Best Nvidia graphics cards 2020: finding the best GPU for you

It’s official: the best Nvidia GeForce graphics cards still rule the roost. That’s especially with the new and even more powerful RTX 3000 GPUs – RTX 3080, RTX 3070 and RTX 3090 – launched at Nvidia’s September 1 event and slated to hit the streets soon. AMD’s Navi cards’ attempts to topple Team Green has been valiant, especially when it comes to price and value. However, when it comes to performance, Nvidia proves it’s still king. 

Of course, we still have to wait and see what AMD's RDNA 2 has in store. However, seeing as none of Navi GPUs could beat the current flagship, RTX 2080 Ti, and the new RTX 3070 already beats that in speed and price, Big Navi’s chances are looking a bit slim. And that’s on top of the fact that a good chunk of Nvidia’s line belongs in the best graphics cards list.

Whether you are looking for something affordable or want something top-of-the-line for your battle station, you’ll find among the best Nvidia GeForce graphics cards the best card for you. Even better, with the impending release of the RTX 3000 lineup, you’re probably looking at a discount on all these cards in the near future. Keep an eye on our price comparison tool for any deals for these wonderful graphics cards.

The best Nvidia GeForce graphics cards at a glance:

  1. Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070
  2. Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080
  3. Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090
  4. Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super
  5. Nvidia Geforce RTX 2060 Super
  6. Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super
  7. Nvidia Quadro RTX 6000
  8. EVGA GeForce RTX 2060 XC Black Gaming
  9. Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1660 OC 6G
  10. Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 6GB

Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070

(Image credit: Future)

1. Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070

One of the best graphics cards of all time

Stream Processors: 5,888 | Core Clock: 1.50 GHz (1.73 GHz boost) | Memory: 8 GB GDDR6 | Memory Clock: 14Gbps | Power Connectors: 1x PCIe 8-pin (adapter to 1x 12-pin included) | Outputs: HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a

Amazing performance
Best value graphics card today
Awesome ray tracing performance
Same inflated prices as Turing
Required 12-pin power connector

The best Nvidia graphics card on the market for most people, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 delivers excellent performance – on par with the RTX 2080 Ti even – without costing an arm and a leg. Before this card, 4K gaming was out of a lot of people’s budget. The RTX 3070, therefore, brings it to the mainstream for the first time, and that’s without you having to compromise on settings for most games. And did we mention the fact that this GPU is incredibly cheap? A cheap price tag plus 4K gaming on quality settings equals great value, and that’s why the RTX 3070 tops our list.

Read the full review: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070

(Image credit: Future)

2. Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080

The best graphics card, hands-down

Stream Processors: 8,704 | Core Clock: 1.44 GHz (1,71 GHz boost) | Memory: 10 GB GDDR6X | Memory Clock: 19Gbps | Power Connectors: 2x PCIe 8-pin | Outputs: HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a

Excellent 4K gaming performance
Low temperatures
Plenty of useful non-gaming features
Still kind of expensive
No USB-C in Founders Edition

With the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080, 4K gaming just became a lot more accessible. Before, you had to shell out more than $1,000/£1,000 to do so with the RTX 2080 Ti. However, with the next generation of the best Nvidia GeForce graphics cards, the price of 4K gaming just dropped a few hundred dollars, thanks to the RTX 3080. More than that, it boasts one of the largest generational leaps in GPU history, delivering a 50-80% performance boost over the RTX 2080 and a 20-30% boost over the RTX 2080 Ti, all while keeping the same price point as the RTX 2080. This is both an absolute powerhouse of a graphics card and a great value, if you have a bit of extra cash lying around. 

Read the full review: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080

RTX 3090

(Image credit: Future)

3. Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090

The BFGPU is the most powerful graphics card you can buy today

Stream Processors: 10,496 | Core Clock: 1.40 GHz (1.70 GHz boost) | Memory: 24 GB GDDR6X | Memory Clock: 19.5Gbps | Power Connectors: 2x PCIe 8-pin (adapter to 1x 12-pin included) | Outputs: HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a

Best GPU performance on the market
Excellent cooling performance
Set it and forget it 4K gaming
Extremely expensive
Very large card

Creative professionals will be blown away by the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090, especially with the great value it offers. Whether you’re looking for playable gaming performance at 8K or the massive compute performance and copious amount of VRAM you need for 3D rendering – let alone maxing out whatever game you're playing at 4K, this GPU is the one to beat. It’s massive and incredibly expensive so only get it when you’ve got some extra cash lying around and if you need to game at 4K or higher. However, if you want the best of the best, this is the card to get.

Read the full review: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090

Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super

Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super is impressive, especially in 1440p gaming. (Image credit: TechRadar)

4. Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super

The same RTX 2070 – only supercharged

Stream processors: 2,560 | Core clock: 1,605 | Memory: 8GB GDDR6 | Memory clock: 14Gbps | Power connectors: 6 pin + 8 pin | Outputs: 1 x DisplayPort, 1 x HDMI, 1 x DVI-DL

Founders Edition cheaper than original 2070
More CUDA cores
Still kind of expensive

Until Nvidia actually rolls out that Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super, the RTX 2070 Super might just be the Best Nvidia GeForce graphics cards purchase you’ll make. This graphics card is impressive, especially in 1440p gaming and if you’re looking to get on the ray tracing bandwagon, a souped up RTX 2070 that’s also very affordable so pretty much everyone can add it to their setup without breaking the bank.

