The GPU market is split between AMD and Nvidia, but it’s far from being divided in half. Nvidia has long been the ruler, reaping the rewards of better brand recognition as AMD trails miles behind.
Contents
- Price
- VRAM
- Don’t be afraid of AMD
AMD may not be winning the revenue game, but it still makes some of the best graphics cards, so it doesn’t deserve to be overlooked. Here’s why you should consider choosing AMD instead of Nvidia for your next GPU upgrade.
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Price
It’s impossible not to bring up pricing when discussing the whole “AMD vs. Nvidia” situation. In fact, this is one of the major reasons why AMD might be the better pick, but to reach that conclusion, we have to dig deeper than just “Nvidia is expensive and AMD is cheap,” because that’s simply not true.
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The truth is that both sides of the conflict are generally expensive these days. Truly affordable GPUs stopped being a thing even before the GPU shortage. Still, the shortage that made the prices of graphics cards soar to previously unseen heights (sometimes over 300% above the recommended list price) seems to have opened the floodgates and unleashed a worrying trend in GPU pricing.
While I wouldn’t call AMD’s latest generation of graphics cards “cheap,” it’s undeniably cheaper than Nvidia, which adopted a pretty ridiculous pricing strategy in this generation. Let’s take a look at AMD’s RX 7900 XTX, RX 7900 XT, and their Nvidia counterparts, the RTX 4080 and the RTX 4070 Ti.
- RX 7900 XTX: $980 on
- RX 7900 XT: $800 on
- RTX 4080: $1,200 on
- RTX 4070 Ti: $800 on
Price is one thing, but it’s meaningless if you don’t count performance, so let’s talk about that for a second.
AMD holds up well
In our own testing in 1440p gaming, we found that the RTX 4080 performs the best of all four cards, but the frames per second (fps) margin between the Nvidia card and the RX 7900 XTX is small (159 frames per second, or fps, versus 155 fps). Many of us would rather save $200 than have an extra 4 fps, but of course, that’s an oversimplification of the performance gap between AMD and Nvidia.
Nvidia has something that AMD doesn’t — superior ray tracing and DLSS. DLSS 3, to be more specific, generates entire frames instead of pixels, and it’s only available on RTX 40-series cards. AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) can’t quite compare just yet, and FSR 2.0 is also available on Nvidia cards, making this technology a nonissue for Nvidia owners.
The RTX 4070 Ti is also slower than the RX 7900 XT, but it becomes less of a clear choice when you take DLSS 3 and improved ray tracing into account. On the other hand, AMD’s RDNA 3 GPUs still handle ray tracing better than the previous generation, so it’s not like it’s going to be unplayable — far from it.
Long-story short is that in this generation, AMD has cheaper GPUs if you’re not bothered by the ray tracing issue and the lack of DLSS. This becomes even more true if you skip the RX 7900 XTX and RX 7900 XT and move down to last-gen models.
AMD’s last-gen cards are a solid choice
Everyone is excited by the prospect of powerful current-gen cards, but you don’t need an RTX 4090 to play AAA games in 2023, and you won’t need that level of performance for years. In fact, for both manufacturers, shopping last-gen is a really viable option, and this is where AMD truly shines right now.
Nvidia’s RTX 30-series is starting to make less and less sense, what with the RTX 4060 Ti and RTX 4060 coming out to fill some gaps in its 40-series lineup. However, AMD’s RX 6000 cards are still readily available everywhere, and they can easily outperform some of Nvidia’s GPUs at a lower cost.
The RX 6950 XT is a good example of this. It’s a 4K gaming GPU, and yet, you can find it on Amazon for . To get solid 4K gaming performance out of an Nvidia card, you would need to buy at least the RTX 4070 Ti or the RTX 4080, which are $800 and $1,200, respectively. In the last generation, you’d need an RTX 3080 and above, which run from $830 to well over $1,000 right now.
The RX 6800 XT is another solid choice. Fit for some 4K and a lot of 1440p gaming, it costs around right now. And if you’re building a budget PC, you can always grab the RX 6600 XT for as it has insane performance per dollar compared to many other GPUs.
