AMD Ryzen GPU VS Nvidia GPU

AMD Ryzen GPU VS Nvidia GPU

Every PC gamer is familiar with the Ryzen GPU VS Nvidia GPU rivalry and the most confusing thing is that the opinion of the gamers and experts is divided so currently, no one knows for sure which graphic card is the best. The 2010s weren’t a good time for AMD as their FX series struggled to keep up with Intel and Nvidia dominated the high-end GPU market. However, AMD maintained its stronghold in the mid-range and low-end GPUs.

Later in 2017, AMD released its much-hyped Ryzen CPUs that became very famous among gaming communities. Similarly, in 2019 it released 7nm RDNA-based Navi GPUs in hopes to catch up with Nvidia. However, Nvidia has released GeForce RTX 2080 Ti, RTX 2080, RTX 2070 which lead the sales. Plus these models were followed by Super RTX series; RTX 2080 Super, RTX 2070 Super and RTX 2060 Super etch which were equally famous in the market. So the competition between AMD and Nvidia GPU is tight and still ongoing.

There are so many different graphic cards released by AMD and Nvidia every year that it is impossible to know which one is better generally. That is why we created this guide to help you in figuring out how they differ in terms of their performance, price, and other exclusive features. AMD company is offering the best ryzen gaming GPUS in 2020.

Performance

Obviously, the main issue when buying a GPU is its performance. How good a GPU is, depends on the performance of the GPU in different resolutions. Gamers try to buy the best GPUs to build a setup that is more powerful than their opponent. It is again impossible to talk about the performance of AMD or Nvidia cards generally because the performance of GPUs varies a lot from one model to another model.

The budget models of AMD used to be best in every way as they always outperformed Nvidia graphic cards which were way more expensive. However, Nvidia has offered better budget options in recent years but still, some of AMD’s old Polaris-based RX 500 cards are the best option to go for if you want good performance at a low price.

The AMD RX 5500 XT card was disappointing as the 4G and 8G variants of this card are on par with Nvidia GTX 1650 Super. Plus the GTX 1660 Super is far superior in terms of performance as compared to AMD RX 5500 XT which made AMD RX 5500 XT very unappealing and disappointing.

If we consider mid-range then obviously AMD is in a better position. AMD Navi models are on par with RTX and GTX models offered by Nvidia. The RX 5600XT performs far better than GTX 1660 Ti and RTX 2060, however, the RTX 2060 Super performs slightly better than RX 5500 XT. In mid-range, AMD also has Rx 5700 XT which can outperform the RTX 2060 Super as well as the more expensive RTX 2070 Super by Nvidia.

As we move to the high-end, Nvidia dominates. Nvidia’s latest RTX 2070 Super, RTX 2080 Ti, and RTX 2080 Super are the most powerful cards in the market. Although RX 5700 XT can compete with RTX 2070 Super, still Nvidia is maintaining its hold on the high-end side.

In conclusion, Nvidia’s high-end cards dominate AMD but AMD is still doing well when it comes to mid-range cards. However, the “BigNavi” is supposed to be released this year which might change the game. Plus better budget solutions than AMD are also been offered by Nvidia.

In short, Nvidia and AMD currently occupy totally different areas of the market place. So it is better to choose a graphic card according to the games you are going to play and at what resolution you are playing. If you play games like Assassin’s Creed Odyssey at 4K, then you should go for Nvidia but if you want to play Overwatch at 1080p then go with AMD.

Pricing

It is common knowledge that AMD is more affordable whereas Nvidia is known for its high-end cards and high prices. In past Nvidia has released some pricey cards even Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti costs about $1,199 but Nvidia has released some cheaper options recently. The Super RTX cards are more affordable hence Nvidia is trying to compete with AMD on the budget market.

AMD’s old Polaris-based RX 500 cards are still best if you want a decent graphic card at a reasonable price. AMD’s Radeon VII performs as good as RTX 2080 in most cases but still costs just $679 which is a bargain as compared to RTX 2080. Radeon VII comes with the added advantage of been compatible with Mac, a feature not present in any Nvidia’s card.

Remember the best card is the one that is suitable for your needs. Once you find that card you can easily compare the price of that card with its competitor and decide which one you want to go for.

Real-Time Ray tracing

Real-time tracing was marketed heavily by Nvidia as the new most essential feature of GPUs but is it really worth it? Real-time tracing produces little more realistic looking reflections, shadows, and refraction. The GPUs capable of real-time tracing can trace light in the scene as it moves from one object to another. The advantages of ray tracing are more apparent when there are a lot of reflective surfaces around.

No doubt ray tracing somewhat improves graphics but is it really worth it? Well, ray tracing is very demanding on the hardware and the advantages of ray tracing aren’t always noticeable if there are no reflective surfaces around. Plus even in 2020 very few games support ray tracing. So, in my opinion, it’s not an essential feature of a GPU but my views are entirely subjective.

Currently only Nvidia’s RTX GPUs are capable of ray tracing while AMD does not have a card that supports ray tracing. However, ray tracing is not even a major selling point of Nvidia’s graphic cards.

Variable Refresh Rate (VRR)- AMD FreeSync VS Nvidia G-Sync

The variable refresh rate is the rate at which a monitor can match the speed of its updates to the frames it is receiving at a given moment. If you are buying a monitor with a good variable refresh rate then it will come with any of the two technologies: AMD FreeSync or Nvidia G-Sync. These technologies are more or less the same. They both use hardware to make sure that the refresh rate of the monitor is in-sync with the in-game framerate. They make sure that these two always remain in sync no matter how much the framerate of the game is changing.

However, Nvidia’s G-Sync monitors are expensive. They are expensive because Nvidia has tough quality control hence G-Sync monitors have to meet their quality standards to get approved. Plus OEMs are required to pay a licensing fee to be able to use G-Sync and they also have to buy the scaler modules from Nvidia because they are the only ones that produce them. A scaler module is a hardware device that allows the monitors to make VRR possible.

Nvidia has complete control and complete domination over the production of G-Sync scalers but AMD gives freedoms OEMs to use any third party scalers with their FreeSync technology. Plus OEMs don’t have to pay AMD any licensing fee to use AMD’s technology hence FreeSync is readily available and far more popular. It is available in cheaper monitors however in terms of performance it is not always perfect and many monitors only work in a limited range.

Hence, both technologies have their pros and cons. They both do what they are supposed to do. FreeSync is, however, a budget choice. It is a great choice for those who have a tight budget. G-Sync, on the other hand, is the more expensive and premium option.

Conclusion

We have discussed all the important aspects of a good graphic card now it’s time to conclude. Which company offers the best GPUs, is it Nvidia or AMD? The simple answer is-neither. Why? You must be wondering.

Because it is impossible to make a general comparison between these two companies as the performance of every model varies and each company offers a different kind of model at the different price tag so the best GPU card is the card that suits your needs, requirements, and budget.

AMD gives competition to Nvidia when it comes to mid-range to lower-end cards meanwhile Nvidia rules when it comes to premium high-end cards but things are changing as Nvidia is trying to offer more budget-friendly card meanwhile AMD is looking forward to increasing competition on the high-end market with the release of “Big Navi”.

Both companies are doing their best to improve and appeal to the consumers. This is good for us because they are fighting for our money. They are trying to learn from each other’s mistakes and trying to release better, cheaper, and more appealing models. This is really good for us as consumers.