Gaming in 4K is a much more approachable topic for users on a stricter budget in 2024 than it used to be. This was in most part due to the release of the RTX 3000 series from Nvidia coinciding with a crypto-centric mining boom that saw relentless demand for GPUs. With the RTX 4000 series initially being positioned at the highest pricing tiers possible as Nvidia and its AIB partners waited for last-generation inventories to clear out, most users looking for a 4K-capable GPU upgrade were on the fence for a very long time.
The Best NVIDIA GPUs To Buy in 2024
Anyone building their own rig will want to consider these NVIDIA GPUs.
The Best GPUs for 4K Gaming in 2024
ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super OC
The Best Overall GPU For 4K Gaming
A TUF Value-Centric Competitor
The ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super OC is a factory-overclocked RTX 4070 Ti SUPER GPU offering an excellent tri-fan cooler with a vapor chamber.
With a 10% bump in CUDA cores over its predecessor, high boost clocks, and the TUF gaming lineup’s penchant for reliability in tow, the ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super OC is the complete package for gamers looking to play games in 2K at a high refresh and occasionally dabble with 4K in some titles with ease.
- Brand
- ASUS TUF Gaming
- Cooling Method
- Tri-Fan Air Cooled Vapor Chamber
- GPU Speed
- 2340 MHz
- Interface
- PCI Express 4.0
- Memory
- 16GB GDDR6X
- Power
- 285 W
- Boost Speed
- 2640 MHz / 2670 MHz (OC)
- CUDA Cores
- 8448
- Excellent factory overclock
- Packs 16GB of VRAM which can make a difference when running games at 4K
- Runs significantly quieter than competing RTX 4070 Ti SUPER models
- Excellent tri-fan air cooler with a vapor chamber
- Some users might want more RGB lighting than the TUF offers
- Large size can be difficult to fit into smaller cases
For gamers looking to play at a 4K or similar resolution in 2024, there are plenty of options at the sub-$1000 mark or even higher when it comes to GPUs. While it would be wrong to call the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER’s prowess something that was overlooked, most users might discount the added 4GB of VRAM that enables it to become a far more viable contender when it comes to gaming at 4K without making compromises.
This, coupled with the fact that the SUPER offering is a bit faster than the RTX 4070 Ti that it replaces at the same price point, makes it a no-brainer for users who were previously on the fence about the latter. The ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super OC offers all of this in a well-built package that further strengthens the value-centric approach that the AIB has taken when it comes to building performant, silent, and cool GPUs, especially at the higher tier.
The Best RTX 4070 Ti SUPER GPUs
Nvidia’s RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is now out in force. Here are some of the best models you can buy in 2024!
The GPU comes with a smidge of RGB lighting, which could mean that users wanting a more aesthetic build could end up wanting more than what the TUF has to offer. At the same time, the TUF is significantly larger than most mid-range GPUs, which can limit its use in most smaller cases, something that users might want to check up on before getting what is otherwise an uncompromising GPU for gamers and productivity professionals in 2024.
Sapphire AMD Radeon NITRO+ RX 7900 XTX Vapor-X
The Best AMD GPU For 4K Gaming
AMD’s Best To Date
$1000 $1080 Save $80
The Sapphire Nitro lineup is synonymous with the highest-end AMD 3rd-party GPU offerings in the market. The Nitro+ doubles down on this with the highest-in-market clocks and a vapor chamber that outperforms the stock design considerably while trading at a significant premium over competing 7900XTX-based products.
- Brand
- Sapphire
- Cooling Method
- Vapor Chamber
- GPU Speed
- 2510 Mhz
- Slot Size
- 3.5
- Interface
- PCI-E 4.0
- Memory
- 24GB GDDR6
- Power
- 420W
- Boost Speed
- 2680 Mhz
- Stream Processors
- 6144
- Fastest AMD GPU experience in 2024
- A whopping 24GB of fast GDDR6 memory
- Impressive cooler versus the stock option
- Decent value for money for gaming and productivity
- Leverages FSR 3
- Costs significantly more than other RX 7900XTX models
- Highest end competition offers slightly faster DDR6X memory
Users looking for the fastest AMD CPU available don’t have to look much further than the Sapphire AMD Radeon NITRO+ RX 7900 XTX Vapor-X. It packs impressive boost clocks, a powerful cooler, and build quality that eclipses the competition considerably. It also offers 24GB of GDDR6 RAM, 8GB more than its nearest competition, the RTX 4080 SUPER, while holding its own in benchmarks versus the same.