VRAM
The amount of VRAM in some of the latest graphics cards has been a hot topic as of late, and this is one area where AMD is winning big-time.
Nvidia’s GPUs are lacking in VRAM, and although recent years show an upward curve, it just doesn’t seem to be rising fast enough to meet the growing demands of the gaming industry. This is slowly becoming a problem.
Recent trends show that modern AAA titles are increasingly likely to require more VRAM than Nvidia packs into its GPUs. Don’t get me wrong, the low amount of VRAM isn’t new for Nvidia — it’s just never been an issue on such a large scale up until recently, and it’s only going to get worse.
If you want lots of VRAM, you need to buy some of the more expensive Nvidia cards. The RTX 4090 comes with 24GB of VRAM, but it costs $1,600. The RTX 4080 sports 16GB and has a $1,200 price tag.
Nvidia is, admittedly, soon releasing a cheaper option with plenty of video memory — the RTX 4060 Ti model that comes with 16GB. Still, that’s an unreleased model that won’t be coming until July, and it’s the unicorn of the Ada Lovelace lineup. For comparison, the $800 RTX 4070 Ti only has 12GB, and the standard RTX 4060 Ti sports 8GB.
AMD has been stacking up on VRAM for a long time now. The RX 6950 XT comes with 16GB of memory, but then, so does the RX 6900 XT, RX 6800 XT, and the RX 6700 XT — and at least some of those will be better than Nvidia’s $500 RTX 4060 Ti. If you want even more VRAM, AMD’s RX 7900 XTX sports 24GB, which is the same as the RTX 4090, but it costs $600 less.
No matter how you spin it, if the amount of VRAM is important to you, AMD is the manufacturer that pays it more mind than Nvidia. The more advanced games become, the more you’ll want to have a decent amount of video memory.
Don’t be afraid of AMD
AMD and Nvidia are often compared to one another, but right now, each GPU maker fills a different niche in the market.
Nvidia is the giant, dominating in performance, lineup size, and brand recognition. AMD, ever the underdog, is trying to claw its way up, but it’s also setting its sights on a different end goal than Nvidia. It’s not about being the best, it’s about being able to appeal to a greater number of potential users.
Unfortunately, it sometimes feels like AMD is letting Nvidia win. Part of it is an outdated public perception of AMD; you’ll still find claims about broken drivers all over the internet, but those problems are much fewer and far apart than they were previously. AMD has improved by leaps and bounds, and for mainstream consumers, it’s actually the better pick right now. Of course, there are also reasons to choose Nvidia, so it’s a difficult decision.
Part of AMD’s diminished presence in this generation is its own fault. After all, as Nvidia continues pumping out new GPUs (hello, three models of the RTX 4060), AMD remains silent. With just two cards and a third in the pipeline, it doesn’t have the same momentum as Nvidia does right now.
Still, lack of momentum or not, AMD is solid. It’s cheaper than Nvidia, it’s efficient, and AMD GPUs are readily available everywhere — sometimes even below MSRP. Nvidia is better on paper, but AMD fits nicely in a more budget-oriented build, and the recent VRAM buzz is giving it an unexpected edge over Team Green.
If you’re more interested in performance than sticking to the latest generation, AMD’s last-gen offerings are still great picks. The upper RX 6000-series (such as the RX 6950 XT and the RX 6800 XT) can handle 4K gaming, but these cards are cheap enough that they’ll fit inside a $1,000 PC build. It’s hard to say the same about Nvidia right now.
There are pros and cons to both manufacturers, but the bottom line is: don’t be afraid of AMD. Pick the GPU that best fits your needs — whether that’s Nvidia or AMD — and not the GPU that fans of either brand tell you is better.
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FAQs
Why is AMD not as good as NVIDIA? ›
The most basic difference between AMD GPUs and Nvidia GPUs is that Nvidia chips tend to be more powerful, especially at the high-end, while AMD cards offer better value at lower price points and a more friendly user interface.
