NVIDIA is renowned for its selection of impressive graphics processing units (GPUs) that have conquered the PC video games industry for decades. While AMD has carefully entered the scene via their own handcrafted GPUs (also called graphics cards), it is still NVIDIA that has become a staple amongst most gamers’ lips.
Now, with NVIDIA releasing a new breed of RTX graphics cards that are already fast-selling across countries, is it really worth your money to buy one today?
It is worth buying a RTX graphics card, RTX is an acronym for Ray Tracing, which simulates real-life lighting by sophisticated algorithms to create believable lighting effects and reflections. NVIDIA RTX cards are specially designed to offer visually stunning images in games.
Keep reading to understand why an RTX card is so worth it and is a necessity for modern gaming and if you should buy a GTX or RTX card.
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Why A RTX Card Is Worth It
With new generation games coming in thick and fast for the PC platform, it is safe to assume that rigging your computer gaming setup with sufficient processing power should be of the highest priority.
However, as the wise Uncle Ben once said, “With great power, comes great responsibility” (we all know where that came from)
This holds true to NVIDIA RTX graphics cards too – these are considered amongst the most expensive GPUs available on the market today.
The chart-topping NVIDIA RTX 3090 itself is mostly priced upwards of $2,500 per card. This dwarfs even the latest PlayStation 5 disc model which starts at $499 only
Although NVIDIA has different RTX-series graphics cards to cater to the overwhelming demand, even the lower tier NVIDIA RTX 2060 could cost around the same price as an Xbox Series X too – starting well above the $500 price range.
But what do you get by splashing around all that cash?
The answer: pure, overwhelming graphical prowess, with almost lifelike shadows, particles, and lighting effects enveloping your games.
Here’s a list of some of the games supporting NVIDIA RTX’s formidable ray tracing capabilities (as well as videos showcasing them):
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Battlefield 5
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
Control
Metro Exodus
Shadow of the Tomb Raider
…and many others!
You can still toggle Ray Tracing on/off while in-game (depending on the game supporting it), but unless your GPU is designed to handle the extra rendering processes like NVIDIA RTX cards do, your computer will only struggle to manage the extra load in processing – harming your gameplay performances as well.
This YouTube video excellently explains the big framerate losses you are expected to suffer from, if utilizing Ray Tracing in games without the support of dedicated RTX graphics cards:
Now, you might be looking for a list of NVIDIA RTX graphics cards out there, to weigh up your options. Take a look at this:
What NVIDIA RTX Cards Should You Buy?
| NVIDIA GeForce 10-series | NVIDIA GeForce 16-series | NVIDIA GeForce 20-series | NVIDIA GeForce 30-series |
| GeForce GTX 1080 Ti | GeForce GTX 1660 Ti | TITAN RTX | GeForce RTX 3090 |
| GeForce GTX 1080 | GeForce GTX 1660 Super | GeForce RTX 2080 Ti | GeForce RTX 3080 |
| GeForce GTX 1070 Ti | GeForce GTX 1660 | GeForce RTX 2080 Super | GeForce RTX 3070 |
| GeForce GTX 1070 | GeForce RTX 2080 | GeForce RTX 3060 Ti | |
| GeForce GTX 1060 | GeForce RTX 2070 Super | GeForce RTX 3060 | |
| GeForce RTX 2070 | |||
| GeForce RTX 2060 Super | |||
| GeForce RTX 2060 |
By referring to the list above, you can predetermine your preferred NVIDIA RTX graphics card during the next holiday sale, to capitulate on the much-needed discounts.
This list can also help you make an informed decision on which will best suit your gaming needs, with the most powerful starting from the top – while also being the most expensive.
After going through all the fuss surrounding RTX graphics card, shouldn’t it be easier for you to opt for a GTX graphics card instead? Carry on below to learn more.
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Should I Buy GTX or RTX?
If you want exceptional image quality and graphical effects such as Ray Tracing, then an RTX graphics card is your choice. However, if a balance of smooth in-game framerate at a reasonable price then a GTX graphics card is perfect.
