Introduction
Our Recommendations
1. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
👑 Pound for Pound performance king.
Introduction
The price-to-performance king is a mainstay in seemingly all of our GPU lists. It’s simply an incredible GPU offering performance to rival some of the bigger boys of the GPU market whilst undercutting their price point significantly.
With recent updates, the RX 6650 XT now gives it a run for its money but the 3060 Ti just edges it out thanks to its DLSS capabilities.
The 3060 Ti is an allrounder of a GPU, capable of outputting strong performance across the majority of titles without breaking the bank. The 3060 Ti shines at 1080p, outperforming all of its budget-oriented rivals and outputs very strong performance at 1440p too. In fact, the RTX 3060Ti even has some legs to play at 4K in (very) select titles an impressive feat for a card showcased for lower-end audiences.
Ray Tracing remains a possibility with this card, though admittedly is slightly more suited to some of the bigger boys of the GPU world, but it remains an option nevertheless!
An MSRP of $399 solidifies the 3060 Ti as one of the most affordable GPUs available, in a world of skyrocketing prices, Nvidia’s 3060 Ti remains a diamond in the rough.
Key Specs
| Spec | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (Founders) |
|---|---|
| Base Clock (GHz): | 1.41 |
| Boost Clock (GHz): | 1.67 |
| Memory Size: | 8GB |
| Memory Type: | GDDR6/GDDR6X |
| Nvidia Architecture: | Ampere |
| Nvidia DLSS: | Yes |
| Nvidia Reflex: | Yes |
| Nvidia GeForce Experience: | Yes |
| PCI Express Gen 4: | Yes |
| Maximum GPU Temperature (in C) | 93 |
| Graphics Card Power (W) | 200 |
| Required System Power (W) | 600 |
Things We Like
Performance over Aesthetic: We had Nvidia‘s base model GPU in the office, the RTX 3060 Ti Founders Edition. The Founders card does a great job of being just that, a base model. Refraining from going all out and adding all of the bells and whistles, the Founders model RTX 3060 Ti strips everything back and focuses on offering solid and consistent performance first and foremost. The Founders model is no slouch though either! Able to compete with the higher-end AIB (Add In-Board) models no issue and whilst it doesn’t have the same performance output as some of the higher boost clock cards, it’s not a million miles off either.
Minimalist Design: We are big fans of the Founders models here at the GeekaWhat offices. The minimalistic approach when it comes to aesthetics is something that we think works really well and allows Nvidia to spend their budget elsewhere on the GPU, for those not looking for crazy aesthetics the founder’s model is a great bet! The Founders RTX 3060 Ti sports a sleek black finish with silver accenting, a design that feels right at home in the majority of PC builds.
Price Point: Founders Models usually sit at the lower end of the pricing spectrum, offering the same premium features as some of the higher-end models but at a cut price cost. For those not too fussed with squeezing every FPS out of their system, the Founders RTX 3060 Ti could be a great way to save some extra pennies.
Things We Don’t Like
Two Fan Cooler: With Nvidia opting for a dual-fan design on the Founders RTX 3060 Ti, thermals at times do run higher than other 3060 Ti models. The dual fan modelling does allow for a smaller overall size but with 3000 series cards being relatively small (by todays standards) a triple fan cooling solution would have been a great option to have and is something that other AIB partners do offer.
Summary
The Founders Edition RTX 3060 Ti does a great job of keeping things simple and focussing on the important matters. Steering away from flashy aesthetics and RGB in favour of a sleek design and solid performance is something that we can get behind wholeheartedly. The RTX 3060 Ti is in our eyes still one of if not the best value for money GPUs available on the market right now, capable of strong 1080p and 1440p performance to rival the bigger boys without breaking the bank.
Pros
- One of the best value GPUs on the market.
- Founders Edition card looks excellent.
- Card size won’t restrict case options.
Cons
- Founders Edition doesn’t offer great thermals.
- Only a dual-fan design.
Buy the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti on:
2. AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT
👑 Aging like a fine wine.
Introduction
AMD’s RX 6650 XT has steadily been on the rise since its initial launch. With various driver updates in the past months, the card has shaped up to be a real competitor to the aforementioned 3060 Ti.
