Difference Between AMD and Nvidia Graphics Cards: Which One’s Better?

Last updated on January 19th, 2023 at 05:54 pm

The battle between AMD and Nvidia graphics cards has been going on for years, with Nvidia being the one to dominate the industry. However, recent years have shown that AMD has been making a comeback with a lot more value and performance advancements.

This leaves us with the question.

What’s the Difference between AMD and Nvidia GPUs, and which one’s better?

Nvidia’s GPU chipset tends to be more powerful, especially amongst high-end GPUs. However, AMD offers a lot more value for what their graphics cards are actually worth, allowing users to get higher performance at a better price.

There are also a lot of specific qualities about the two types of GPUs that will make one more appealing than the other depending on what your intended use is.

With that being said, you should stick around to learn more, so that you can make the right decision when it comes to the graphics card you want to purchase.

AMD vs Nvidia: What’s The Price Difference?

When comparing different GPU models, one thing that comes to mind is the price-to-performance ratio.

Yes, the more you pay for a graphics card the better performance you get and if you don’t care about budget, then spend as much as you can so you can get the best-performing high-end GPU.

However, for people looking to purchase a low to mid-range GPU, then getting the most value from your money is the most important factor.

For each performance range, AMD has the best value for their GPUs when compared to Nvidia.

Although most of the time Nvidia beats AMD in the performance aspect, you can get essentially the same card for $100 – $200 less retail.

For a mid-range graphics card, Nvidia might offer higher FPS and performance in a game, but AMD’s graphics cards are almost as good and are a lot more affordable.

The price-to-FPS ratio for AMD GPUs compared to Nvidias is a lot cheaper.

So, if you are looking for the best value out of your GPU then you should consider purchasing an AMD GPU.

AMD vs Nvidia: What’s The Performance Difference?

The next thing to consider is the performance difference between these two brands.

We compare competitors’ GPUs by grouping them into performance categories.

Starting from low-end to mid-end, to high-end graphics cards; of course, some can be in between.

When comparing all 3 of these categories we can determine that Nvidia wins most of the time.

Nvidia’s GPUs are a lot more powerful than AMD’s GPUs, especially on the higher end of things. The reason for this is that Nvidia is targeted mostly to gamers who want to have the most powerful gaming setup they could possibly get.

Therefore, when people are thinking about building a gaming computer the first thing that comes to mind is a graphics card made by Nvidia.

However, even though the performance of Nvidia cards is better it’s not by that much. Typically if you compare an Nvidia GPU to its AMD counterpart you will see that you only get around an extra 10-20 frames depending on what games you are playing.

In reality that’s not very noticeable.

So, it’s really up to you whether you want a bit more performance for a lot more, or a bit less performance for a lot less.

On the other hand, the reason why AMD produces GPUs that aren’t as powerful is that they are targeted more toward regular users who aren’t just gamers.

However, during recent years, AMD has been making a name for itself in the gaming industry they are still a little bit behind the performance of Nvidia.

AMD vs Nvidia: Who Has Better Features?

Features play a big part in the enjoyment of gaming. Both AMD and Nvidia have their fair share of gaming features that allow for higher performance, better quality, and more enjoyment, but which one does it better?

Starting with one of AMD’s best features called FidelityFX Super Resolution or (FSR).

FSR not only offers better resolution when gaming, but also increases your FPS when doing so. You are able to experience playing a game in 4k without getting the FPS drop that you would get normally.

The way AMD does this is by sharpening lower-quality images/videos (reducing the pixelation). This makes the images more smooth creating the illusion that there are more pixels being used to render the image.

Then the image gets enlarged to simulate what 4k would look like. This technology has been worked on and advanced so much by ai technology that the quality of these images really does look like 4k.

On the other hand, you have a Nvidias version of this which is called Deep Learning Super Sampling or (DLSS).

This is the Nvidia version of FSR.

When comparing DLSS to FSR many gamers agree that DLSS provides a higher quality experience than FSR, but I think no matter who you choose it’s a win because you are able to get the higher quality video without losing FPS.

Even though DLSS provides higher quality in the game, the performance upgrade via FPS isn’t as much as FSR.

So, even though you get a better viewing experience with DLSS, you get better performance with FSR.

Then, you have FreeSync vs G-Sync.

Freesync is AMD and G-Sync is Nvidia. What these features do is cap your FPS with your monitor’s refresh rate.

This helps in preventing screen tearing and jittering when playing games, especially at high frame rates.

Because they both essentially do the same thing it really comes down to monitor compatibility, so you should check what your monitor supports (In most cases both) just to be safe.

AMD vs Nvidia: Compatibility

This is something that is overlooked a lot when people are trying to decide which GPU they want to purchase.

Compatibility is something to really consider especially if you need to use your computer for productivity reasons.

Not all software is made the exact same way. Most software companies will focus on making their applications compatible with Nvidia GPUs first because most people use Nvidia graphics cards.

This I’ve Nvidia the edge in this category.

Very specific things such as ray-tracing compatibility are made for Nvidia first. You will most likely find that some games will only offer specific enhancement settings to people who use Nvidia graphics cards and won’t offer it to AMD until a later date.

I have experienced this before. When Call of Duty Modern Warefare first came out. I was able to play the game using ray tracing because at the time I had a GTX 1660 Super, whereas my friend used an AMD Radeon card which wouldn’t allow him to play the same game with the same settings as me.

My card and his card were both in the same performance range, but I had the better experience just because of compatibility issues.

You might also find that certain programs will only let you use them if you have an Nvidia GPU, although it is very specific and for the average gamer or computer user it won’t really matter.

Which Graphics Card Should You Choose?

In the end, the decision is really up to you. If it’s in your budget and you can afford it I would say Nvidia as they offer the best-performing graphics cards year after year.

However, if you are looking to get the most value for your buck AMD is your best option. Yes, you don’t have as much compatibility with new games, but that doesn’t mean you still can’t play them at high performance, and you will be able to save a bit of money to either purchase a better GPU or upgrade other components of your PC.