Evaluating the Need for an RTX Graphics Card Upgrade - Pros & Cons

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This article will help you decide whether it’s worth it to upgrade to an RTX graphics card and which one may be best for you.

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What Is an RTX Card?

Nvidia’s RTX graphics cards are some of the fastest and most capable GPUs you can buy for gaming or accelerating professional workloads. If your PC doesn’t have a graphics card (or it’s particularly old), and you want to play the latest games at higher resolutions and frame rates, then upgrading to an RTX graphics card will make a huge difference.

However, Nvidia’s RTX graphics cards aren’t the only options worth considering, and the specific GPU you upgrade to is almost worth considering more than whether you pick that brand or not.

RTX is distinct from the older (and now retired) GTX branding, which used to be Nvidia’s main graphics card line. Nvidia hasn’t used “GTX” since the GTX 16 series, which debuted in 2019, however. Today, all new Nvidia graphics cards are RTX-branded.

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RTX originally designated the new Nvidia graphics cards fitted with RT and Tensor cores for accelerated ray tracing and AI calculations. Now, it’s just the name for Nvidia’s consumer graphics cards (and some of its professional ones, too).

Is an RTX Graphics Card Worth It?

If you need a new graphics card to play games, you should absolutely consider Nvidia’s RTX graphics cards, especially if the titles you play support deep learning super sampling (DLSS) upscaling. DLSS is an exclusive feature of Nvidia’s GPUs.

Nvidia’s graphics cards also perform better in games with ray tracing, so that’s also worth considering. Other brands of graphics cards, like AMD, can also handle ray tracing well, however, so keep that in mind.

For entry-level gaming, Nvidia’s older RTX 3060 graphics card is worth considering if you can get it at a good price, although the more modern 4060 is a better buy since it supports DLSS 3 frame generation and is generally much faster.

The Nvidia RTX 4080 Super is one of the best graphics cards you can buy, but it’s very big, very power hungry, and very expensive.

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For 1440p gaming, Nvidia’s RTX 4070 Super is stellar, while the RTX 4080 Super is better for 4K gaming. If you have very deep pockets and want the best graphics card in the world, the RTX 4090 is the top of the line.

However, AMD’s RX 6000 and 7000 graphics cards are worth considering, too; they tend to offer better value for money. They don’t support DLSS, but they do have a similar upcaling technology: FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR).

These cards also support hardware-accelerated ray tracing, though enabling it tends to put more of a drag on overall game performance than it does on Nvidia cards because AMD’s ray accelerators just aren’t as capable as Nvidia’s RT cores.

Standout AMD graphics cards include the affordable RX 7600, the excellent mid-range RX 7800 XT, and the fastest graphics card AMD has ever made, the RX 7900 XTX.

As with all PC upgrades , however, you shouldn’t just upgrade your graphics card for the sake of it. Graphics cards, and Nvidia’s RTX cards in particular, cost hundreds of dollars at the low end and close to $2,000 at the upper.

Only upgrade your graphics card if you want to really improve your gaming performance and if doing so will make a material difference to your gaming experience. Getting another 50 frames per second in a casual indie game isn’t going to make much difference, but going from 1080p to 4K can be dramatic.

Can Your Computer Run an RTX Card?

One other factor to consider before upgrading to an RTX graphics card is whether your PC can support it. Most modern PCs are capable without too much trouble, but it’s worth considering if you’re running an older machine or your other hardware is incompatible.

Here’s the checklist to consider:

• Do you have the right PCIExpress port? You need a PCIExpress x16 slot on your motherboard to physically plug the graphics card in. Ideally, you want to match its PCIExpress generation, or it could affect your computer’s performance. Most modern GPUs are designed with PCIExpress 4.0 in mind, though you can sometimes get away with a motherboard that supports PCIExpress 3.0 on more modest graphics cards.
• Is your case big enough? Some of the best RTX graphics cards are very long and wide. Check that your PC has enough physical space to fit the extreme lengths of modern GPUs.
• Is your power supply enough? The latest graphics cards draw a lot of energy, and if your PSU can’t handle it, you’ll have problems. Check the recommended power supply for the graphics card you’re buying and compare it to the wattage of your existing unit before upgrading.

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