Best NVIDIA Graphics Cards in 2024

When deciding on parts for a new gaming PC, the GPU is now the most integral component of the rig, given that it’s a key factor for gaming performance. Processors, memory, and storage have a say in the overall cost of a PC, but the price of the accompanying GPU often overshadows them in a system.

A crucial decision that gamers must make when it comes to a modern gaming PC is whether they want to go with AMD or Nvidia as the best graphics card for a build. Nvidia leads on the software front thanks to more refined tech such as DLSS 3.0, better ray tracing support, and superior hardware encoders on the new RTX 4000 series GPUs. However, some users go for AMD as they feel it offers better value thanks to more aggressive pricing from Team Red historically as it continues to, for the most part, play catch up to Nvidia’s seeming insurmountable lead at the high end.

For gamers who wish to experience cutting-edge visual fidelity or need the highest frame rates possible, Nvidia simply can’t be beaten, thanks to its mammoth RTX 4000 series offerings, further strengthened by its recently showcased SUPER lineup that will release across January with the RTX 4070 SUPER already available in both stock and 3rd party SKUs.

At the highest end, the RTX 4090 remains a pricey but extremely premium GPU with no equivalent from competing AMD hardware (and Intel, to an even lesser extent). If one is, however, more cash-strapped or wishes to get a more middle-of-the-road solution for gaming, there are options for gamers on a budget as well.

How to Pick the Best Nvidia GPU for Your Needs

Selecting the best Nvidia GPU for an end user is a mix of price considerations, performance requirements, target resolutions, and the importance of the latest AI sharpening techniques, such as DLSS. This means that prospective buyers need to research to ensure they end up with a product that meets their needs and remains relevant for the foreseeable future.

Any recommendations should be based on a balanced mix of the following requirements:

Price: As modern GPUs continue to trudge upwards in terms of pricing, it helps to have a price ceiling in mind when looking for a gaming or productivity-related purchase. As with most PC components, diminishing returns kick in regarding price-to-performance ratios. As one moves higher up, it’s a great idea to budget around a GPU purchase in 2024 since top-end models continue to clock in well north of $1500.

Performance: Modern GPUs use many techniques, including AI sharpening via DLSS/FSR/XESS to boost their performance. Even so, having a faster GPU is beneficial, considering how important rasterization performance can be even before other optimizations kick in. Knowing what raw computing power is available to the end user is beneficial, as GPUs are used for various tasks apart from gaming. Not all features directly benefit gaming, with some more aimed at the most demanding development and engineering applications.

VRAM/Memory: As games and render workloads increase and users purchase higher-resolution displays, the amount of VRAM available directly affects performance. Consequently, this causes a bottleneck and higher resolutions with some demanding games, making VRAM an increasingly important specification to track. This is of particular importance due to Nvidia somewhat limiting its VRAM towards the budget segment of its offerings.

DLSS Support: Nvidia’s AI sharpening tech, DLSS, has evolved considerably; unlike its competition (which continues to play catch-up), it’s exclusive to its RTX series GPUs, where it makes use of its Tensor Cores to deliver on its promise of higher performance. The latest version of DLSS (DLSS3/3.5) brings considerable performance enhancements but performs significantly better on the new RTX 4000 (Ada Lovelace-based) GPUs. These processors are engineered from the ground up to deliver much better performance with DLSS3 or higher-end titles than last-generation Nvidia GPUs.

Game Rant’s Picks for the Best Nvidia GPUs In 2024

Nvidia’s RTX 4070 SUPER is now available to end users and is expected to be a considerably sought-after card as it adds more CUDA cores, faster clocks, and a price tag just $10 north of both, its non-OC version and Nvidia’s own FE offering in 2024. As a budget RTX 4070 SUPER SKU, the ASUS Dual RTX 4070 SUPER OC 12G skips on RGB lighting but does bring a decent fan upgrade to the RTX 4000 series even as ASUS claims more durability and reliability alike thanks to its ‘Auto-Extreme Technology’ on offer.

With a rough 15 to 20 percent performance gain vs the RTX 4070 which has now officially seen a price cut to $550 for the base model, the RTX 4070 SUPER is a no-brainer for gamers looking to upgrade to the latest Nvidia has to offer in the sub-$500-600 price range. It offers a large CUDA core bump that puts it closer to the RTX 4070 Ti in its current iteration than the RTX 4070, making it a relatively excellent bargain within its price class.

The ASUS Dual RTX 4070 SUPER OC 12G just happens to be a well-priced, readily available RTX 4070 SUPER SKU at the time of writing that should fit in most, if not all gaming PC cases with ease, making it an easy recommendation given its build quality and price-to-performance ratio in a no-nonsense design that trades as close to MSRP for a factory overclocked model as one can hope for currently.

