The top 25 graphics cards for 2023 for AMD and NVIDIA have ground-breaking new architectures and technology. For those who have not been paying attention to graphics card technology or who are new to it, there is a lot to know about recent developments. NVIDIA released their 40 series graphics cards in 2022 with AMD set to release their new GPUs in 2023.
The two manufacturers in graphics card technology are AMD and NVIDIA. Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) take the designs from NVIDIA and AMD to brings us these graphics cards. Those graphics cards are provided by brands such as EVGA, ZOTAC, and MSI to name a few.
Table of Contents
- Top 25 Graphics Cards for 2023
- #25 – NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630
- #24 – NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER
- #23 – NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER
- #22 – AMD Radeon RX 6400
- #21 – AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT
- #20 – NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050
- #19 – AMD Radeon RX 6600
- #18 – AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT
- #17 – NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
- #16 – AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT
- #15 – AMD Radeon RX 6700
- #14 – NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
- #13 – AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT
- #12 – AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT
- #11 – NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070
- #10 – NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti
- #9 – AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT
- #8 – NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080
- #7 – AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT
- #6 – NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti
- #5 – AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX
- #4 – NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090
- #3 – NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti
- #2 – NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080
- #1 – NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090
- Conclusion
Top 25 Graphics Cards for 2023
#25 – NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630
The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630 is a low-end budget graphics card that will meet the system requirements of most older games that were released from 2015-2020. A lot of game’s minimum and recommended system requirements are calling for 4GB of VRAM in their graphics cards. You will need to check each game to ensure this will meet your needs. In my personal opinion, this card is a tough sell when you can get a 1660 SUPER for a few dollars more.
| GPU Engine Specs | |
| Boost Clock (MHz) | 1785 |
| Base Clock (MHz) | 1740 |
| CUDA Cores | 512 |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 |
| VRAM | 4GB |
#24 – NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER
The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Super is a much more powerful graphics card than the GTX 1630. This is illustrated by comparing the GPU Engine Specs below with the GPU Engine specs of the GTX 1630. The cost difference between the two is within $10-$15 so it’s definitely worth the money in my opinion. However, you are still only getting 4GB of VRAM which in the case for a lot of newer games is not going to likely meet the cut for recommended system requirements. You may get by, but at the cost of graphics quality and resolution.
| GPU Engine Specs | |
| Boost Clock (MHz) | 1725 |
| Base Clock (MHz) | 1530 |
| CUDA Cores | 1280 |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 |
| VRAM | 4GB |
#23 – NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER
Coming in at number 23 of the top 25 graphics cards for 2023 is one of my favorite GPUs. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is a low-budget graphics card with good performance. It has 6GB of VRAM and can pretty much play any modern AAA game title in 2023 at 1080P resolution with high graphics settings. I did an in-depth review of the GTX 1660 SUPER graphics card which is worth the read if you’re planning on getting this one. I list out all the games and graphics settings you can play. You can even play some games at 1440P using this card.
Another great thing about the GTX 1660 SUPER is its price point. You’re not going to break the bank getting this graphics cards. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER tops my personal list for best budget graphics card.
| GPU Engine Specs | |
| Boost Clock (MHz) | 1785 |
| Base Clock (MHz) | 1530 |
| CUDA Cores | 1408 |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 |
| VRAM | 6GB |
#22 – AMD Radeon RX 6400
I’m a much bigger fan of NVIDIA graphics cards, but I do like that you can get similar performance out of Radeon’s RX series graphics cards for less cost. The RX 6000 and 7000 series are the latest product lines from AMD Radeon, respectively. Performance-wise the RX 6400 is the lowest-end graphics card, but its GPU engine packs a punch. This graphics card is based on the latest AMD architecture, so you may have a little better performance than the GTX 1650. That being said, you only have 4GB of VRAM so you might not meet all the recommended settings of new AAA gaming titles. Expect to sacrifice some graphics quality while gaming on 1080P resolution for graphics and performance-demanding games like Elden Ring.
| GPU Engine Specs | |
| Game Frequency (MHz) | 2039 |
| Compute Units | 12 |
| Ray Accelerators | 12 |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 |
| VRAM | 4GB |
#21 – AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT
The AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT is the first out of the list of the top 25 graphics cards for 2023 that will meet recommended and competitive system requirements from modern AAA gaming titles, like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. It also has a much better price point than its NVIDIA counterparts. You will not find a graphics card that has as good of performance for this price point.
