The Video Card Rankings 2021 - A Look at GPU Price/Performance over 15 Years!

[@filipepinheiro7393]

This is a really good video. I think everyone should appreciate the effort you put into this. All of the data is presented in a clear and accurate manner. This really gives your audience a good view of the tech world. These types of videos work great for narrowing down choices when there a lot of products to choose from that you don't know too much about. Keep doing the mathematical approach too it really inspires me to keep learning maths ahahah

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

Glad you appreciated the math, LOL! I appreciate the feedback and will look for other topics like this to provide data on.

[@pedrosoares7273]

This is a really good analysis. It's impossible to define gpu speed at an absolute scientific measure, but that did not hurt this analysis at all. I wish to see this chart continue.

[@Skungalunga]

Well done! Even though you mentioned it I would have still liked to see a graph with adjusted inflation values.

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

Yeah, I thought of that after I made the plot, which on its own took a while. Maybe next time!

[@03blaird]

Incredible video! Best graphics card comparison video Ive ever seen! subbed!

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

Thanks for the sub, and I appreciate the positive feedback! I really wasn't sure how people would take this, as it's a pretty complicated chart, but overall responses have been good.

[@DaveOfRock]

What an incredible job! Well done man!

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

Thank you!

[@tonybeckett66]

Happy Friday! Great job on the rankings

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

Thanks! You too! And thanks for checking this one out. It's a pet project of mine, so I hope some of my audience enjoys it!

[@Haktarr]

Please keep it up and make videos like that at leeast every two years! The final diagram was a revelation. I knew that midrange gpu's are best at price/performance ratio, but I never imagined how much high-end sucked in that aspect.

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@hadoukenocx4746]

i like your ranking srsly thank you for your hard work.

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@blekenbleu]

Another plot of price vs performance, dots color-coded by year, would be interesting

[@springsprouts1673]

Very interesting. One thing I want to mention that's not talked about here is heat, power draw, and noise. I had one of those AMD 4870s in 2008. And while it was a decent value at the time, by today's standards, it's very loud, hot, and not very efficient. You can probably find a 75 watt card now that doesn't even require a 6 pin power supply connection that can outperform my old 4870. My 4870 served me well. But progress is progress and I am not sad at all that my 4870 is officially obsolete in every sense. Newer cards are faster, cooler, quieter, and draws less power. What's not to like?

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

For sure. The 4870 was a burner! But interestingly, video cards do not use less power now. It's just that the coolers are much better. The 4870 had a 150W TDP, which would be equivalent to a midrange card now, like an RTX 2060.

[@pedrosoares7273]

The value chart is fantastic, but is there no other way to make it more readable? I can try giving some suggestions to test: - The colored dots are definately hard to measure. Maybe replace dots with numbers? (like 13x times, etc). Make the number red(maybe orange is more readable) for amd, and green for Nvidia. - The labels on the dots are all over the place. Not sure if I have a suggestion but one could try to align them chronologically on the vertical axis to help (like the gtx 1080 / Rx480 were released around the same time but the 1080ti and vega weren't, so the latter labels would be to the right. You don't need to reply to this, just wanted to help if possible.

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

Thank you. I originally made the chart for use on a website where it was vertical and then modified it for a widesceen format. Definitely not a straightforward change! I like your suggestions and realize it's hard to read unless you can view it at full screen on a big monitor.

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

I'm sorry about the dots. I didn't even notice how bad that was in a video. As for the labels, you have a very good idea of lining them up chronologically, but with nearly 100 GPUs, it's inevitable that some won't fit. Also it's a bit harder than I'd like to move these in Excel, as it's just not designed around graphical layouts. Maybe there's a better app designed for charts in videos.

[@Supersonic07]

Great video again Ari once again and thank you for the hard work for the more and more popular pc community. I will suggest to watch this if one wonders for the best bang for the buck gpu. Do you have written article on this?

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

Thank you for asking, yes I do have a written article: techbuyersguru.com/article/the-video-card-rankings/ The graphs are formatted a bit differently due to the different layout of videos vs. articles, but you may find the information easier to look at in the article version. Also, the article is a month older and doesn't have the 3070 Ti, and actually has the wrong price for the 3080 Ti (since it launched at a much higher price than expected!).

[@HeyitsmeEarl]

This is actually really cool. I was able to look at my 1070Ti that cost 450$ and my new 3080ti, and even at almost 3 times the price, the performance per dollar is essentially the same even with the insane market at the moment. Cool Video

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

Glad this helped... it does put things in perspective. Prices are bad, but performance per dollar is tracking previous gens.

