Buyer's guide / GPU comparison
GPU benchmarks 2026: every card ranked by performance & value
Thirteen current and recent GPUs in one sortable table -- specs, launch price, a relative-performance index, and value per dollar. Sort by what you care about, then jump to the best pick for your budget.
By Evan Cole · Last updated July 22, 2026
Specs don't tell you which graphics card to buy; the relationship between performance and price does. This table puts thirteen GPUs -- NVIDIA's RTX 50-series, AMD's RX 9000 series, Intel's Arc B-series, plus the RTX 4090 and 4070 for reference -- in one place, sortable by whatever you care about. Want the most frames? Sort by performance. Shopping a budget? Sort by value. Looking after a small PSU? Sort by TDP. If you'd rather just have the answer, our best graphics cards of 2026 picks one card per tier.
The 2026 GPU comparison table
Click a column header to sort. "Value" = relative raster % ÷ launch MSRP × 100.
| Card | VRAM | Cores | TDP | Launch MSRP | Perf* (% of 5090) | Value | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GeForce RTX 5090 | 32 GB GDDR7 | 21,760 | 575 W | $1,999 | 100.0% | 5.0 | Check price |
| GeForce RTX 5080 | 16 GB GDDR7 | 10,752 | 360 W | $999 | 81.9% | 8.2 | Check price |
| GeForce RTX 5070 Ti | 16 GB GDDR7 | 8,960 | 300 W | $749 | 76.2% | 10.2 | Check price |
| GeForce RTX 5070 | 12 GB GDDR7 | 6,144 | 250 W | $549 | 65.1% | 11.9 | Check price |
| GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB | 16 GB GDDR7 | 4,608 | 180 W | $429 | 51.6% | 12.0 | Check price |
| GeForce RTX 5060 | 8 GB GDDR7 | 3,840 | 145 W | $299 | 43.4% | 14.5 | Check price |
| Radeon RX 9070 XT | 16 GB GDDR6 | 4,096 | 304 W | $599 | 76.9% | 12.8 | Check price |
| Radeon RX 9070 | 16 GB GDDR6 | 3,584 | 220 W | $549 | 69.1% | 12.6 | Check price |
| Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB | 16 GB GDDR6 | 2,048 | 160 W | $349 | 48.2% | 13.8 | Check price |
| Arc B580 | 12 GB GDDR6 | 2,560 | 190 W | $249 | 35.1% | 14.1 | Check price |
| Arc B570 | 10 GB GDDR6 | 2,304 | 150 W | $219 | 31.1% | 14.2 | Check price |
| GeForce RTX 4090 (last-gen ref.) | 24 GB GDDR6X | 16,384 | 450 W | $1,599 | 90.1% | 5.6 | Check price |
| GeForce RTX 4070 (last-gen ref.) | 12 GB GDDR6X | 5,888 | 200 W | $599 | 54.7% | 9.1 | Check price |
* Relative performance: Tom's Hardware GPU-hierarchy rasterization geomean as % of the RTX 5090 at 1080p Ultra. AMD cards rank lower in ray-traced titles than this raster column suggests. Cores = CUDA (NVIDIA) / stream processors (AMD) / shading units (Intel).
What the numbers actually say
- Value lives at the bottom of the stack. On raster-per-dollar, the cheapest cards win: the Arc B570/B580, the RX 9060 XT, and the RTX 5060 all return far more performance per dollar than the halo cards. The RTX 5090 is the slowest card here by value -- you pay a steep premium for the last 20%.
- 8 GB is the asterisk on the RTX 5060. It tops the value column, but 8 GB of VRAM is already a limitation at 1440p in some 2025-2026 titles. The RX 9060 XT 16GB and RTX 5060 Ti 16GB cost more but age better.
- AMD wins raster, trails in ray tracing. The RX 9070 XT edges the RTX 5070 Ti in this raster index, but Tom's separate ray-tracing ranking flips that order. If you play path-traced titles, weight RT.
- The RTX 4090 is still a top-three card -- worth knowing if a used or discounted one appears, though at its original $1,599 MSRP its value is close to the 5090's.
Want the one-card answer per tier?
This page is the data; our best graphics cards of 2026 guide is the verdict -- one pick for the halo tier, creators, high-end value, the best AMD card, and budget, with the reasoning behind each.
GPU benchmark FAQ
What's the best value graphics card in 2026?
On raw rasterization performance per dollar of launch MSRP, the cheapest cards win: Intel's Arc B570 and B580, AMD's RX 9060 XT 16GB, and NVIDIA's RTX 5060 top the value column above. The halo RTX 5090 is the worst value here -- you pay a steep premium for the last ~20% of performance. For a single pick per tier, see our best graphics cards of 2026.
Is 8GB of VRAM still enough in 2026?
It's borderline. The RTX 5060's 8GB tops the value column but is already a limitation at 1440p in some 2025-2026 titles with high textures or ray tracing. If you'll keep the card more than a year or play at 1440p+, the 16GB options (RX 9060 XT 16GB, RTX 5060 Ti 16GB) cost more but age far better.
RTX 5070 Ti or RX 9070 XT -- which should I buy?
It depends on the games. The RX 9070 XT edges the RTX 5070 Ti in this rasterization index and often undercuts it on price, but the RTX 5070 Ti pulls ahead in ray-traced and path-traced titles and has stronger upscaling (DLSS). If you play path-traced games, weight ray tracing; if you play mostly raster titles, AMD is the value play.
What GPU do I need for 4K gaming in 2026?
For high-refresh 4K you want a top-tier card: the RTX 5090 or RTX 5080 on the NVIDIA side, or the RX 9070 XT with upscaling on the AMD side. Mid-range cards (RTX 5070, RX 9070) can do 4K at 60fps with DLSS/FSR in most titles but will drop settings in the most demanding games.
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