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There’s a ton of GPUs on the market right now, but how do they actually stack up against one another? If you want to find out, stick around: we’re tackling GPU Hierarchy today, and we’re going to help you figure out who lands where.
Below, we’ve listed every modern GPU on our table, from highest-to-least performing, divided into five distinct tiers of performance. After that, we’ll explain more about individual performance levels in each category and which GPUs you should invest in.
Measured in MHz, this number represents the “speed” of the GPU core within the graphics card. These alone don’t determine relative performance, but boosting your core clock speed via overclocking can give you some free performance bonuses.
VRAM
Your dedicated graphics memory, or RAM. In general, more VRAM = higher resolutions and better texture quality. However, while it is measured in GB, the amount is not the only factor to consider. This brings us to the different types of VRAM.
GDDR5
The most common modern VRAM standard. Decently fast, shouldn’t bottleneck in most situations.
GDDR5X
An amped-up version of GDDR5 used by Nvidia for their high-end cards.
HBM2
The fastest solution for VRAM, but also the most expensive by a considerable margin.
Memory Bus
In massively-simplified terms, the wider the memory bus, the faster the core and VRAM are able to communicate with one another. The HBM2 cards use this to their advantage to greatly increase speed across the board.
How Is The GPU Tier List Decided?
Raw performance! No trickery, no “technically” arguments of value debates, we’re talking pure performance numbers according to benchmarks from around the web.
while the RTX 3090 is more of a go-between the older Titans and gaming-focused graphics cards, it manages so much more than its predecessors. It is still unknown if Nvidia will release a new Titan level card but until that day, the RTX 3090 is an absolute monster. While there is still some room for the older RTX Titan in some areas, the RTX 3090 features more than double the CUDA Cores, 24GB memory, and a memory bandwidth of 936 GB/sec.
It is safe to say that there is no competition in terms of gaming performance when we look at the RTX 3090 but its price does raise a few questions as to who it is aimed at. For gamers who literally just want the best and money is no object, the performance of the RTX 3090 is unmatched in a high-end system. However, with this pricing and advancements with the technology, we see the RTX 3090 capturing more than just “more money than sense” gamers. This card can accommodate for creatives who require high amounts of VRAM for 3D modeling applications, although this solution isn’t going to be as comprehensive as Quadro.
In this performance category, games should be easily playable in 4K resolutions and VR. 1440P at 144HZ, 240Hz should also be very attainable, though you may need to turn down a few settings for more demanding titles. Of course, the main selling point behind the new RTX 30 series GPUS is the ability to tackle 8K gaming.
Despite the fact that the RTX 3090 has a considerable performance advantage over the 2080 Ti (roughly 20-30%), we don’t actually recommend buying it. The 3080 or RX 6800XT can be found for $700-800, while the RTX Titan is incredibly more expensive.
If you are looking for the best professional card on the market then you may want to stick with what you have until it’s clear or not a new Titan is going to be released. For those that have a low-end Quadro, Tesla, or older RTX Titan, upgrading to the RTX 3090 could be the best move you’ve ever made.
For those looking to upgrade their systems, the RTX 3080 could be the best option, with proven benchmarks now widely available. That being said, the highly anticipated AMD Radeon RX 6800XT offers insane value and if the launch is anything to go off, there is going to be a little-to-no trade-off in performance. Of course, with AMD’s latest Smart Access Memory, we could see the RX 6800XT smash the benchmarks when paired with a Ryzen 500 series processor.
Performance in this category requires no compromises once again. 4K gaming should be very attainable with either of these GPUs, with VR and lower resolutions being an absolute breeze.
While the RTX 3080 and RX 6800XT trade blows depending on the game, the truth is there’s not a significant difference in performance between the two. If you’re in the market for a GPU in this range, we recommend simply grabbing the best value unless there are specific requirements.
These should perform as expected for at least the next four years.
This category is essentially entry-level 4K with strong 1440p and VR performance, with some of the best results for 4K we have ever seen at this price point thanks to AMD and Nvidia’s recent launches. Once you start climbing higher tiers, the value you’re getting for your money starts becoming very questionable; this is where diminishing returns begin.
The story in this category is interesting, though. At the time of the 3070’s launch, Nvidia dominated this category; they were truly uncontested. The RX 6800 was recently announced and while performance looks similar to the 3070, this is still relatively unknown till we see some third-party benchmarks.
If you can afford the extra cost required to grab an RTX 3080 or RX 6800XT, it will be very much worth your time. For those that want something cutting edge but are managing a budget, the RTX 3070 is hands down the best price-to-performance card in this category.
These should perform as expected for at least the next four years, but you may need to make some compromises in 4K titles.
This is the most hotly-contested price range in graphics ($200-$300), and the number of cards in this category probably gives that away.
Performance-wise, you can expect beyond stellar 1080p performance, with strong 1440p and VR performance. 4K isn’t very feasible in this bracket, though, and attempting high-refresh-rate gaming above 1080p is also unlikely to go well.
The RTX 2060 Super has no price-to-performance competitor and ultimately takes a significant lead in gaming overall, especially at 1440p. The 2060’s prices and synthetic benchmarks also trend slightly higher, but the GTX 1660 Super earns a special mention thanks to its frankly superb FPS outputs across a multitude of games.
If you can find the stock for the RTX 2060 Super, it should perform as expected for the next 4 years. The lower-end cards may start stumbling sooner, though, especially at 1440p.
The performance here is pretty much just high-quality 1080p gaming, which is generally viewed as entry-level for most. 1440p may be possible in older titles, but generally isn’t recommended, and VR is possible. That being said, this should be fine for most people who are still using 1080p gaming monitors.
In terms of the cards, there’s not really an interesting story here. The 1050 Ti was winning until the RX 570 and GTX 1660 cards came out.
We don’t recommend buying cards beneath this tier of performance. Not only are you unlikely to get satisfactory performance, but it’ll also simply be poor value for money.
These should serve as fine 1080p GPUs for the foreseeable future, but the RX 570 and GTX 1660 will start requiring more settings adjustments and other compromises within the next two years.
We hope this GPU Hierarchy breakdown helped you understand the current status of the GPU market. Whether you just wanted to see where your existing GPU ranked or what range you should be shopping in for a new one, we hope this article helped. Feel free to comment below if you have any questions- until then, peace!
Summary BEng Mechanical Engineering A Levels: Maths, Physics, Chemistry PC Builder at Gladiator Benchmarker and reviewer at BGFG DofE Bronze & Silver Experience Through his education, he learned the proper methods of testing and research. Earning a degree in Engineering he worked in groups and solo to submit and write up test reviews and coursework following best practices for referencing and providing the best information. At Gladiator Seb worked as a PC builder, with tens of PCs daily, he learned the ins and outs of what makes a PC great and how to put them together thoroughly. He also ran the testing section for a while to make sure the computers ran as they should and had all they needed. While also diagnosing any problems and resolving them gaining experience in fixing PCs. Moving on from building, he then went to benchmarking and writing. Starting in video production of benchmarks for the WePC channel he learned the ins and outs of Premier and running benchmarks for many GPUs and games. After which he went on to write about them instead, learning the ins and outs of articles and reviewing. Education University of Manchester Southend High School for Girls Sixth Form St. Thomas High School for Boys