| GPU Engine Specs | |
| Game Frequency (MHz) | 2650 |
| Compute Units | 16 |
| Ray Accelerators | 16 |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 |
| VRAM | 8GB |
#20 – NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 is the lowest end model in the RTX series graphics card. It comes at a much higher price point than our previous top 25 graphics cards for 2023 but it is also built on the Ampere architecture. The RTX 3050 graphics card, like the RX 6500 XT will be able to meet recommended and competitive system requirements from modern AAA gaming titles in 2023. You can learn more about my review of NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 3050 here.
| GPU Engine Specs | |
| Boost Clock (MHz) | 1780 |
| Base Clock (MHz) | 1555 |
| CUDA Cores | 2560 |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 |
| VRAM | 8GB |
#19 – AMD Radeon RX 6600
The AMD Radeon 6600 comes in at number 19 on our list of the top 25 graphics cards for 2023. You get almost twice the performance with the Radeon 6600 over the 6500 XT in terms of Compute Units and Ray Accelerators. It also has 32MB of cache which is also double that of the 6500 XT. You can expect to play modern AAA gaming titles using this graphics card such as Warzone 2 and any of the Fortnite chapters that will be released in 2023.
| GPU Engine Specs | |
| Game Frequency (MHz) | 2044 |
| Compute Units | 28 |
| Ray Accelerators | 28 |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 |
| VRAM | 8GB |
#18 – AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT
You get a small increase when moving from the AMD Radeon 6600 to the Radeon 6600 XT. The question you need to ask yourself is if it’s worth it. It is helpful to look at the system requirements of competitive and performance-demanding games, like Warzone 2. Warzone 2 competitive system requirements ask that you have at least a Radeon 5700 XT to play on higher resolution and graphics settings. The 5700 XT is more powerful in terms of Compute Units and Ray accelerators but does not have quite as high Game Frequency. You could argue that the two cards are comparable and that you could use the 6600 XT for Competitive Settings on Warzone 2.0.
| GPU Engine Specs | |
| Game Frequency (MHz) | 2359 |
| Compute Units | 32 |
| Ray Accelerators | 32 |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 |
| VRAM | 8GB |
#17 – NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 comes in at 17 out of the top 25 graphics cards for 2023. It is comparable to the 3050 except that it has more CUDA Cores and VRAM. You will definitely meet the recommended system requirements for any game released in 2023. That being said, you should not expect to get great graphics quality and performance for 1440P on all games. Take for example, Warzone 2, which tells us we should have the 3060 Ti for Competitive Gaming. You can expect to put your graphics settings to the max for 1080P gaming, however.
| GPU Engine Specs | |
| Boost Clock (MHz) | 1780 |
| Base Clock (MHz) | 1320 |
| CUDA Cores | 3584 |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 |
| VRAM | 12GB |
#16 – AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT
To be honest, I’m not really quite sure why there was a need for the 6650 XT. The performance difference between the 6600 XT and the 6700 XT does not seem like such a great delta that it was needed. You might buy the AMD Radeon 6650 XT if the price is better than the 6700 XT and you want to get as close to it as possible. The 6600 XT has better performance and you can play games like Warzone 2 on 1440P with great graphics settings and still get great performance.
| GPU Engine Specs | |
| Game Frequency (MHz) | 2410 |
| Compute Units | 32 |
| Ray Accelerators | 32 |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 |
| VRAM | 8GB |
#15 – AMD Radeon RX 6700
The AMD Radeon 6700 is a mid-range graphics card that is for those gamers who wish to have incredible graphics and good performance on either 1080P or 1440P resolution. You won’t find a game released in 2023 where this game would not exceed the recommended system requirements. This graphics card would fall under Warzone 2’s Competitive System Requirements. It would not quite make the cut for 4K, but you can actually play 4K and still get good performance with this card. That being said, just know that it’s not meant for excellent 4K gaming.
