Selecting the Best Graphics Cards of 2023
As 2023 draws to a close, tech-focused resources are increasingly publishing summaries for various product categories. Following our recent exploration of the year’s best processors, inspired by ScatterVolt’s blog, we now delve into the top graphics cards available for purchase.
This review, grounded in a Hardware Unboxed vlog, assesses the best graphics cards, emphasizing the balance between cost and performance. While we discuss specific models mentioned in the vlog, we also add our insights and options, culminating in a comprehensive conclusion.
The Radeon RX 6600 tops the affordable category. It’s vital to note that these assessments are based on U.S. market prices, where the RX 6600 is under $200.The price differences are stark, reflecting the recent cost increases in entry-level graphics cards. The GeForce RTX 3050, priced similarly but around 10-15% slower, is notably absent from the top spot, leaving AMD’s offering as the deserved winner in this segment.
Significant shifts in market segments have surprisingly placed the GeForce RTX 4060 as the best budget graphics card. Considering its $300+ price tag, it’s debatable whether it belongs in the budget category. The RTX 4060, compared only with the Radeon RX 7600, boasts advantages like DLSS 3 technology and better ray tracing. However, this overlooks other competitors like the GeForce RTX 3060 and the Radeon RX 6650 XT, which offer comparable performance at lower prices.
The mid-range segment’s choice, the Radeon RX 7700 XT,is slightly above its recommended price but is nonetheless a strong contender, ideally belonging to a mid-high segment. The GeForce RTX 4060 Ti@16 GB, while not considered the best in this range, is deemed too expensive at $500 by Hardware Unboxed, especially compared to the 8 GB version’s inferior performance to the RX 7700 XT.
Introducing an intermediate category, the Radeon RX 7800 XT. It offers the best price-to-performance ratio for 2K resolution monitors, with 16 GB of video memory and 4K gaming capabilities. Despite some experts favoring the slightly faster but more expensive GeForce RTX 4070 with less video memory, we disagree with these assessments, especially considering the emerging FSR 3.0 technology in upcoming games.
In the high-end, or ‘sub-flagship’, segment, the Radeon RX 7900 XT, competes mainly with the similarly priced GeForce RTX 4070 Ti. The latter’s 12 GB of video memory and slower performance make it less suitable for ultimate gaming solutions compared to the RX 7900 XT’s 20 GB and broader 320-bit bus.
For uncompromising gamers, the GeForce RTX 4090 stands alone, representing the pinnacle of current graphics card technology. Despite rumors of a potential RTX 4090 Ti as a response to a theoretical Radeon RX 7950 XTХ, insiders doubt any immediate launch plans.
In conclusion, while we partially agree with Hardware Unboxed’s selections, they overlook an important segment between the $450 and $800 range. Here, the Radeon RX 7800 XT excels, and AMD’s products generally lead the pack. With AMD securing 3 out of 5 top spots in their ranking, we lean more towards AMD’s offerings due to NVIDIA’s consistent disadvantages in terms of video memory and speed. The year 2023 has been challenging for the global graphics card market, with prices dropping globally but remaining high in Russia due to currency fluctuations. We encourage readers to share their opinions in the comments as we conclude our comprehensive review of 2023’s best graphics cards.
