Desktop GPU Performance Hierarchy Table
When you want to know how your existing GPU fares against the one on your wish list, consult our GPU hierarchy chart, which groups graphics cards with similar overall performance levels into tiers. The top tier contains the highest-performing cards available, and performance decreases as you go down from there.
You can use this hierarchy to compare the pricing between two cards, to see which one is a better deal, and also to determine if an upgrade is worthwhile. I don’t recommend upgrading your graphics card unless the replacement card is at least three tiers higher. Otherwise, the upgrade is somewhat parallel, and you may not even notice a worthwhile difference.
MORE: Best Graphics
MORE: All Graphics Content
The list, as it stands now, emphasizes discrete desktop graphics. At one time, it included mobile rankings and a more complete collection of integrated solutions. Too much of that data was estimated and derived, though, so we thinned out the chart’s density.
Intel’s graphics engines remain (for the ones we’ve tested), and we’d like to re-incorporate more AMD APUs as we place their performance with greater accuracy. But it’s unlikely that we’ll try to graft mobile graphics back into this tapestry.
As always, leave your feedback on the placement of our hierarchy. We’re happy to correct oversights or make adjustments when they prove warranted.
Finally, here are some gpus on sale:
(NOTE: If we have found any gpu deals we like the latest 2 will appear above this line.)
MORE: AMD Radeon RX 480 Roundup
MORE: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 Roundup
MORE: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 Roundup
MORE: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Roundup
Desktop GPU Performance Hierarchy Table
11/19/2017 Update: Added the GTX 1070 Ti. Added pricing for the GTX 1050 Ti, GTX 1050, RX Vega 64, RX Vega 56, RX 580, RX 570, RX 560, and RX 550. Removed pricing for the GTX Titan X (Maxwell), GTX Titan Black, GTX 690, GTX Titan, GTX 970, GTX 780 Ti, GTX 780, GTX 770, GTX 680, GTX 590, GTX 580, GTX 950, GTX 760, R9 295X2, R9, Fury X, R9 Fury, R9 Fury Nano, R9 290X, R2 290, HD 7990, R9 380X, R9 280X, HD 7970 GHz Edition, HD 6990, R9 285, and HD 7870.
10/3/2017 Update: added the RX Vega 64, RX Vega 56, and RX 560.
7/10/2017 Update: added the Titan Xp & GT 1030.
Search for these on Amazon or, if you prefer, search on Newegg
| Nvidia GeForce | AMD Radeon | Intel |
|---|---|---|
|
Titan Xp ($1,200 On Nvidia)
Titan X (Pascal) ($1,649.99 On Amazon) GTX 1080 Ti ($699 On Amazon) GTX 1080 ($559.89 On Amazon) | RX Vega 64 ($649.99 On Best Buy) | |
| GTX Titan X (Maxwell) GTX 1070 Ti ($469.99 On -) GTX 1070 ($459.89 On Amazon) 980 Ti ($537.83 On Amazon) | R9 295X2 RX Vega 56 ($469.99 On Newegg) R9 Fury X | |
| GTX Titan Black GTX 980 ($539.99 On Amazon) GTX 690 | R9 Fury R9 Fury Nano | |
| GTX Titan GTX 1060 ($249.99 On Newegg) GTX 970 GTX 780 Ti GTX 780 |
RX 580 ($296.89 On Amazon)
RX 570 ($229.89 On Amazon) RX 480 ($194.97 On Amazon) RX 470 ($204.00 On Amazon) R9 390X ($429.99 On Amazon) R9 390 ($319.99 On Newegg) R9 290X R9 290 HD 7990 | |
| GTX 770 GTX 680 GTX 590 | R9 380X R9 380 ($229.99 On Amazon) R9 280X HD 7970 GHz Edition HD 6990 | |
|
GTX 1050 Ti ($157.99 On Amazon)