| GPU Engine Specs | |
| Game Frequency (MHz) | 2174 |
| Compute Units | 36 |
| Ray Accelerators | 36 |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 |
| VRAM | 10GB |
#14 – NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti ranks number 14 on our list of top 25 graphics cards for 2023. It is still a lower-end graphics card but it is not trivial either. It has 8GB of VRAM and will exceed the system requirements for all games in 2023. This has GDDR6X VRAM, which delivers image frames at a much faster rate than traditional GDDR6. You would expect to play games on 1440P resolution with maximum graphics settings with this card. You could likely get 4K out of it as well for a lot of popular games and still get good performance.
| GPU Engine Specs | |
| Boost Clock (MHz) | 1670 |
| Base Clock (MHz) | 1410 |
| CUDA Cores | 4864 |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 |
| VRAM | 8GB |
#13 – AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT
Number 13 of our top 25 graphics cards for 2023 is the AMD Radeon 6700 XT. Once you hit this graphics card, you can start to expect to play at the 1440P resolution as your standard. You should be able to set your graphics all the way to max and get around 100 FPS on games like Warzone 2. You can even achieve gaming at 4K resolution with this graphics card.
| GPU Engine Specs | |
| Game Frequency (MHz) | 2174 |
| Compute Units | 40 |
| Ray Accelerators | 40 |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 |
| VRAM | 12GB |
#12 – AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT
The AMD Radeon 6750 XT comes in at number 12 on our list of the top graphics cards for 2023. It has 12 GB VRAM and 2.4GHz clock ratio. When compared to the system requirements of a game like Warzone 2.0, we see that this GPU would land right under Ultra 4K specifications. You would be able to play games like Warzone 2 with high graphics settings on 4K and you can expect good performance. However, you can’t go to Ultra 4K just yet. The AMD Radeon 6750 XT is probably the least expensive 4K graphics card you can get.
| GPU Engine Specs | |
| Game Frequency (MHz) | 2495 |
| Compute Units | 40 |
| Ray Accelerators | 40 |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 |
| VRAM | 12GB |
#11 – NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070
It may seem counter-intuitive that the RTX 3070 would rank better in terms of performance over AMD’s Radeon 6700 XT and 6750 XT, but it does. The RTX 3070 in real world benchmarks show that you get better performance, despite having less VRAM than the RTX 6700 XT or 6750 XT. The RTX 3070 is similar to the 6750 XT in that you should be able to play most modern games on 1440P or 4K resolution. You can get great performance on 1440P and have ultra-graphics or 4K with high graphics settings.
| GPU Engine Specs | |
| Boost Clock (MHz) | 1730 |
| Base Clock (MHz) | 1500 |
| CUDA Cores | 5888 |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 |
| VRAM | 8GB |
#10 – NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti rounds out at 10 for our list of the top 25 graphics cards of 2023. The RTX 3070 Ti is an excellent GPU for both 1440P and 4K gaming. You should expect good performance and good graphics quality. The RTX 3070 Ti would be good if you want to get into games like Elden Ring or Starfield and play higher resolutions with good graphics.
| GPU Engine Specs | |
| Boost Clock (MHz) | 1770 |
| Base Clock (MHz) | 1580 |
| CUDA Cores | 6144 |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 |
| VRAM | 8GB |
#9 – AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT
The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT is definitely one of those graphics cards that you will be using to play games on 4K resolution with Ultra graphics presets. The 6800 XT comes with 16GB of VRAM and is the graphics card listed on Warzone 2.0’s system requirements for 4K Ultra gaming. I would consider this graphics card to be the entrance into 4K gaming with Ultra graphics presets.
| GPU Engine Specs | |
| Game Frequency (MHz) | 2015 |
| Compute Units | 72 |
| Ray Accelerators | 72 |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 |
| VRAM | 16GB |
#8 – NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 rounds out at number 8 for us on the top 25 graphics cards for 2023. This is the first entrance into 4K Ultra gaming with NVIDIA GeForce RTX, at least considered by Warzone 2.0 standards. Lower-range RTX graphics cards may be able to play 4K gaming with high graphics settings, but the RTX 3080 will give you that and high performance.
| GPU Engine Specs | |
| Boost Clock (MHz) | 1710 |
| Base Clock (MHz) | 1440 |
| CUDA Cores | 8960 |
| Memory Type | GDDR6X |
| VRAM | 12GB |
#7 – AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT
The AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT comes in at number 7 on our list of 25 graphics cards for 2023. From a price to performance perspective this graphics card is hard to pass up when compared to its NVIDIA peers. That being said, The RX 6950 XT still does not use GDDR6X memory, unlike the GeForce RTX 3080. It is nonetheless going to be a lot less expensive and still deliver fast performance for 4K gaming on any game you want to play in 2023. It will provide you that performance for years to come.