While the RX 7900 XTX does do noticeably worse in ray-tracing performance versus its Nvidia counterparts, it delivers excellent value for money where it counts. The 24GB of fast GDDR6 memory holds its own against most of its competition that clocks in at 16GB of GDDR6 or GDDR6X memory currently. It keeps up where it counts for most gamers looking for a brute of a GPU that can easily handle gaming at 4K: rasterization. Plus, it offers better RT performance than its predecessors from AMD.
The Sapphire Nitro+ is a premium take on the RX 7900XTX which can be found for as low as $900 from other AIB players. However, it’s one that users could say makes up for the $100 premium it charges versus the competition as it offers a superior version of AMD’s finest GPU that can handle 4K games quite well.
ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4090 OC Edition
The Best Premium GPU For 4K Gaming
ROG Superiority Galore
$2000 $2300 Save $300
The ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4090 OC Edition may be one of its largest GPUs ever, but the patented design supports the most potent overclocking potential out of its peers.
With a vapor chamber in tow, the ROG Strix comes in both black and white and does not disappoint in either looks or power. It is easily the most powerful 4090 out there, clocking at a stable 3120 MHz in Game Rant’s in-house testing.
- Brand
- Asus
- Cooling Method
- Air-Cooled w/Vapor Chamber
- GPU Speed
- 2640 Mhz
- Slot Size
- Quad-Slot
- Interface
- PCI-E 4.0
- Memory
- 24 GB GDDR6X
- Power
- 600W
- Boost Speed
- 2640 Mhz
- CUDA Cores
- 16384
- The most powerful consumer-grade GPU to date
- Can be overclocked better than most of its competition
- Excellent, unique aesthetic
- Powerful, silent cooler
- Higher boost clocks out of the box
- Pricier than other RTX 4090 variants
- Larger than some other SKUs
Users wanting to game at 4K while turning up all the settings to max can turn to one of the best RTX 4090 GPUs in the business. The ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4090 OC holds its own against the competition while offering significant power under the hood. Plus, it has overclocking headroom for modders due to a powerful cooler, excellent power delivery, and one of the most well-built designs when it comes to Nvidia’s RTX 4000 series GPUs.
The RTX 4090 itself comes with a whopping 24GB of GDDR6X memory that can do over 1TB/s in bandwidth on offer as well as 16,384 CUDA cores that keep it head and shoulders above the competition. ASUS’s offering throws in a higher boost clock than any of its competition in addition to a massive cooler that should appease some of the most ardent modders and overclockers out there.
The ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4090 OC is more than just a number-crunching behemoth. It offers one of the best aesthetic upgrades generation-on-generation versus the older RTX 3090 from ASUS. With a unique design in play and a massive heatsink covering its vapor chamber, it is one of the chunkiest players in the business, albeit one that can justify its significantly higher ask versus the competition in a price bracket where people pay top dollar for relatively minute performance gains between SKUs.
The Best RTX 4090 GPUs
When it comes to RTX 4090 GPUs, these are the best options available!
MSI RTX 4070 SUPER 12G Gaming X Slim
The Best Budget GPU For 4K Gaming
Tri-Fan Juggernaut
$640 $650 Save $10
The MSI RTX 4070 SUPER 12G Gaming X Slim is an excellent tri-fan take on Nvidia’s newest RTX 4070 GPU that offers a high boost overclock, the new Tri-Frozr 3 cooler to keep temperatures low and a metal backplate.
