Best AMD Graphics Card 2022
AMD are now firmly in the GPU picture
Over the last decade AMD has been making some rather large waves within the tech universe – just take their impressive range of Ryzen 5000 processors as a prime example.
We’ve seen huge improvements in AMD’s processor range, with their 3000 series CPU sales helping reduce the size of the market share gap between them and Intel to the lowest it’s been in 12 years. The recent launch of AMD’s Ryzen 5000 processors saw them take the ultimate title of best desktop processor, featuring strong single-core performance and unrivaled value.
We’ve also seen huge leaps forward in their graphics card performance levels thanks to the RDNA 2 Radeon RX 6000 series.
And, even though Nvidia’s 3090 is still the king of consumer-grade graphics cards, AMD now has some extremely powerful, well-priced GPUs on offer – most of which we will go through in this article.
We’re going to be breaking down the best AMD graphics cards available right now and exactly how they might be right for your requirements.
List of best and graphics cards in 2022
Our Top Picks
Best AMD graphics cards
In-depth Review
ASUS AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT ROG Strix LC OC 16GB
ASUS AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT ROG Strix LC OC 16GB
For the first time in years, 2020 saw AMD try and take on Nvidia at not just the middle range of GPUs, but also the higher end of the price and performance spectrum. With the Radeon RX 6800 XT they almost, but not quite, succeeded in knocking Nvidia’s RTX 3080 off the top spot, nevertheless, for certain consumers, the 6800 XT may actually be the better option.
AMD’s ray tracing functionality exists but it doesn’t yet match Nvidia’s at all, but if this isn’t a feature you particularly care about (it is after all still limited to a relatively small amount of games), then the $50 cheaper RX 6800 XT might be a better choice. Although it depends on the title, overall the RX 6800 XT actually performs slightly better than the RTX 3080 on 1080p and 1440p titles, but the RTX 3080 has the edge on 4K performance.
Equally, if you’ve got one of the latest AMD CPUs, the Smart Access Memory feature which synergizes the performance of the two might also sway the RX 6800 XT in your favor. In reality, the much-vaunted Smart Access Memory has been fairly underwhelming – on some titles making no difference, on others actually reducing performance – however, there are certain games you can get a 10%+ FPS uplift on, so if you identify these titles you can easily switch on the feature as and when it is needed.
Although the RTX 3080 might have the edge in terms of software features and pull ahead slightly in 4K gaming performance, the RX 6800 XT has its advantages on lower resolutions. Ultimately the fight between the AMD RX 6800 XT and Nvidia RTX 3080 is a close race, and whichever card you pick you will end up with one of the best on the market. It may be that the cheaper price of the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT and its somewhat greater availability makes it more favorable for your needs. We have picked the ASUS AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT ROG Strix LC OC 16GB variant for this article, but check out our guide on the best RX 6800 XT to see which AIB of this card would be right for you.
ASUS TUF GAMING Radeon RX 6900 XT OC 16GB
ASUS TUF GAMING Radeon RX 6900 XT OC 16GB
The 6900 XT is quite the runner-up for the title of best AMD graphics card. But for use, the extra cost doesn’t warrant the performance. Similar to the 3080 vs 3090 the cheaper card offers plenty of performance for most use cases.
However, if you’re looking for the cheaper premium option, the 6900 XT is a great pick. With the extra hardware over the 6800 XT, it brings the extra punch that some may be looking for. With some extra cores, it does give that little boost, especially in 4k situations.
Taking a look at pure performance benchmarks in 3dmark it does take the lead in graphics score. So it may have some drawbacks in performance it does have the pure build to take the lead.
ASUS ROG Strix AMD Radeon RX 5700XT Overclocked 8G
ASUS ROG Strix AMD Radeon RX 5700XT Overclocked 8G
It comes to shelves plastered in the ROG Strix branding which, as we all know, means this thing has been built with purpose and quality in mind.
The triple-fan cooling solution it uses offers excellent efficiency in keeping temps low during the most stressful of scenarios. The Axial-tech design has longer fan blades and a unique barrier ring for increased air pressure as well.
As with most ROG products, it comes laced with RGB in numerous areas which (to me at least) looks superb in almost any build.
It is, however, worth mentioning the size of this card, as it’s on the large side. It takes up 2.7 case slots and sits at 30.5x13x5.4cm which is considered quite large for a GPU.
Looks aside, the 5700XT from ASUS comes with solid performance across both 1080p and 1440p gaming, making it an excellent all-rounder.
With 2560 stream processors, a boost clock speed of 2035MHz, and 8GB of GDDR6 VRAM, this card is more than equipped to handle both high-intensive gaming and creator work tasks.
It isn’t the most powerful card on this list though. It falls short of that title thanks to the Radeon VII, which takes the crown when it comes to pure power. However, we’ve decided to give the RX 5700XT our number one slot as it offers strong gaming performance alongside a much cheaper price point than the VII.
Overall, we can’t really knock this GPU. It looks great, stays cool under pressure, and provides an enjoyable gaming experience across a number of different platforms.
ASUS ROG STRIX RX 6600 XT GAMING OC
ASUS ROG STRIX RX 6600 XT GAMING OC
AMD Radeon 6000 series has plenty of options to choose from. With a varied range, there is the high end but also the low end. So looking for the best 1080p AMD graphics card we can just focus on the low end. And where we want to focus on is the lower end where you don’t need all the horsepower to run lower resolutions.
Even as the less powerful card, the 6600 can benefit from the new-gen advantages. With the first generation of AMD cards that can utilize ray tracing. Whilst also being able to benefit from RSR giving it an extra performance boost for any title.
You can also get all that performance for a much cheaper price, without splashing out for the higher-end cards. This also means in the time of inflated GPU prices, you can expect to find it closer to its actually MSRP than being scalped.
XFX Radeon RX 570 RS XXX Edition
XFX Radeon RX 570 RS XXX Edition
Lastly comes our budget pick, the hugely popular XFX Radeon RX 570 RS XXX Edition.
It holds a firm position as the best budget AMD graphics card and for good reason. It displays a seriously good value for money.
XFX’s RX 570 is outfitted with textbook XFX aesthetics. Twin red fans and a fairly large cooling design allow for great cooling over extended gaming sessions. These fans also come with Zero dB technology for an ultra-quiet build as well, which is always a plus.
Moving onto performance, the RX 570 delivers a 1,286MHz clock speed, 8GB of GDDR6 VRAM, and 2048 stream processors all based on last gen’s GCN architecture – which isn’t a bad thing.
It will be able to push 60FPS in AAA game titles in 1080p but is tailored towards lesser-intensive esports titles such as CS:GO, Fortnite, and DOTA 2.
This is the perfect card for someone looking for a cheap increase in gaming performance. It offers decent aesthetics, good cooling, and immersive gaming experiences in 1080p. Overall, we think this is a superb card for the price point.
Final Word
So, there you have it; our comprehensive guide to the best AMD graphics cards available right now.
It was pretty tough coming up with a definitive five, especially when you consider how closely matched some of the cards are. Ultimately, though, we feel we’ve done a pretty good job in narrowing down the options.
AMD has come a long way in the last 5-10 years when it comes to graphics cards and the architecture behind them.
We’re just now seeing exactly what they can do with the new technology they have at their disposal. Hopefully, the trend continues and the battle for GPU hierarchy becomes as close as it has between AMD vs Intel CPUs.