Last Updated on November 22, 2022 by Nahush Gowda
With next-generation graphics cards on the horizon with RTX 4090 already out, there will be more coming soon. AMD’s next-generation graphics cards are supposed to come out in mid-December and Nvidia’s rest of the 4000 series will be released in November and in 2023.
Intel also entered the GPU market with their ARC lineup which has 3 models as of now. A750 and A770 are not released in the market yet and their performance is close to RTX 3060 or RX 660XT. Intel ARC graphics will not be included here since we don’t have a clear idea of how much will it cost in the market.
Following a huge crisis in the graphics card market, the prices are back to normal, lower even and it is a great time to snag a graphics card at a low price. But, what are the best graphics cards to buy now? Which graphic card is the best value in 2022?
AMD RX 6800XT
- Significantly low cost compared to the competition.
- Power efficient, more than the RTX 3080
- Ray Tracing performance is slightly worse compared to RTX 3080
Let’s start with the high-end graphics cards. AMD’s RX 6800XT is not their best-performing graphic card but it is the best-value graphic card in the higher tier. If you want a decent 4K-capable card, RX 6800XT.
You can also consider RX 6800 but in India, both are priced pretty much the same and getting 6800XT gives better value.
RX 6800XT is available for around ₹57,000 to ₹65,000 depending on the board partner. Many would go for the RTX 3080 here but in India, the price difference between the two is very significant for the same performance.
The only place where the RX 6800 XT has a slight disadvantage is the Ray Tracing performance but it is not exactly bad. RTX 3080 is better at Ray Tracing but that performance uplift is not worth the extra ₹15,000.
AMD graphics cards, especially in the Indian market are not looked upon warmly and they are perfectly fine. RX 6800XT is the best-value high-end GPU in the market right now.
Check out: PC build with RX 6800XT
RTX 3060
- Best for 1080p gaming at the highest settings
- Good ray tracing performance for 1080p
- Has great headroom for overclocking
- The AMD RX 6600XT undercuts RTX 3060 in terms of price.
RTX 3060 is a solid 1080p graphics card which is also really capable of 1440p gaming. Nvidia’s RTX 3060 is not its top graphic card but it is worth the price you are paying.
With 12GB of VRAM, which is overkill for even the latest games, it is good to have a larger memory.
Available at just ₹30,000 to ₹34,000, this is a great 1080p card from Nvidia. It can also handle Ray Tracing in the majority of titles.
If you are on a budget and looking for a good 1080p card, there is no strong reason for you to wait for next-generation cards from Nvidia or AMD. Nvidia will release the lower-end cards in 2023 and AMD will do the same as well. Keeping in mind the prices of RTX 4090 and RTX 4080, it seems that the prices of the next-gen graphics cards will be higher.
Plus, current graphics cards will not go obsolete as some would like to say whenever new gen comes in.
RTX 3060 is a great budget card, capable of 1080p gaming and will remain for quite a long time before you have the need to upgrade it.
RX 6700XT
- Costs significantly less than RTX 3070 offering similar performance
- Capable 1440p gaming card
- Power efficient
- Ray Tracing performance is not good compared to RTX 3070.
Strictly compared with RTX 3070, RX 6700XT performs the same or worse depending on the games you play. But, RX 6700XT is significantly cheaper than RTX 3070, making it the best value 1440p gaming card.
RX 6700XT is closer in performance to RTX 3060 Ti but it is even cheaper than RTX 3060Ti. If you want a value 1440p gaming, RX 6700XT has the best price-to-performance value.
AMD has continually improved the performance of their RX cards with software/driver updates and as of now, it is not too far off from RT3070 which makes it even more desirable.
If you absolutely care for ray tracing, RX 6700XT may not be for you because RX 6700XT is not good with Ray Tracing when compared to RTX 3070. But, you should decide whether RTX 3070 is worth the extra 10% performance for an extra ₹15,000.
RX 6700XT costs around ₹35,000 to ₹38,000 whereas RTX 3070 costs close to ₹50,000. Even the less powerful RTX 3060 Ti costs the same as RX 6700XT. That’s insanely competitive!
Having said that, if your budget allows you to spend around ₹50,000, you can opt for RTX 3070 Ti which costs nearly the same as RTX 3070. You get more performance and better value out of it.
If you are willing to spend that much on a graphics card, it seems more reasonable to see what new generation cards can offer in the mid-range for 1440p gaming.
RTX 4090
- Draws less power than RTX 3090Ti
- It is stupidly fast!
- Ray tracing performance has seen a significant jump over the previous generation
- The size of the graphics card is massive and might not even fit in many cases.