For users requiring a tri-fan RTX 4070-based SKU without having to pay the AIB’s premium for an excellent SKU, the tri-fan Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4070 WINDFORCE OC 12G is an impressive GPU at a steep discount over the Founder’s Edition while offering a mild overclock in tow. What was expected to be an across-the-board cut on the Nvidia RTX 4070 in response to AMD’s RX 7800XT seems to have been limited to a select few units even as the RTX 4070 SUPER rolls out in multiple territories and Nvidia makes its price cut on the RTX 4070 official.

As a result, the Windforce OC is one of the best Nvidia graphics card options with excellent gaming performance for Nvidia’s new MSRP for its mid-range contender.

With extensive cooling in play to ensure the RTX 4070’s temps remain reasonable while gaming or running benchmarks, the Windforce OC can be pushed higher with ease for more advanced users. It has also had two BIOS updates since its release, improving its Fan Stop tech to tweak its curves and ensure the GPU only runs them when thermal requirements kick in.

Overall, the Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4070 WINDFORCE OC 12G is a solid entry into the mid-range Nvidia GPU’s lineup. Its price tag makes it a considerably better-valued deal than most of its competition, even without more substantial discounts in play through 2024.

At least as far as gaming-oriented graphics cards go, the GeForce RTX 4090 is the most powerful option currently on the market. Besides generating some insane frame rates even at 4K resolutions, one of the most important additions is support for DLSS 3. DLSS is a feature often confusing with how it benefits the typical gamer.

Essentially, DLSS boosts the frame rates of games by rendering frames at a lower resolution and then using AI to upscale these frames to a steadier higher resolution. Framegen builds onto this by creating AI-generated frames between two GPU-rendered frames to give the end user a smoother experience. DLSS also enables smoother gaming at higher resolutions with current-gen graphics cards or playing newer games with older GPUs.

While support for DLSS 3.0 is growing over time, gamers can immediately benefit from the incredible raw power of the Asus ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4090 OC Edition by pushing frame rates that would not otherwise be possible. Playing games at 4K 120 fps is now a very real possibility with this graphics card without compromising on lower texture or reflection settings. Although monitors and TVs to test games at 8K are scarce, early benchmarks have cards like the Asus ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4090 performing surprisingly well at this resolution.

Compared to the stock NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, Asus has made a massive piece of hardware that looks more like a box than a card. Pitted against the Founders Edition, performance is even better, with a maximum clock speed of 2640 MHz, and the Aura Sync RGB lighting effects are stunning. Buyers will need a beefy power supply to run the card, with an 850-watt PSU a safe bet. Measuring over 14 inches long, the Asus card will also be challenging or sometimes, outright impossible to fit in most smaller PC cases. That being said, the Asus ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4090 OC Edition is the most impressive variant of the fastest consumer-grade NVIDIA GPU on the planet, and that alone makes it a solid contender for and the ultimate winner of GameRant’s best-performance Nvidia GPU title.

The Asus Strix RTX 4090 OC is the fastest RTX 4090 to date available commercially. Unless one counts the even harder-to-find ROG Matrix GeForce RTX 4090 Platinum, which clocks in at $3200 and is sold out at most retailers. A mild price uptick has been seen, primarily due to its limited availability, with the scarcer white SKU of the same model pushing an even higher price tag than its equally stunning black-themed sibling but adding a ROG-themed ring into the mix.

It’s easy to forget a time when graphics cards weren’t more expensive than a top-tier CPU or any other PC component. Today, gamers putting together a new rig often decide first on what NVIDIA or AMD graphics card they can afford and build the rest of a rig around that choice. Fortunately, some budget options for buyers not interested in gaming at resolutions higher than 1080p are still available. The PNY GeForce GTX 1650 doesn’t support fancy features like ray-tracing or DLSS, but it’s a great option for a highly compact gaming PC or a reliable graphics card for office work.

The PNY GeForce GTX 1650 isn’t much to look at, but its minimalist design allows it to fit into the tight chassis of mini ITX cases. This graphics card does not require an additional power connector, simplifying the already difficult cable management in smaller systems. The total power usage of the card is a mere 75 watts. In the past, some stock GTX 1650 cards have lacked DisplayPort connections, but fortunately, the PNY GeForce GTX 1650 offers two of these ports along with one HDMI 2.0 connection.

PNY’s GeForce GTX 1650 is a perfectly acceptable card for running games at 1080p with high detail settings. 60 fps gaming is a sure bet, with the card adequate for 120 fps in some moderately demanding titles. For anything more than that, gamers will have to step up to a more expensive alternative like the RTX 3050. Nevertheless, the PNY GeForce GTX 1650 is one of the better NVIDIA graphics card options for budget shoppers.

The Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4060 AERO OC 8G is an excellent mid-range GPU that offers the newer DLSS3-backed RTX 4000 series experience to gamers on a budget. Even enthusiasts can consider this GPU to replace the well-received and considerably well-entrenched RTX 3060. It succeeds by targeting the roughly $300 market of GPUs and directly offering replacements that will, over time, phase out the aging RTX 3060 GPU. This RTX 4060 from Gigabyte has also been readily available on shelves since launch, unlike some higher-end RTX 4090 GPUs.

The RTX 4060 GPU offers better efficiency than its predecessor, with much better DLSS 3.0 performance and faster clocks. It also reduces the amount of VRAM, even as modern titles become more memory-hungry. Instead, it offers a singular 8GB model versus the more generous 12GB on the RTX 3060.

Gigabyte’s AERO OC take on the RTX 4060 boasts one of the better aesthetic designs on the market by marrying its large tri-fan design with the all-white AERO concept. It makes for a beautiful yet cost-effective RTX 4060 SKU to consider at a modest premium over the Founder’s Edition while offering quiet operation.

With higher clocks and lower temperatures, the Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4060 AERO OC 8G is an easy recommendation for new gamers. For buyers coming from an RTX 3060 or equivalent, it might not be a generational GPU upgrade with similar rasterization performance, making it a somewhat conditional upgrade in 2024.

Somewhat unsurprisingly, thanks in part to the RTX 4090 trading well above its MSRP at most stores thanks to its AI uses, the RTX 4080 is the weapon of choice for most gamers looking for a high-end PC in 2024, a situation that is only going to pivot further with the launch of the RTX 4080 SUPER at a lower MSRP. The ZOTAC Gaming GeForce RTX 4080 16GB Trinity OC GPU sells at a significant premium over the RTX 4080 FE from Nvidia but earns its keep by offering better cooling, boost clocks, aesthetics, and a design that users will either love or learn to live with at 3.5 slots of space being gobbled up in their case with its length offering a similar challenge.

With excellent RGB lighting, and solid build quality including a vapor chamber that allows it to deliver quiet performance at high clocks, Zotac’s Trinity OC SKU of the RTX 4080 is a premium take on Nvidia’s penultimate RTX 4000 series GPU and it lets you know that, both explicitly and subtlety when under operation as a gorgeous, but silent performer that trades at a much lower price than the premium RTX 4080 SKUs it directly competes with from ASUS, MSI, and other AIB manufacturers.

The ZOTAC Gaming GeForce RTX 4080 16GB Trinity OC’s newer design play comes with a dedicated sag holder to keep the large GPU head upright even as users might want to consider an E-ATX compliant case for what is one of Zotac’s largest GPU designs to date.

Liquid cooling is traditionally associated with overclocked and power-hungry CPUs that generate too much heat for most air coolers. However, while it’s a niche market, powerful graphics cards like the MSI GeForce RTX 4090 Suprim Liquid X can benefit from water coolers. To get any misconceptions out of the way, this MSI card is not noticeably faster than the typical Nvidia RTX 4090 but has other advantages, like only consuming two PCI slots. The GeForce RTX 4090 Suprim Liquid X appeals most to buyers looking for quiet cooling or appreciate the aesthetic value of liquid cooling radiators.

The actual graphics card that ships with the RTX 4090 Suprim Liquid X is rather understated with its dark industrial theme. There is a small amount of RGB lighting next to the single fan on the card, but its sophisticated aluminum exterior will fit in with any build. MSI utilizes much of the same liquid cooling techniques with the RTX 4090 Suprim Liquid X as with its CPU water coolers like the MEG CoreLiquid S360. Inside the graphics card is a copper plate for thermal dissipation, and a small water pump attaches to the 240 mm radiator. Buyers must find a home for this radiator with dual fans, but most PC cases accommodate liquid coolers.

Gamers won’t see a noticeable performance boost with the RTX 4090 Supreme Liquid, with the card generating benchmarks similar to those of the Founders Edition. Still, besides saving PCI slots in a case, this MSI card also cools the GPU at high loads without the usual noisiness of multiple fans. The Silent Gale P12 fans on the radiator remain relatively quiet without the annoying coil whine often heard with CPU liquid coolers. Users can also take advantage of a dual BIOS to run the graphics card in Silent or Gaming mode.

For buyers assembling a silent build but still wanting the most cutting-edge GPU, the RTX 4090 Supreme Liquid is one of the best Nvidia graphics cards available.