GTX 960 ($199.99 On Amazon) GTX 670 GTX 580 | R9 285 R9 280 HD 7950 HD 7870 LE (XT) HD 5970 | |
|
GTX 1050 ($119.99 On Amazon)
GTX 950 GTX 760 GTX 660 Ti |
RX 560 ($129.99 On Amazon)
RX 460 R7 370 R9 270X R9 270 HD 7870 | |
| GTX 660 GTX 570 GTX 480 GTX 295 | R7 265 HD 7850 HD 6970 HD 4870 X2 | |
| GTX 750 Ti GTX 650 Ti Boost GTX 560 Ti (448 Core) GTX 560 Ti GTX 470 | R7 260X HD 6950 HD 5870 HD 4850 X2 | |
| GTX 750 GTX 650 Ti GTX 560 | HD 7790 HD 6870 HD 5850 | |
|
GT 1030 ( On -)
GTX 465 GTX 460 (256-bit) GTX 285 9800 GX2 |
RX 550 ($79.99 On Amazon)
R7 360 R7 260 HD 7770 HD 6850 | Iris Pro Graphics 6200 (integrated) |
| GT 740 GDDR5 GT 650 GTX 560 SE GTX 550 Ti GTX 460 SE GTX 460 (192-bit) GTX 280 GTX 275 GTX 260 | R7 250E R7 250 (GDDR5) HD 7750 (GDDR5) HD 6790 HD 6770 HD 5830 HD 5770 HD 4890 HD 4870 | |
| GTS 450 GTS 250 9800 GTX+ 9800 GTX 8800 Ultra | R7 250 (DDR3) HD 7750 (DDR3) HD 6750 HD 5750 HD 4850 HD 3870 X2 | HD Graphics 530 (integrated) |
| GT 730 (64-bit, GDDR5) GT 545 (GDDR5) 8800 GTS (512MB) 8800 GTX | HD 4770 | |
| GT 740 DDR3 GT 640 (DDR3) GT 545 (DDR3) 9800 GT 8800 GT (512MB) | HD 7730 (GDDR5) HD 6670 (GDDR5) HD 5670 HD 4830 | |
| GT 240 (GDDR5) 9600 GT 8800 GTS (640MB) | HD 6570 (GDDR5) HD 5570 (GDDR5) HD 3870 HD 2900 XT | |
| GT 240 (DDR3) 9600 GSO 8800 GS | R7 240 HD 7730 (DDR3) HD 6670 (DDR3) HD 6570 (DDR3) HD 5570 (DDR3) HD 4670 HD 3850 (512MB) | |
| GT 730 (128-bit, GDDR5) GT 630 (GDDR5) GT 440 (GDDR5) 8800 GTS (320MB) 8800 GT (256MB) | HD 5550 (GDDR5) HD 3850 (256MB) HD 2900 Pro | |
| GT 730 (128-bit, DDR3) GT 630 (DDR3) GT 440 (DDR3) 7950 GX2 | HD 7660D (integrated) HD 5550 (DDR3) HD 4650 (DDR3) X1950 XTX | |
| GT 530 GT 430 7900 GTX 7900 GTO 7800 GTX 512 | X1900 XTX X1950 XT X1900 XT | |
| GT 220 (DDR3) 7950 G 7900 GT 7800 GTX | HD 7560D (integrated) HD 5550 (DDR2) HD 2900 GT X1950 Pro X1900 GT X1900 AIW X1800 XT | |
| GT 220 (DDR2) 9500 GT (GDDR3) 8600 GTS 7900 GS 7800 GT | HD 7540D (integrated) HD 6550D (integrated) HD 6620G (integrated) R5 230 HD 6450 HD 4650 (DDR2) X1950 GT X1800 XL | |
| 9500 GT (DDR2) 8600 GT (GDDR3) 8600 GS 7800 GS 7600 GT 6800 Ultra | 7480D (integrated) 6530D (integrated) 6520G (integrated) HD 3670 HD 3650 (DDR3) HD 2600 XT X1800 GTO X1650 XT X850 XT PE X800 XT PE X850 XT X800 XT | Intel HD Graphics 4000 (integrated) |
| GT 520 8600 GT (DDR2) 6800 GS (PCIe) 6800 GT | 6480G (integrated) 6410D (integrated) HD 3650 (DDR2) HD 2600 Pro X800 GTO2/GTO16 X800 XL | |
| 6800 GS (AGP) | 6380G (integrated) 6370D (integrated) X1650 GT X850 Pro X800 Pro X800 GTO (256MB) | |
| 8600M GS 7600 GS 7300 GT (GDDR3) 6800 | X1650 Pro X1600 XT X800 GTO (128MB) X800 | |
| 9400 GT 8500 GT 7300 GT (DDR2) 6800 XT 6800LE 6600 GT | HD 6320 (integrated) HD 6310 (integrated) HD 5450 HD 4550 HD 4350 HD 2400 XT X1600 Pro X1300 XT X800 SE X800 GT X700 Pro 9800 XT | Intel HD Graphics 3000 (integrated) |
| 9400 (integrated) 9300 (integrated) 6600 (128-bit) FX 5950 Ultra FX 5900 Ultra FX 5900 | HD 6290 (integrated) HD 6250 (integrated) HD 4290 (integrated) HD 4250 (integrated) HD 4200 (integrated) HD 3300 (integrated) HD 3200 (integrated) HD 2400 Pro X1550 X1300 Pro X700 9800 Pro 9800 9700 Pro 9700 | |
| FX 5900 XT FX 5800 Ultra | X1050 (128-bit) X600 XT 9800 Pro (128-bit) 9600 XT 9500 Pro | Intel HD Graphics 2000 (integrated) |
