Best graphics cards in 2025: the GPUs I recommend for every budget

Nvidia RTX 5090 Founders Edition and AMD RX 7800 XT graphics cards on a two-tone yellow background
(Image credit: Nvidia | AMD)

With the launch of the new RTX Blackwell GPUs, the absolute best graphics card is the Nvidia RTX 5090. It's objectively the most powerful consumer GPU you can buy right now. Or would be if there were stock available, as there were slim pickings at launch and it might take time for decent volume to build in the channel.

But, if you can find one, you will be the owner of a graphics card capable of deliver the sort of 4K gaming frame rates you will have previously only ever dreamed of. Granted, you need the AI chops of Multi Frame Generation to get you there, but those 'fake frames' are going to do me while we wait for the actual silicon to catch up with the triple digit 4K performance the AI alternative can offer. There is nothing now, or on the horizon from AMD that makes us feel that this top recommendation is going to change over the next few years, either.

Still, that's a $2,000+ GPU and well beyond the means of most of us PC gamers, which is why we're also listing the best graphics card across a range of different budgets; each one picked to give you a great gaming experience for you money.

For the high-end gamer, the best $600 to $800 graphics card is the RTX 4070 Ti Super and just below that price point, the best $500 to $600 graphics card is the RTX 4070 Super. They're both fast and feature-rich, with superior ray tracing performance, upscaling, and frame generation compared to the competition, though they are quite pricey.

While AMD's best graphics card is the top-end RX 7900 XTX, its lower-spec models are great value for money. The best $350 to $500 graphics card is the RX 7800 XT and in the $250 to $350 range, the RTX 4060 is where it's at now that older AMD 6000-series GPUs are hard to come by. When it comes to saving as much as you can but still getting good performance, the best budget graphics card is AMD's Radeon RX 7600.

It's worth noting that the start of the next generation of GPUs has already begun, with Intel launching its Battlemage-powered B-series of Arc graphics cards. Plus, Nvidia's now-announced RTX 50-series GPUs and AMD's RDNA 4 GPUs are just around the corner, too, with the former set to retail at the end of January and through February 2025. That being said, everything in the top spots in this guide remains a great pick for your next graphics card purchase both now and in the future. Below, I've listed the most relevant GPUs you can buy today, all in order of gaming performance, so you can make the most informed choice.

Curated by...
Jacob Ridley headshot on colour background
Curated by...
Jacob Ridley

Jacob has loads of experience with the latest and greatest graphics cards, reviewing many generations of Nvidia and AMD GPU over the years. He's au fait with the latest architectures, and makes sure to rotate through the latest cards from all three major manufacturers to get first-hand experience of what they're like to game with. Not just of their performance, but also which offer the most useful features and have the most reliable drivers.

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Recent updates

Updated January 30, 2025 to add in the new RTX Blackwell cards now that they have been released... and immediately disappeared from stock. Though surely restocks will be coming along soon for the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 GPUs.