If you need a graphics card before spring, buy it now. Prices on nearly every current GPU have climbed well above launch price through 2026, and the memory shortage behind it isn't expected to ease before 2027. Black Friday is unlikely to undo that. The best value right now is AMD's Radeon RX 9070 for 1440p gaming, the RX 9070 XT if you want more speed for the same money as an RTX 5070, and Intel's Arc B570 if you're on a tight 1080p budget.
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Our picks at a glance
| Best value right nowAMD Radeon RX 9070 (16GB)1440p gamers who want the most performance per dollar at today's prices | 9.0 | Check price on Amazon | |
| Best for 1440p high refreshAMD Radeon RX 9070 XT (16GB)Gamers who want high frame rates at 1440p and some 4K headroom | 8.8 | Check price on Amazon | |
| Best for ray tracing and streamingNvidia GeForce RTX 5070 (12GB)Players who want DLSS frame generation, strong ray tracing, or Nvidia's streaming encoder | 8.3 | Check price on Amazon | |
| Best budget cardIntel Arc B570 (10GB)1080p gamers on a tight budget, or anyone replacing a dead card cheaply | 7.8 | Check price on Amazon |
Why graphics cards cost so much right now
Graphics cards use the same kind of memory chips that AI data centers are buying in huge volumes. Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron have moved production toward that AI memory, so there is less left for gaming cards, and what remains costs more.
AMD raised the price of the memory it supplies to card makers starting October 1, and a late-October report from PC Guide says another round of AMD increases is expected in November (that report comes from a leak and isn't confirmed). Nvidia has raised prices several times this year as well.
The result: Tom's Hardware's price tracker on October 26 showed the RTX 5070 at $869 against a $549 launch price, and the RX 9070 XT at $869 against $599. Some RX 9070 XT models on Amazon were listed between $917 and $1,064 on October 30.
Buy now or wait for Black Friday?
Buy now if your current card can't run what you play, or you're building a new PC in the next few months. Black Friday sales usually take a percentage off the current price, and the current price is still rising. A 10% Black Friday discount on a card that went up $100 in November leaves you about where you are today.
Wait if your current card still works. The one thing that brings prices down is the memory shortage easing, and analysts don't expect that before 2027 at the earliest. If you can hold out, you'll likely pay less next year than this November.
Whichever you choose, set a ceiling. Check a price tracker before you buy, and don't pay more than about 50% over the launch price for any card. Several cards are already near or past that line.
RX 9070 XT vs RTX 5070: which one?
At today's prices these two often cost the same, which makes the choice easier than it was at launch. PCWorld's testing found the RX 9070 XT about 15% faster than the RTX 5070 on average, and it has 16GB of video memory to the 5070's 12GB. More memory matters more each year as new games use higher-resolution textures.
Pick the RTX 5070 if you play a lot of games with heavy ray tracing, rely on Nvidia's DLSS frame generation, or stream and record with Nvidia's encoder. It also uses less power (about 250 watts vs 304), which helps in a small case or with a smaller power supply.
For most people buying at the same price, the RX 9070 XT is the better card.
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#1Best value right now
AMD Radeon RX 9070 (16GB)
9.0Best for: 1440p gamers who want the most performance per dollar at today's prices
Check price on AmazonThe plain RX 9070 is the card we'd buy right now. Tom's Hardware's tracker had it at $699 on October 26, and the ASRock Challenger model we link was $749.99 on Amazon on October 31, about $160 less than the RX 9070 XT or RTX 5070 there. PCWorld measured it only about 7% behind the XT.
That's the same 16GB of memory as the XT, enough for high settings at 1440p in current games with room to spare. Gamers Nexus found it ahead of the RTX 5070 by up to 18% in rasterized games at 4K, depending on the title.
Its weak spot is heavy ray tracing, where Nvidia still leads. If that's not a priority, this is the most sensible card in a market where very little is sensible.
Memory 16GB GDDR6 Launch price $549 Price seen (Oct 26) $699 Target resolution 1440p Interface PCIe 5.0 x16 Amazon price (Oct 31) $749.99 (ASRock Challenger) What we like
- 16GB of video memory
- Only about 7% slower than the RX 9070 XT
- Smaller markup over launch price than most cards
Watch out for
- Still about $150 over its $549 launch price
- Ray tracing trails Nvidia's cards
Verdict: The best balance of speed, memory, and price this fall. Buy it if you see it at $750 or less.
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#2Best for 1440p high refresh
AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT (16GB)
8.8Best for: Gamers who want high frame rates at 1440p and some 4K headroom
Check price on AmazonThe RX 9070 XT is AMD's fastest current card and the one to beat at 1440p. PCWorld measured it about 15% ahead of the RTX 5070 on average, and only 3 to 6% behind the far pricier RTX 5070 Ti.