Should I uninstall NVIDIA drivers when switching to AMD? ›And that could mean you'll need to uninstall both your old and new drivers, and start over fresh. That's why when swapping cards, you should uninstall the old graphics drivers first, to avoid any potential issues and save yourself the headache later.
Is AMD catching up with NVIDIA? ›A report from Bloomberg suggests that AMD and Microsoft could be working together to develop AI processors as an alternative to Nvidia's chips. But again, this further indicates that AMD is trying to catch up with Nvidia.
Why did Apple ditch NVIDIA? ›Apple used to work closely with NVIDIA, until 2008. In 2007 and 2008, Apple made Macbook Pro models with the ill-fated NVIDIA Geforce 8400M and 9400M. These Geforce chips had a manufacturing defect in the chip die that caused the GPUs to fail prematurely.
Which is more reliable AMD or Nvidia? ›Nvidia graphics cards are known for their high performance and reliability. They offer a wide range of features and options, making them a great choice for gamers and other power users. AMD cards are also excellent performers, but they tend to be more affordable than Nvidia cards.
What AMD GPU is equivalent to RTX 3060? ›Today, let's compare NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 3060 and AMD's Radeon RX 6600 XT. Both GPUs are designed for 1080p gaming and are also capable of driving games at 1440p. The RTX 3060 came with an (original) MSRP of $329, while the RX 6600 XT starts at $379.
Is it OK if I delete Nvidia drivers? ›Q #2) What happens if you uninstall NVIDIA drivers? Answer: There will be no error or issue, but your system will switch to default system display drivers.
Is it necessary to have AMD drivers? ›You can safely uninstall the AMD Radeon software, the device driver will stay installed and that is all that is really needed on your system, the accompanying software is not required for the good running of your system . . . Power to the Developer!
Is it bad to uninstall Nvidia graphics driver? ›But before you upgrade the hardware, or even if you've already done that, it's never a bad idea to completely uninstall all the old Nvidia, AMD, and/or Intel drivers, getting rid of all the cruft and potentially freeing up a decent amount of storage in the process.
Is Nvidia or AMD a better investment? ›Performance Overview
Year to date, Nvidia stock has soared a stellar +81% Vs. AMD's +49% with both outperforming the broader indexes.
Is RTX worth it over AMD? ›
If you're planning to push 4K frame rates or take advantage of ray tracing, the RTX 3080 is worth the splurge. The AMD RX 6900 XT can keep up with 4K gaming, but it will have a much worse time with ray tracing and it won't save you much money over similar Nvidia cards.
What does Nvidia have that AMD does not? ›That comes down to a fundamental difference in the two companies approach GPU design. Nvidia RTX 30-series GPUs include dedicated ray tracing cores. These cores handle ray tracing and they're separate from the GPU cores. AMD, on the other hand, packs a ray accelerator into each compute unit.
Did US ban NVIDIA chips to China? ›The U.S. government has banned the export of cutting-edge chips, including artificial intelligence chips and specific GPUs from companies like AMD and Nvidia, to China.
Is NVIDIA no longer selling to China? ›The United States government ordered AMD and NVIDIA to stop selling certain components to China, citing concerns that the tech may be used for military use in China or Russia. Both companies were told by the government to stop exports of specific high-performance chips, as reported by CNN.
Why did Apple choose AMD over NVIDIA? ›Apple's continued use of AMD graphics comes down to power consumption. The NVIDIA GTX 1060, which is an equivalent card to the 13-inch MacBook Pro's Radeon Pro 560X, uses about 37 watts more than the Radeon Pro 560X and a whopping 75 watts more than the stripped-down 13-inch MacBook.
Why is AMD so much cheaper than NVIDIA? ›Theoretically? NVidia spends more of its resources on just making graphics cards. AMd has a lot more other products they also produce, so their entire company isn't focused on their cards. So even if the two companies are the same size (or very close) there's less RnD for graphics in AMD than NVidia can spend.
Is Intel faster than AMD? ›Intel CPUs usually offer better performance and value for gamers than AMD processors. When calculating complex AI in a video game, you need higher instructions-per-clock (IPC) and single-thread clock speed, areas where Intel shines.