It also features a dual-slot design, making it an excellent GPU for gamers looking to fit one in their PC without covering the bulk of their motherboard or case area in addition to keeping temperatures low thanks to its tri-fan offerings.
- Brand
- MSI
- Cooling Method
- Tri-Fan Air Cooler
- GPU Speed
- 1980 MHz
- Interface
- PCI-Express 4.0
- Memory
- 12GB GDDR6X
- Power
- 245W
- Boost Speed
- 2655 MHz (MSI Center), 2640 MHz (Boost)
- CUDA Cores
- 7168
- Better value for money than high-end peers
- Handles 4K gaming at medium presets on most titles
- Excellent cooler that keeps temperatures low
- Runs relatively quietly even under high load
- Trades at a $50 premium versus other entry-level RTX 4070 SUPER SKUs
- Limited RGB lighting
For users needing a more entry-level GPU for gaming at 4K, one does need to consider that it is an oxymoron given that 4K gaming itself can bring most modern PCs down to their knees relatively easily. Looking at an option closer to $500 than $1000 does have limitations, but the MSI RTX 4070 SUPER 12G Gaming X Slim does an excellent job, packing in significantly more power than the RTX 4070 SKU it replaces while retaining the same price quote with a $50 premium intact when it comes to entry-level RTX 4070 SUPER SKUs.
For the added money, MSI offers an excellent tri-fan cooler along with better build quality than most of its peers. This contributes to a GPU that, despite its slimmer profile than most of its competition, runs relatively cooler and quieter than most of those in the same price bracket. While the 12GB of VRAM could be an issue for future games if 4K gaming with high-resolution textures is what users demand, the RTX 4070 SUPER does do a decent job for most titles currently, and with a bit of smart tweaking on the settings front, users should be able to play a multitude of titles at either 2K/QHD or 4K/UHD resolutions with ease.
The Best RTX 4070 Ti SUPER GPUs
Nvidia’s RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is now out in force. Here are some of the best models you can buy in 2024!
XFX Speedster MERC310 RX 7900 XT Black
The Best Mid-Range GPU For 4K Gaming
A Tweaker’s Paradise
$730 $820 Save $90
The XFX Speedster MERC310 is a no-frills performer that offers great value and non-nonsense cooling thanks to its custom MERC Triple Fan Cooling Solution that performs better than the stock SKU while keeping temperatures low thanks to its built-in vapor chamber as part of the thermal solution.
- Brand
- XFX
- Cooling Method
- Tri-Fan Air-Cooled Vapor Chamber
- GPU Speed
- 2175 Mhz
- Interface
- PCI Express 4.0
- Memory
- 20GB GDDR6
- Boost Speed
- 2535 Mhz
- CUDA Cores
- N/A
- Power
- 350W
- Impressive 20GB of VRAM for its price point
- Excellent price-to-performance ratio for gamers
- Runs quite cool on its default preset
- Plenty of OC headroom
- Users need to optimize/tweak the GPU’s fan curve manually
- Middling RT performance
AMD’s penultimate GPU, the RX 7900XT, is arguably a better value-for-money purchase than its more expensive XTX alternative currently with a sub-$200 discount for a small performance cut along with 20GB (versus 24GB) of fast GDDR6 VRAM on offer. As a result, the XFX Speedster MERC310 RX 7900 XT Black does offer better value for money than many of its peers on both the AMD as well as the Nvidia end of the spectrum when it comes to rasterization.
It also comes with a surprisingly large amount of overclocking headroom as it leverages a large cooler that functions well in general. Users might, however, find the fan curve to be too aggressive, resulting in a noisier GPU than its peers, but there are guides out there that help with tweaking its settings to be more acceptable in most situations.
The RX 7900XT does have somewhat inferior ray-tracing performance on offer versus its Nvidia counterparts but does deliver an excellent option overall for gamers thanks to a mix of excellent rasterization performance and extra VRAM on offer, both of which make it a potent option for gamers looking to play the latest games in 4K.
GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER AERO OC 16G
The Best White GPU For 4K Gaming
All All-White GPU Power Broker
$1150 $1300 Save $150
The GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER AERO OC 16G is a premium, factory-overclocked, white-themed variant of the RTX 4080 SUPER that carries the high-end AERO moniker.
With an excellent tri-fan air cooler supporting a vapor chamber and a decent boost clock speed offering in tow, the all-white Gigabyte AERO OC offers much more than the competition at a premium.
- Brand
- Gigabyte
- Cooling Method
- Tri-Fan Air-Cooled Vapor Chamber
- GPU Speed
- 2295 MHz
- Slot Size
- Quad Slot
- Interface
- PCI-Express 4.0
- Memory
- 16GB GDDR6X
- Boost Speed
- 2595 MHz
- CUDA Cores
- 10240
- Looks better than most of its RTX 4080 SUPER peers
- Excellent build quality
- Keeps temperatures low even when under load
- Trades at a $150 premium versus the competition
- Larger than other RTX 4080 S alternatives
For users looking for one of the most powerful 4K experiences out there but with a focus on aesthetics, the white-themed GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER AERO OC 16G is one of the best options out there. It comes with all of the perks that the RTX 4080 SUPER offers as Nvidia’s penultimate GPU, including the ability to handle 4K content exceptionally well.
The large cooler offers excellent cooling and low noise levels even as Gigabyte backs its offering with up to four years of warranty cover for peace of mind. Gigabyte’s offering does come in with a somewhat high $150 premium, even as its larger size might be a limiting factor for gamers looking to fit one in their existing older medium-sized cases.
With 16GB of fast GDDR6X VRAM and a lower price than the outgoing RTX 4080, the RTX 4080 SUPER needs little introduction even as it bumps up its performance offering slightly to make it a more viable alternative to its predecessor. The RTX 4080 SUPER’s AERO OC take provides an excellent factory overclock along with build quality that holds its own versus some of the best in the business with ease in 2024. This makes it uniquely poised to be both a great looker and one of the fastest 4K GPUs money can buy to crank things up to the maximum with Nvidia’s DLSS tech simply adding more leeway when it comes to performance in the future.
Gaming on PC At 4K In 2024: Why Is It More Viable?
Nvidia’s more recent announcement of the RTX 4070 SUPER, RTX 4070 Ti SUPER, and the RTX 4080 SUPER means that gamers now have a viable option for gaming at higher resolutions and enjoy better performance at multiple pricing tiers. This is due to a multitude of factors including:
- A significant performance bump on the RTX 4070 SUPER while retaining the RTX 4070’s price point from the previous year.
- A performance and a memory bump to 16GB (from 12GB) on the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER while retaining the RTX 4070 Ti’s last from last year.
- A small performance bump on the RTX 4080 SUPER is accompanied by a large $200 price cut versus the RTX 4080 that it replaces.
AMD on the other hand has responded with a series of price cuts, especially at the higher end of its product spectrum, along with more “budget-centric” high-end options, such as the RX 7900 GRE (“Golden Rabbit Edition”) that clocks in at just $550. This makes for exciting times for gamers looking to grab a 4K-capable GPU for gaming in 2024 with plenty of options, competition, and AIB players emerging since the start of the year.
The Best RTX 4080 SUPER GPUs in 2024
Nvidia is upping the ante by addressing some of the major complaints about the RTX 4080 with the Super. Here are the best models in 2024.
FAQ
Q: How Much VRAM Do I Need To Run games At 4K?
While this will vary from game to game, running titles at 4K is demanding for titles which also come with high-resolution textures. Users should ideally aim for 16GB of VRAM, if not more to avoid memory-related bottlenecks.
Q: What Is The Fastest GPU For Gaming In 4K In 2024?
The fastest GPU to game on in 4K or similar resolutions is the Nvidia RTX 4090. The ASUS Strix 4090 OC is one of the fastest RTX 4090 SKUs out there currently making it arguably the fastest choice out of the box for gaming in 4K.
#GPUs #Gaming
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