I Review Graphics Cards for a Living, Let Me Help You Pick an AMD GPU

Building a gaming PC? Your most crucial decision is the graphics card. AMD offers compelling options, especially if you prioritize performance without breaking the bank on unnecessary extras. All current-generation AMD cards support ray tracing and FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR), an upscaling technology widely adopted in PC games. While higher-end cards exist, AMD's Radeon RX 9070 XT delivers exceptional 4K performance at a reasonable price, avoiding the exorbitant costs of some competitors. For 1440p gaming, AMD shines, offering excellent value.

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Top AMD Graphics Cards

Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 7900 XTX: Best 4K AMD Graphics Card

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AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT: Best Overall AMD Graphics Card

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AMD Radeon RX 9070: Best AMD Graphics Card for 1440p

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Gigabyte Radeon RX 7600 XT Gaming OC Windforce: Best AMD Graphics Card for 1080p

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XFX Speedster SWFT Radeon RX 6600: Best Budget AMD Graphics Card

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AMD's architecture powers the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, potentially aiding PC game optimization. However, this doesn't guarantee perfect performance. For Nvidia options, see our Nvidia graphics card guide.

Choosing the right AMD GPU depends on your desired resolution and budget.

Understanding AMD Graphics Cards

AMD graphics cards are complex, but understanding a few key aspects helps. Focus on current-generation cards. AMD's naming convention recently changed (e.g., RX 9070 XT). Cards with a '9' as the first digit are current-gen; '7' and '6' represent previous generations. "XT" or "XTX" denotes a performance step-up within a generation.

Generally, higher numbers indicate better performance. VRAM (video memory) is crucial. 8GB suffices for 1080p, while 12-16GB is recommended for 1440p, and more is better for 4K. Compute units, containing streaming multiprocessors (SMs), also impact performance. More compute units and RT Cores (for ray tracing) mean better performance.

Ensure your PC case and power supply (PSU) are compatible with your chosen card. Check the recommended PSU wattage for each card.

AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT: The Top Choice

AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT

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Specifications: SMs: 4096; Base Clock: 1660 MHz; Game Clock: 2400 MHz; VRAM: 16GB GDDR6; Bandwidth: 644.6 GB/s; Bus: 256-bit; Power: 2 x 8-pin.

The RX 9070 XT offers excellent 4K performance at a competitive price, often outperforming more expensive Nvidia counterparts. It handles ray tracing well and introduces FSR 4, an AI-based upscaling solution for improved image quality (though with a slight performance trade-off compared to FSR 3.1).

AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX: 4K Powerhouse

Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 7900 XTX

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Specifications: SMs: 6144; Base Clock: 1929 MHz; Game Clock: 2365 MHz; VRAM: 24GB; Bandwidth: 960 GB/s; Bus: 384-bit; Power: 2 x 8-pin.

For top-tier 4K gaming, the RX 7900 XTX delivers exceptional performance, often matching or exceeding the more expensive RTX 4080, especially in games less reliant on ray tracing. Its 24GB VRAM handles high-resolution textures effectively.

AMD Radeon RX 9070: 1440p Excellence

AMD Radeon RX 9070

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Specifications: SMs: 3584; Base Clock: 1330 MHz; Game Clock: 2520 MHz; VRAM: 16GB GDDR6; Bandwidth: 644.6 GB/s; Bus: 256-bit; Power: 2 x 8-pin.

While close in price to the 9070 XT, the RX 9070 excels at 1440p, delivering high frame rates and offering FSR 4 for enhanced image quality. It significantly outperforms its Nvidia counterpart at a similar price point.

AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT: 1080p Champion

Gigabyte Radeon RX 7600 XT Gaming OC Windforce

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Specifications: SMs: 2048; Base Clock: 1980 MHz; Game Clock: 2470 MHz; VRAM: 16GB GDDR6; Bandwidth: 288 GB/s; Bus: 128-bit; Power: 1 x 8-pin.

At an affordable price, the RX 7600 XT delivers strong 1080p performance, even handling demanding games. Its 16GB VRAM ensures future-proofing.

XFX Speedster SWFT Radeon RX 6600: Budget-Friendly Option

XFX Speedster SWFT Radeon RX 6600

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Specifications: SMs: 1792; Base Clock: 1626 MHz; Game Clock: 2044 MHz; VRAM: 8GB GDDR6; Bandwidth: 224 GB/s; Bus: 128-bit; Power: 1 x 8-pin.

A last-gen card, the RX 6600 remains a viable budget option, especially for 1080p esports titles. While not as powerful as newer cards, it still delivers playable frame rates in many games.

FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution) Explained

FSR is AMD's upscaling technology. FSR 4 uses AI to upscale lower-resolution frames to your native resolution, improving image quality over FSR 3.1's temporal upscaling (though with a slight performance hit). FSR also offers frame generation for further performance boosts (best used at 50-60fps or higher).

Ray Tracing Explained

Ray tracing realistically renders light in 3D scenes, improving visual fidelity but demanding more GPU power. Modern cards with dedicated RT Cores handle this, but upscaling techniques like FSR are often necessary for playable frame rates in games using full ray tracing.