Whilst slightly lacking in the DLSS/FSR department, AMD’s resolution scaling tech has come on leaps and bounds in recent months and is now much closer to that of Nvidia’s.
For an MSRP of $249 and with standout performance in titles such as Apex Legends and Fortnite, you can’t go too far wrong with the 6650 XT!
The RX 6650 XT is the cheapest GPU on our list today and by some way too. Coming in at roughly $150 cheaper than the RTX 3060Ti and with performance to rival at times is there a new potential pound for performance king on the rise? The 6650 XT remains a fairly underrated choice, given its rather shaky start to life, but it has since blossomed into a real contender to the 3060 Ti in recent months. We had ASUS’ ‘Dual RX 6650 XT’ in the office in particular, a more budget-oriented SKU perfect for those looking to gain some extra performance without too much extra cost.
Key Specs
| Spec | AMD RX 6650 XT (Founders) |
|---|---|
| Base Clock (GHz): | 2.06 |
| Boost Clock (GHz): | 2.64 |
| Memory Size: | 8GB |
| Memory Type: | GDDR6 |
| AMD Architecture: | RDNA 2 |
| AMD FSR: | Yes |
| AMD Super Resolution: | Yes |
| AMD Radeon Software: | Yes |
| PCI Express Gen 4: | Yes |
| Graphics Card Power (W) | 180 |
| Required/Recommended System Power (W) | 500 |
Things We Like
Performance: AMDs or in this case ASUS‘, RX 6650 XT has slowly but surely been creeping closer and closer to the RTX 3060 Ti in the performance department for quite some time now. Numerous driver updates have bought the RX 6650 XT much closer to where we initially expected performance to sit. We found the 6650 XT to excel in titles such as Fortnite, Apex Legends and Valorant in particular, regularly beating out its Nvidia equivalent and by comfortable margins too.
Couple this with the strong price point (which we’ll come onto shortly) and the RX 6650 XT offers up something that few, if any other GPUs on the market can offer right now. The 6650 XT offers ridiculously good performance at both 1080p and even 1440p for a cost that no other card matches currently.
Price Point: Possibly the strongest argument for picking up an RX 6650 XT over other GPU offerings currently is the pricing.
Architecture: Radeon 6000 architecture has aged like fine wine with solid drivers, making it a worthwhile pickup for those looking to purchase a brand new GPU.
Things We Don’t Like
Basic design: This particular version from ASUS is rather basic. Although it does provide better thermals out of the gate, the rather basic and blocky black shroud on the front doesn’t offer much in terms of aesthetic.
Not great for Ray-Tracing: Although AMD’s cards have come a long way in recent years, the RX 6650 XT doesn’t cope with Ray-Tracing particularly well. If you’re looking to enable this setting you’ll likely need to purchase one of the higher-end SKUs.
Summary
AMD’s Radeon RX 6650 XT is a perfect card for 1440P gaming at the mid-range level. Based on the great performance metrics and exceptional price point, most consumers will be happy with this card for gaming at a 1440P resolution.
Pros
- One of the best value GPUs on the market.
- Founders Edition card looks excellent.
- Card size won’t restrict case options.
Cons
- Founders Edition doesn’t offer great thermals.
- Only a dual-fan design.
Buy the AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT on:
3. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070
👑The top performing option.
Introduction
The bigger brother to Nvidia’s 3060Ti, the RTX 3070 is perfectly suited to 1440p gaming and even has some legroom to play at 4K in select titles. Whilst more expensive than both the RTX 3060Ti and 6650 XT, the 3070 offers considerably stronger performance at 1440p than the previously mentioned entry-level options.
1440p 144Hz gaming is very achievable in most titles for those looking for that ultra-smooth gameplay and more than warrants the extra cash. With an MSRP of $499 the 3070 sits at a much higher sits at roughly double the MSRP of the previously mentioned RX 6650 XT but does offer yield consistently stronger performance output across all titles. Raytracing performance is another strong area for the RTX 3070 with the card much better suited to Raytracing than our other top picks.
