GPU Hierarchy Explained 2023 – The Ultimate Graphic Card Tier List

This is the complete GPU hierarchy list explained and ranked. We sort all currently available graphics cards on the market into an easily understandable GPU hierarchy tier list. You can use this to compare graphics cards and how they perform in relation to each other, even across different brands and architectures.

GPU Hierarchy 2021

To kick off our GPU Hierarchy graphics card Tier List with a bang, we’re starting with Tier 1: The Ultimate.

The cards within this range are the strongest available on the market and built to chew through even the beefiest modern games at maximum settings and 4K resolution. VR gamers opting for high-end headsets like the HTC Vive Pro, Valve Index, and the Oculus Rift S will also be able to take advantage of the greater GPU power here, especially for driving 120 Hz VR experiences.

This isn’t the range where you’re buying for performance-per-dollar, mind. This price range is for the most expensive, most absurdly powerful GPUs, and that does come with a price premium. However, buying these now should put off your upgrade cycle by at least another couple of years on top of the typical 4-year cycle experienced in other price ranges, assuming you can actually grab one in the short-term.

#1. Nvidia Titan RTX

Architecture: Turing | VRAM: 24 GB GDDR6 | Last-Gen Equivalent GPUs: N/A (succeeds Titan V)

• Performance: Stellar. The best graphics card on the market, bar none. The extra heapings of VRAM also make the Titan RTX suited for more professional applications, like AI research. This is a pro, or pro-sumer graphics card, not really a consumer product.
• Value: Very poor, at least for gaming performance. The 2080 Ti has most of the same performance, but at a much, much lower price. This is a pure vanity item for gamers.
• Built for a very, very specific audience. Not recommended at all for those outside of it. Gamers who want the best of the best would still be better off with the RTX 2080 Ti.
• Benchmarks! (GamersNexus)

#2. Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090

Architecture: Ampere | VRAM: 24 GB GDDR6X | Last-Gen Equivalent GPUs: N/A

• Performance: The 3090 is the most powerful card you can bring home today. Except you can’t as they are rarer than pink hedgehogs. If you want to game in 4K then this is fire and forget. Never tweak a graphics setting to get more performance again.
• Value: The 3090 is insanely expensive to start with. By the time you have added on scalp tax it rapidly gets beyond the reach of mere mortals

#3. AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT

Architecture: RDNA2 | VRAM: 16GB GDDR6 | Last-Gen Equivalent GPUs: RX 5700

• Performance: Finally a card from AMD that at least makes Nvidia look over with interest. It’s not a true contender yet, but it’s a step up the ladder for sure, especially with DX11 games
• Value: In theory it is a bit more expensive than the RX 6800 which makes it tough to recommend over that card as the gains aren’t that large. Is this not worth it or is the 6800 tremendous value? It’s a bit of both.

#4. Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080

Architecture: Ampere | VRAM: 10GB GDDR6X | Last-Gen Equivalent GPUs: RTX 2080

• Performance: If you want good 4K gaming capability then you need a serious look at the 3080 as it proves you do not need to get hit with a 3090 outlay to see next-gen graphics in-game.
• Value: The price hasn’t increased over the RTX 2080 and with its awesome performance this is a card that is desirable indeed, although don’t fall into the trap thinking it’s cheap. It’s not.

#5. AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT

Architecture: Big Navi | VRAM: 16GB GDDR6X | Last-Gen Equivalent GPUs: N/A

• Performance: More or less matching the 3090 where it counts the 6900 XT firmly puts AMD in gamers minds when they are looking to drop a small fortune on a new GPU>
• Value: This is AMD’s most expensive GPU to data, coming in a shade under $1000. It’s going toe to toe at your wallet as well as in performance circles. Can you spend your cash more wisely? For sure.

High-End GPU Hierarchy provides proper high-end gaming experiences as it provides great 4K and VR gaming performance. If playing at 1440p, this is also where you’ll find the graphical power to more comfortably push games to 120 Hz and beyond, providing ultra-smooth experiences that console gamers could never dream of. Let#s see where our graphics card Tier List takes us next.

