With a new passel of GPUs all claiming to be the best graphics visiting card , 4 honey oil gaming is becoming a reality for more and more products . It ’s still an expensive , enthusiast - class resolve , but with the best GPUs for 4 K gaming , you could push high-pitched skeleton rates and a eminent resolution simultaneously .
We ’ve meticulously picked over the dozen of GPUs we ’ve review over the last two yr to find which graphics card are best for 4K. Here are our last picks .
Best GPU for 4K
Nvidia RTX 4090
Why you should corrupt this : If you want the highest frame rates for 4 atomic number 19 gaming and good performance for originative applications , the RTX 4090 is your unspoilt bet .
Who it ’s for : Users with big budget who require the best operation in games and apps .
What we thought of the RTX 4090 :
When it come to 4 atomic number 19 play ( or any other resolution for that matter ) , the RTX 4090 is far and away the firm GPU uncommitted . Not only is the 4090 great for game at 4 K but also for creative applications , thanks to its massive 24 GB VRAM and sore power . At $ 1,600 , the 4090 is as expensive as last generation ’s flagship models but immensely more herculean .
In our recap , we found that the 4090 average a frame rate of 108 frames per second ( fps ) across several games try at 4 atomic number 19 and maximum or nigh maximum artwork options . By line , the last - genesis RTX 3090 only achieve 57 fps , and the 3090 Ti 64 fps . In quality games , you’re able to enable DLSS to get even high frame rateswithout sacrifice any visual particular . The RTX 4090 also has backing for DLSS 3 , and it is arguably the first GPU to make ray tracing at 4 K really possible . InCyberpunk 2077at 4 K with ray tracing turned up to Ultra , the 4090 was able-bodied to hit 43 fps , which is much better than the RTX 3090 but still pretty low ; however , enabling DLSS and dropping a setting or two could get the 4090 to 60 fps .
It ’s not inexpensive , and it ’s definitely not for everyone , but overall , the RTX 4090 is the best 4 K GPU thanks to its excellent 4 kibibyte gaming performance and great workstation performance .
AMD’s best 4K gaming GPU
AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX
Why you should bribe this : The 7900 XTX is AMD ’s most powerful graphics card yet , with first-class 4 K gaming power .
Who it ’s for : Gamers who want near - flagship performance but without paying Nvidia ’s price .
What we thought of the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX :
The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX is the most herculean graphics lineup team red has ever made . It feature more stream processor and high clock hurrying than ever before , but in the same classic AMD size of it and with a fair power need of 350W at the top end . It features more advanced ray tracing , a raw reference cooler design , and new AI accelerators which look position to be very utilitarian when AMD ’s FSR 3 releases in 2023 . In the meantime , though , this is the unspoilt AMD GPU in the humankind , and though it might be expensive , it ’s almost as upright as its get .
It ’s relatively quiet , although a card this powerful does kick out some heat , and it ’s still a far cry from the RTX 4090 , particularly when it comes to beam tracing — even if this card does a much good job than the 6900 XT . For general 4 K gaming rasterization , though , this card is an rank ogre , beating off the RTX 4080 in most games , and offering a solid generational advance over even the good RX 6000 serial publication cards .
It ’s still an expensive card , though , with an MSRP of $ 1,000 at launching . That may come down a little in the months that pursue , but with high demand for AMD ’s late line of descent of competitive GPUs , expect parentage to be in unretentive supply for some time to come .
Best last-gen 4K GPU
AMD RX 6950 XT
Why you should buy this : The RX 6950 XT is a more reasonable option to the RTX 3090 that ’s made for gamers and provides about the same amount of public presentation at a low Leontyne Price .
Who it ’s for : Gamers who want a more affordable 4 K GPU and do n’t postulate DLSS .
What we thought of the RX 6900 crosstalk :
AMD ’s RX 6000 GPUs were the first AMD cards to really proffer 4 chiliad gaming execution , and the RTX 6950 XT is one of the best for the caper . Its performance at 4 K is splendid , it has plenty of VRAM at 16 GB , and its cost is comparatively low . We would normally commend the base RX 6900 XT , but the terms of the juiced - up RX 6950 XT has come down significantly since launch , and you could find it as low as $ 600 .
It blows through most games at 4 K , easy offering above 60 frames per second in demanding titles likeCyberpunk 2077 . AMD still take a backseat to Nvidia when you change by reversal on ray tracing , but the RX 6950 XT manages to outpace Nvidia ’s RTX 4070 Ti in most secret plan with ray trace turned off , and it costs $ 100 less .
The main affair you ’re giving up is Nvidia ’s DLSS . AMD has its FSR upscaling , but it ’s still a measurable aloofness behind DLSS . Thankfully , the raw power of the RX 6950 XT means you wo n’t have to plough on FSR often .
Best cheap GPU for 4K
Nvidia RTX 4070 Super
Why you should purchase this : It offers upstanding performance , and DLSS 3 thrust 4 cat valium frame rate with ease .
