What if I tell you one thing that will straightforwardly clear your mind from the question: Which One Is Better For Gaming – GTX or RTX? The simple answer is that the GTX is the ancestor of RTX and both of them were released 10 years apart. GTX was released in 2008 and RTX was later released in 2018. So which one is better? You might ask! Of Course, RTX is better than the GTX because RTX is the one that brought out new possibilities for 3D design in gaming. Let’s delve into a detailed comparison for better understanding:
Highlights:
- What is GTX?
- What is RTX?
- Key differences between GTX and RTX
- Important factors to consider before buying GTX or RTX
- Final verdict on which graphics card is better for gaming
WHAT IS A GTX (Giga Texel Shader eXtreme)?
The GTX is a Graphic Card which is directly responsible for displaying clean and clear images, videos and simulations on the computer screen. The GTX 260 was first introduced by NIVIDA in 2008 with a base clock rate of 576 MHz, 896 MB of memory, and 65nm architecture. Later NVIDIA released a series of GTX cards which are mentioned below.
| Reasons To Buy: Compatible with a wide range of games, including popular titles like Fortnite. Provide good performance in gaming but generally lower than RTX cards Reasons To Avoid: Do not have dedicated hardware-accelerated ray tracing capabilities. Compatible with current games but strictly depends on the specific model and generation of the GTX card. |
Features and specifications of GTX series:
Model Variants: GTX 1650, GTX 1050 Ti, GTX 960, GTX 1050, GTX 980, and more
Architecture: Pascal and Turing
Video Memory: Ranges from 2GB to 8GB VRAM (depending on the model)
Clock Speed: GTX 960: 1127 MHz | Boosted:1178 MHz, GTX 980: 1126 MHz | Boosted: 1216 MHz, GTX 1050 Ti: 1290 MHz | Boosted 1392 MHz, GTX 1650: 1485 MHz | Boosted 1665 MHz.
CUDA Cores (Compute Unified Device Architecture): Depends on the specific model, in general, it can vary anywhere between 896 to 1280 CUDA cores
Memory Interface: Ranges from 128-bit to 384-bit
Performance Benchmarks and Comparison With Other GTX Cards:
GTX 1650 (April 23, 2019): Offers good performance for 1080p gaming and is suitable for entry-level gaming. It is generally slower than the other models mentioned.
GTX 1660 (March 14, 2019): Provides a significant performance boost compared to the GTX 1650. It offers smooth 1080p gaming and can handle some games at 1440p with lower settings.
GTX 1660 Ti (February 22, 2019): is faster than the GTX 1660 and offers even better performance for 1080p and 1440p gaming. It can handle most modern games at high settings.
GTX 1070 Ti (November 2, 2017): is a powerful graphics card that offers excellent performance for 1440p gaming and can handle some games at 4K resolution with lower settings.
GTX 1070 Max-Q (2017): is a mobile variant of the GTX 1070. It provides good performance for gaming on laptops, although it may be slightly slower than the desktop version.
GTX 1080 Max-Q (2017): is a mobile variant of the GTX 1080. It offers high-performance gaming on laptops, although it may be slightly slower than the desktop version.
GTX 1080 Ti (March 10, 2017): is a high-end graphics card that offers excellent performance for 1440p and 4K gaming. It is one of the most powerful cards in the GTX series.
GTX 1070 (June 10, 2016): is a powerful graphics card that provides smooth gaming performance at 1440p resolution. It is a popular choice for high-quality gaming.
GTX 1080 (May 27, 2016): is a high-performance graphics card that offers excellent gaming performance at 1440p and can handle some games at 4K resolution with lower settings.
GTX 1060 (July 19, 2016): is a mid-range graphics card that provides good performance for 1080p gaming. It is suitable for most modern games at medium to high settings
Pros and cons of GTX cards:
Pros:
- GTX Cards are known to provide good gaming performance generally at 1080p resolution.
- GTX Cards are relatively more affordable than RTX Cards.
- GTX Cards are compatible with a wide range of games.