Although both generations of NVIDIA graphics cards offer top-tier gaming experiences to dedicated PC gamers, there are some minor differences which differentiate the two line-ups, to cater to your expectations.
Below are some aspects between the two graphics cards that will help you make an informed decision:
Does GTX Or RTX Have Better Graphics?
In this regard, it is evident that the RTX graphics card overwhelms its GTX counterpart by a few notches.
Introduced by NVIDIA into their latest RTX graphics cards are RT cores, which are specially-designed hardware not found in any other NVIDIA graphics card families (including GTX graphics cards).
The RT cores work as additional ‘minds’ for RTX GPUs to calculate the extra computational algorithms required to run Ray Tracing and other advanced simulation processes .
By having these cores attached, RTX graphics cards are able to run extra graphical processes leading to some astonishing atmospheric views, backdrops and lighting in games.
On the other hand, GTX graphics cards are not provided with these cores, which limit their capable graphical outputs during gaming.
Due to this, extra graphical features (like Ray Tracing and DLSS) are not recommended to be toggled on for games using GTX graphics cards, as your game’s frame rate and performance will suffer
Does GTX Or RTX Have Better Performance?
In truth, RTX graphics cards offer better in-game performances than their GTX cousins too.
Benefitting from their improved hardware architecture and increased memory speeds, RTX graphics cards can process more graphical computations much faster than GTX graphics cards do.
Above is a short video showcasing a comparison between an RTX graphics card and a GTX graphics card (both lowest tier in their respective NVIDIA series, sharing similar specs):
Evidently, by keeping all other computer specs and in-game graphical settings the same (for benchmarking purposes), the RTX will definitely offer more processing juice to ensure better gameplay sessions.
This is not to say that RTX graphics cards are far superior to GTX graphics cards, though.
Due to the RTX graphics cards’ relatively new introduction into today’s markets, most gamers still consider GTX graphics cards to be the mainstream GPUs, around the world.
Does GTX Or RTX Have Better Temperature Performance?
When it comes to graphical processing power, the talk of heat accumulation is not very far behind.
Due to the intense hardware processes that a GPU needs to handle, the RTX’s increased upgrades do create slightly more heat than GTX graphics cards do.
As a result, it becomes imperative that your computer is properly set up with the appropriate fan/ intercooling design to accommodate the expected increase in hardware temperature, if you opt for an RTX graphics card.
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A GTX graphics card benefits slightly in this regard, as their optimal hardware temperature during gaming is manageable than an RTX graphics card.
With a GTX graphics card, by losing some of the extra graphical aspects that an RTX graphics card offers, the load on processing power will be reduced which culminates in less heat produced by the GPU.
Is GTX Or RTX Have Better Value?
When it comes to price point, it is clear that GTX graphics cards are generally cheaper than RTX graphics cards.
By comparing a GTX 1660 Ti 6GB (highest-tier NVIDIA GTX 16-series) to an RTX 2060 6GB (lowest-tier NVIDIA RTX 20-series), you can see a slight increase in the price range for the RTX graphics card, which is about $100 more.
The price range will also become larger as you go higher on the RTX graphics card family tree, which can even cost you upwards of $2,000 if you wish to opt for the top-end RTX graphics cards.
Hence, GTX graphics cards provide the most value-for-money that you might be looking for, if budget plays a huge role in your decision-making.
Conclusively, we can generally summarize the comparisons between an RTX graphics card and a GTX graphics card in the table below:
| NVIDIA RTX | NVIDIA GTX | |
| Graphics | Yes | |
| Performance | Yes | |
| Temperature | Yes | |
| Price | Yes |
RTX will give you better performance and graphics but at the lost of being more expensive than the GTX. So do you want the best performance or the best deal? That’s the question you have to answer yourself.
To sign things off, here’s a short skit on an RTX gamer, and a GTX gamer to lighten up your day:
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