Best graphics cards 2020: the best GPUs for gaming
The best graphics card is a requirement, whether you’re looking to play the best PC games like the newly released Control and Doom Eternal or tackling graphics-intensive tasks like video editing and 3D design. A great graphics card makes your games more immersive and improves your PC’s video playback, as well as delivers a much smoother computing experience overall.
These days, the search for the best graphics cards is more exciting than ever. With AMD unleashing its next generation AMD Navi GPUs and Nvidia rolling out its impressive Nvidia Turing cards like the all-powerful RTX 2080 Ti and the new Super RTX cards, there are more powerful yet incredibly affordable options to choose from. And, that’s without Intel also throwing its hat in the ring with its first ever discrete GPU, Intel Xe.
The race is indeed on, and it’s closer than ever before, which only benefits us as prices start to drop. Still, different users have different needs. Let us guide you to finding the best graphics cards for your needs. We handpicked the best graphics cards and rounded them up on this list. Whether you’re a hardcore gamer, a content creation or a designer, you’ll find something here for you.
Best graphics cards at a glance
- AMD Radeon RX 5700
- Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti
- AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT
- Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super
- Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super
- AMD Radeon VII
- Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super
- Zotac GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Mini
- Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1660 OC 6G
- PNY GeForce GTX 1660 Ti XLR8 Gaming OC
1. AMD Radeon RX 5700
The best graphics card for most people
Stream Processors: 2,304 | Core Clock: 1,465 MHz (1,725 MHz boost) | Memory: 8GB GDDR6 | Memory Clock: 14Gbps | Power Connectors: 1 x 8-pin and 1 x 6-pin | Outputs: 1 x DisplayPort 1.4 with DSC, 1 x HDMI with 4K60 Support
Excellent performance
Affordable
No ray tracing
This absolute behemoth of a graphics card is still basically brand new, and it’s already topping our list of the best graphics cards, booting former reigning champion and its direct rival, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060, off the top spot. At $349, this powerful mid-range card brings 1440p gaming at Ultra or Max settings to the masses, making it affordable and accessible to everyone. At that price point, it doesn’t need to be perfect – those looking for ray tracing will have to wait. But, for what it offers and how much it costs, it’s well-deserving of its title as the best graphics card of 2020 for most people.
Read the full review: AMD Radeon RX 5700
2. Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti
The best 4K graphics card
Stream Processors: 4,352 | Core Clock: 1,350MHz (1,635MHz boost) | Memory: 11GB GDDR6 | Memory Clock: 14Gbps | Power Connectors: 2 x 8-pin | Outputs: 3 x DisplayPort 1.4, 1 x HDMI 2.0, 1 x USB-C
High fps 4K gaming
Spearheading ray tracing revolution
Extremely expensive
If you need the best graphics card, and you don’t want to settle, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti may be one of the best graphics cards for you. This is the most formidable graphics card you can buy without jumping for a professional graphics solution. And, now that games like Battlefield V, Metro Exodus and Shadow of the Tomb Raider actually implement the RTX features, there’s never been a better time to jump on the ray tracing bandwagon. Just prepare yourself for that sky-high price.
Read the full review: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti
3. AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT
Stream processors: 3,584 | Core clock: 1,506 | Memory: 11GB GDDR5X | Memory clock: 10Gbps | Power connectors: 2 x 8-pin | Outputs: 1.4 with DSC DisplayPort, HDMI with 4K60 Support
Generation-defining performance
Affordable
No ray tracing
Only 6GB of VRAM
If you’re looking for the best graphics card out there for 1080p gaming, you might want to look into what the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT has to offer. This AMD card beats the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 with its more affordable price tag, delivering high frame rates and plenty of software features while requiring less power. Sure, it doesn’t have the competition’s ray tracing and deep learning supersampling (DLSS), but for raw performance and value, AMD’s contender comes out the winner.
Read the full review: AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT
4. Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super
The best QHD graphics card
Stream processors: 2,560 | Core clock: 1,605 |
Memory: 8GB GDDR6 | Memory clock: 14Gbps | Power connectors: 6 pin + 8 pin | Outputs: 1 x DisplayPort, 1 x HDMI, 1 x DVI-DL
Founders Edition cheaper than original 2070
More CUDA cores
1440p gaming with ray tracing
Still kind of expensive
Founders Edition card is heavy
The souped up Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super isn’t just remarkable because it’s a supercharged version of the very popular RTX 2070, offering exceptional 1440p gaming. It’s also striking because it offers all that power at a very reasonable price, making it a compelling buy for most users, even for those on a budget. Plus, if you’re wondering about ray tracing, here’s the best card to jump in – you don’t have to break open that piggy bank for the RTX 2080 or RTX 2080 Ti anymore.