- GTX Cards is a well-established technology with a large user base, therefore, you don’t have to think twice before buying it (if it suits your requirements).
Cons:
- GTX Cards lack advanced features which are available in RTX such as; Real-time Ray Tracing and DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling).
- Technology is advancing on a day-to-day basis, therefore, GTX Cards might become less capable of handling demanding games in the near future.
What is RTX (Ray Tracing Texel eXtreme)?
RTX is the successor of GTX, which was released in 2018. It is also responsible for displaying clear images, videos, and simulations likewise GTX but by using two different techniques from its ancestor. The techniques include; Ray Tracing and DLSS. RTX uses Ray Tracing which is a technique that uses advanced algorithms to create more realistic lighting effects, shadows, and reflections in 3D graphics. As well as it uses DLSS which is a technology that enhances gaming performance using artificial intelligence. DLSS renders images at lower resolutions and upscales them to the desired resolution.
| Reasons To Buy: Powerful Performance Real-Time Ray Tracing DLSS technologyFuture proof Reasons To Avoid: Higher Prices as compared to GTXAlternative options available Too good for low-demanding |
Features and specifications of RTX series:
Model Variants: The RTX series includes various models such as the RTX 2060, RTX 2070, RTX 2080, RTX 3060, RTX 3070, RTX 3080, and RTX 3090.
Architecture: The RTX series is based on the NVIDIA Turing architecture, with dedicated ray-tracing cores and AI (Artificial Intelligence) cores
Video Memory: The VRAM capacity can vary from 6GB to 24GB
Clock Speed: Depends on the model, for instance; RTX 2060: 1365 MHz, while the boost clock speed is 1680 MHz, RTX 3070 has a base clock speed of 1500 MHz and a boost clock speed of 1725 MHz
CUDA (Compute Unified Device Architecture) Cores: CUDA cores vary across different RTX models. For example, the RTX 2060 has 1920 CUDA cores, while the RTX 3080 has 8704 CUDA cores
Memory Interface: RTX series graphics cards typically have a 192-bit or 256-bit memory interface
Performance benchmarks and comparison with other RTX Cards:
RTX 2070 (October 2018): provides a step up in performance compared to the RTX 2060. It offers better frame rates and can handle gaming at higher resolutions, such as 1440p.
RTX 2080 (September 2018): is a high-end graphics card that delivers excellent gaming performance at 1440p and even 4K resolutions. It offers better frame rates and more advanced features compared to the RTX 2070.
RTX 2080 Ti (September 2018): is the flagship model of the RTX series and offers top-tier gaming performance. It is capable of handling gaming at 4K resolution with high frame rates and supports advanced features like real-time ray tracing.
RTX 2080 Super (July 2019): is an enhanced version of the RTX 2080, offering slightly better performance. It provides improved frame rates and can handle gaming at higher resolutions.
Quadro A4000 (March 2021): is a workstation graphics card based on the Ampere architecture. It features 6144 CUDA cores and has a lower clock speed compared to the RTX 3070 Ti. The A4000 is designed for professional applications and offers optimized performance for tasks like 3D rendering and video editing.
RTX 3050 (May 2021): is an entry-level graphics card that offers solid gaming performance at 1080p resolution. It is suitable for casual gamers or those on a budget.
RTX 3060 (February 2021): provides mid-range gaming performance and supports real-time ray tracing. It offers better performance compared to the RTX 3050 and is capable of handling games at 1080p and 1440p resolutions.
RTX 3070 (October 2020): is a high-performance graphics card that offers excellent gaming performance at 1440p resolution. It provides a significant performance boost compared to the RTX 3060 and is suitable for gamers who want to play demanding games at higher resolutions.
RTX 3080 (September 2020): is a top-tier graphics card that delivers exceptional gaming performance at 4K resolution. It offers a significant performance improvement over the RTX 3070 and is suitable for gamers who want the best possible gaming experience.
RTX 3090 (September 2020): is the flagship model of the RTX series and offers extreme gaming performance. It is designed for enthusiasts and professionals who require the highest level of performance for tasks like 3D rendering, video editing, and AI applications.
