Our pick of the top 5 Nvidia graphics cards

The Shopping Team 15:12pm, March 23, 2023

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The editorial staff of Europe 1 did not participate in the production of this article

A good 3D map is essential for any self-respecting PC gamer. Indeed, the graphics chip integrated by default to your PC is very effective for 2D display... but it is simply catastrophic as soon as you launch a 3D video game! The addition of a dedicated graphics card is therefore essential and in this area Nvidia is certainly the reference manufacturer. It has been setting the tone for years, offering the most innovative image processing technologies. Thus, it was he who brought Ray Tracing, already used in cinema, to players. This allows its GPUs (for "Graphics Processing Unit") to generate light effects more real than life, but which requires gigantic computing capacities. Another important innovation is DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), a technology that uses artificial intelligence to obtain the best image quality, without losing performance. Thus, even with all the graphical options of a game at the maximum and by activating Ray-Tracing, you will be able to keep a staggering framerate. The framerate is the number of frames per second that a game can display. Sixty frames per second, or 60 fps in English, are considered a minimum for any self-respecting player.

However, all these technologies come at a cost... On average, the graphics card represents 40 to 50% of a gaming PC (excluding screen and accessories). No need to invest in the most powerful card to play Civilization 6, but it becomes much more tempting for Elden Rings, Forza Horizon 5, Cyberpunk 2077 or Hogwart Legacy. Still, the principle of reality will more or less limit your investment capacities. So we selected the best Nvidia graphics cards to play in the best conditions from 1080p (FULL-HD) to 2160p (4K), including 1440p (Quad HD).

This selection from our shopping guide presents the 5 best Nvidia graphics cards on the market.

Summary:

• Palit GeForce RTX 4090 GameRock 24GB, for demanding gamers looking to the future
• PNY GeForce RTX 4080 16GB XLR8 Gaming VERTO, to play in 2160p (4K) at more than 60 FPS Ray-Tracing enabled
• PNY GeForce RTX 4070Ti, to play in 1440p (QuadHD) in 120 fps with Ray Tracing enabled
• Gigabyte Gaming OC-8GD GeForce RTX 3070 Ti 8GB GDDR6X, to play in 1440p (QuadHD) at 60 FPS Ray-Tracing enabled
• MSI 3060 ti strix, the best 3D card to play in 1080p 60 fps

Our pick of the top 5 Nvidia graphics cards

Palit GeForce RTX 4090 GameRock 24GB, for demanding gamers looking to the future

Nvidia's latest generation of 4090 GPUs is an ode to power. Its new Ada Lovelace architecture allows Nvidia to achieve computing power never before achieved by a GPU. The addition of DLSS 3, which leverages artificial intelligence, allows you to play Cyberpunk 2077 in 4K with Ray Tracing enabled at more than 130 frames per second and more than 180 frames per second for Resident Evil Village or Fortnite! This monster of power allows you to look to the future serenely with the certainty of remaining at the top of performance in the years to come. Let's add that the 4090 incorporates the AV1 codec that allows you to play and stream live on Twitch without loss of performance. The design of this card scrupulously respects the recommendations of Nvidia, with care given to heat dissipation and especially noise pollution. Its only flaw? A price at the height of its performance....

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PNY GeForce RTX 4080 Verto 16GB, to play in 2160p (4K) at more than 60 FPS with Ray-Tracing enabled

It is perfectly possible to play in 4K with Ray-Tracing enabled at over 60 fps without investing in an extremely expensive 4090 RTX. The solution is simply Nvidia's 4080 RTX GPU. Indeed, its very efficient architecture allows you to play all 3D video games in 4K with the best level of quality at more than 120 fps. However, if you enable Ray-Tracing, the framerate oscillates between 30 and 45 fps, which is still a good result. But it is DLSS 2 and especially DLSS3 that changes the game. Thus, we can play Cyberpunk 2077 with an average of 75 fps, Forza Horizon 5 in 95 fps, while enjoying exceptional image quality. This model embeds 16 GB GDDR6X to ensure the best bandwidth. In addition, it proves to be one of the most energy efficient and a reduced heating compared to the average of the 4080 RTX. The map is beautifully highlighted by a customizable LED backlight. In addition, PNY provides a tool that boosts the performance of the card, but to be used with caution.

