Our editors’ graphics card recommendations – September 2023
11.9.2023
Translation: Patrik Stainbrook
Need a new graphics card? You’re in the right place. Read on to find out what I’d buy right now – on budgets ranging from paltry to princely.
AMD released new graphics cards in the Radeon 7000 series at the beginning of September. Reason enough to revise our graphics card guide and integrate the new devices. Compared to the June edition of this article, changes mainly concern mid-range and entry-level cards.
Before we get started, you should consider this as a guide rather than conclusive truth. I’ll give you recommendations for graphics cards that are in the stated price ranges and available at the time of publication. Have other recommendations? Let me know in the comments. I’ll try to keep the article as up-to-date as possible and update it completely in the event of any major changes.
Money’s no object: the RTX 4090
If you want the fastest card out there right now, go for the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090. The current cheapest model costs over 1,500 francs/euros. For that price, you could buy three PlayStation 5s. Admittedly, the RTX 4090 also manages eight times as many teraflops as Sony’s console, but you also need all the other PC components in addition to the cost of the card.
In short, the RTX 4090 is really fast and really expensive. It’s the only card that can play current AAA titles in UHD resolution with maximum details and 100 frames per second – and without frills such as AI upscaling or frame generation. It also offers the best performance in editing and 3D graphics programs.
If I had the money, I’d go for the water-cooled model from Gigabyte. The price is fair compared to air-cooled models and I like to cool my devices with water.
You can find all RTX 4090 models here
The 1,000 club: RTX 4080 or RX 7900 XT
First of all, the graphics cards in this price range give you fewer frames per franc/Euro than the RTX 4090. If you set your limit at 1,300 francs/euros, you have to go with the Nvidia RTX 4080 or the AMD RX 7900 XTX. If you want to play with ray tracing, the slightly more expensive RTX 4080 is worth it. If you don’t care about fancy light and shadow effects, you’re better off with the RX 7900 XTX. Certain models are already available for less than 1,000 francs. This will save you some money, which you can invest in other PC components, a great DIY keyboard or food. If you need the card for rendering or complex video projects, the RTX 4080 would be a better fit.
You can go with your preference in terms of a manufacturer. If you’re a fan of Noctua, you can get an RTX 4080 with fans and design by the Austrian cooling expert. As far as AMD cards go, I recommend a Sapphire model. According to our statistics, they get more warranty requests than other manufacturers, but most cases are settled within three days – plus, the card costs under 1,000 francs.
Here are all RTX-4080 models, and you’ll find RX-7900-XTX models here.
The mid-range: RX 7900 XT or RX 7800 XT
If you have around 800 francs/euros to spend, I’d recommend the RX 7900 XT – despite the fact that the RTX 4070 Ti is currently a bit cheaper. Why? Well, the RX 7900 XT has 20 GB of memory, offers more performance than the RTX 4070 Ti in classic rasteriser games and can also keep up with ray tracing. Depending on the productivity application, either the AMD card or the Nvidia RTX 4070 Ti can have the edge.
Until recently, the RTX 4070 was unrivalled. The RX 7800 XT changes things. If your budget is around 600 francs/euros, I’d advise you to go for the RX 7800 XT. It’s cheaper than Nvidia’s RTX 4070 and offers more raw performance in classic rasteriser games. I can only recommend the RTX 4070 if you play a lot of games with ray tracing and want to make use of features such as DLSS 3.
You can find all RX-7900-XT models here, all RX-7800-XT models here, all RTX-4070-Ti models here and all RTX-4070 models here.
Entry-level card or PlayStation 5: RX 7700 XT
You have to shell out almost as much for a GPU as you would for a console to get reasonable frame rates. With a budget of up to 500 francs/Euro, I’d currently advise going for the new RX 7700 XT. It tends to be a bit more expensive than the RTX 4060 Ti, but it’s also much more powerful. And the biggest plus: the AMD card can even keep up in ray-tracing games.
If, contrary to my recommendation, you decide to buy the Nvidia card, make sure to choose the model with 16 GB of memory. Most of the time, 8 GB is still enough these days, but this way you’re prepared for the future. In addition, the 16 GB model is now also available for under 500 francs/Euro.
If you mainly play classic rasteriser games, the still available RX 6700 XT might be something for you. It offers the same performance as the RTX 4060 Ti in these kinds of games and costs considerably less.
You can find all RX-7700-XT cards here, all RTX-4060-Ti cards here and all RX-6700-XT cards here.
Even budget cards cost a lot: the RX 7600 A750
Budget graphics cards still exist – but, again, you’ll have to dig deeper than before at 250 to 300 francs/euros. AMD and Intel both offer models in this segment. Compared to the Intel Arc A750, the AMD Radeon RX 7600 offers around 12 per cent more performance. Depending on the model and manufacturer, this roughly matches the difference in price. If you find an RX 7600 for less than 300 francs/euros, it’s preferable to the Arc A750. Otherwise, the A750 offers solid performance in 1080p resolution.
You can find all RX-7600 cards here and all Arc-A750 cards here.
Header image: Shutterstock/Capix Denan
Kevin Hofer
Senior Editor
kevin.hofer@digitecgalaxus.chFrom big data to big brother, Cyborgs to Sci-Fi. All aspects of technology and society fascinate me.