#1. Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti

Architecture: Turing | VRAM: 11GB GDDR6 | Last-Gen Equivalent GPUs: None (succeeds 1080 Ti by large margin)

• Performance: Also stellar. In fact, the RTX 2080 Ti comes within spitting range of the Titan RTX in pretty much every gaming scenario, despite being several times cheaper. This is because the 2080 Ti is actually, well… built for gaming, whereas the Titan RTX has a different audience in mind.
• Value: Great, when compared to the Titan RTX, but still poor compared to cheaper options due to diminishing performance-per-dollar on the high end.
• If you want the best gaming experience but also don’t want to sell both of your kidneys, the RTX 2080 Ti is a great pick.
• Benchmarks! (Digital Foundry @ Eurogamer)
• Further Reading: Best RTX 2080 Ti Graphics Card

#2. AMD Radeon RX 6800

Architecture: RDNA2 | VRAM: 16GB GDDR6 | Last-Gen Equivalent GPUs: RX 5700

• Performance: Up against Nvidia’s 3070 (below) but doesn’t quite get there. While ray-tracing is on board it’s not as polished as the 3070, and when you factor in the price, things get tougher for AMD. Still an excellent performer though.
• Value: More expensive than the 3070 but still good value if Team AMD is where you are at.

#3. Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070

Architecture: Ampere | VRAM: 8GB GDDR6 | Last-Gen Equivalent GPUs: RTX 2080 Ti

• Performance: You could argue that the 3070 is one of the best GPUs ever to hit the market. Amazing performance, quality ray-tracing and looks great to boot. Performance on a par with the 2080 Ti
• Value: And with the last line above when you factor in it is less than half the price of that card, wow, just wow. It’s still not cheap but bang for buck-wise, now we are talking.

#4. Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

Architecture: Ampere | VRAM: 8GB GDDR6 | Last-Gen Equivalent GPUs: RTX 2080 Super

• Performance: What we have here is a little fighter of a GPU. Aimed squarely at the mid-range the 3060 Ti hits far harder than you’d expect for 1080p performance. Don’t expect it to show up for good 4K however.
• Value: The fact you can great 1080p and perfectly adequate 1440p out of this card means it is great value for your money and not too damaging for your wallet at the same time. Win.

#5. Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super

Architecture: Turing | VRAM: 8GB GDDR6 | Last-Gen Equivalent GPUs: 1080 Ti, 2080

• Performance: Also, also stellar. Just barely fits into this range, though, with performance nearly 25% lower than that of an RTX 2080 Ti. For the vast majority of gaming scenarios, though, this is still more than good enough for great experiences in VR and 4K.
• Value: Good, for a high-end GPU… but somewhat poor in performance-per-dollar, like most high-end graphics cards.
• Ray-tracing aside, this is pretty much just another GTX 1080 Ti.
• Benchmarks! (Digital Foundry @ Eurogamer)
• Further Reading: Best RTX 2080 Super Graphics Card

#6. Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080

Architecture: Turing | VRAM: 8GB GDDR6 | Last-Gen Equivalent GPUs: 1080

• Performance: The first card really that could have a go at producing half-decent ray-tracing but you had to pay for the privs. At the time it was a top-end card but has now been superseded by the 30 series and then some.
• Value: Was always an expensive option and hasn’t dropped seriously in price due to the GPU shortage. It might be an option though if you are desperate for an upgrade.

#7. Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super

Architecture: Turing | VRAM: 8GB GDDR6 | Last-Gen Equivalent GPUs: 2070 (slightly better), 2080 (slightly worse)

• Performance: The second-best performer in this price range, albeit by a thin margin. Truthfully, the 2070 S and 5700 XT trade blows frequently.
• Value: Much more expensive than the 5700 XT, and only better in a few select instances.
• Ray-tracing support makes this card a bit more future-proof than the competition.
• Benchmarks! (Digital Foundry @ Eurogamer)
• Further Reading: Best RTX 2070 Super Graphics Card

#8. AMD Radeon VII

Architecture: Vega | VRAM: 16GB GDDR6 | Last-Gen Equivalent GPUs: RX 5700

• Performance: Comparable to the RTX 2080 but is a bit of a power-hungry beast with disappointing DX12 performance that keeps it lagging behind the Nvidia card. It does run cooler however.
• Value: It’s tough to recommend it over the 2080 as the prices are similar unless you can pick up a deal somewhere on your travels.