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PNY GeForce RTX 4070Ti, to play in 1440p (QuadHD) at more than 60 fps Ray-Tracing enabled

With this graphics card, PNY simply offers the best quality/power/price ratio for PC gamers. Indeed, the GPU 4070 Ti is specially designed to play very comfortably in 1440 p, with all the details enabled, while remaining above 60 fps. Again, if we enable Ray-Tracing, performance drops with an average of 25 to 35 fps. The magic of DLSS 2 and especially DLSS 3 allows you to go to 77 fps with Cyberpunk 2077, 160 fps on Fortnite and almost 95 fps on Forza Horizon 5. For just over 1,000 euros, this is the best card to play in 1440p. Its 16 GB of video memory allows it to be comfortable with the most complex games. PNY reproduces here its in-house system for optimizing energy and heat dissipation. Finally, if your gaming tower is transparent, the LED-backlit X that dresses the card is the most beautiful effect.

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GIGABYTE GAMING OC-8GD GeForce RTX 3070 Ti 8GB GDDR6X, to play in 1440p at 60 fps Ray-Tracing enabled

Gigabyte signs here an austere graphics card with a very sober design and no LED backlight. Players who like sobriety will be delighted, others a little less. The architecture of the Nvidia 3070 Ti GPU is reinforced here by an 8 GB of GDDR6X RAM. Without Ray-Tracing, we have a Cyberpunk 2077 that runs at 60 fps on average and collapses as soon as you activate it. The animation takes a serious hit by stabilizing at a big twenty frames per second. Fortnite players in full mode will appreciate its ability to display the game in 1440p with a refresh rate of 95 fps and prove to be very honorable with 60 fps when Ray-Tracing is active. Lovers of graphic mastery will discover Cyberpunk 2077 at 60 fps with Ray-Tracing enabled. So here we have an effective card in 1140p and even allows you to use Ray-Tracing with real comfort.

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MSI 3060 ti strix, the best 3D card to play in 1080p 60 fps

The GPU 3060 Ti is in absolute the smallest of the family and yet this entry-level model makes sparks. MSI has optimized the GPU by providing it with a more robust architecture than average, capabilities to boost performance and above all a new cooling system as quiet as it is efficient. In addition, MSI adds a stylish LED backlight to give it visual pep. The 3060 Ti GPU comes with 8GB of GDDR6X video memory. The whole gives us excellent performance in FULL-HD. Thus, all the latest 3D games are displayed on average in 60 fps, and often more, even when the graphic details are at maximum. Enable ray-tracing and we flirt between 18 and 25 fps. DLSS 2 allows you to get back above 60 fps, but not much more. Cyberpunk 2077 is stabilized at 50 fps, while Forza Horizon reaches 75 fps without batting an eyelid. Fortnite players will appreciate the almost 80 fps that this MSI card can achieve. Results that also allow you to play comfortably in 1440p, but with a refresh rate of about thirty frames per second maximum when Ray-Tracing is activated.

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How to choose your Nvidia graphics card?

In the total cost of a gaming PC (excluding screen and accessories), the graphics card will take up between 40 and 50% of your budget. From there, everything is a question of needs and especially of investment capacities. However, you must keep in mind that there must be consistency and balance between the different components of your gaming computer. So, if you want to update your configuration with a new 3D map, it should not be oversized. For example, if you pair an Nvidia 4090 RTX with something other than a latest-generation processor like the Intel Core i9 13900K, accompanied by at least 32GB of DDR5 RAM, you'll be totally underutilizing the GPU capabilities. However, with the exception of the 4090, Nvidia's 30 and 40 family GPUs fit very well with the majority of Intel's Core i5, i7 and i9. Players are always looking for the best compromise between the quality of the graphics and the fluidity of the animation. The good news is that the Nvidia catalog allows you to enjoy the maximum level of detail in your games and even enable Ray-Tracing, while maintaining an animation of 60 fps or more. However, you must target your card well, in relation to the resolution of your screen. The higher it is, the more pixels it will display and the more power it will require and therefore a GPU at the level. FULL-HD is the first level (1080p), followed by QuadHD screens (in 1440p) and finally 4K (2160p). The more you go up in resolution, the greater the investment will be. This explains the success of QuadHD among gamers, a perfect balance between fine graphics, performance and costs. Finally, make sure your case is large enough to accommodate your graphics card. Nvidia's 40 GPUs take up a lot of space in length and occupy two PCI ports in width. Added to this is the power supply that must be robust enough to power both the processor and the graphics card.

What is the difference between a Geforce RTX and a Geforce RTX Ti?

An Nvidia graphics card that is not accompanied at the end of its name by the abbreviation Ti corresponds to the base model of the GPU offered by Nvidia. But you will surely have noticed that all new Nvidia cards since the 30 generation are accompanied by the RTX name. It stands for Ray Tracing Texel eXtreme, a way for Nvidia to emphasize Ray-Tracing support. Ti is short for Titanium, even though the cards contain 0%. It simply means that the GPU is enriched in the Cuda core and comes with more powerful VRAMs, providing an average of 15-20% more performance than the base RTX model.

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