When it comes to upgrading or picking a GPU or graphics card, your monitor’s resolution is the most important deciding factor. Because it’s the costliest graphical setting right now (on par with Raytracing, perhaps). Luckily, a 2022 GPU is well-equipped for the three most-used resolutions right now.
Those three resolutions would be:
- Full HD/FHD or 1080p (1920 x 1080)
- Quad HD/QHD or 1440p (2560 x 1440p)
- 4K or 2160p (3840 x 2160)
If you’re in the market for a 2022 GPU, these are the three resolutions that you need to take into account; what you buy and your current monitor’s resolution will determine how well the 2022 GPU will perform. So here are your best options.
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070
PROS
- Can handle all resolutions
- Relatively low power consumption
- Impressive Raytracing performance
- Good price-to-performance ratio
- Streaming multiprocessors ensure no streaming performance hit
CONS
- Dual fan options get rather hot
- Only 8 GB of VRAM
- MSRP: $499
- Base Clock Speed: 1.73 GHz
- VRAM/Memory: 8 GB
- Memory Type: GDDR6
- TGP/Wattage: 220 W
If you want something that can handle all resolutions from 1080p to 4K, then the 2022 GPU that yields the best price-to-performance ratio would be the RTX 3070. Ideally, it’s a 1440p GPU, but it’s powerful enough to be a baseline 4K or budget 4K graphics card.
With the help of DLSS, the RTX 3070 can even output some impressive 4K performance, though don’t expect to use full or max Raytracing on games that support it. The typical limitation is the 8 GB of VRAM which might not be enough for some games in 4K, but DLSS alleviates that issue.
At 1440p, this card is in its natural habitat. At 1080p it’s overkill, to be frank. The price is also good now and it’s a lot closer to the MSRP compared to the inflated prices during the pandemic period.
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
PROS
- Pretty close to the RTX 3070's performance
- Relatively low power consumption
- Good 1440p GPU
- The best price-to-performance ratio
- Streaming multiprocessors ensure no streaming performance hit
- Later versions come with GDDR6X memory
CONS
- Dual fan options get rather hot
- Only 8 GB of VRAM
- MSRP: $399
- Base Clock Speed: 1.67 GHz
- VRAM/Memory: 8 GB
- Memory Type: GDDR6/GDDR6X
- TGP/Wattage: 200 W
If you’re not going 4K and want a solid 1440p option or an overkill 1080p GPU for an e-sports setup, then the RTX 3060 Ti is the strongest contender. It runs 20 watts lower than the RTX 3070 and the performance is only around 10 percent slower or weaker.
You can even overclock the RTX 3060 Ti to match the base configuration of the RTX 3070. The best part is that it’s around a hundred dollars cheaper give or take.
All this value makes the RTX 3060 Ti the best RTX 3000 series GPU from Nvidia when it comes to price-to-performance. And despite the “3060” in its name, it’s closer to the 3070 than it is to the 3060, which is a much weaker GPU.
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT
PROS
- Sells for much lower than MSRP at the time of writing
- Awesome for 1080p
- High frequency speed
- Low power consumption
- Efficient
- Cheap
CONS
- Only 8 GB VRAM
- Poor Raytracing performance
- MSRP: $399
- Base Clock Speed: 2055 MHz
- VRAM/Memory: 8 GB
- Memory Type: GDDR6
- TGP/Wattage: 180 W
Don’t be put off by the $400 MSRP, these GPUs right now are being sold for $300 brand new. That’s because a new AMD Radeon GPU generation is just right around the corner. Still, when it comes to Ultra 1080p gaming, this card is more than enough.
It’s definitely better than Nvidia’s RTX 3060 if there’s no Raytracing or DLSS involved. This card was meant to be a 1080p workhorse, after all. But you can get away with 1440p thanks to the stellar performance.
Just don’t expect it to reach RTX 3060 Ti numbers. A good alternative if you’re even more budget-oriented would be the RX 6600 XT as the 6650 XT is the refresh of the former. But they’re pretty close in pricing right now, so you might as well get the more powerful card.
AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090
PROS
- Impressiove 4K performance
- Latest DLSS and Raytracing tech
- Most powerful GPU right now
- Overkill for 1440p and anything below
- 24 GB VRAM
CONS
- It's a lot more expensive than MSRP
- Just generally expensive
- Big and bulky
- Runs hot
- High power consumption
- MSRP: $1599
- Base Clock Speed: 2.23 GHz
- VRAM/Memory: 24 GB
- Memory Type: GDDR6X
- TGP/Wattage: 450 W
If money is no issue and you already have a 4K monitor or are planning to buy one, then you might as well go all-out with Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 4090. It’s the latest and greatest right now whether for showing off or for processing the most bleeding-edge graphics and visuals in gaming.
Apparently, its processing power is so good, you can even use it to crack offline passwords though we don’t condone or advise that. To date, this card consumes the most electricity out of all consumer-grade GPUs; you’ll likely need a specific power supply unit for it or it will choke on its own hunger for electricity.
As for its 4K performance, it’s good, even with Raytracing. You can manage 60 FPS in most of the heaviest games even without DLSS. Of course, there are other factors and expenses involved in having a graphics card like this, but if you already have money for this specific card, then that shouldn’t be an issue.
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090
AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT
PROS
- Retails for a lot lower than its original MSRP
- Good 4K performance
- High clock speeds
- Good availability
- Efficient
- Overkill for 1440p
CONS
- Bulky
- High PSU requirement due to power spikes
- Can run hot
- MSRP: $1,299
- Base Clock Speed: 1890 MHz
- VRAM/Memory: 16 GB
- Memory Type: GDDR6
- TGP/Wattage: 335 W
Then again, you might want 4K but want to avoid the scalper pricing for the RTX 4090. Besides, it’s too power-hungry and you’re not a big fan of Raytracing anyway, right? In such cases, you can always go the AMD route with the RX 6950 XT.
It trades blows with Nvidia’s RTX 3090 Ti but has a lower price and slightly lower power consumption, making it a lot better when it comes to efficiency and savings. You will miss the stellar Raytracing performance of Nvidia cards, but the 6950 XT can hold up well on its own with Raytracing.
This card even retails for nearly just half of its original MSRP, making it a better deal than most GPUs today, especially if you’re saving some hardware costs for a 4K monitor.
AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT
What About Newer Generation GPUs?
As some of you might have heard or read, AMD is also poised to release its Radeon RX 7000 lineup sometime this November. Just as how Nvidia has just released its RTX 4000 series.
However, at most, AMD will only be releasing the RX 7900 XT(?) which is another 4K card that’s similar to or is competing with the GeForce RTX 4090. It’s not clear yet which of the two will perform better as the RX 7900 hasn’t been released yet but Nvidia will still likely be the winner here due to Raytracing and the new DLSS tech.
Still, if you find yourself disgusted at the current pricing of the RTX 4090, you can always opt for the RX 7900 once it comes out as a 4K card. As for the new-generation 1440p and 1080p graphics cards from both AMD and Nvidia, the best guess would be 2023 for the release dates. These companies usually release the biggest guns first, followed by the more affordable options.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
Can a 4K GPU play lower resolutions?
Yes, they can, however, they're overkill for anything below 4K so if you want to save some money, just buy the lower-tiered GPUs. -
Is the RTX 4090 worth it?
That depends on how much money you have. But we do advise you to wait for AMD's answer before deciding.