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Cyberpunk 2077 is one of the most demanding games out there. It requires the best graphics cards and CPUs to achieve optimal performance.
With thousands of graphics card options out there, choosing the best Nvidia GPUs for ultra-performance in this futuristic title can be a difficult and confusing task.
Cyberpunk 2077 has a heavy ray-tracing implementation. The game showcases some of the biggest differences with ray tracing turned on.
Thus, qualifying graphics cards need to have great ray tracing performance. Nvidia's second generation of RT cores can deliver the required performance levels.
The title is also not well optimized. Although CD Projekt Red has improved performance levels a lot, it still does not run as well as AAA games like Forza Horizon 5. This puts the lower barrier entry into the game relatively high.
Guide to choosing best Nvidia graphics cards for Cyberpunk 2077
The best graphics cards for Cyberpunk 2077 are among the best GPUs available today. Playing the title at the Ultra preset requires some horsepower, so all of the entries in this list will be costly rendering powerhouses.
5) Nvidia Geforce RTX 3060 Ti
The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is Nvidia's 1080p budget gaming king for this generation. This card is among the most popular GPUs of this generation, only behind the RTX 3060.
When paired with a decent K-series Core i5 11th or 12th gen chip, or the Ryzen 5 3600X or 5000 series chips, it can deliver 60 FPS at 1080p resolutions while playing the game at the Ultra preset.
The RTX 3060 Ti can even handle ray tracing in the title. While the performance metrics might drop below the 60 FPS mark, turning on DLSS will add a bunch of frames back.
The RTX 3060 Ti can even handle ray tracing in the title. While the performance metrics might drop below the 60 FPS mark, turning on DLSS will add a bunch of frames back.
4) Nvidia Geforce RTX 3070
Nvidia's 1440p gaming king is another excellent choice to play Cyberpunk 2077 in the highest settings. The card can efficiently run the game at 1440p with ray-tracing turned off.
When ray tracing is pushed to Medium and High presets, the framerate will drop to the upper 40s and lower 50s with DLSS turned on.
If players intend to push ray tracing to Psycho without turning DLSS on, 1080p is the way to go with the RTX 3070. Turning on DLSS even in the Quality preset adds a bunch of frames back.
If they intend to push the settings to the absolute maximum, upscaling is the way to go.
3) Nvidia Geforce RTX 3080 Ti
The Geforce RTX 3080 Ti is this list's first $1000+ card. It is capable of running Cyberpunk 2077 at 2160p resolutions while using the Ultra preset.
However, turning ray tracing on destroys the framerate. Users must drop the resolution to 1440p to maintain an optimal framerate.
RTX 3080 Ti is one of the meanest rendering powerhouses on the market. While the card's pricing cannot be justified, this GPU beats the Radeon RX 6900 XT in Cyberpunk.
The card is not bottlenecked by $200 CPUs like the Ryzen 5 5600X and the Core i5-12600K, thanks to their insane single-core and multi-core performances. Thus, the RTX 3080 Ti can deliver high-end 2160p gaming performance without drilling a solid hole in gamers' pockets.
2) Nvidia Geforce RTX 3090
The RTX 3090 is the first BFGPU Nvidia ever manufactured. The card runs Cyberpunk 2077 in the highest settings, with ray tracing turning to Ultra at 1440p without needing any form of upscaling.
However, users need at least an octa-core Ryzen 7 5800X or Core i7-12700K to fully utilize this card's performance cap.
If the resolution is cranked up to 2160p, gamers must use DLSS to maintain a stable framerate. Ray tracing in Cyberpunk 2077 can be highly demanding. Even RTX 3090 struggles in this game.
Some RTX 3090 models, like the MSI RTX 3090 Gaming X Trio, are currently selling for around $1300, which is $200 below their MSRP. This improves the behemoth's value proposition.
But a decent RTX 3090-based system will still cost northwards of $2500.
1) Nvidia Geforce RTX 3090 Ti
The RTX 3090 Ti is the ultimate GPU Nvidia manufactures today. This graphics card is 5-10% faster than the RTX 3090 in Cyberpunk 2077.
However, like RTX 3090, users will have to use DLSS if they crank the settings and ray tracing to the Ultra preset. If the resolution is turned down to 1440p, though, players can enjoy the title without the need for any form of upscaling.
Conclusion
Cyberpunk 2077 is one of the most demanding games currently. Even the highest-end hardware available struggles in the game at 2160p.
It is worth noting that RTX 3090 and RTX 3090 Ti are marketed by Nvidia as "8K capable" cards.
However, readers should thank CD Projekt Red for the performance metrics in this title. Ray tracing implementation is hugely demanding in these games, keeping native 4K gaming in the highest settings a dream.
Note: This article is subjective and reflects the author's opinion.
