When it comes to a graphics card, how important is it if I buy AMD or Nvidia?

Graphics cards are currently becoming cheaper again and many are considering buying a graphics card. But does it even matter if I end up choosing AMD or Nvidia?

If you currently want to buy a graphics card, you will inevitably have to go for AMD or Nvidia. Graphics cards from Intel have been announced and are expected to appear sometime in summer 2022. Both the red and the green camp are courting potential buyers of their hardware.

But does it even matter whether I end up using a graphics card from Nvidia or AMD? MeinMMO explains where there are similarities and differences and what ultimately plays a role in the purchase.

AMD vs Nvidia: Where is there more performance?

With the GeForce RTX 3090 Ti, Nvidia currently (as of June 2022) offers the fastest graphics card on the market, at least when it comes to pure performance. AMD’s refresh series for the RX 6000 hasn’t changed that either.

When it comes to pure performance in Full HD (1080p) and WQHD (1440p), AMD is slightly ahead. If you look at benchmarks and tests, AMD’s RX 6950 XT is now in the top position ahead of Nvidia’s top models. When it comes to 4K and ray tracing performance, Nvidia continues to lead. As soon as DLSS is added, you are also a little better off with Nvidia, but AMD is catching up a lot here with FSR 2.0.

Who is better? When it comes to generally strong performance, it hardly matters which graphics card you use: With an AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT you can play current top games on the PC in high details at Full HD as well as with a GeForce RTX 3060. However, if you want to buy the currently best overall package of normal rendering performance and ray tracing, then there is no way around the RTX 3090 Ti.

AMD vs Nvidia 2022: Power Consumption and Efficiency

Up until a few years ago, AMD graphics cards were considered power guzzlers, and Nvidia graphics cards were significantly more efficient. But that has already changed with the last generation RX 5000.

The chips from TSMC in 7-nanometer production, which AMD uses in its current graphics cards and also in PS5 and Xbox Series X, offer significantly better performance and energy properties than Samsung’s 8-nanometer chip that Nvidia uses in its graphics cards. The somewhat better efficiency is also evident in the following examples:

• AMD’s RX 6800 XT has a TDP of 300 watts, Nvidia’s RTX 3080 of 320 watts.
• The RX 6900 XT has a TDP of 300 watts, the RTX 3090 has a TDP of 350 watts.

Who is better? Overall, AMD and Nvidia are close again after years in terms of performance and efficiency. AMD’s 6900 XT is more efficient than the RTX 3090, but Nvidia’s mid-range GPUs are slightly better. In the budget range (RX 6500 XT), AMD again offers the more efficient cards. Nvidia slightly outperforms AMD in performance per watt, but AMD wins in performance per dollar.

AMD or Nvidia 2022: who offers more features?

Basically, AMD and Nvidia graphics cards offer a very similar range of functions. You can play games with all graphics cards and both manufacturers support DirectX 12 and other graphics interfaces. However, there are a few notable differences.

An important point is Nvidia’s DLSS. With DLSS, the image is calculated in a lower resolution and then upscaled to the set resolution using AI algorithms. This way you get significantly higher FPS in games with little or no noticeable loss of quality. AMD now offers FRS 2.0 as a very good alternative. FSR 2.0 also works with Nvidia and Intel graphics cards, but is not as widely used.

In addition, Nvidia’s GPUs support some special codecs that AMD cannot calculate. With NVENC, some computationally intensive tasks that are normally calculated by the CPU are taken over by the GPU. With AMD, the tasks are still handled by the CPU.

The third point is raytracing. Since the RX 6000 series, AMD has also offered ray tracing support, but Nvidia’s performance is still clearly better.

Who is better? Simply put, Nvidia has the edge. That’s because G-Sync, Reflex, DLSS, and NVENC are all at least marginally better than AMD’s alternatives.

AMD vs Nvidia: Price

When it comes to price, AMD continues to have the edge. Because for many graphics cards you pay significantly less with AMD than for the same performance with Nvidia. Depending on the performance class, the difference can be between 100 and 500 euros.

• For AMDS RX 6800 XT you currently pay 750 euros, for Nvidia’s RTX 3080 you pay at least 900 euros.
• For the RX 6600 XT you pay almost 400 euros, for Nvidia’s RTX 3060 you have to pay at least 500 euros.

Who is better? For comparable or similar performance, you pay less money at AMD on average.

AMD or Nvidia: Which Graphics Card Should I Buy?

If you switch from an old, popular graphics card such as the GTX 1060 or RX 580 to a Radeon RX 6000 or GeForce RTX 3000, you will immediately feel the difference. Here it doesn’t matter whether you buy AMD or Nvidia: You will notice the significant leap in performance with every new card.

You can easily play games in 4K resolution with both an AMD and an Nvidia GPU from the upper price segment.

The larger feature catalog currently speaks for Nvidia and gets better ray tracing, DLSS and Nvidia Reflex, but you also pay significantly more for the hardware. At AMD you pay at least 100 euros less for the same performance.

Which graphics card should I buy? If ray tracing and DLSS don’t play a major role for you, then AMD is the better choice for you. Because here you pay less money for the same service. However, if you want the best possible image quality and all the features, then you should choose Nvidia.

This is what you should definitely know about the next generation of graphics cards before you buy a new one now