AMD Vs. Nvidia: A comparative analysis
Are you searching for the best graphics card?
Greetings! Today, in the search of the best graphics card, we pit two of the biggest graphics card manufacturers- AMD and NVidia.
We have noticed this very big problem among frequent and not-so frequent computer users. When it comes to buying a graphics card, people are really confused between the two companies. Questions like, “Which company to prefer?” and” How is the performance of this company’s graphics card?” is something that we get all the time.
But do not worry! We are here, to assist the individuals in choosing the best graphics card that they could buy!
Hence, we have attempted to provide the general audience of all the confused customers with a comparative analysis featuring both of the companies and their products.
Wait, what? Do you feel that it is going to get very complicated?
We understand your concern. Hence, before we get into the crux of all details, let us define what a graphic card is.
What is a Graphics Card and what does it do?
In layman terms, A graphics card is a computer chip that boosts the laptop’s ability to showcase graphical data. It enhances the display, resolution and allows fast processing of graphics.
So now when we know what a graphics card is, let’s gain some more insights regarding the two companies.
AMD
AMD, or Advanced Micro Devices, is one of the biggest brands in the world of computing. It is huge in the game of manufacturing graphics cards. Along with that, the company also manufactures processors. It is the second-largest company in that field and is very busy competing with Intel in terms of processors.
However, coming back to the Graphics Processing Unit (Or GPU) manufactures, AMD has acquired a company called ATI which did production under the name of Radeon. Nowadays, AMD manufacture Radeon, which competes with its GPUs, especially those which are manufactured by Nvidia.
(AMD RX 580 (Source: – www.gamingscan.com))
NVidia
A company that rose in the 90s, which simply increased its market share over the years by simply selling GPUs. Nowadays, it competes with AMD’s Radeon, as Intel is catering to different set of individuals by making chipsets. Nvidia manufactures the graphics cards under the name of GeForce and has been ruling the GPU Market.
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti (Source: – www.nvidia.com)
We are sure that by now, you are completely caught up with the related jargon.
But out of these two companies, how do we find the best graphic card?
Comparison between AMD & NVidia
Let’s use a couple of parameters to figure out the answer to find the company that makes the best graphics cards:
(A) Performance:
The most important parameter of the ones that we have taken into consideration. However, in this parameter, both the companies have control over different sections.
(i) Greater Value
AMD graphics cards are renowned to provide great value for their money. NVidia has otherwise established itself to provide for stronger hardware. Both AMD and NVidia’s best graphics cards provide a lot of value. AMD’s are associated as budget-friendly meanwhile NVidia is said to be superior in quality and performance.
But things are changing, when AMD introduced their latest graphics card-Radeon VII.
This graphics card from AMD gives a direct competition to a graphics card which is strong – Nvidia’s RTX 2080 Ti. It has 16 GB of HBM2 memory; which competes directly with RTX 2080 Ti’s 11 Gb of GDDR5 memory.
However, RTX still over shines Radeon VII with the installation of DirectX 12 which assists in most of the games out there in the market.
(ii) The Mid-range battle
In the midrange level, AMD is a better choice. It is because AMD has come out with several creations of premium graphics cards like RX Vega 56 and RX 580 for that specific range which are pocket-friendly yet provide quality to customers.
However, Nvidia has launched GTX 1070 Ti this year; which will be giving a really good competition to the rival company.
(B) Software:
We have compared the best of graphics cards that both the companies have to offer. Let’s look at the software integration they use for their graphic cards.
As of now, NVidia is the clear winner over here.
(i) Reason
The GeForce Experience software allows for driver updates and optimizes a particular game. It lets you broadcast gameplay and has features like capturing screenshots and videos while playing the game. This helps a customer who is willing to pay that extra money for a better experience.
(ii) Added Features
Firstly, NVidia also has a cloud-based gaming service called GeForce Now, which is available for Windows10 and MacOs.
Secondly, the Turing cards launched by NVidia have something known as Ray tracing. This makes the other background effects of a particular game look realistic and easy to our eyes. Therefore, special effects like lightning, rain, and shadows of the virtual objects inside the game appear to be more lifelike.
But AMD is not that far behind. It has newly announced- Radeon Software Adrenalin 2019 Edition. After all, this provides gamers with several stacked features; like automatic overclocking and mobile-streaming to name a few.
Another benefit of the same is more consistent updates driver updates to account for every major game release.
In 2019, the AMD Navi GPUs will have the specs to support ray tracing in the future. Hence, NVidia is going to face some serious competition in this field.
(C) Price
This factor would be essentially helping interested individuals to choose the best graphics card for themselves.
(i) Affordability of AMD and NVidia Graphics Cards
According to several sources, AMD graphics cards are widely known for its affordability, whereas NVidia products are recognizable for their high-end performance and high prices.
Right now, the most affordable NVidia Turing card is the NVidia GeForce GTX 1650, which starts at 150 GBP. Fortunately, NVidia finally has some graphics cards that can compete with AMD on the budget market.
As for AMD, Radeon RX 500 is one of the cheapest series of graphics cards ever made, starting from 120 GBP..
Nowadays, AMD is competing with Nvidia again at the high-end with the AMD Radeon VII costing around Rs. 800 GBP. Performance-wise it is equivalent to RTX 2070 Ti- starting from 1100 GBP..
Finding the best graphics card
Through perceiving all of these humongous set of information, we have realized certain things.
(a) Which company has the best graphics card in terms of strength?
NVidia is the clear winner. It is because of the presence of cards like Titan V and 100 Ti. The company promises to keep increasing the strength of its GPUs with the advent of the latest RTX series.
Nvidia is the best choice for attaining a 4K resolution. The RTX 2080 Ti gives the users an Ultra HD display.
(b) Does AMD provide the best graphics cards under value for money?
Yes. AMD’s are much better in this case. The RX 580 is easily one of the best affordable cards any individual could buy.
(c) Who provides the best graphics card?
To search for the best graphic card, we have found out that it is much better if you are aware of your preferences:
(i) NVidia Cards- If you require the best of all cards and do not mind paying extra for premium products, then NVidia is a clear choice for you.
(ii) AMD Cards- If you want to just play some games and do not have much of a use for a graphics card, then AMD would be a good choice.