Key Specs
| Spec | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 |
|---|---|
| Base Clock (GHz): | 1.50 |
| Boost Clock (GHz): | 1.73 |
| Memory Size: | 8GB |
| Memory Type: | GDDR6 |
| Nvidia Architecture: | Ampere |
| Nvidia DLSS: | Yes |
| Nvidia Reflex: | Yes |
| Nvidia GeForce Experience: | Yes |
| PCI Express Gen 4: | Yes |
| Maximum GPU Temperature (in C) | 93 |
| Graphics Card Power (W) | 220 |
| Required System Power (W) | 650 |
Things We Like
One of the most powerful options: NVIDIA’s RTX 3070 is one of the best graphics cards when it comes to 1440P gaming. This GPU will have no issues running games at higher settings at this resolution.
Legs in 4K: Although the RTX 3070 isn’t the most ideal card for 4K gaming, it has pretty good legs at this higher resolution. If you’re planning on picking up a higher resolution display later down the line, the RTX 3070 can cope with 4K pretty well.
Ideal for high refresh rate displays: The hardware of the RTX 3070 is very strong which gives it the capability to reach pretty high framerates. If you’ve picked up a 144Hz display or higher, the RTX 3070 is an ideal card for Esports and high-intensity gaming.
Things We Don’t Like
Card size may limit case choices: The RTX 3070 isn’t quite the same size as the as some of the RTX 4000 series cards, but as we go up the list of SKUs they do get bigger. The 3070 is quite a big card generally speaking, especially the AIBs, so you’ll want to look at your case dimensions before making a purchase.
Founders editions are hard to pickup: The 3070 is a rather popular card needless to say, which means that the MSRP Founders Editions are in quite high demand. If you’re looking for one of these cards you’ll be waiting quite a while, as restocks are few and far between at times.
Summary
NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 3070 is a perfect card to play games at a 1440P resolution with settings dialled up to high. This excellent card also has legs in 4K, providing some upgrade options if consumers want better visual fidelity. This card is one of the pricier options, but considering the performance metrics, most consumers will be happy with the attached price tag.
Pros
- Incredible metrics at 1440p.
- Has some legs in 4K.
- Easier to reach a 144Hz refresh rate.
Cons
- Founders Edition cards can be difficult to purchase.
- Slightly expensive for mid-range.
Where to Buy
Buy the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 on:
Nvidia or AMD?
Nvidia have long been the go to option for many people, with both their Ray Tracing technologies and resolution scaler, Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) being more mature than AMD’s equivalents. That is not to say that AMD’s tech hasn’t come on leaps and bounds in recent years, but the arrival of DLSS 3.0 and Nvidia’s new ‘Frame Generation’ technology with the latest RTX 4000 series line-up, has put the ball firmly in Nvidia’s court for now.
On the flip side however, AMD cards tend to offer considerably higher VRAM budgets and in more recent months sit at much stronger price points than their Nvidia counterparts. For those not all that worried with using raytracing, team AMD may just be the way to go.
The question of AMD vs Nvidia more comes down to preference than anything else and the needs of the individual. Both manufacturers produce some phenomenal cards and whilst there are some nuances of games being more optimised for a certain brand, you won’t find yourself in a situation where a game is flat out incompatible no matter who you choose!
In the below table you can see how the cards roughly stack up against one and other, but we’ll be looking at detailed comparisons later. The below is just intended as an indication of each cards most closely matched competitor.
The Benchmarks
Apex Legends (1440p High Settings)
Apex Legends is as good a place to start as any. One of the ‘big three’ in the battle royale genre that has taken the gaming community by storm. The only problem being, well, every card we tested performed exceptionally well… not a bad problem to have!
Admittedly most of the cards included are better suited to gaming at 4K but nevertheless act as a good reference point.
The RTX 3070 in particular put in a very strong performance slotting in only 4 frames shy of the 3070Ti whilst not being a million miles away from the 3080 either.
Both the 3060Ti and 6650 XT also put in respectable performances, comfortably clearing the 100FPS mark.
GTA V (1440p High Settings)
The oldest title on the list today, the ever-popular Grand Theft Auto 5.
For those looking to game at that 1440p 144Hz sweet spot, you’re spoiled for choice if GTA V is your game of choice.
All of the GPUs we tested hit or surpassed the 144FPS mark bar the the RTX 3060Ti. The 3060Ti by no means put in a weak perfoamcne mind you, still averaging 138FPS throughout testing.