The only next-gen graphics card on the market right now is the Nvidia RTX 4090. RTX 4090 is a beast of a card that completely decimates the RTX 3090Ti and RX 6950XT. Despite the insane ₹1.5lac ($1200) price tag, it proves to be better in value than the RTX 3090 or RTX 3090Ti.
If you have money to burn and want the greatest GPU in the market, RTX 4090 is worth your money, I guess. At least it will be a better deal than the RTX 3090, RTX 3090 Ti and RTX 3080Ti.
Many of us were also scared about the power draw of RTX 4090 as some early rumours suggested a power draw of upward of 800W. Well, that’s not true. Surprisingly, RTX 4090 draws less power than the RTX 3090 Ti and even RX 6950XT.
RTX 4090 truly shines in 4K gaming since, at lower resolutions, RTX 4090 will be bound by even top processors. At 4K though, RTX 4090 is at least 50% faster than RTX 3090 Ti in most titles.
If you want the fastest GPU in the market right now, RTX 4090 is not that bad.
RX 6600/RX 6600XT/RX 6650XT
- Perfect graphic card for 1080p gaming
- The only good performance card in the sub-30000 and sub-25,000 range.
- Ray tracing performance is not on par with the RTX 3060
The AMD RX 6600 family is the best-value 1080p card in the market right now because of its absolutely low price. These are the only sensible graphic cards available in the sub-30000 range.
I have clubbed all these 3 together because the price of these cards is very similar with a difference of hardly ₹3,000 between RX 6000 and RX 6600XT. The card you choose will depend on the money you can spend on a graphic card.
RX 6600 can be found below ₹25,000 whereas 6600XT can sometimes drop below ₹25000 but always remains below ₹30,000. RX 6650XT is not widely available but you can often find them at the exact same price as 6600XT.
For comparison, RTX 3060 will cost you slightly more than ₹30,000 depending on the board partner. Performance-wise, RX 6600XT is very close to RTX 3060, even surpassing it in some titles and the 6650XT is faster than the 3060. The only downside of RX 6000 is its ray tracing performance.
If you do not care for ray tracing performance RX 6600XT is the best value 1080p graphic card in the market as of now.
See what you can build with RX 6600XT.
GTX 1660 Super
- Good budget 1080p gaming card
- Rasterisation performance is on part with RTX 3050 for less price.
- No RT or DLSS support
Budget cards are hard to come by in this market and the AMD 6000 or Nvidia 3000 do not offer anything in the sub-20000 range. As a result, you will have to go back a generation.
The GTX 1660 Super is a non-ray tracing card which has rasterization performance close to the newer RTX 3050. Costing just slightly less than ₹20,000, this is the only sensible graphic card in that price range.
1660 Super was really popular a couple of years ago and it still has good performance to be a 1080p card. Although it doesn’t support ray tracing or DLSS, you can still use AMD FSR which has improved a lot.
Overall, the 1660 Super is a good budget graphics card for 1080p gaming.
FAQ
Is graphic card shortage still going on?
No, the shortage and inflation of graphic cards have ended and the current-gen cards are seeing price drops, especially AMD cards which have made them more attractive than Nvidia cards.
Should I wait for next-gen graphics card from AMD and Nvidia?
There will always be newer and better hardware. That’s just how it is. Your current card will have a successor next year which will have better performance.
The typical upgrade cycle of a graphic card should be 3-5 years and if you choose the right graphic card according to your budget, you need to worry about your card becoming obsolete.
Is 1440p gaming worth it over 1080p gaming?
Well, it depends on what kind of games you play. If you are into open-world games and 60fps is more than enough for you to enjoy games visually, 1440p is much more enjoyable than 1080p.
If you are into high-frame rates competitive gaming, 1080p gaming would hold more advantages. Check this out for a more detailed comparison between 1080p and 1440p gaming.
What is the fastest GPU?
Currently, the fastest GPU in the market is the RTX 4090 which is significantly more powerful than earlier generation RTX 3090/3090 Ti and RX 6950XT. It also has improved ray tracing performance significantly.
It remains to be seen whether AMD RX 7900XT can match its performance or surpass it.
Is RTX 3050 better than GTX 1660ti?
While the 3050 has additional features like ray tracing and DLSS, which can improve visuals and offer a smoother performance, the Ray Tracing isn’t exactly viable at this level of performance as it would eat a lot of frames.
DLSS does offer an advantage but AMD FSR 2.0 has improved a lot and it is supported on any graphics card. If the price is the same for the GTX 1660 Ti and RTX 3050, RTX 3050 would be the default choice but the GTX 1660Ti or even 1660 Super costs way less.
The traditional rasterization performance is the same for both and price is the only thing that can objectively decide which is better.
For a lower price and same performance, barring Ray tracing, GTX 1660 Ti is better for budget gaming.
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