Best graphics cards 2025: these are the top GPUs for PC gaming
The best GPUs can have a transformative effect on your PC gaming experience
Building a new gaming PC? Then you’ll need one of the best graphics cards. Your choice of GPU can determine which games you’re able to play and how good they look and perform. If the CPU is the brains of the machine, then it’s easy to think of the GPU as the brawn.
However, with so many options available, it's tough to decide which one is right for you. While top-of-the-line graphics cards like the Nvidia RTX 5090 offer incredible performance, they also come with an eye-watering price tag. You also need to consider the size of your PC case, your power supply unit, and what CPU you’ll need to avoid bottlenecking your system.
Once you’ve got those aspects nailed down, finding the best GPU for your needs means balancing price with performance. If you’re on a budget, a cheaper GPU like the RTX 5070 is a capable option that will still allow you to play the best PC games.
No matter what your needs are, we’re here to help you find the best graphics card for your gaming PC.
5. AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT
Almost as fast as the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 Ti for $80 less
➕ 4K 60fps capable with FSR and Frame Generation
➕ Fantastic 1440p 90-120fps performance
➖ FSR 4 upscaling noticeably lowers fps from FSR 3
Specs: CUD Cores/Stream processors: 2,048 | VRAM: 16GB GDDR6 | GPU power: 150W | Clock speed: 3.13 GHz
The AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT is the best value graphics card you can buy for $349 – if you can find it at MSRP. The RX 9060 XT delivered high-performance graphics for its entry-level price point, but make sure you buy the 16GB version. Even if the 8GB version is tempting, more games are requiring a lot of VRAM to run well, so you're future-proofing the card by opting for 16GB. This a fantastic card for 1440p gaming, and even 4K at lower frame rates with FSR enabled and frame generation.
Read our AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT review for more.
4. Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080
The new 4K gaming king of graphics cards
➕ Drives 4K 60fps for most games
➕ No price increase over the Nvidia RTX 4080 Super
➖ Higher energy draw than the RTX 4080
Specs: CUDA cores: 10,752 | VRAM: 16GB GDDR7 | GPU power: 360W | Clock speed: 2.62 GHz
The RTX 5080 offers around half as much graphical power as Nvidia’s top flagship card, the RTX 5090. However, at $999, which is significantly cheaper than Nvidia’s monster GPU. With decent native 4K gaming, the RTX 5080 can eke out even more performance via DLSS and multi-frame generation. Those with a RTX 4080 Super may wish for more power before upgrading, but it’s still a great graphics card, nonetheless.
Read our Nvidia RTX 5080 review for more.
3. AMD Radeon RX 9070
Faster than an Nvidia RTX 5070
➕ Superior rasterization power and improved ray tracing capability
➕ 16GB of video memory on a mid-range GPU is huge
➖ Can’t push frame rates as high as Nvidia Multi-Frame Generation
Specs: CUD Cores/Stream processors: 3,584 | VRAM: 16GB GDDR6 | GPU power: 220W | Clock speed: 2.52 GHz
The AMD Radeon RX 9070 delivers higher fps than the Nvidia RTX 5070 and expanded ray tracing capabilities. It also features a full 16GB of video memory, giving you extra bandwidth and peace of mind. We wish the RX 9070 was a bit more compact, and FSR 4 needs to be supported more widely to really get the most out of it. Still, the only thing that the Nvidia RTX 5070 has over the AMD RX 9070 is Multi-Frame Gen. Otherwise, AMD’s card has Nvidia beat.
Read our AMD Radeon RX 9070 review for more.
2. Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090
More graphics card power in a smaller GPU
➕ Smaller, two-slot design makes this GPU a better fit for more PC builds
➕ Finally a graphics card fast enough for 4K 240fps and possibly 8K 120fps displays
➖ $2,000 price tag will be a steep investment for most
Specs: CUDA cores: 21,760 | VRAM: 32GB GDDR6X | GPU power: 575W | Clock speed: 2.41 GHz
Nvidia has packed in more graphical power than ever into a smaller GPU. The dual-slot, double flow-through design of the card is a marvel of industrial design. This card can deliver 4K 60fps or higher gaming with full ray tracing enabled, and you won’t even need DLSS or frame generation turned on. Obviously, the price tag means this is a card for the few, not the many. But for those who want the very best – this is the GPU to get.
Read our Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 review for more.
1. AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT
The best AMD graphics card in years
➕ Delivers 60+ fps gaming at 4K ultra settings
➕ Big AI upscaling and ray tracing improvements
➖ Small library of FSR 4-supported games is slowly growing
Specs: CUDA Cores: 4,096 | VRAM: 16GB GDDR6 | GPU power: 304W | Clock speed: 2.97 MHz
We’ve had to wait a while, but AMD has knocked it out of the park with the Radeon RX 9070 XT. It marks a triumphant return to mainstream PC gaming, with real-world performance that occasionally matches the more expensive Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti. Ray tracing is also no longer a problem for an AMD GPU, and FSR 4 is a capable rival to Nvidia’s DLSS 3.0. If you’ve been itching to give Team Red a try, the RX 9070 XT is the best graphics card when it comes to price to performance.
Read our AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT review for more.
Updated: August 13, 2025
Adam Vjestica is The Shortcut’s Senior Editor. Formerly TechRadar’s Gaming Hardware Editor, Adam has also worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor, where he helped launch the Nintendo Switch. Follow him on X @ItsMrProducts.