The 6650 XT once again came close to beating out the hugely more expensive 6900 XT – a card that turned out to be very disappointing during testing.
All three of the 3070, 3080 and 3090 came within inches of overtaking their more expensive ‘Ti’ variants, for those looking to save a few extra pounds the base models are a great option.
COD MW2 2022 (1440p High Settings DLSS/FSR)
AMD’s RX 6650 XT excelled in Infinity Ward’s latest title, narrowly missing out on usurping the RTX 3070Ti for its spot by just the 1 FPS. Outperforming both the RTX 3060 and 3070. AMD’s card was the standout performer in this title.
AMD’s 6750 XT also won out against some of the Nvidia big boys, RTX 3080 included and the 6950 XT completed the clean sweep for AMD by beating out even the RTX 4090, yes you read that right!
For those looking to play Modern Warfare 2, AMD GPUs are seemingly the way to go, even DLSS was left unable to save the RTX Cards on this occasion.
COD Warzone (1440p High Settings)
Both the RTX 3060Ti and 3070 put in strong performance in Call of Duty’s Warzone. The RTX 3060Ti (very) nearly beat out AMD’s 6900 XT losing out by just 3 FPS in what was another disappointing result for the 6900 XT.
The 3070 put in another solid performance too, sitting just shy of its bigger brother the 3070Ti, a battle that was consistently very close during our testing, potential savings to be made there?
AMD cards had an inconsistent performance in Warzone, sitting at either end of the table. AMD’s latest and supposedly greatest, massively underperformed compared to that of last generations 6950 XT.
The 6950 XT seemingly rectifies the mistakes made with the previous 6900 XT and sitting much closer to where we’d expect, just behind the RTX 4090.
Battlefield 2042 (1440p High Settings)
Battlefield 2042 is next, admittedly not as popular as was once hoped but a good benchmarking test nonetheless.
With a shaky launch and poor optimisation, many GPUs had issues with playability early doors. Thanks to numerous game and driver updates however the game is now in a much more stable spot, albeit still a tough title to run.
There are limited options for those looking to play at 1440p and 144Hz in Battlefield 2042, with only the line-topping RTX 4090 currently capable. AMD’s RX 7900 XTX comes mightily close at 141 FPS on average and at a considerably lower price than the RTX 4090 but still at a price point suited to 4K gaming.
Conclusion
Take the games that you plan on playing into account too, if Fortnite and Valorant are your go-to titles, 1440p entry-level cards such as the 3060Ti and 6650 XT will perform incredibly well. If harder-to-run games such as Cyberpunk 2077 and Escape from Tarkov are more up your alley, something with more oomph such as the RTX 3070 is a much safer bet.
Best Overall GPU for 1440 Gaming: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
NVIDIA’s RTX 3060 Ti is one of the best options for 1440P gaming in today’s market. Consumers get access to all of the awesome bonuses such as NVIDIA Reflex, DLSS, and Ray-Tracing, with a card that performs exceptionally well in the vast majority of modern titles. Definitely a worthwhile pickup for those with a 1440P display.
Read our full Gigabyte Eagle OC RTX 3060 Ti review or Buy the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti on Amazon.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I Need PCI-E 5.0 for these Graphics Cards?
Fortunately – no. All of the GPU’s we’ve covered in this roundup before PCI-E 5.0 became popularised. There aren’t any GPUs that use PCI-E 5.0 bandwidth as of yet, so consumers don’t need to worry about their GPUs not performing up to speed.
Do I Need to Worry About Case Clearance?
The RTX 3060 Ti and AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT are relatively small cards, even with the larger three fan variants, so most consumers won’t need to worry about clearance. The RTX 3070 is a little bit larger, so consumers will need to look at their case before deciding on a purchase.
How Many CPU Cores Do I Need for Gaming?
As a general rule most games only use one or two cores for gaming, but the speed of your CPU will affect how fast the game runs besides your graphics card. We recommend checking out our ‘best graphics cards for’ articles for more information on the best CPU pairings.`
How Many Watts Do I Need for My Graphics Card?
The amount of watts you need for your GPU entirely depends on the power of the card. Higher specced GPUs tend to require more power, but it changes between SKUs. We recommend checking out all of the specs tables that we’ve provided for each GPU option.
