PC World - USA (2019-11)

62 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2019

REVIEWS BEST 4K GRAPHICS CARD FOR PC GAMING

the best graphics cards for PC gaming (go.

pcworld.com/4kgr), where we also explore

your best video options for 1080p and 1440p

resolution, and share tips to keep in mind

while you’re on the hunt for new hardware.

THE BEST 4K GRAPHICS

CARD: NVIDIA GEFORCE

RTX 2080 SUPER

Your best option for PC gaming at 4K

resolution on a standard 60Hz display is the

Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super (go.

pcworld.com/80sp). Its price theoretically

starts at $700, but Nvidia’s own Founders

Edition models have dried up. Most custom

options start around $720 or $730 (go.

pcworld.com/cs72) and only get more

expensive as you add features (go.pcworld.

com/addf). You can occasionally find custom

models on sale for around $700, however.

That’s a lot of money, but it buys you stellar

4K gaming performance. The GeForce RTX

2080 Super achieves the hallowed 60 frames

per second in most modern games with all

standard graphics settings configured to

maximum or near-maximum. It’s fast.

Like other RTX 20-series

graphics cards, the GeForce RTX

2080 Super contains dedicated

hardware for real-time ray tracing

tasks, but the strenuous cutting-

edge eye candy absolutely tanks

frame rates and will often require

a drop to lower resolution. If

possible you’ll want to pair it with

Nvidia’s performance-enhancing

Deep Learning Super Sampling

(DLSS) technology to gain back

some of those lost frames,

though DLSS can negatively

impact visual quality at times.

Some games appear noticeably

blurrier with DLSS enabled.

AMD’s rival Radeon graphics

cards lack real-time ray-tracing

capabilities. The most powerful

Radeon option, which we’ll

Ray-tracing performance at 1440p resolution (NOT 4K) in

Shadow of the Tomb Raider.

Ray tracing at 1440p in

Shadow of the Tomb Raider

LONGER BARS INDICATE BETTER PERFORMANCE

43

73

61

55

RTX Ultra/DLSS RTX Ultra RTX Med/DLSS

Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 (FE)

47

80

68

59

Nvidia GeForce RTX

2070 Super (FE)

(^5388)
75
66
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 (FE)
53
90
76
68
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super (FE)
68
109
95
83
Nvidia GeForce RTX
2080 Ti (FE)
RTX Med