The most important and at the same time most expensive component in a gaming PC is almost always the graphics card.
Therefore, you should carefully consider beforehand what demands you have on your gaming computer.
Teckspot1 presents the best models from different manufacturers and price ranges and explains what needs to be considered before buying.
Gaming graphics cards 2023: All recommendations at a glance
It doesn't matter whether it's Nvidia, AMD, or Intel: Each manufacturer either advertises special features or sells particularly inexpensive models to make PC gaming even more accessible.
The choice of your next graphics card should not only depend on the respective price. Depending on which additional functions you want to benefit from and for what purpose you primarily use your graphics card, it is worth comparing the individual brands with each other.
To make the process a little easier for you, we present a selection of current cards and explain what else you need to consider before you buy.
AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT
Teckspot-Top We start our list with the Gigabyte Radeon RX 6600 XT Gaming OC, which arguably offers the most bang for the buck right now.
The model listed here forms the middle class of the current graphics card generation from "Team Red". With 8 GB of video RAM and a boost clock of up to 2,607 MHz, you are well-equipped for the coming years.
In current AAA games, the RX 6600 XT easily cracks the magical limit of 60 FPS if you limit yourself to gaming in Full HD.Accordingly, less demanding titles - i.e. almost every competitive shooter - can be played beyond 144 FPS.
With "FidelityFX Super Resolution", AMD now also has its own solution up its sleeve, which, like DLSS, is intended to tease out more FPS from your games.
In the past, however, the numerous software errors that players regularly had to deal with were less pleasing. Fortunately, AMD is constantly improving this and is constantly expanding its application with useful functions.
Nevertheless, in my opinion, Nvidia still has the edge here, although the gap is getting smaller and smaller.
Advantages:
Perfect for gaming in Full HD with 60 FPS and more
Current AAA games run effortlessly
More performance thanks to AMD FSR 2.1
Disadvantages
Error-prone drivers
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050
price tipBudget-oriented gamers can breathe easily.The Asus Dual GeForce RTX 3050 is Nvidia's latest entry-level GPU, which finally comes with useful features such as DLSS or ray tracing.
If you want the maximum FPS for the money, you should probably do without the latter. In contrast to its predecessor in the form of the GTX 1650, this model also has a whopping 8 GB of video memory, which makes the card a little more future-proof.
If you're looking for a cheap entry point to be able to play long-running favorites like Fortnite or Apex Legends smoothly, you've come to the right place.
Especially with DLSS switched on, the card should deliver all the more amazing results and also make more demanding titles playable.
If you have a very limited budget and only play in Full HD anyway, you can hardly avoid the RTX 3050 at the moment.
advantages
Mainstream titles run smoothly in high detail and Full HD
Ideal for budget PCs
More FPS thanks to DLSS
Disadvantages
Too little performance for demanding games
Not really suitable for activated ray tracing
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti
With the Asus ROG Strix RTX 3070 Ti Gaming OC we are making two huge leaps: in terms of performance and (unfortunately) also in terms of price.
Nvidia originally marketed the model as an affordable mid-range model, but the reality is still very different.With 8 GB VRAM and a boost clock of 1,875 MHz, the GPU delivers plenty of performance, but in terms of price, it is more in the realm of high-end graphics cards of the time.
Fortunately, prices seem to be falling more and more at the moment, especially since the RTX 4000 series cards are gradually replacing the current models.
If you need further arguments for the purchase: Since it is a graphics card from the RTX series, it supports ray tracing and DLSS accordingly. In addition, the latest generation of the in-house Nvidia encoder (NVENC) makes the card ideal for streaming or anyone who wants to get started with it.
advantages
Ideal for AAA titles in WQHD with at least 60 fps
Suitable for e-sports titles beyond 144 FPS
Supports ray tracing and DLSS
Latest NVENC standard for streaming
Disadvantages
Previous generation card
No DLSS 3
AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT
The Sapphire AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT is one of AMD's two high-end models and is currently only surpassed by the RX 7900 XTX.
What is special about the model shown here is the lavish video memory of 20 GB. As a result, the card has more than enough performance to easily play all titles with maximum graphic details - be it in WQHD (1440p) or 4K (2160p).
For the best 4K experience, you would probably be better off with a current top model from Nvidia, because in many cases they perform even better, depending on the game.
Although AMD graphics cards now support FSR 2.1, the standard is far from being as widespread as Nvidia's DLSS counterpart.
The best argument for the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT is probably the price anyway, as you will hardly find anything better in this area at the moment.
Another bonus is the Infinity Cache and Smart Access Memory technology, both of which in combination should provide a significant increase in performance. However, the latter only works in conjunction with a suitable Ryzen CPU.
advantages
Best suited for current AAA games in WQHD or 4K
A whopping 20 GB of video memory
More performance with AMD Infinity Cache and Smart Access Memory
Supports AMD FSR 2.1
Disadvantages
Error-prone drivers
FSR 2.1 is not as good as DLSS
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090
The Asus TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 4090 OC Edition is the current flagship from Nvidia.
The GPU, therefore, offers enough power so that you don't have to worry about frame rates that are too low for a long time.
So just the right thing if you want to enjoy the latest AAA games with maximum graphics settings in 4K resolution with activated ray tracing.
DLSS 3, including the frame generation, should also benefit you here. Both technologies in combination can quadruple your FPS, which is sometimes an absolute must for demanding games.
So if you want maximum performance these days, you should be prepared to invest accordingly:With a price of more than 2,000 euros, you pay more for this graphics card than for an entire gaming PC.
Another factor is the immense power consumption of such cards. Especially in times of energy shortages, this point should probably also be included in the purchase decision.
Our tip: If you are not willing to shell out such sums for an RTX 4090, you should look for a previous model instead.
The RTX 3000 cards are still extremely powerful and, with a bit of luck, you are likely to discover one or the other model at a fair price, especially on the used market.
advantages
Excellent performance
Best suited for 4K gaming and ray tracing
Supports ray tracing and DLSS 3
Latest NVENC standard for streaming
Disadvantages
Extremely expensive
High power consumption
Requires a sufficiently large housing