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When it comes to 4K gaming, you need a powerful GPU that can handle high-resolution textures, ray tracing, and demanding AAA titles without compromising performance. The best options for smooth 4K gameplay with high settings and frame rates. For the best 4K gaming experience, Nvidia leads with DLSS 3 and ray tracing capabilities, but AMD provides a strong alternative for those prioritizing raw performance at a lower cost.
Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 (Best Overall)
The RTX 4090 is 74% faster than the 3090 on average, and in some games, the difference is almost double. However, the 5090 is only 27% faster than the 4090 on average. Some games do not fully utilize the GPU’s potential. The jump in performance from the 3090 to the 4090 was significant, but the improvement from the 4090 to the 5090 is not as drastic. Still, it is a decent upgrade—if a 4090 is running at 150 FPS, the 5090 will push much closer to 200 FPS.
The 5090’s power consumption is extremely high, marking a huge increase from the 4090. It draws around 500 watts of power on average, which is massive. This GPU generates so much heat that your room will need an air cooler to keep temperatures in check. God of War: Ragnarok draws the most power, peaking at 554 watts. To run this beast, you will need at least a 1000W power supply.
Key Specifications:
- CUDA Cores: 21,760
- Base Clock: 2.01 GHz
- Boost Clock: 2.41 GHz
- Memory: 32 GB GDDR7
- Memory Speed: 28 Gbps
- Memory Interface: 512-bit
- Memory Bandwidth: 1,792 GB/s
- Ray Tracing Cores: 4th Generation
- Tensor Cores: 5th Generation
- AI Performance: 3,352 TOPS (INT8)
- Power Consumption: 575 W
- Recommended Power Supply: 1,000 W
- Dimensions: 304 mm x 137 mm; 2-slot thickness
- Display Outputs: 3 x DisplayPort 2.1b, 1 x HDMI 2.1b
- Maximum Digital Resolution: 7680 x 4320
AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX (Best AMD Option)
The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX is AMD’s flagship RDNA 3 graphics card. It is the most powerful and fastest GPU from AMD. It has 96 Compute Units (CUs), making it one of the fastest GPUs available, and it can handle multiple demanding tasks simultaneously.
This GPU is highly recommended for gaming because of its 96 Ray Accelerators, which enhance in-game visual effects for a more realistic experience. Additionally, it boasts 6,144 Stream Processors, making it extremely powerful.
The 24GB of GDDR6 VRAM makes this GPU a powerhouse for gaming, and its 960 GB/s memory bandwidth ensures smooth, high-quality performance. It also includes AI features to enhance image quality and in-game performance.
Key Specs:
- Architecture: RDNA 3
- Compute Units (CUs): 96
- Ray Accelerators: 96
- Stream Processors: 6,144
- Base Clock: 1.9 GHz
- Game Clock: 2.3 GHz
- Boost Clock: Up to 2.5 GHz
- Memory: 24GB GDDR6
- Memory Speed: 20 Gbps
- Memory Interface: 384-bit
- Memory Bandwidth: 960 GB/s
- Infinity Cache: 96MB
- TBP (Total Board Power): 355W
- Display Outputs: DisplayPort 2.1, HDMI 2.1, USB-C
- Ray Tracing Support: Yes
- AI Acceleration: Yes
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super (Best $800-$600 Option)
The Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super is a high-performance GPU designed for 1440p and 4K gaming, offering a noticeable upgrade over its predecessor. It features 8,448 CUDA cores, 16GB of GDDR6X memory, and 66 Ray Tracing cores, making it an excellent choice for gaming, creative workloads, and AI applications.
One of its standout features is DLSS 3.5 with Frame Generation, which boosts performance using AI, allowing for smoother gameplay even in demanding titles. It also supports Ray Tracing, providing realistic lighting and shadows for a more immersive gaming experience.
Key Specifications:
- CUDA Cores: 8,448
- Base Clock: 2,340 MHz
- Boost Clock: Up to 2,610 MHz
- Memory: 16 GB GDDR6X
- Memory Speed: 21 Gbps
- Memory Interface: 256-bit
- Memory Bandwidth: 672 GB/s
- Ray Tracing Cores: 66
- Power Consumption: Approximately 285 W
- Recommended System Power: 750 W
- Display Outputs: 1 x HDMI 2.1a, 3 x DisplayPort 1.4a
- Maximum Digital Resolution: 7680 x 4320
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Super (Best $600-$700 Option)
The Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Super is a powerful 1440p gaming GPU that delivers better performance than the original RTX 4070, making it an excellent choice for high-refresh-rate gaming and creative workloads.
It features 7,168 CUDA cores, an increase over the standard RTX 4070, along with 12GB of GDDR6X memory running on a 192-bit memory bus with 504 GB/s bandwidth. This ensures smooth performance in modern games and demanding applications.
Key Specifications
- Architecture: Ada Lovelace
- CUDA Cores: 7,168
- Base Clock: 1,980 MHz
- Boost Clock: Up to 2,475 MHz
- Memory: 12GB GDDR6X
- Memory Speed: 21 Gbps
- Memory Interface: 192-bit
- Memory Bandwidth: 504 GB/s
- Ray Tracing Cores: 56
- Tensor Cores: 224
- DLSS Support: DLSS 3 with Frame Generation
- TDP (Power Consumption): ~220W
- Recommended PSU: 650W
- Display Outputs: 1 x HDMI 2.1a, 3 x DisplayPort 1.4a
- Maximum Resolution: 7680 x 4320
AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT (Best $500-$350 Option)
The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT is a high-performance 1440p gaming GPU, built on AMD’s RDNA 3 architecture. It offers great value for gamers looking for a powerful yet affordable graphics card with strong rasterization performance and ray tracing capabilities.
With 60 Compute Units (CUs) and 60 Ray Accelerators, the RX 7800 XT delivers smooth gameplay in modern titles. It features 3,840 Stream Processors, a base clock around 1.3 GHz, and a boost clock up to 2.4 GHz, ensuring high frame rates and fast rendering speeds.
Key Specs
- Architecture: RDNA 3
- Compute Units (CUs): 60
- Ray Accelerators: 60
- Stream Processors: 3,840
- Base Clock: ~1.3 GHz
- Boost Clock: Up to 2.4 GHz
- Memory: 16GB GDDR6
- Memory Speed: 19.5 Gbps
- Memory Interface: 256-bit
- Memory Bandwidth: 624 GB/s
- Infinity Cache: 64MB
- Ray Tracing Support: Yes
- TDP (Power Consumption): ~263W
- Recommended PSU: 700W
- Display Outputs: 1 x HDMI 2.1, 3 x DisplayPort 2.1
- Maximum Resolution: 7680 x 4320
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 (Best $350-$250 Option)
The Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 is a mid-range graphics card designed for 1080p gaming, with support for Ray Tracing and AI-powered features like DLSS 3 (Deep Learning Super Sampling). It is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture, offering improved power efficiency and performance compared to the previous generation.
Specifications:
- CUDA Cores: 3072
- Base Clock: 1830 MHz
- Boost Clock: Up to 2460 MHz
- Memory: 8 GB GDDR6
- Memory Speed: 17 Gbps
- Memory Bus: 128-bit
- Power Consumption: Approximately 110W during gaming
- Display Outputs: 3 x DisplayPort 1.4a, 1 x HDMI 2.1a