[@CarthSader]

Very nicely done, is about the only GPU related video I have watched... 😉

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

Welcome to the Dark Side, Carth!

[@CarthSader]

@@TheTechBuyersGuru Haha, you are on the right track... how can I show you my Darth Vader PC?

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

Send me a pic to theguru(at)techbuyersguru.com Maybe it will start a trend of me sharing pics of viewer builds!

[@CarthSader]

​@@TheTechBuyersGuru Thanks will do. Sounds like a great idea! Maybe we'll see another poll coming?

[@narcoleptic-insomniac4663]

Home crap this is a great video, good work dude!

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

Glad you liked it!

[@LarsVegas087]

I'm hoping for the 6600XT for my 1080p setup. Heard, it's to be released later this year. The bigger rig will have to do with my backup-gpu, until prices are down to a more humane level.

[@pascaldifolco4611]

Really informative, there's a lot of good work here! Maybe you could add dots for the current cards at their "scalper market" price, ie around x2/x2.5 ...

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

That is an interesting option. It might get out of date fast as prices go up and down, and I'd also wonder if people watching the video are actually buying these video cards from scalpers. My guess is typically no, they are just staying out of the market, so that pricing isn't relevant to people who want to know about GPU progress over the long term. But.... we could be seeing a permanent increase in prices, so perhaps after the mining craze is over, I could reissue these graphs with the newly-established retail prices.

[@pascaldifolco4611]

@@TheTechBuyersGuru OK thanks, it makes sense... I think we're reaching a high point where people just don't buy anymore, as the mining crave is ending, but then prices will drop but stabilize maybe still +30 to 40% higher than before the crisis, due to high demand and persisting chip shortage. Note that even Nvidia is doing that with their 1200$ "msrp" on the 3080 Tie^^

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

There are signs that demand from cryptocurrency mining is drying up, as high-end power supplies suddenly are being re-listed for sale. These typically sell out nearly as fast as GPUs. The remaining problem will be supply constraints from TSMC for AMD cards and maybe Samsung for Nvidia cards. I've heard as late as beginning of 2022 for the return of GPUs to store shelves, but I think it will actually be faster than that. GPUs are definitely being sold (at least Nvidia models, I'm not confident AMD is really getting that many to market). Once miners stop buying, Nvidia cards will flood the retail market.

[@wscottsmed]

very informative! Thank you!

[@dziggify]

Really happy to see 6700 xt high up there for price performance. Sold my vega 56 and added 250 usd to get it, well worth it in my opinion considering the prices nowdays.

[@simon4246]

this is the way!

[@UGFhero]

This is amazing dude. SUBBED!

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

Welcome aboard! Just be forewarned that I can only do big picture market overviews once in a while, because things don't change that fast!

[@monochromatech]

Another great video.

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for all your recent comments!

[@Karan_HDS]

Brilliant video.

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

Glad you think so!

[@BorneanHeadHunter]

Good data albeit the caveats. More videos like these please

[@andrewh4026]

I'm a couple days late on this, but I'm very interested on the 3070Ti, considering where it's placed on your chart. I think it's a consensus on how over-priced the 3080Ti is, so many are putting their hopes that the memory clocks alone can provide a reasonable 3080 alternative in the 3070Ti - and one that isn't going to force gamers to spend 4-figures on a GPU. The historical data is also very insightful - e.g. the 800GT was so ahead of its time and the confusing naming (compare to say 8800GTS) was very much on-brand for the PC industry lol.

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

Thanks for your comments, not late at all. Hopefully this will still be relevant in a year! The 3070 Ti could be very good, but the best deals were the cards that sold out on launch day in September, October, and November, i.e., the original RTX 3000 series and the original RX 6000 series cards. Consider that the RTX 3070 Ti will really only match the RX 6800, which launched for a lower price (but will never be available at that price again). Similarly, the RTX 3080 Ti is really just a match for the RX 6900 XT, which was once $1000. People said that was a bad value card, but now it seems like a steal!

[@shadow7037932]

Ahh the 8800GTX. It was my very first high end GPU. Got it like 6 months after release.

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

Great card! Technically it's not on my charts, as it was released in 2006, but the 8800GT was widely viewed as the first "mainstream" card to nearly equal a high-end offering, namely the GTX.