| G 310 G 210 8400 G 8300 6200 FX 5700 Ultra 4 Ti 4800 4 Ti 4600 | Xpress 1250 (integrated) HD 2300 X600 Pro 9800 LE 9600 Pro | Intel HD Graphics (integrated) |
| 9300M GS 9300M G 8400M GS 7300 GS FX 5700, 6600 (64-bit) FX 5600 Ultra 4 Ti4800 SE 4 Ti4400 4 Ti4200 | X1050 (64-bit) X300 9600 9550 9500 | Intel HD Graphics (integrated) |
| 8300 (integrated) 8200 (integrated) 7300 LE 7200 GS 6600 LE 6200 TC FX 5700 LE FX 5600 FX 5200 Ultra 3 Ti500 | X1150 X300 SE 9600 LE 9100 8500 | GMA X4500 (integrated) |
| FX 5500 FX 5200 (128-bit) 3 Ti200 3 | 9250 9200 9000 | |
| FX 7050 (integrated) FX 7025 (integrated) FX 6150 (integrated) FX 6100 (integrated) FX 5200 (64-bit) | Xpress 1150 (integrated) Xpress 1000 (integrated) Xpress 200M (integrated) 9200 SE | GMA X3500 (integrated) GMA X3100 (integrated) GMA X3000 (integrated) |
| 2 Ti 200 2 Ti 2 Ultra 4 MX 440 2 GTS | 7500 | GMA 3100 (integrated) GMA 3000 (integrated) |
| 2 MX 400 4 MX 420 2 MX 200 256 | 7200 7000 DDR LE SDR | GMA 950 (integrated) GMA 900 (integrated) GMA 500 (integrated) |
| Nvidia TNT | Rage 128 | Intel 740 |
MORE: Best Deals
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Kidding aside, I note that while the update says "added Nvidia GeForce Titan Xp & Nvidia GeForce GT 1030" - I don't actually see the GT 1030 anywhere on the chart.
I'm curious, though - the Best Graphics article says that no samples have been offered of the 1030, so, if Tom's Hardware hasn't been able to perform tests, how would you estimate where the 1030 would fall on the chart? Assuming, of course, the comment about adding the 1030 wasn't accidental.
Hmmm, that may well be, although, I have to say, given the astronomical price increases I've seen on the Radeons, the Nvidia price spikes are, relatively speaking, a bargain. I'm sure the Nvidia spikes are driven by the near-zero availability of Radeon cards.
I'm too cheap and too stubborn to do any GPU upgrades in this absolutely insane, mining-driven pricing market!
Generally within the same manufacturer and generation, I agree. Given one or two of the PCs I have that are both low-profile, low powered proprietary PSUs, AND have incredibly tight space constraints, though, I'm curious as to where the GT 1030 falls relative to, say the 750/750Ti, relative to AMD's R7 250/250E, etc, particularly given that one of my PCs is using a 250E currently.... thus, whether it's worthwhile moving from one to the other.
Seriously, though, it seems to be missing. Maybe someone should tweet Chris...I think everyone answers to those these days. Wait, I have a twitter account. *done*
Harassment.
I assume that they pull from Amazon, NewEgg, etc., so can only be as reliable as those sites are. Prices are effectively meaningless now due to the Ethereum mining craze playing havoc with supply of the video cards.
The GTX 970 @ 179 links to a motherboard. The 295x2 links to a GPU/PSU combo. That's not a price fluctuation issue. Whether they've got a person doing it or a script, some of those prices are wrong because they're scrapping retailers incorrectly.
There actually was a listing on Amazon for the card in question at the absurdly low price, but I assumed it was a listing put up by a scammer.
I do agree that maybe the script/scraper may need a look. I wonder also if text in reviews might be picked up erroneously.
1050ti vs 770 https://youtu.be/ZCWBiPigfYY
1050ti vs 680 https://youtu.be/BUOrnp2PjK4