Nvidia has long been the most popular brand for graphics cards, and for good reason. But what’s the best Nvidia graphics card right now, and which is the best option for you?
We’ve created this guide to answer that very question, as we’ve used all of the data we’ve collected from all of our Nvidia graphics card reviews to determine which cards offer the absolute best value for your money.
When testing every card, we make sure to use benchmarks to determine the raw performance speeds, while also evaluating the performance with key features such as DLSS and ray tracing activated. We also make sure to measure the power consumption, as this will determine what kind of PSU you’ll need to purchase, while also having an impact on your energy bill.
We’ll also make sure to test all of the latest Nvidia graphics cards as they hit stores, and so will frequently update this list with new additions. It’s worth checking out our Nvidia RTX 5090 and Nvidia GeForce RTX 5000 Series rumour hubs too, which rounds up all of the latest rumours to give you an idea of what to expect from the next generation of Nvidia graphics cards. If you like the look of the rumoured cards, it may be worth waiting a little longer.
Equally, if you can’t wait any longer to upgrade your PC, then check out all of our best Nvidia graphics card picks below. Alternatively, if you’re happy to look beyond the Nvidia brand, then also make sure to check out our more general Best Graphics Card guide.
Best Nvidia graphics card at a glance
- Best overall Nvidia graphics card: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 – check price
- Best Nvidia graphics card for 4K gaming: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super – check price
- Best Nvidia graphics card for 1440p gaming: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Super – check price
- Best Nvidia graphics card for 1080p gaming: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti – check price
How we test
Every graphics card we review is benchmarked in one of our test rigs using a mix of synthetic tests and in-game checks. We use uniform specs in the benches to help us make direct comparisons between the cards based on the data we collect. We also assess thermals to ensure the cards don’t run too hot, and power consumption, too.
- Most powerful graphics card yet
- Incredible 4K gaming performance
- DLSS 3 offers substantial boost
- Superb option for content creators
- Absurdly high price
- Overkill for most games, even in 4K
- Very high power consumption
- Impressive performance at 4K and 1440p
- Super clean design, and compact form-factor
- Impressively cool under-load
- Ray-Tracing and DLSS performance shine
- Not a huge leap in performance compared to the RTX 4070
- Not all games support Ray tracing or DLSS
- Strong performance at 4K makes it the right time to switch
- MSI’s card design is elegant and refined
- Power draw and temperatures are comfortably low
- Easily hits 100 fps at 1440p
- MSI variant runs slower at launch
- DLSS needed to take on graphically heavy 4K games
- Solid 1080p Ray Tracing performance
- Lowest power consumption of all Ampere cards
- Cheapest current gen’ card on the market
- Still not massively overclockable
- Only 20% cheaper than an RTX 3070
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090
Most powerful Nvidia graphics card
Pros
- Most powerful graphics card yet
- Incredible 4K gaming performance
- DLSS 3 offers substantial boost
- Superb option for content creators
Cons
- Absurdly high price
- Overkill for most games, even in 4K
- Very high power consumption
The Nvidia RTX 4090 was one of the very first graphics cards to launch as part of the new RTX 4000 Series. With the cutting-edge Lovelace architecture, Nvidia has been able to boost the performance to all-new heights, while making high-end features such DLSS and ray tracing even more efficient.
In our gaming tests, we found the RTX 4090 capable of playing virtually any modern game with a 4K resolution at 100fps and beyond. The only occasion where this graphics card failed to do so was with Cyberpunk 2077 with ray tracing activated. But the 44fps average score is still an impressive feat, with the RTX 3090 failing to hit 30fps with the same settings.
The Nvidia RTX 4090 isn’t for everyone, with an eye-watering price, high power consumption and large design. Its 4K performance is also overkill, making an RTX 3080 or the RTX 4080 Super a better value option for those who don’t have a bank vault to rival Scrooge McDuck.
But if you’re craving the most powerful graphics card that Nvidia has to offer, then there’s no doubt that the RTX 4090 is the best graphics card option.
Reviewer: Ryan Jones
Full review: Nvidia RTX 4090 review
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super
Best Nvidia graphics card for 4K gaming
Pros
- Strong performance at 4K makes it the right time to switch
- MSI’s card design is elegant and refined
- Power draw and temperatures are comfortably low
- Easily hits 100 fps at 1440p
Cons
- MSI variant runs slower at launch
- DLSS needed to take on graphically heavy 4K games
The Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super is the darling of the graphics card manufacturer’s recent slate of new “Super” GPUs, with the RTX 4080 Super focused on fixing its predecessor’s price over boosting performance. The result is a 4K gaming beast.