RTX 3080 Ti (June 2021): is a high-end graphics card that offers similar performance to the RTX 3090 but at a slightly lower price point. It is suitable for gamers and professionals who require top-tier performance but want to save some money compared to the RTX 3090.
Quadro A6000 (December 2020): is a powerful workstation graphics card designed for professional applications. It offers higher performance and more VRAM compared to the Quadro A4000, making it suitable for demanding tasks like 3D modelling, simulation, and rendering.
Quadro A5000 (December 2020): is another workstation graphics card that provides high-performance capabilities for professional applications. It offers a balance between performance and price, making it suitable for professionals who require reliable performance without the need for the highest-end workstation GPU.
RTX 3070 Ti (June 2021): is a high-performance graphics card that offers improved performance compared to the RTX 3070. It is suitable for gamers who want a significant performance boost over the RTX 3070 but don’t require the extreme performance of the higher-end RTX models.
RTX Titan (December 2018): The RTX Titan is a powerful graphics card that offers top-tier performance for gaming and professional applications. It is designed for enthusiasts and professionals who require the best possible performance and features.
Pros and cons of RTX cards:
Pros:
- RTX Cards provide high-performance, allowing smooth gameplay in demanding games like Fortnite, Dota, Call of Duty etc
- RTX cards feature dedicated ray tracing cores, enabling realistic lighting, reflections, and shadows in real-time, enhancing visual quality
- They support DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), which uses AI to upscale lower-resolution images, providing improved image quality and performance
- RTX Cards are equipped with advanced technology, thus are future proof
Cons:
- RTX cards are a bit on the expensive side compared to previous-generation or lower-tier graphics cards.
- If you primarily play older or less demanding games, the advanced features and performance of RTX cards may not be fully utilized, making them unnecessary for your specific gaming needs
Key Differences Between GTX and RTX
| KEY Points | GTX Graphic Cards | RTX Graphic Cards |
| Performance differences in gaming | Good performance, but generally lower than RTX cards | Better performance, especially in games that support ray tracing and DLSS |
| Ray tracing capabilities and visual enhancements | Limited or no hardware-accelerated ray tracing | Dedicated RT cores enable real-time ray tracing for more realistic lighting, shadows, and reflections |
| Price-to-performance ratio | Varies depending on the specific model and generation. In general, it ranges from 600 AED – 1500 AED | Generally a higher price due to advanced features and capabilities. In general, ranges from 1000 AED – 10,000 AED |
| Compatibility with current and future games | Compatible with a wide range of games, but may not support ray tracing or DLSS | Designed to handle current and future games, especially those with ray tracing and DLSS support |
| Generational Differences | Represents older technology | Newer, higher-performance line of graphics cards |
Important factors to consider before buying GTX or RTX
Budget considerations:
Determine your budget for the graphic card purchase. RTX is more expensive than GTX due to its advanced features, therefore, check for your gaming requirements, narrow down your options and make sure you get the best value for your money.
Specific gaming requirements and preferences:
Determine the resolution and refresh rate you want to play games at. If you prefer high-resolution gameplay then RTX is good to go with, and if resolution is not your priority then you can choose one of the GTX Cards which best suits your system.
Future-proofing and scalability:
Future-proofing involves choosing a card that will remain relevant and capable of handling upcoming games and software for a reasonable amount of time. On the other hand, choosing a graphic card that can be easily paired with other components, such as a more powerful CPU or additional RAM, will allow for better scalability.
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Final verdict on which graphics card is better for gaming:
RTX is better than the GTX in almost everything except for the price point. In fact, it is too good that you should not buy it for the low-demanding games because you will not squeeze the entire juice out of it. However, the fact that RTX is better doesn’t mean that the GTX is a complete scrap, instead, we will recommend you should opt for the GTX if you are low on budget or don’t have demands for high resolution. One word for RTX is “powerful” and one word for GTX is “underperformance”. Now the choice is yours!
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