Read the full review: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super
5. Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super
The best Full HD graphics card
Stream Processors: 1,408 | Core Clock: 1,530MHz (1,785MHz boost) | Memory: 6GB GDDR6 | Memory Clock: 14Gbps | Power Connectors: 1 x 8-pin | Outputs: 1 x DisplayPort, 1 x HDMI, 1 x DVI-DL
Affordable
Excellent performance
No RT cores
When Nvidia put out the GTX 1660 and the GTX 1660 Ti, they excelled at Full HD gaming at a price that wouldn’t make you wince. And, now that the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super is here, both of those cards are practically irrelevant. This new graphics card is just a bit faster than the GTX 1660, but is only ten bucks or quid more, while it reaches the same level as the GTX 1660 Ti while being significantly cheaper. If you’re looking for a graphics card for Full HD gameplay, you really should take a look at the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super – it really is one of the best graphics cards out there.
Read the full review: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super
6. AMD Radeon VII
The best graphics card for creatives
Stream Processors: 3,840 | Core Clock: 1,400MHz (1,800MHz boost) | Memory: 16GB HBM2 | Memory Clock: 2Gbps | Power Connectors: 2 x 8-pin | Outputs: 3 x DisplayPort 1.4, 1 x HDMI 2.0
Plenty of VRAM
Runs cool
Weak DirectX 12 performance
We’ve been longing for a
new top-of-the-line graphics card from AMD since 2017’s Radeon Vega 64, but things have drastically changed in the graphics market since then – most notably Nvidia Turing. With the AMD Radeon VII from the Vega II lineup, Team Red has attempted to reclaim a piece of the high-end graphics market, and it largely triumphed. The AMD Radeon VII holds its own in 4K gaming, but it particularly excels in content creation. Packed with 16GB of HBM2 memory, the AMD Radeon VII can keep up with much more expensive creative-focused competitors, making it one of the best graphics cards 2020 has on offer.
Read the full review: AMD Radeon VII
7. Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super
The best VR graphics card
Stream Processors: 3,072 | Core Clock: 1,650MHz (1,815MHz boost) | Memory: 8GB GDDR6 | Memory Clock: 15.5Gbps | Power Connectors: 1 x 8-pin, 1 x 6-pin | Outputs: 3 x DisplayPort, 1 x HDMI 2.0b, 1 x DVI-DL
Great 1440p and 4K gaming performance
Cheaper than original RTX 2080
FrameView software is useful
Still expensive
Minimal performance gains over RTX 2080
Read the full review: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super
8. Zotac GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Mini
The best mini graphics card
Stream processors: 3,584 | Core clock: 1,506 | Memory: 11GB GDDR5X | Memory clock: 10Gbps | Power connectors: 2 x 8-pin | Outputs: 3 x DisplayPort 1.4, 1 x HDMI 2.0b, 1 x DL-DVI-D
World’s smallest 1080 Ti
SLI support
Inferior performance
Runs hot and loud
Looking to put together a microATX or a mini-ITX gaming PC? You shouldn’t need to settle for a low-end GPU. Take a look at mini graphics cards like the Zotac GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Mini
instead. It’s not the latest and greatest GPU out there now, but the 1080 Ti still has a lot of juice, and it’s among the best graphics cards to power your microATX. And, when you can get that power in a card that’s only 211 x 125 x 41mm, the tiny loss in performance is absolutely worth the beautiful mini PC you’ll get.
9. Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1660 OC 6G
The best Budget graphics card:
Stream Processors: 1,408 | Core Clock: 1,530MHz | Memory: 6GB GDDR5 | Memory Speed: 8Gbps | Power Connectors: 1 x 8-pin | Outputs: 3 x DisplayPort 1.4, 1 x HDMI 2.0
Extremely affordable
Great entry-level performance
GDDR5 memory
With all those fancy (read: expensive) graphics cards cornering the market, the budget-friendlier ones sometimes fly under the radar. That’s unfortunate, particularly since cards like the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 deserve a spot in the limelight for delivering excellent 1080p performance at a very affordable price. With the Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1660 OC 6G, you’re also getting a healthy factory overclock and all the outputs you’ll ever need, so you can play all your favorite games with several monitors attached. We’d call that a bargain, maybe even the best we’ve ever had, and it certainly warrants a spot in our best graphics cards list.
Read the full review: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1660 OC 6G
10. PNY GeForce GTX 1660 Ti XLR8 Gaming OC
The best eSports graphics card
Stream Processors: 1,536 | Core Clock: 1,500MHz | Memory: 6GB GDDR6 | Memory Speed: 12Gbps | Power Connectors: 1 x 8-pin | Outputs: 1 x DisplayPort 1.4, 1 x HDMI 2.0, 1 x DVI
Affordable
Excellent 1080p performance
Limited memory bandwidth
When Nvidia first revealed its Turing lineup, it was hard to find a model that didn’t cost an arm and a leg. Nonetheless, with the launch of the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti – especially the PNY XLR8 Gaming OC model – next-generation performance became accessible to everyone. You won’t have access to 4K 60 fps gaming
with this card, but it’s one of the best graphics cards for anyone still using a 1080p display, and it can handle most esports games well above 60fps. At that resolution, you’ll have trouble running into any title that it can’t handle.
Read the full review: PNY GeForce GTX 1660 Ti XLR8 Gaming OC
Michelle Rae Uy has also contributed to this article.