#9. AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT

Architecture: Navi | VRAM: 8GB GDDR6 | Last-Gen Equivalent GPUs: Radeon VII

• Performance: The best performer in this price range, and generally cheaper than its closest competitor.
• Value: Swaps blows in performance with the 2070 Super and often beats the 2070 Super at a much lower price. Great.
• No ray-tracing, though.
• Benchmarks! (Digital Foundry @ Eurogamer)
• Further Reading: Best RX 5700 XT Graphics Card

#10. Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070

Architecture: Turing | VRAM: 8GB GDDR6 | Last-Gen Equivalent GPUs: 1070, 1080

• Performance: On launch this was a relatively expensive mid-range card that never quite pulled it off, all this is more apparent now we have the 30 series cards with us. It can just about handle 4K games in some cases but don’t expect the earth to move.
• Value: Probably the best mid-range option to add a little ray-tracing magic to your gaming. While you aren’t going to hit the heights you will at least get a tantalizing glimpse of the future.

#11. Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 Super

Architecture: Turing | VRAM: 8GB GDDR6 | Last-Gen Equivalent GPUs: 2070

• Performance: Superb, the best in this price range for driving 1440p and midrange VR experiences.
• Value: Decent. Only barely better than the cheaper RX 5700.
• Ray-tracing support! The Super RTX 2060 is pretty much just a last-gen RTX 2070, which is quite the leap. Were it not for the 5700’s release, this would be the best value in this category by far.
• Benchmarks! (Digital Foundry @ Eurogamer)
• Further Reading: Best RTX 2060 Super Graphics Card

Now for Tier 3 GPU Hierarchy: Midrange Powerhouses. This is one of the most popular ranges to buy a graphics card in, and for good reason: this is where you get some of the best performance-per-dollar while still future-proofing your system!

In addition to playing in 1440p and VR at high-to-max settings and 60 FPS, the high VRAM capacity and general power offered by the cards in this category will allow for some 4K gaming. You may need to downscale resolution to 1800p or turn down other settings in order to maintain 60 FPS, though.

For gamers on 1080p and 144/240 Hz monitors, this GPU Hierarchy Tier may also appeal.

#1. Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060

Architecture: Turing | VRAM: 6GB GDDR6 | Last-Gen Equivalent GPUs: 1070, but a fair bit better

• Performance: Good. Significantly better than the 1660 Ti for not much more money, and unlocks a whole new featureset via ray-tracing.
• Value: Good. Serves as a nice entryway into the midrange for cheap, as well as ray-tracing graphical features. The cheapest GPU built for the next generation of gaming.
• The cheapest card on the market offering ray-tracing support. Still a fairly compelling pick for those who can’t afford to spend more than $400 on a graphics card.
• Benchmarks! (Digital Foundry @ Eurogamer)
• Further Reading: Best RTX 2060 Graphics Card

#2. AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT

Architecture: Navi | VRAM: 4/8GB GDDR6 | Last-Gen Equivalent GPUs: N/A

• Performance: Aimed squarely at the 1080p market (with some settings turned down in the more demanding titles, this is a solid piece of hardware that is dependable if not exciting.
• Value: An affordable little card that will provide gaming goodness at a solid 1080p. It’s not exactly a thrilling option but it will get the job done.

#3. Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti

Architecture: Turing | VRAM: 6GB GDDR6 | Last-Gen Equivalent GPUs: GTX 1070

• Performance: The best in this price range.
• Value: Just okay. Not as big of a performance boost from 1660 as the price may indicate, and far surpassed by the RTX 2060, which isn’t much more expensive.
• If you can afford this, you may want to save just a little extra for a 2060.
• Benchmarks! (Digital Foundry @ Eurogamer)
• Further Reading: Best GTX 1660 Ti Graphics Card

#4. Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super

Architecture: Turing | VRAM: 6GB GDDR6 | Last-Gen Equivalent GPUs: GTX 1660

• Performance: An entry-level card with a little bit of bite. Leaves the original 1660 in its wake and pretty much matches the 1660 Ti in almost every department.
• Value Great. Makes the more expensive 1660 Ti pointless. Why spend more when you simply don’t have to. If money is tighter, look in this direction.

Now for Tier 4 GPU Hierarchy: Midrange Value.

Most of the cards in this GPU range perform pretty close to each other, and none of them provide real-time ray-tracing support. At best, expect a 15-to-20 FPS boost jumping from card to card here.

