS 3. This one is also special for gaming and creative experiences with its cutting-edge technology.
- Pros: Great performance for the price, support for ray tracing and DLSS, good balance of size and power consumption
- Cons: Not as powerful as the RTX 4090 or RX 7900 XTX
AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT
This is a direct competition to another GPU we mentioned in this article before, the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX, which is a powered-up version of this graphics card. It delivers amazing performance for 1140p and 4k. Don’t get fooled by it being a couple hundred dollars cheaper than its bigger brother; this is nothing like a ‘budget’ card and delivers the quality of an ultra-high-end GPU.
- Pros: Excellent performance for the price, support for ray tracing and FidelityFX Super Resolution, more affordable than the RTX 4070
- Cons: Not as powerful as the RTX 4070, smaller amount of VRAM
Some other tips to consider before buying a GPU
First, think about the games you’ll be playing. If you’re a serious gamer, having a card that can handle the latest games at the highest settings is crucial.
Next, take into account your monitor’s resolution. If you have a 4K monitor, you’ll need a card to output that resolution.
It’s also crucial to check the power requirements. Graphics cards can be power-hungry, so ensure your power supply can handle the card you’re considering.
Lastly, reading reviews is a great way to gauge a card’s performance. Many online reviews are available, so take the time to read a few and understand how well a particular card performs.
If you read this article and are trying to decide which graphics card better suits your needs, you can come to our store in Urbandale or call us at (515) 276-7447 for a Gaming PC setup assessment and assembly.