The catch is price. It launched at $599 and Tom's Hardware's tracker showed $869 on October 26, while several Amazon listings sat between about $917 and $1,064 on October 30. Shop around, because the spread between models is wide.
If you buy one, plan on a quality 750-watt power supply and a case with good airflow. If a November increase does arrive, this is the card it's expected to hit.
Memory 16GB GDDR6 Launch price $599 Price seen (Oct 26) $869 Power About 304W Target resolution 1440p, entry 4K Amazon price (Oct 31) $919.99 (XFX Swift) What we like
- About 15% faster than the RTX 5070 on average
- 16GB of video memory vs 12GB on the 5070
- Often the same price as the RTX 5070 now
Watch out for
- Up about $270 over its $599 launch price
- Uses more power (about 304 watts)
- A November price rise is rumored
Verdict: The faster pick for the same money as an RTX 5070. Don't pay more than about $900.
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#3Best for ray tracing and streaming
Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 (12GB)
8.3Best for: Players who want DLSS frame generation, strong ray tracing, or Nvidia's streaming encoder
Check price on AmazonThe RTX 5070 is the most common new card in Steam's hardware survey, and it made sense at its $549 launch price. At $869, the October 26 price on Tom's Hardware's tracker, it's a harder sell.
What you get over AMD is Nvidia's software. DLSS upscaling and frame generation are widely supported and work well, ray tracing is faster, and Nvidia's encoder is the standard choice for streaming on Twitch or YouTube.
The 12GB of memory is the real limitation. It's fine today at 1440p, but it gives you less room than AMD's 16GB cards as games get more demanding.
Memory 12GB GDDR7 Launch price $549 Price seen (Oct 26) $869 Power About 250W Target resolution 1440p Amazon price (Oct 31) $909.99 (ASUS Prime) What we like
- DLSS 4 and frame generation
- Better ray tracing than AMD at this tier
- Lower power draw (about 250 watts)
Watch out for
- Only 12GB of video memory
- Up about $320 over its $549 launch price
- Slower than the RX 9070 XT in most games
Verdict: Buy it for DLSS, ray tracing, or streaming. Otherwise the AMD cards give more for the money.
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#4Best budget card
Intel Arc B570 (10GB)
7.8Best for: 1080p gamers on a tight budget, or anyone replacing a dead card cheaply
Check price on AmazonEvery budget card has gone up this year, but Intel's Arc B570 the least. Tom's Hardware's tracker had it at $289 on October 26 against a $219 launch price. Compare that to the RTX 5060 at $449 (launched at $299) or the RX 9060 XT 16GB at $599 (launched at $349).
It's a 1080p card. Expect smooth play in esports titles and most current games at medium to high settings, not 1440p at max. Its bigger sibling, the Arc B580, was out of stock on October 26.
Intel's drivers have improved a lot, but older DirectX 11 games can still run worse than on AMD or Nvidia. Turn on Resizable BAR in your BIOS, because these cards lose a lot of speed without it.
Memory 10GB GDDR6 Launch price $219 Price seen (Oct 26) $289 Target resolution 1080p Requires Resizable BAR Amazon price (Oct 31) $289.99 (ASRock Challenger) What we like
- Smallest markup of any current card (about $70 over launch)
- 10GB of memory at a budget price
- Fine for 1080p at medium to high settings
Watch out for
- Much slower than the cards above
- Older games can run worse than on AMD or Nvidia
- Needs Resizable BAR (most PCs from 2019 on have it)
Verdict: The least-inflated card on the market. A smart stopgap until prices come down.
How we picked
We compared the current-generation cards from AMD, Nvidia, and Intel on price over launch price (using Tom's Hardware's October 26 price tracker and Amazon listings checked October 30 and 31), published benchmark results from PCWorld and Gamers Nexus, and video memory. We left out cards whose current price is far beyond their value, such as the RTX 5070 Ti ($1,229 vs a $749 launch price) and the RTX 5060 Ti 16GB ($765 vs $429). Prices change daily, so check the current price before you buy.
Sources
- Tom's Hardware: GPU price tracking 2026 (Oct 26)
- PC Guide: AMD GPU prices expected to rise again as RX 9070 XT nears $1,000 (Oct 30)
- eTeknix: RAM and GPU prices, why they keep rising (Oct 13)
- TechRadar: Don't wait for a GPU bargain on Black Friday 2026 (Sep 26)
- Shattered: RTX 5070 vs RX 9070 XT, with PCWorld and Gamers Nexus results (Oct 18)