The Asus TUF RTX 4070 Ti is an excellent example of the Nvidia RTX 4070 Ti GPU focusing more on performance than aesthetics. That’s not to say that it looks inelegant by any measure. It has premium styling, but it skips some of the extensive RGB lighting that most of its direct competitors use to cater to gamers, leaving the light show to its more premium Strix sibling priced to match.

This graphics card delivers an excellent experience with a quiet, powerful GPU that overclocks well compared to some alternatives. Despite having a clear advantage over the stock unit, it has a much better build quality than many of its peers while keeping nearly in line with the MSRP price of Nvidia’s own Founders Edition. Unlike the competition, it has dual HDMI ports and a tri-fan cooling system with an embedded vapor chamber, keeping things cool and quiet simultaneously.

The Asus TUF RTX 4070TI also serves as one of Game Rant’s candidates for the best RTX 4070 TI SKUs in the market. It’s a clear favorite when it comes to productivity-related use cases, even as it offers strong gaming-centric performance thanks to a mix of build quality, cooling, and clock speeds.

Final Considerations When Buying an Nvidia GPU

Of all the available components, a graphics card will have the most dramatic impact on a gaming PC’s performance. As a result, it’s often the primary concern of buyers assembling a new rig. Since even the most affordable GPUs require a significant investment, remember to consider these factors before a purchase:

Price

Since certain Nvidia GPUs remain in short supply, there is still a wide range of asking prices on the same models at retailers. This creates a lot of controversy and anxiety among buyers desperate to score a graphics card near MSRP levels. Fortunately, Nvidia graphics cards at more reasonable prices are in stock, including the PNY GeForce GTX 1650 4GB. This budget GPU is adequate for 1080p gaming and has advantages for compact builds since it doesn’t require an additional power connection.

If money is no obstacle, gamers can take a huge step up to the ZOTAC Gaming GeForce RTX 4080 Trinity OC. The Zotac RTX 4080 option offers excellent performance with impressive build quality and cooling in tow even as it costs less than more premium RTX 4080 SKUs.

Performance

With no reasonable alternative from the competition as a concrete answer to the Nvidia RTX 4090, which is a showcase for the most cutting-edge GPU features. With technology like DLSS 3.0, the ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4090 OC Edition is one of the few graphics cards that can achieve stable 120 fps performance at 4K resolutions. Enthusiasts will also appreciate that this GPU is especially overclockable, allowing them to set new performance records.

VRAM/Memory

Some gamers are surprised when Nvidia releases new graphics cards with only a modest amount of memory. 4K gaming at higher refresh rates can push GPUs to their limits with the amount of processed high-detailed textures. Even so, no-nonsense productivity-centric options allow video editors or engineers to benefit from additional memory more than gamers. This could be a mid-range overclocked RTX 4070TI from ASUS or a full-blown, top-of-the-line RTX 4090 from MSI, both of which offer significant performance gains at their respective performance tiers.

DLSS Support

DLSS is one of the most talked about Nvidia GPU features, enabling games to render at lower resolutions before AI-powered upscaling sharpens images, minimizing the load on the graphics cards. This has obvious benefits for less-powerful GPUs like the Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4060 AERO OC 8G, where DLSS 3.0 allows it to compete with higher-end alternatives. Meanwhile, GameRant chose the ASUS TUF Gaming NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti OC Edition as the best overall Nvidia graphics card, in part because of its outstanding DLSS 3.0/3.5 support. Even though this GPU is not the flagship Nvidia product, its ability to go toe to toe with the more expensive cards makes it an excellent value.

Deciding on an Nvidia graphics card can be a complex affair, considering the money involved and their effects on gaming performance. This guide aims to help gamers, professionals and enthusiasts alike understand what the current set of Nvidia GPU offerings look like at different price and performance brackets going into 2024.

FAQ

Q: What is the #1 GPU in the world?

In terms of gaming, NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 4090 series of GPUs far outclass any of the competitors, including NVIDIA’s other offerings. But for the size of nearly an Xbox Series S, it’s no wonder this graphics card can output FPS like no other.

Q: What is the best graphics card for 4K gaming?

The RTX 4080 or higher is the ideal GPU for 4K gaming. It can sustain 4K games at high frame rates thanks to DLSS 3. However, the RTX 3080 and RTX 3090 also provide stable 60 fps frame rates at 4K resolutions for many games.

Q: What is the difference between NVIDIA GTX and RTX graphics cards?

NVIDIA’s RTX graphics cards provide ray-tracing support and tend to have higher amounts of VRAM, CUDA Cores, and GPU speeds than their older GTX series. In fact, besides the GTX 1650, the rest of the line has halted production in favor of the RTX series. This isn’t to say this card isn’t viable any longer, but as the VRAM capacity for GPUs increases over the years, 4GB is no longer cutting it.