[@Quickloaded]

Wow, that's a great looking chart. You should add integrated GPUs to it like the Ryzen 5600G and 5700G, since people would probably not want to spend money on a temporary GPU if they are going to replace it anyways. One of my friends have a GTX 550 Ti in his current system and is planning to buy a new PC. I told him, that these Ryzen processors would be a good stand-in while he's waiting to get a graphics card. There were not many videos on the 5700G, but based on the one video I could find he would still be getting about 70% improvement over his 550 Ti. Hopefully the 5700G becomes available soon as a standalone product.

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

That is a good idea. I should have added the APUs and maybe Intel's HD graphics too. If I do an update for this video in the future, I'll definitely include those!

[@Quickloaded]

@@TheTechBuyersGuru Sounds great. Intel HD and Intel Iris might also be good option depending on the games you want to play. I've heard they are not the best in terms of compatibility. It's hard to recommend something like that if you don't know what the results are going to be. At least Vega has already done some groundwork.

[@digitalnation2876]

Please review the PcCooler Corona/Moonlight fans, thank you,

[@arthurduncan3636]

One item I'd like to highlight on the value and performance section is that, I think this is not just an apples to apples comparison, rather it should be compared to the performance of the GPUs relative to the games at the time of release, as well as the resolution and visual settings. For example, looking at the data we can argue that the gtx 1660 super is a much better value than an rtx 3080 (half the performance, at 1/3rd the price), but that merit is relative depending on the game and the resolution you're playing. At 4K Ultra Settings the RTX 3080 might be able to do just fine at 60fps, but the gtx 1660 super is struggling at 30fps. At this point the RTX 3080 is a much better value for money because while the gtx 1660 is objectively providing a better performance per dollar ratio, subjectively the RTX 3080 is running the game smoothly but the GTX 1660S is barely playable at the selected settings. On the opposite end of the spectrum in a 1080p medium setup, where the gtx 1660 super is easily pushing 144+ fps and the rtx 3080 at 288+ fps, we can argue that the 1660 super offers a far better value for money, not just 2x, because the additional performance provided by the RTX 3080 is valued at, or beyond the point of diminishing return.

[@lagoleer]

That changes the scope of these two charts (overall power rankings and performance vs cost rankings) and muddies the proverbial waters with out of place context (GPU valuation at X resolution relative to power aka why pay for overkill?). That introduces many other variables that have to be considered including settings and per game performance at a given resolution. TBGs approach presents an overall consistent generalized power ranking of each card. I assume the data is derived from daisy chaining cross over GPU performance charts to plot from the 8800 to modern day cards as each card within a certain year range will inevitably share a performance metric with another relative GPU that is newer measured with valid testing criteria applicable to that time period. Depending on your personal criteria, you could use the initial chart to select a GPU and research how it performs based on your need (or current GPU also on the chart) and then use the second chart to measure its performance versus cost.

[@Hots4Frogs]

these charts reaffirm my willingness to do unspeakable things for a 6800xt

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

That card is phenomenal, especially for the price. It's arguably better than the more expensive RTX 3080, which was already amazing at its MSRP.

[@troymitchell7812]

Ari, I was curious if you could put a 10400 in that 500 mini itx build?

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

Oh, definitely. I try to keep it to $500, but it's tough right now. The 10400 would add about $100 to the budget, but it's not challenge for the PSU (it would be for a 90W PSU in an Antec ISK110 case, though). But here's the deal: the 10400 is hard to find right now, and I'd suggest stepping up to the 11400 for better features, including the better onboard graphics, plus higher RAM speed and HDMI 2.0 output (the 10400 allows neither of these even on a new motherboard). Here's the best price I can find on the 11400 right now: amzn.to/2ToWEfn For people wondering what this is about, here's the guide: techbuyersguru.com/guide/the-best-500-home-office-mini-itx-pc-build/

[@RecoveryLove]

Great info as always! All I want is GTX 1660 Super at MSRP, but it's about 800 USD brand new where I live :(

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

This is a shame... that card would allow so many people to game at a low price if it weren't for cryptocurrency mining!

[@rtyzxc]

Somebody should make a ebay price analyzer or something, take the relative performances here and make an automatically updating chart with performance and performance per dollar.

[@MrGamezWatch]

Good video

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@sghound]

BRUH THIS IS LVLS

[@cmja09]

If AMD FSR will be successful, even a GTX 1050 will perform like a GTX960/970/980. It's great value price/performance.

