If you're interested in PC gaming, crypto mining, video editing, or 3D modeling, you probably need a PC with a high-end graphics card. Even artificial intelligence supercomputers use high-end graphics to train models.

But what is considered a high-end graphics card, and how much should you invest? Let's find out.

What Are the Specs of a High-End Graphics Card?

Nvidia Geforce RTX 4090 GPU
Image Credit: Nvidia

A graphics card has a graphics processing unit (GPU), memory, interface, cooling system, power connectors, and BIOS. Your graphics card is either integrated into your CPU or installed separately into the motherboard. However, integrated graphics cards don't match up to stand-alone graphics cards if you compare the performance.

Beyond that, one of the most important specifications when choosing a high-end graphics card is the video random access memory (VRAM). The latest high-end graphics cards have a video RAM size between 12GB and 24GB.

Generally, the higher the VRAM, the better the performance—but that's not always the case. For instance, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti has 8GB VRAM but offers better performance than the RTX 3060 with 12GB VRAM. And that's not the only difference between GeForce RTX 3060 and GeForce RTX 3060 Ti.

The clock speed of your GPU, measured in gigahertz (GHz), is another specification to consider. It's used to describe the speed performance of the GPU. The latest high-end graphics cards have a core clock speed of 2GHZ and above.

Our comparison table show the specs of Nvidia's latest high-end graphics cards, the RTX 4070 Ti, RTX 4080, and RTX 4090.

Specifications RTX 4070 Ti RTX 4080 RTX 4090
Series RTX 40 Series RTX 40 Series RTX 40 Series
Architecture Ada Lovelace Ada Lovelace Ada Lovelace
VRAM 12GB GDDR6X 16GB GDDR6X 24GB GDDR6X
Memory Bus 192-bit 256-bit 384-bit
Base Clock 2.31GHz 2.21GHz 2.23GHz
Boost Clock 2.61GHz 2.51GHz 2.52GHz
Memory Bandwith 504.2GB/s 716.8GB/s 1,008GB/s
Transistors 35.8 billion 76.3 billion 76.3 billion
Maximum Resolution & Refresh Rate 4K at 240Hz 8K at 60Hz 4K at 240Hz 8K at 60Hz 4K at 240Hz 8K at 60Hz

Alternatively, you could consider AMD models. Here is a table showing the specification difference between AMD's latest high-end models, the RX 7900 XT and RX 7900 XTX.

Specifications RX 7900 XT RX 7900 XTX
Series Radeon RX 7000 Radeon RX 7000
Architecture RDNA 3 RDNA 3
VRAM 20GB GDDR6 24GB GDDR6
Memory Bus 320-bit 384-bit
Base Clock 1.5GHz 1.8GHz
Boost Clock 2.3GHz 2.4GHz
Memory Bandwith 800GB/s 960GB/s
Transistors 57.7 billion 57.7 billion
Maximum Resolution & Refresh Rate 4K at 480Hz 8K at 165Hz 4K at 480Hz 8K at 165Hz

Nevertheless, the most effective method to determine the performance of a high-end graphics card is through a PC benchmark test—this is more reliable than using VRAM and clock speed specifications. The best high-end graphics cards should be capable of processing 8K videos and complex 3D footage.

What's more, graphics card models are usually named following a hierarchy of numbers. This means high-end graphics cards have higher model numbers than mid-range graphics cards. For example, the RTX 3090 is a top-tier graphics card from Nvidia's 30-Series GPUs, while the RTX 3050 is an entry-level, lower-specced model.

How Much Does a High-End Graphics Card Cost?

Radeon RX 7900 XTX
Image Credit: AMD

Most high-end graphics cards on the market are designed by either Nvidia or AMD. From our comparison of AMD vs. Nvidia, it's evident that AMD graphics cards are slightly cheaper than Nvidia graphics cards. For instance, you could buy AMD's high-end graphics cards, the RX 7900 XTX or the RX 7900 XT, for less than $1,000.

On the other hand, Nvidia's top-of-the-range graphics card, such as the RTX 4090 with 24 GB VRAM, starts at $1,599. Similarly, the RTX 4080 with 16GB VRAM retails at $1,199, while the RTX 4070 Ti with 12 GB VRAM starts at $799. Here is more you need to know about the specifications between the RTX 4090 and RTX 4080.

The table below shows the starting prices for top-end graphics cards—from the cheapest to the most expensive option. Note that the Nvidia RTX 4090 is more expensive but is also in a class of its own performance-wise. The AMD RX 7900 XTX and Nvidia RTX 4080 are a better comparison.

Graphics Card AMD RX 7900 XT Nvidia RTX 4070 Ti AMD RX 7900 XTX Nvidia RTX 4080 Nvidia RTX 4090
Starting Price (MSRP) $799 $799 $999 $1,199 $1,599

But we've not even scratched the surface yet—one of the most expensive high-end graphics cards is the Nvidia A100 which costs about $10,000. The Nvidia A100 is typically used to train AI models like Stable Diffusion or ChatGPT. However, the Nvidia A100 is not a gaming GPU since it's limited to research labs with supercomputers that train neural networks for artificial intelligence and self-driving vehicles.

Do You Need High-End Graphics Card?

assembled and custom-built gaming PC

If you just want to play games on your PC, you don't need a high-end graphics card. In fact, you can play almost any video game at 1080p and 60 frames per second using a mid-range graphics card. However, if you want to play video games at 4K resolution and 60 frames per second, you would be better suited using high-end graphics—but it's not necessary.

Besides that, if you're rendering 3D animation content or videos in 4K or 8K resolution, a high-end graphics card would come in handy. Similarly, if you're into crypto mining, a high-end graphics card could help to improve the computing power and speed up the process.

On the other hand, you could use high-end graphics GPUs to train AI models, but it could be too expensive. If high-end graphics cards for AI models are beyond your budget, you could use Nvidia's new generative AI Foundations tool, its cloud-based AI service that can be customized for businesses.

High-End Graphics Card Deliver a More Immersive Experience

If you can afford a high-end graphics card, it's worth it if you want an immersive experience with the best performance. A high-end graphics card also gives you the advantage of using it for a few years before the technology catches up and you're forced to upgrade. The best part is if you have a high-end graphics card, you can use it for almost any task, including gaming, crypto mining, video editing, 3D modeling, and AI training.