For our review, we took a look at the MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super 16G Ventus 3X and it was very impressive. Up against the original RTX 4070, we saw performance jumps of between 20-30fps. The RTX 4080 still tops this card for ray tracing and DLSS performance but we were impressed to see it close the gap to under 20fps in some of our tests.
In its own right, what you’ll find is more than 60fps at Ultra settings at 4K in titles like Cyberpunk 2077 with ray tracing and DLSS on.
Overall, the added VRAM the Nvidia GeForce 4070 Ti Super gets compared with the regular Ti it succeeds means that this is an excellent 4K card right now and it will continue to be for the next few years.
Reviewer: Zak Storey
Full review: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super review
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Super
Best Nvidia graphics card for 1440p gaming
Pros
- Impressive performance at 4K and 1440p
- Super clean design, and compact form-factor
- Impressively cool under-load
- Ray-Tracing and DLSS performance shine
Cons
- Not a huge leap in performance compared to the RTX 4070
- Not all games support Ray tracing or DLSS
In the latest Nvidia “Super” batch of cards, we rated the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Super as the pick of the bunch. For around £600/$600, you get top tier 1440p gaming and it even can stretch into 4K should you so choose.
For our review, we tested the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Super Founders Edition. The performance of the 4070 Super is stunning for its reasonable price.
It offered up around 100fps at Ultra settings across our 1440p testing and, at 4K, it was able to sit at around 55fps. Compared with the RTX 4070, that’s a jump of between 5-15fps in many cases.
We were particularly impressed by what the RTX 4070 Super was capable of when tasked with ray tracing and utilising DLSS. With RT on and no DLSS upscaling, we were hitting under 19fps at 4K in Cyberpunk 2077 but, with DLSS on, it shot up to just under 60fps. Whether you’re playing 4K titles or in 1440p, or you are playing ray tracing titles or not, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Super is a brilliant value proposition.
Reviewer: Zak Storey
Full review: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Super review
Nvidia RTX 3060 Ti
Best Nvidia graphics card for 1080p gaming
Pros
- Solid 1080p Ray Tracing performance
- Lowest power consumption of all Ampere cards
- Cheapest current gen’ card on the market
Cons
- Still not massively overclockable
- Only 20% cheaper than an RTX 3070
The Nvidia RTX 3060 Ti may be a generation behind now following the emergence of the RTX 40-Series, but it still remains our favourite pick for those craving the best graphics card for 1080p gaming.
While the RTX 4060 and RTX 4060 Ti are boosted by more cutting-edge hardware, they don’t offer a huge leap forwards in terms of performance. And factor in the numerous discounts available for the older RTX 3060 Ti across the web, and it’s hard to ignore its incredible value. At the time of writing, it’s the fourth most popular graphics card currently used by gamers on Steam, which shows that many gamers agree that this card is good value for money.
Despite missing out on the latest Ada Lovelace architecture, the RTX 3060 Ti is still a powerful card. When sticking to a 1080p resolution, our tests showed that this GPU was capable of playing Horizon Zero Dawn at 101fps, Doom Eternal at 259fps, and Borderlands 3 at 95fps. In fact, the RTX 3060 Ti is even capable of playing select games at higher resolutions if you so wish. What’s more, the Nvidia card also has plenty of advanced features such as ray tracing and DLSS.
If you’re desperate to get the most efficient ray tracing performance possible, and make use of the latest iteration of DLSS, then it may still be worth considering the RTX 4060 Ti instead. But in terms of value for money, we think the Nvidia RTX 3060 Ti remains the best graphics card when it comes to value for money.
Reviewer: Alastair Stevenson
Full review: Nvidia RTX 3060 Ti review
We also considered…
FAQs
No, despite being one of the largest desktop GPU makers the company has direct competition in every category and price point via AMD, and its Radeon line of cards.
Nvidia cards constantly test well when we review them and are a regular feature in our best GPU guide offering solid gaming performance.
This depends on what you want to do. If you just want to play Fortnite or do basic editing in PhotoShop you can spend as little as £250/$250 on an entry level card that’ll do the job. For more demanding tasks like 4K gaming you’ll want to spend more on a mid-range or top end card. These tend to cost anywhere between £500/$500 to over £1000/$1000.
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Trusted Reviews test data
You can see a detailed breakdown of the test data we collected reviewing the cards in this list in the table below.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
