How Do NVIDIA and AMD GPUs Compare in Gaming Benchmarks?
NVIDIA and AMD GPUs compete closely in gaming benchmarks. NVIDIA’s RTX 40-series, like the RTX 4090, leads in 4K and ray-traced titles, while AMD’s RX 7000-series (e.g., RX 7900 XTX) excels in rasterized performance at lower price points. Benchmarks show NVIDIA averaging 10-15% higher FPS in ray-traced games, whereas AMD matches or surpasses NVIDIA in non-ray-traced scenarios.
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Recent testing in Alan Wake 2 demonstrates this divide clearly. At 1440p resolution with max settings, the RTX 4080 achieves 78 FPS with ray tracing enabled, while the RX 7900 XTX manages 61 FPS. However, in rasterized modes like Starfield, AMD cards outperform NVIDIA counterparts by 8-12% due to optimized driver support. Mid-range GPUs tell a similar story – the RX 7800 XT delivers 15% higher FPS than the RTX 4070 in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III at 1440p, despite costing $100 less.
| Game (4K) | RTX 4090 FPS | RX 7900 XTX FPS |
|---|---|---|
| Cyberpunk 2077 (RT Ultra) | 72 | 48 |
| Horizon Forbidden West | 88 | 94 |
| Fortnite (DLSS/FSR) | 144 | 126 |
Which Brand Provides Better Future-Proofing for Gamers?
NVIDIA’s RTX 40-series supports PCIe 5.0 and AV1 encoding, aligning with next-gen standards. AMD’s RX 7000-series also adopts PCIe 5.0 but lacks equivalent AI accelerators. NVIDIA’s DLSS and ray tracing adoption in AAA titles suggest longer relevance, while AMD’s open-source approach may foster broader FSR integration in indie and older games.
The emergence of path-traced games like Portal RTX gives NVIDIA an edge in future-ready rendering techniques. Their Tensor Cores and optical flow accelerators are specifically designed for AI-enhanced gaming, which developers increasingly utilize. AMD counters with larger VRAM buffers (24GB on RX 7900 XTX vs. 24GB on RTX 4090), better positioning their cards for texture-heavy future titles. Both brands support DisplayPort 2.1, but only AMD currently enables full 54Gbps bandwidth utilization for 8K/165Hz displays.
| Future-Proof Feature | NVIDIA | AMD |
|---|---|---|
| AI Accelerators | Yes (Tensor Cores) | No |
| AV1 Encoding | 8K60 | 8K60 |
| VRAM (Flagship) | 24GB GDDR6X | 24GB GDDR6 |
Expert Views
“NVIDIA’s AI-driven technologies set a high bar, but AMD’s aggressive pricing and open-source tools make them a fierce competitor. Gamers prioritizing ray tracing should choose NVIDIA, while those focused on cost-effective 1440p gaming will prefer AMD.”
— Tech Analyst, Hardware Insights
FAQ
- Q: Which brand is better for 4K gaming?
- A: NVIDIA RTX 4090 excels in 4K and ray tracing, while AMD’s RX 7900 XTX offers competitive 4K performance at a lower cost.
- Q: Does AMD support ray tracing?
- A: Yes, but with lower FPS compared to NVIDIA. FSR 3.0 improves performance but lacks DLSS’s AI enhancements.
- Q: Which GPU is best for budget gaming?
- A: AMD’s RX 7700 XT provides excellent 1440p performance under $500, outperforming NVIDIA’s similarly priced RTX 4060 Ti.