#1. Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660

Architecture: Turing | VRAM: 6GB GDDR5 | Last-Gen Equivalent GPUs: GTX 1060 (but a fair bit better)

• Performance: Pretty great, offers the biggest leap over the next most-powerful card in this price range.
• Value: Superb, arguably the best performance-per-dollar GPU on the market. This makes it excellent for midrange gamers.
• Our favorite budget GPU.
• Benchmarks! (Digital Foundry @ Eurogamer)
• Further Reading: Best GTX 1660 Graphics Card

#2. AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT

Architecture: Navi | VRAM: 4/8GB GDDR6 | Last-Gen Equivalent GPUs: N/A

• Performance: Aimed squarely at the 1080p market (with some settings turned down in the more demanding titles, this is a solid piece of hardware that is dependable if not exciting.
• Value: An affordable little card that will provide gaming goodness at a solid 1080p. It’s not exactly a thrilling option but it will get the job done.

#3. Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Super

Architecture: Turing | VRAM: 4GB GDDR5 | Last-Gen Equivalent GPUs: N/A

• Performance: Not a card that will blow the socks off Red Ded 2 but it is a cheap and cheerful effort that will get you playing your fave games with the minimum of fuss and outlay. Low power usage also makes it a favorite for those building small PCs.
• Value: Costing a fraction over $150 this is a card you can not feel bad about getting if you are content not to be pushing the ultra settings all the time. As such, it’s one of the best cheap options on the market today.

#4. AMD Radeon RX 590

Architecture: Polaris | VRAM: 8GB GDDR5 | Last-Gen Equivalent GPUs: None

• Performance: A small bump over the 580, which is still very good.
• Value: So-so. Performance-per-dollar is vastly outstripped by the GTX 1660.
• Unless you’re getting an AMD Game Bundle, you’d probably be better off with the 1660.
• Benchmarks! (Digital Foundry @ Eurogamer)

Now for Tier 5 tier. We won’t sugarcoat it: unless you specifically need low-profile cards for old and weak systems, then these cards are not great for performance-per-dollar. If you can save for a Tier 4 GPU Hierarchy card, make sure you do.

Regardless, the best options in this range are:

#1. AMD Radeon RX 580

Architecture: Polaris | VRAM: 8GB GDDR5 | Last-Gen Equivalent GPUs: RX 480, but a fair bit better

• Performance: Great performance for 1080p gaming, even today, despite its age. However, its crown as value king has been lost.
• Value: Strong, and not much weaker than the RX 590. Important to keep to the 8GB variant, though, especially if you want to dabble in VR or resolutions higher than 1080p.
• Make sure you buy 8GB, and compare prices with the 590!
• Benchmarks! (Digital Foundry @ Eurogamer)
• Further Reading: Best RX 580 Graphics Card

#2. AMD Radeon RX 570

Architecture: Polaris | VRAM: 8GB GDDR5 | Last-Gen Equivalent GPUs: RX 470, but a fair bit better

• Performance: Strong performance for 1080p gaming. Considerably better than anything in Tier 5, despite generally being available for the same price.
• Value: Very strong, especially when it’s on one of its frequent discounts. Not too much weaker than its older brothers, as long as you get an 8GB variant.
• Make sure you buy 8GB, and monitor the other RX 500 series cards prices. These three can get swapped around a lot.
• Benchmarks! (Digital Foundry @ Eurogamer)

#3. Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650

Architecture: Turing | VRAM: 4GB GDDR5 | Last-Gen Equivalent GPUs: GTX 1050 Ti, but a good bit better

• Performance: A significant improvement over the 560. Capable of some 1080p gaming in modern titles, and breezes through older games.
• Value: Somewhat poor, but if you can’t afford anything more…this works as an entry-level GPU, especially for last-gen games.
• Beaten in value by the RX 570, which usually costs about the same.
• Benchmarks! (Digital Foundry @ Eurogamer)
• Further Reading: Best GTX 1650 Graphics Card

Whatever Tier your budget suits there is probably the best array of GPU options in 2021 that we have ever seen. The issues arise if you are looking for some of the latest cards – they are simply not available in easily at this stage due to the chip shortage (pah, Covid) but as time goes forward this will obviously ease.

It may well be that cards such as the 30-series will become the lost generation if the 40-series cards suddenly appear before the 30-series demand has been sated.

We would never advise you may wildly over the odds to just play games at the end of the day, but if you can find any of our top two tier cards you can be pretty sure you are going to get an experience ranging from the good to the amazing. It might be worth thinking about upgrading your monitor in advance of finally being able to get hold of a new GPU.