Thanks to the latest GeForce RTX 40 series and Radeon RX 7900 series GPUs, 4K gaming has become butter-smooth. These latest and fastest GPUs are not only capable of pushing frames above 60fps at 4K resolution, but they also offer several features that could further enhance the gaming experience. You no longer have to worry about stuttering or lowering the graphics settings just to play games at 4K. These GPUs can handle even the most graphics-intensive games. Of course, these GPUs are not only great for 4K gaming, but they are excellent for (ultrawide) 1440p gaming as well. Just don’t buy one for 1080p gaming. Never buy any of these GPUs for 1080p gaming. So, without further delay, below are currently the best graphics cards for 4K gaming.
UPDATE: Well, it’s September 2023, and we’re just a few months away till the end of this year. NVIDIA’s RTX 4090 is still the fastest and best GPU for 4K gaming. With no competition in sight, the RTX 4090 will enjoy its position for quite a while.
Best GPU for 4K Gaming – Excellent for (Ultrawide) 1440p Too!
Currently, there are three GPUs that are excellent for 4K gaming. These are the GeForce RTX 4090 and RTX 4080 from NVIDIA and the Radeon RX 7900 XTX from AMD. These three GPUs can comfortably play games at 4K without any issues.
Meanwhile, the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti and Radeon RX 7900 XT are not really geared towards 4K gaming. These GPUs are marketed toward 1440p gaming. However, they are also capable of playing games at 4K. Just not as good as the other three. To give you an idea of how these graphics cards perform, below are some 4K gaming results I got while testing these GPUs.
As you can see from the charts above, the RTX 4090 is “the one GPU to rule them all”. You can even make it faster by pairing it with the best gaming CPU, like the Ryzen 7 7800X3D. You can check out our RTX 4090 review with Ryzen 7800X3D. Meanwhile, the Radeon RX 7900 XT competes against the RTX 4080, and it usually outperforms the latter in pure rasterization, especially if it’s and AMD-sponsored title.
While AMD’s GPUs only have FSR to help increase the frame rates, NVIDIA GPUs have DLSS 3 Frame Generation technology. It inserts frames between the “real frames”, thus significantly increasing the frame rate. This results in smoother gameplay, a very helpful feature for single-player titles. However, AMD will soon release FSR 3 – AMD’s answer to DLSS 3.
Best NVIDIA Graphics Card for 4K Gaming
Currently, the RTX 4090 and RTX 4080 are the best graphics cards for 4K gaming from NVIDIA. The RTX 4090 features 16,384 CUDA cores, 24GB of GDDR6X memory, and a memory bus width of 384-bit. Meanwhile, the RTX 4080 has 9,728 CUDA cores, 16GB of GDDR6X memory, and runs on a 256-bit memory bus. The RTX 4090 is currently the flagship GPU, so expect that it will be an expensive GPU, starting at $1,600 (launch price). Meanwhile, the RTX 4080 starts at $1,200 (launch price).
The GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is a GPU marketed towards 1440p gaming. However, the RTX 4070 Ti’s performance is similar to an RTX 3080 Ti. It can even outperform the RTX 3080 Ti thanks to its DLSS 3 feature. The RTX 4070 Ti has 7,680 CUDA cores and 12GB of DDR6X memory, starting at $800 (launch price). It’s best for 1440p gaming, but it can also play games at 4K.
You can check the latest prices and availability from the links below. (#ad)
GeForce RTX 4090 graphics cards are available on Amazon.com here.
GeForce RTX 4080 graphics cards are available on Amazon.com here.
GeForce RTX 4070 Ti graphics cards are available on Amazon.com here.
You can also check the best RTX 4090 graphics cards here or the best RTX 4080 graphics cards here.
Best AMD Graphics Card for 4K Gaming
For the red team, I recommend the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX graphics card. It is based on AMD’s latest RDNA 3 architecture and features 6,144 stream processors and 24GB of GDDR6 memory. The RX 7900 XTX is about 3% to 5% faster than the RTX 4080 in traditional rasterization. But it gets left behind when ray tracing and upscaling are involved. AMD also lacks frame generation technology to compete with NVIDIA’s DLSS 3.
The Radeon RX 7900 XTX is slightly cheaper than the RTX 4080, starting at $999 (launch price). However, AMD has started to discount their GPUs recently.
The Radeon RX 7900 XT is in a similar position as the RTX 4070 Ti. It’s not really a 4K gaming GPU, but it is capable of playing games at 4K. AMD markets the RX 7900 XT for 1440p gaming, but it can play games at 4K with decent frame rates. Just don’t set your expectations high for this GPU.
As mentioned, AMD has started discounting their GPUs to combat NVIDIA’s GPUs better. So, I don’t know the retail prices of these GPUs by the time you read this article. You can check the latest prices of these cards from the links below. (#ad)
Radeon RX 7900 XTX graphics cards are available on Amazon.com here.
Radeon RX 7900 XT graphics cards are available on Amazon.com here.
I hope this article helped you in one way or another. Please share this with your friends if you find it useful. Also, if you need a 4K gaming monitor, we listed some of the best 4K gaming monitors available here.