[@Tony78454]

Give the content some likes

[@stanisawkowalski7440]

What a titanic job! Type of the video people will come back again and again anytime needing such comparison, so possible nice views-maker :> Extremaly interesting, but also helpful, when I need to help choosing between few years old even then-garbage cards as I was never interested in such and their performance. Maybe it's my not the best english, I don't get one thing: do 1x speed card vs 25x speed card means that I can expect to get 25x more fps from the secound one in the same resolution? Like 10 fps from first one and 250 fps from secound.

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

Glad you liked it! Generally, yes, 25x is going to deliver 25x higher fps than a 1x GPU. But you do have to consider that games today have more complicated game engines, which is why we don't game at 1000fps. There is also another caveat: CPU limitations in older games. For example, there is a game from 2013 that I play called Battlefield 4, perhaps you know of it. My new GPUs don't actually perform much faster in that game because it hits a CPU limitation.

[@stanisawkowalski7440]

@@TheTechBuyersGuru Yeah, I know how CPU and GPU bottlenecks work :] Do I think correctly that you was counting it basing on percents and numbers? Let's say having one test graph comparing 8800GT to 260 and secound graph comparing 260 to 285, you didn't need third graph comparing 8800GT and 285 to know that 285 is 100% faster than 8800GT. It works like that?

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

Yeah, right, but those 3 cards actually were probably in the same benchmarks. But if you went from an 8800GT to a 285 to a 660 Ti, I'm saying I don't need to see a 660 Ti vs. the 8800GT, because I can probably find a bench of the 660 Ti against the 285.

[@stanisawkowalski7440]

@@TheTechBuyersGuru Fine, I treat your data more as kinda amazing map and fast reminder of GPUs performance (and even value). Especially when you need to decide between probably comparable ones coming from few generations. So many times I needed to compare e.g. two GPUs, which I couldn't find compared on one graph, so I needed to look for some third card, which happens to be included on graphs of both and use it to compare them - it was damn PITA. If you made something like this first, man that video every pc enthusiast should just know! Generally if I were you, I would spam this on every tech forums, reddit etc - for sure it will be appreciated and bring you more popularity :] If I've noticed that somebody made something that awesome, it would be automatic sub just to not miss something new like that in the future.

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

This ranking system was definitely made for you! Feel free to share this video widely! I don't have plans to update this video immediately, but maybe if it picks up a lot of popularity I will do it with the launch of the next-gen cards.

[@gords]

Thanks for doing the sums so we don't have to. 1080p 60fps at maximum quality is what I aim for. Virtual-money-making-by-solving-pointless-equations-while-wasting-a-country's-worth-of-electricty has made an upgrade impossible. Now I mostly just hope that my RX580 doesn't break.

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

This sums up mining! - "Virtual-money-making-by-solving-pointless-equations-while-wasting-a-country's-worth-of-electricty"

[@TheAdamDarvas]

Going to have to disagree on the manufacturing cost of the 3080, any DYI components will not be sold under BOM. At worst with only single % margin. But yes Nvidia was playing games with the price.

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

It was well documented in the tech news that any board partner selling a $700 RTX 3080 was losing money. That is why they disappeared soon after September launch, and long before the mining craze.

[@TheAdamDarvas]

@@TheTechBuyersGuru Yeah you are right about partner cards. Those did exist. I meant the FE cards... those are supposedly still being sold at least in US. I think it was Tom from MLID that said Nvidia makes 60 to 30 USD profit on 3080 FE.

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

Oh, I don't doubt Nvidia was making money on their own cards sold direct or through Best Buy, because they cut out the middle man, but for Nvidia to make money on $700 partner cards, they had to squeeze the partners' margins to zero....which they did. For example, EVGA has a $1200 RTX 3080 Ti listed on the EVGA website, but you can't even sign up to get on the waitlist. It's simply not for sale. The $1400 version, however, is definitely being sold, and I even saw it listed for sale in the Newegg lottery today.

[@hadifelani]

if RTX 3060 is at the peak of 13x speed, then I guess RX 6600 XT is about in the range of 14x (?)

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

Exactly - the 6600 XT would be 14. Actually, it would be the first GPU to land at 14 in my rankings. Until it was released, the rankings jumped from 13 to 15.

[@hadifelani]

@@TheTechBuyersGuru 😁😁

[@joshuahammer4454]

Hmm

[@rpospeedwagon]

3090 best overall given timing and cryptomining boom of 2021. My card should be paid off in a few more months.