Can AMD do ray tracing? ›Any GPU (and even any CPU) can do ray tracing, as long as the software it's running (including drivers) instructs it to do so. However AMD graphics cards cannot run RTX ray tracing, as RTX is a technology which is proprietary to NVIDIA.
What is AMD equivalent to RTX 3090? ›The AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT has been an interesting GPU this generation. It's both cheaper than the competing Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090—and sometimes faster, too. It's now been refreshed with the RX 6950 XT, a late entrant into the tumultuous GPU market.
What AMD GPU is equivalent to RTX 3080? ›PowerColor Fighter AMD Radeon RX 6800 Video Card (Almost RTX 3080 Equivalent) for $479.99. Here's your chance to get performance comparable to a GeForce RTX 3080 for a much better price. The Radeon RX 6800 is only about 3% slower than an RTX 3080.
What is RX 6700 equivalent to? ›
The 6700 XT competes most directly with NVIDIA's RTX 3060 Ti and RTX 3070 as it's priced between the two at MSRP.
Does Nvidia keep old drivers? ›If you're a gamer (or just a PC user) with NVIDIA graphics, NVIDIA's drivers are probably wasting gigabytes of storage on your hard drive. NVIDIA leaves old installer files buried on your hard drive until you get annoyed and manually delete them…if you even realize you need to.
Can I go back to previous Nvidia driver? ›Double-click on Display Adapters. Double-click on your NVIDIA GPU. Select the Driver Tab. Click on Roll Back Driver.
Will resetting Windows 10 remove Nvidia drivers? ›Resetting your PC will remove the drivers you have installed.
What happens if I uninstall AMD graphics driver? ›You install newer (or older) ones. If you just uninstall the driver, the GPU stops working. (The computer talks to a generic GPU. The AMD driver translates those instructions into the ones the specific card needs.
What software completely removes Nvidia drivers? ›Download Display Driver Uninstaller DDU - Display Driver Uninstaller is a driver removal utility that can help you completely uninstall AMD/NVIDIA graphics card drivers and packages from your system, without leaving leftovers behind (including registry keys, folders and files, driver store).
What will NVIDIA be worth in 5 years? ›The NVIDIA stock 5-year forecast from AI Pickup was bearish, with the website's technical analysis, predicting that the share price could average $42.42 in 2027, down from $117.89 in 2022, $106.73 in 2023 and $78.82 in 2025.
Is it worth it to invest in AMD? ›No, AMD stock is not a buy right now. It needs to form a new base in the right market conditions before setting a potential buy point. Check out IBD's Big Picture column for the current market direction. The IBD Stock Checkup tool ranks AMD as seventh among 36 stocks in IBD's fabless semiconductor industry group.
What is the future of AMD? ›Advanced Micro Devices is forecasted to grow earnings and revenue by 44.4% and 13.9% per annum respectively. EPS is expected to grow by 45.9%. Return on equity is forecast to be 13.3% in 3 years.
Is 6800 XT better than 3080? ›Here we find that performance between these two GPUs is identical, the 6800 XT was just 2% faster at 1440p and then both rendered 49 fps at 4K. Then as we found in Cyberpunk 2077, enabling ray tracing hands the RTX 3080 a huge performance advantage thanks to its more mature RT support.
Is RTX better then RX? ›
Even with ray tracing still active and set to Ultra, the RTX 4070 reaches comfortably playable frames over 74 FPS, while the RX 6800 XT lingers under 53 FPS. The RTX 3080 gets a similar boost to the RTX 4070, but the 4070's more advanced ray tracing and tensor cores give it a clear edge in this scenario.
Who owns AMD? ›The Vanguard Group, Inc. owns AMD, however, they are the top shareholder out of many companies that have a stake in AMD.
How are AMD and NVDA different? ›Hardware: Nvidia uses advanced technology, and it manifests in its superior performance. The heat generated is less, and hence the power consumption is also less. AMD compensates for these lacunae with its processing power by using more memory and consuming more power.