Who it ’s for : Gamers on a budget who still desire flagship 4 kelvin carrying out .
What we thought of the RTX 4070 Super :
At $ 600 + , the RTX 4070 Super is definitely not cheap . But , if you want the definitive next - gen 4 KB gaming experience and ca n’t stomach spending more than $ 1,000 on one of Nvidia ’s flagships , it ’s the most sane alternative . The overall carrying into action of the RTX 4070 Super is good thanks to its recent Super upgrade , and it can take full advantage of -DLSS 3to give it that boost it needs .
In the most demanding game , DLSS 3 turn the RTX 4070 Super from a mediocre 4 yard GPU into one of the good nontextual matter cards you may bribe . It outpaces the unsanded performance of the RTX 4090 inCyberpunk 2077andPortal RTXwith DLSS 3 on , and it makes features like course trace possible at such a high result .
It ’s the sweet spot of Nvidia ’s current generation and one of its New releases , so prices wo n’t come down for some prison term , but the RTX Super is a grownup ugprade over the stock RTX 4070 , thanks to its much smashing CUDA core reckoning . That ’s what makes this card so much more quick for 4 kilobyte than its non - top-notch counterpart .
Best affordable 4K GPU
AMD RX 7800 XT
Why you should grease one’s palms this : The 7800 XT provides good operation at a decent enough price to deliver good frame rates at 4 K without needing a top - oddment GPU like the 4090 or the 7900 XTX .
Who it ’s for : Gamers who would rather have mellow frame rate than higher graphical quality .
What we call back of the RX 7800 XT :
If you want to play at 4 K with high frame rates , then you believably are n’t playing with ray tracing enable – even a 4090 battle with that . In that case , you may certainly debate some of the placard outside AMD ’s top terminal , like the RX 7800 XT . While it might be more suited to 1440p gaming , it has all the power you need for great frame rates at 4 K – as long as you keep shaft hound handicapped .
That does n’t think this card ca n’t do ray tracing , though . Its next - generation RT accelerator entail this is an AMD card that does n’t come down down when you enable that advanced light . It just might struggle a little at 4 K with ray trace enabled as well .
It ’s the cost of this lineup that ’s so safe , though . At around $ 500 it undercut much of the Nvidia competition and allows this add-in to extend some of the best bang for Pearl Buck performance of any graphic card at any resolution ; 4 K included .
Just like with the 7900 XTX and other AMD cards , you ca n’t use DLSS on the 7800 XT and you will have to rely on FSR or XeSS where available .
Best GPU for 4K video editing
Nvidia RTX A5000
Why you should buy this : The A5000 is a super fast workstation - orientate GPU with plenteousness of VRAM for middling much any workload .
Who it ’s for : People who take proficient carrying into action at 4 K in workstation applications programme .
What we retrieve of the RTX A5000 :
The RTX A5000 , by all metrics , is the fastest workstation GPU money can buy . Generally , we ’d recommend Nvidia for most users since the software ecosystem for professional applications usually relies on CUDA . The only problem with the A5000 is its Leontyne Price ticket , which is commonly over $ 2,000 , but if you need to do existent work , then it can be worth it . It ’s also worth noting that the A5000 is basically the RTX 3090 but with no artificial performance limitations thanks to optimized drivers and unlocked Tensor core performance , so if you require better workstation carrying into action more than better gaming performance , the A5000 is the direction to go .
If you ca n’t justify spending that form of money for the A5000 , then we recommend the A4000 , which is significantly dumb and has only 16 GB of VRAM but is also much tinny at about $ 1,100 . There ’s also the A2000 , which is even slower and has even less VRAM at 12 GB but retail for around $ 600 to $ 700 . If you have an even larger budget , you could judge the RTX A6000 , which is fundamentally an RTX 3090 Ti but with 48 GB of VRAM .
AMD does have a vie line of workstation GPUs , but because CUDA is so ingrained into the kind of software system you ’d want a workstation GPU for , there are n’t many applications where AMD is militant with Nvidia . If you want to use AMD , you ’ll have to visualise out whether or not that ’s a good theme reckon on what lotion you use .
Frequently Asked Questions
As long as you have an unlimited budget , the RTX 4090 is the best for 4 super acid gaming , and the RTX A6000 is the good for video redaction . However , both GPUs ( particularly the A6000 ) are very expensive , so you might need to opt for slightly dull but much cheaper GPUs , like the RX 6900 XT , the RTX 3080 10 GB , and the RTX A4000 .
The RTX 4090 is the fastest GPU you may buy , and Nvidia GPUs tend to perform comparatively well at 4 K , but that does n’t mean you ca n’t have a secure 4 special K gaming experience on an AMD GPU . In fact , after the 4090 , the AMD RX 7900 XTX is the best 4 green gaming graphics lineup — even ahead of Nvidia ’s still - hefty ( but overpriced ) RTX 4080 . Nvidia is a better bet for telecasting editing and other professionally oriented applications , however .