Read the full review: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super

Nvidia Geforce RTX 2060 Super

The Nvidia Geforce RTX 2060 Super is what most gamers are looking for. (Image credit: TechRadar)

5. Nvidia Geforce RTX 2060 Super

The best graphics card for most people

Stream processors: 2,176 | Core clock: 1,470 | Memory: 8GB GDDR6 | Memory clock: 14Gbps | Power connectors: 8 pin | Outputs: 1 x DisplayPort, 1 x HDMI, 1 x DVI-DL

Excellent 1440p performance
Affordable
Can't handle 4K gaming

The Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 Super is hardly perfect – that is, it can’t handle 4K gaming. However, this graphics card positioned as the more affordable alternative to the RTX 2070, giving you the same level of performance as the popular mid-range GPU at a much cheaper price and offers great 1440p gaming. The RTX 2060 Super is what most gamers are looking for, and it definitely deserves a spot on our list of the Best Nvidia GeForce graphics cards.

Read the full review: Nvidia Geforce RTX 2060 Super

Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super is the best Nvidia graphics card for you, if you're on the budget.

Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super is the best Nvidia graphics card for you, if you're on the budget. (Image credit: Future)

6. Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super

1080p and high frame rates

Stream Processors: 1,408 | Core Clock: 1,530MHz | Memory: 6GB GDDR6 | Memory Speed: 14Gbps | Power Connectors: 1 x 8-pin | Outputs: 1 x DisplayPort 1.4, 1 x HDMI 2.0, 1 x DVI

Affordable
Excellent performance
No ray tracing

The more expensive graphics cards in Nvidia's arsenal get a lot of attention these days, what with all the ray tracing and Deep Learning Super Sampling. But, if you don't have a ton of cash to throw around, the GTX 1660 Super is the Best Nvidia GeForce graphics cards for you. This little GPU absolutely tears through any game in 1080p, and with its modest price tag, it's perfect for anyone that wants killer performance on a budget. 

Read the full review: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super

Nvidia Quadro RTX 6000

Nvidia's Quadro RTX 6000 loads up on 24GB of GDDR6 memory while also packing plenty of performance. (Image credit: Nvidia)

7. Nvidia Quadro RTX 6000

Creativity comes at a cost

Stream Processors: 4,608 | Core Clock: N/A | Memory: 24GB GDDR6 | Memory Speed: 14Gbps | Power Connectors: N/A | Outputs: 4 x DisplayPort 1.4, 1 x Virtual Link

VRAM galore
Multi-GPU scaling 
Very expensive

If you're involved in creative workloads like 3D design or video editing, you might be running into some serious VRAM needs. In those cases, it can be worth it to have a graphics card that is going to give you tons of headroom to keep information in the GPU's memory, instead of constantly needing to load it in from your storage solution. While it comes at a high price, Nvidia's Quadro RTX 6000 loads up on 24GB of GDDR6 memory while also packing plenty of performance. And, you can combine multiple cards for even more performance.

EVGA GeForce RTX 2060 XC Black Gaming

EVGA has a well-priced model in the EVGA GeForce RTX 2060 XC Black Gaming. (Image credit: EVGA)

8. EVGA GeForce RTX 2060 XC Black Gaming

Short but packs a punch

Stream processors: 1,920 | Core clock: N/A | Boost clock: 1,680MHz | Memory: 6GB GDDR6 | Memory clock: N/A | Power connectors: 1 x 8-pin | Outputs: 1 x DisplayPort 1.4, 1 x HDMI 2.0b, 1 x DL-DVI-D

Short and powerful
Not seriously marked up
Thicker radiator
Fewer outputs

If you're trying to keep your build small so it doesn't take up a ton of space in your room, you might be looking at a Micro ATX build. And, mini graphics cards can be a major helper there, since a graphics card tends to be one of the bigger components attached to a motherboard. EVGA has a well-priced model in the RTX 2060 XC Black Gaming. It may be thicker than your typical dual-fan variant, but that extra radiator thickness helps it dissipate heat with the single fan, and its short length can help it fit in tight builds. 

Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1660 OC 6G

Gigabyte offers the GeForce GTX 1660 OC 6G for an excellent budget price while still giving you a touch of overclocking. (Image credit: TechRadar)

9. Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1660 OC 6G

It's just so affordable

Stream Processors: 1,408 | Core Clock: 1,530MHz | Memory: 6GB GDDR5 | Memory Speed: 8Gbps | Power Connectors: 1 x 8-pin | Outputs: 3 x DisplayPort 1.4, 1 x HDMI 2.0

The cheapest Turing card
Excellent budget performance
Not GDDR6 or GDDR5X

While the higher end graphics cards get all the hype, they tend to have a worse performance-per-dollar value then budget cards. And, while AMD often hits that sweet spot, Nvidia sometimes remembers to offer value as well. That is represented nowhere better than the GTX 1660. Gigabyte offers the GeForce GTX 1660 OC 6G for an excellent budget price while still giving you a touch of overclocking, so you can enjoy 1080p or even 1440p with some tweaked settings. Best of all, you won't need to take out a mortgage to afford this card.

Read the full review: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1660 OC 6G

Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 6GB

Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 has enough power to run 1080p even at high settings and still get smooth visuals. (Image credit: TechRadar)

10. Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 6GB

A budget champ for 1080p

Stream Processors: 1,280 | Core Clock: 1,506MHz (1,708MHz boost) | Memory: 6GB GDDR5/X | Memory Clock: 8Gbps | Power Connectors: 1 x 6-pin | Outputs: 1 x DisplayPort 1.4, 1 x HDMI 2.0b, DL-DVI

1080p and 1440p potential
Discounts available
Need supplemental power

With all the new Turing cards coming out, Pascal may be easy to forget about. But, if you're into eSports games, you're probably more concerned with getting 1080p at 120+ FPS. And, you can do that with the older Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 no problem. For popular eSports titles, the GTX 1060 has enough power to run 1080p even at high settings and still get smooth visuals. Best of all, the prices are driven down by newer cards, so you can score a GTX 1060 at a discount. 

Read the full review: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060



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