Does AMD have something like Nvidia broadcast? ›AMD Noise Suppression works very similarly to RTX Broadcast, allowing you to filter unwanted background noise from your own microphone or even from someone else's device if you're on a call.
What is the AMD equivalent to RTX 3070? ›The competition for the Nvidia RTX 3070 is the AMD RX 6700 XT launched in March of 2021. Will the Nvidia RTX 3060 Ti be close to the performance of the RTX 2080 Super?
Is Nvidia or AMD a better buy? ›Graphics cards are more affordable: AMD's chips are generally cheaper than NVIDIA's. This has forced NVIDIA to come up with cheaper alternatives to their larger, more powerful chips, but AMD still has greater performance per dollar.
Why is Nvidia better than AMD for AI? ›The development of CUDA is what really sets Nvidia apart from AMD. While AMD didn't really have a good alternative, Nvidia invested heavily in CUDA, and in turn, most of the AI progress in the last years was made using CUDA libraries.
Why Nvidia is better than AMD for deep learning? ›Nvidia vs AMD
You can use AMD GPUs for machine/deep learning, but at the time of writing Nvidia's GPUs have much higher compatibility, and are just generally better integrated into tools like TensorFlow and PyTorch.
Even the much cheaper Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti manages to embarrass the top Radeon card by a decent margin, while the RTX 3090 and RTX 3080 are in a league of their own. If you're working with DaVinci Resolve, Nvidia offers way better value. Verdict: Go Nvidia. AMD cards work, but not well.
What will NVidia be worth in 5 years? ›The NVIDIA stock 5-year forecast from AI Pickup was bearish, with the website's technical analysis, predicting that the share price could average $42.42 in 2027, down from $117.89 in 2022, $106.73 in 2023 and $78.82 in 2025.
Why is AMD so much cheaper than NVidia? ›
Theoretically? NVidia spends more of its resources on just making graphics cards. AMd has a lot more other products they also produce, so their entire company isn't focused on their cards. So even if the two companies are the same size (or very close) there's less RnD for graphics in AMD than NVidia can spend.
Which is better for editing AMD or NVIDIA? ›The main differences between AMD and Nvidia come down to their pricing, performance, power consumption, and driver support. Pricing-wise, AMD graphics card tends to be more affordable when compared to Nvidia. This makes AMD a great choice for budget-conscious video editors looking for a good value option.
Why AMD is not used for deep learning? ›AMD GPU for Deep Learning
AMD GPUs are less in use because of software optimization and drivers that need to be frequently updated. While on the Nvidia side, they have superior drivers with frequent updates, and on top of that, CUDA and cuDNN help accelerate computation.
Opinion: Nvidia is AI hardware's leader now, but Intel, AMD and others are closing fast - MarketWatch.
Why is Nvidia better than AMD for streaming? ›If you care about ray tracing, streaming, video production, or professional applications, Nvidia graphics cards are the better choice. Its cards' ray tracing performance is leagues ahead of AMD's, and more Nvidia cards are compatible with 3D modeling software than AMD cards.
Why doesn t AMD use CUDA? ›Most of the progress in AI in the past decade has been made using CUDA libraries, majorly because AMD didn't have a functional alternative. The closest alternative to it is OpenCL (Open Computing Language). But in comparison, CUDA is more stable and modern and has better compatibility.
Is AMD making AI chips? ›AMD is also confident that its upcoming Instinct MI300 data center chip could be adapted for generative AI workloads. “MI300 is actually very well-positioned for both HPC or supercomputing workloads as well as for AI workloads,” said Su.
Does AMD have a 4090 competitor? ›The fact that a real RTX 4090 competitor does not exist on the AMD side should not be construed as not having the capability to build one, according to Wang. He said, If I may say a few words, we at AMD are developing and releasing ultra-high-performance GPUs.
What is AMD equivalent to Nvidia RTX? ›| AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX | Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Founders Edition | |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | AMD | Nvidia |
| GPU Speed | 2.30 GHz | 2.21 GHz |
| Interface | PCI 4.0 | PCIe 4.0 |
| Memory | 24 GB GDDR6 | 16 GB GDDR6X |