| GPU Engine Specs | |
| Game Frequency (MHz) | 2100 |
| Compute Units | 80 |
| Ray Accelerators | 80 |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 |
| VRAM | 16GB |
#6 – NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti
You might be looking at the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti if you’re trying to maximize your compute, you have money to spend, and you are looking at future proofing your PC. The RTX 3080 Ti is going to provide you with 4K gaming on Ultra presets with high performance for years to come.
| GPU Engine Specs | |
| Boost Clock (MHz) | 1670 |
| Base Clock (MHz) | 1440 |
| CUDA Cores | 10240 |
| Memory Type | GDDR6X |
| VRAM | 12GB |
#5 – AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX
Coming in at number 5 on our list of the top 25 graphics cards of 2023 is the brand-new AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX. This graphics card has a whopping 24GB of VRAM. There is no specification for any game that has that amount of VRAM listed as a requirement. This GPU will last you for many years to come and allow you to play games on 4K resolution with Ultra presets. You should be able to stream at high speeds on 4K without any bottleneck on the GPU.
| GPU Engine Specs | |
| Game Frequency (MHz) | 2500 |
| Compute Units | 96 |
| Ray Accelerators | 96 |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 |
| VRAM | 24GB |
#4 – NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090
Coming in at number 4 on our list of top graphics cards of 2023 is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090. The RTX 3090 also packs a whopping 24GB of VRAM, but also has GDDR6X memory. It is not a super huge jump in processing performance compared to the RTX 3080 Ti, but it does have double the VRAM which counts for a lot. That will provide you with enough VRAM and performance for streaming 4K resolution, on the most demanding applications and games while maintaining high performance.
| GPU Engine Specs | |
| Boost Clock (MHz) | 1700 |
| Base Clock (MHz) | 1400 |
| CUDA Cores | 10496 |
| Memory Type | GDDR6X |
| VRAM | 24GB |
#3 – NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti
A year ago, in 2022 this was the king of all graphics cards. Those who were lucky enough to get it during the shortages were able to reap the benefits first. Since then, the RTX 40 series has been announced. For that reason, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti comes in at #3 on our list of the top 25 graphics cards for 2023. Like the 3090, the the 3090 Ti will provide ultra 4K gaming for years to come. This graphics card is perfect for games like Starfield, which will be released in 2023.
| GPU Engine Specs | |
| Boost Clock (MHz) | 1860 |
| Base Clock (MHz) | 1670 |
| CUDA Cores | 10752 |
| Memory Type | GDDR6X |
| VRAM | 24GB |
#2 – NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080
Although the new GeForce RTX 4080 only comes with 16GB of VRAM, it does have much higher clock ratios than anything seen before it in the 30 series. This is another one of those cards you will have no problem playing 4K resolution with ultra graphics turned on. The 40 series also comes with brand new graphics architecture, Ada Lovelace. Ada Lovelace includes enhancements such as DLSS 3.
| GPU Engine Specs | |
| Boost Clock (MHz) | 2510 |
| Base Clock (MHz) | 2210 |
| CUDA Cores | 9728 |
| Memory Type | GDDR6X |
| VRAM | 16GB |
#1 – NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090
The number one graphics card on our list of the top graphics cards of 2023 is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. This graphics card is meant to provide insanely fast performance and graphics at higher levels of resolution. You will get 4K resolution at 240Hz or 8K at 60Hz. That means that it can keep up with 240 FPS at 4K and 60 FPS at 8K resolution. This is the most powerful graphics card you can find.
| GPU Engine Specs | |
| Boost Clock (MHz) | 2520 |
| Base Clock (MHz) | 2230 |
| CUDA Cores | 16384 |
| Memory Type | GDDR6X |
| VRAM | 24GB |
Conclusion
The graphics cards listed here are the top 25 graphics cards for 2023. It will be likely we will see announcements at CES 2023 and from either AMD or NVIDIA that change some of the line up as we move in to 2023. The purpose of this article was to give you a list of graphics cards ranked for performance from top to bottom.