Key Takeaways
- Budget buyers should buy now, as next-gen budget GPUs won’t be released for a while.
- Mid-range buyers can wait for AMD RDNA 4 and Intel Battlemage GPUs in late 2024/early 2025, or buy current offerings like the RTX 4070 Super or the RX 7900 GRE.
- High-end GPU buyers should wait for NVIDIA’s next-gen RTX 5000 series, expected to arrive in early 2025.
If your current GPU is getting long in the tooth, you’re probably thinking about upgrading it. Considering that all three gaming GPU brands should deliver their next-gen products soon, you might want to postpone the purchase, depending on how much cash you plan to spend on your new GPU.
If You’re a Budget Buyer, You Should Buy a New GPU Now
If you’re a budget PC gamer and don’t plan to move up a notch with your next GPU purchase, you should buy a new graphics card now. Both NVIDIA and AMD have been following the staggered launch philosophy for years now, where flagship and high-end graphics cards get out first, followed by mid-range options, with budget GPUs coming out last.
If this trend continues, and there’s no reason it won’t, we won’t see a new wave of budget gaming graphics cards for quite some time, most likely at least six months after we get next-gen flagships and high-end options. So, if you need a new budget gaming GPU now, save that cash and get it.
Before I move on, I should also mention that Intel’s second-gen Battlemage GPU architecture is right around the corner. Battlemage could launch with a few compelling budget options right from the get-go. While Intel Arc GPUs have matured into worthy budget picks, I’d have to see Battlemage GPU reviews before I can outright recommend an Intel Battlemage graphics card to budget gamers. As of this moment, my advice is to buy now.
Mid-Range GPU Buyers Can Buy Now or Wait
Mid-range PC gamers that usually opt for NVIDIA’s and AMD’s RX middle-of-the-road offerings are in a peculiar spot. On the one hand, there’s a slim chance NVIDIA will launch the RTX 5070 or whatever it ends up calling it alongside the RTX 5090 and 5080. On the other hand, AMD-related reports and rumors indicate the upcoming RNDA 4 architecture won’t include a high-end gaming GPU at all.
Considering that we ought to get RDNA 4 GPUs either in late 2024 or early 2025, there’s a good chance you’ll have a next-gen mid-range option from AMD sooner rather than later. If you’re fine with an AMD card being your next gaming GPU, you could wait a few months and see what AMD has in store. There’s also Intel Battlemage, which should have a mid-range GPU as the top of its crop as well. If you decide to wait, don’t forget to follow Intel Battlemage news and watch and read reviews once those graphics cards launch.
On the other hand, the current crop of NVIDIA and AMD mid-range offerings is pretty solid both in terms of price and performance. The RTX 4070 Super is one of the best graphics cards around, and a great choice for 1440p gaming, its sole weak point being only 12GB of memory. The RX 7900 GRE is the best bang-for-buck card in AMD’s RDNA 3 arsenal at the moment, matching the RTX 4070 Super’s gaming performance, as long as you don’t enable ray tracing effects, and coming with 16GB of memory instead of 12GB.
Ultimately, the decision’s up to you. If your current GPU is not pumping out enough performance to play your favorite games the way you want, and if the rest of 2024 includes more than a few heavy hitters you’d really like to play at or near launch, you can buy a new GPU now and game for the rest of 2024 without compromise. Just watch out for the latest RTX 4070 variant that packs slower memory than the original RTX 4070, which I do not recommend buying. If your current GPU is fine, however, and you can afford to wait until the end of 2024, maybe it’s wise to do just that and see what AMD and Intel have in store.
Prospective Buyers Looking For a High-End GPU Should Wait
Finally, all you high-end PC gamers thinking about a GPU upgrade should wait. NVIDIA is slated to launch its next-gen RTX 5000 series, codenamed Blackwell, in early 2025—most likely around CES, which takes place in early January—so you won’t have to wait long to get your hands on a next-gen high-end GPU.
