Comparing GPUs: What you should really look for (VRAM, Resolution, Raytracing, Efficiency)

A good GPU comparison starts not with "how many FPS?", but with the hard specs and your specific use case. Because without clean benchmarks, FPS numbers can quickly become unreliable – specs, on the other hand, are stable and still give you a very useful orientation. The most important levers are VRAM (graphics memory), the "width" of the memory via the Bus, modern Codec Features (e.g., AV1 Encoding), and finally the question: What resolution do you want to play/work in permanently?

VRAM is the most common dealbreaker. Too little VRAM often doesn't feel bad immediately – until you suddenly get stuttering with higher texture settings, in modern engines, or with mods. This is less due to "raw GPU power" and more due to memory bottlenecks: Textures and assets have to be reloaded, causing frametime spikes. As a rough rule of thumb: 8 GB is usually okay for 1080p, 12 GB is much more relaxed for 1440p, and for 4K, 16 GB (or more) is often the safe choice – especially if you use Raytracing or very high texture packs.

The Memory Bus (Bit) is a second, often overlooked point. It is related to the possible bandwidth (together with memory clock, which we deliberately do not "guess" here). A wider interface is particularly helpful if you run high resolutions or have very memory-intensive workloads. In practice, this means: In a similar "class," a card with more VRAM and/or a wider bus can be significantly more robust in 4K.

Raytracing: Almost all modern cards listed here generally support RT – but RT performance differs strongly depending on the generation. Without benchmarks, you should therefore see RT not as a "yes/no" criterion, but as "nice to have": If RT is central for you, plan a tier higher or rely on upscaling techniques (DLSS/FSR/XeSS), instead of insisting on maximum native settings.

Streaming/Creator & AV1: If you stream or export a lot of video, the hardware encoder can be more important than a small plus in gaming performance. AV1 is interesting because you often need lower bitrates for similar quality (or get better quality at the same bitrate). Important: Not every card can also encode AV1 – some can only decode. In this tool, we show AV1 Encode as "Yes/No" only if it is explicitly stored in the database – otherwise "N/A", so you don't make false assumptions.

Efficiency: TDP/Board Power is not exactly the electricity bill, but a helpful guideline. Two GPUs can be in a similar performance class – the more efficient card is then quieter, cooler, and less demanding on the power supply. Because efficiency without real measurements is hard to pinpoint, this widget uses a transparent heuristic (Specs Score per Watt) as a rough orientation, not as a measurement value.

Buying Profiles: For Budget/1080p, "enough VRAM + solid tier" often counts; for 1440p, 12–16 GB VRAM is often the sweet spot. For 4K, you should not plan VRAM tightly and rather aim for the High-End class. For Creators (Video/Streaming), check the encoder (AV1), the stability of your software pipeline, and whether you do more GPU compute or raw editing/exporting.

FAQ about the GPU Comparison