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The 1440p gaming market is going strong with competing options from all three GPU makers: Intel, AMD, and Nvidia. All companies have their unique twists to the offerings, giving options from dirt-cheap barebones variants to high-tier ones with a ton of technology bundled into them. While this is good for consumers, the sheer number of options can easily confuse PC builders, especially those with limited experience.
To help you choose the best QHD gaming card per your budget, we have prepared this list. Read on to find out which GPUs make the most sense in 2025.
Multiple 1440p gaming GPUs are available for competitive prices in 2025
5) Intel Arc B580 12 GB ($330+)
The Intel Arc B580 12 GB is a fantastic entry-level option for 1440p gaming. The GPU packs enough rendering prowess to handle the latest titles at the resolution, while being way cheaper than the competition. Moreover, it is one of the few cards actually selling at MSRP, unlike Nvidia and AMD's offerings (which, besides being scalped, are also out of stock).
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In terms of the underlying hardware, you get the latest Xe2-HPG graphics chip from Team Blue. It is based on Battlemage, which brings a massive overhaul in terms of rendering potential and ray tracing.
Pros:
- Only budget GPU that can handle 1440p gaming at stable framerates.
- Packs 12 GB VRAM, which is rare under $350.
- Hardware AV1 encode is still top-tier, even against newer cards.
Cons:
- Driver stability remains a gamble across many titles.
- Performance tanks in older DX9 and DX11 games.
- Power draw is unoptimized for what is effectively a mid-tier card.
4) AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT 16 GB ($599+)
If you're looking for flawless rasterization performance at a tight budget, AMD's got your back. The Radeon GPUs have made quite a name for themselves in terms of value-for-money gaming. The RX 7800 XT, a last-gen mid-premium segment offering, continues to be a fine example of the company's commitment to delivering better price-to-performance than Team Green.
For about $599, you get better performance than the Nvidia RTX 4070 and 4070 Super with this GPU. You also get 16 GB of GDDR6 video memory, which future-proofs your investment, unlike the latest 70-class competitors. However, some corners are cut in terms of ray tracing and upscaling performance. RDNA 3 isn't the most power-efficient either, with the 7800 XT drawing northwards of 260W under peak load.
Pros:
- Still the cheapest way to get 16 GB VRAM on a capable GPU.
- Beats Nvidia’s RTX 4070 in raw rasterization performance.
- Holds up well in modern AAA titles at 1440p ultra settings.
Cons:
- FSR is no match for DLSS in image quality or adoption.
- Poor ray tracing performance compared to similarly priced Nvidia cards.
- Limited availability of high-quality third-party coolers.
Read more: Nvidia RTX 5080 review: Can AI replace gen-on-gen improvements?
3) Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 12 GB ($699+)
Nvidia has bundled its latest Blackwell GPUs with a ton of AI upscaling and enhancement technologies, allowing them to push way above their weight class. The best example is the RTX 5070, a GPU that can now deliver 4090-level performance at less than a third of the price. This, paired with gen-on-gen improvements in ray tracing, AI training, and robust driver support, makes the 5070 a no-brainer for gamers who want a no-drama experience.
The hardware specs list of the RTX 5070 can be a bit underwhelming, however. Under its hood, you get the severely cut-down GB205 graphics chip, which natively isn't capable of matching even the RTX 4070 Ti Super in terms of raw rendering potential. The GPU still pairs the same 12 GB GDDR7 video memory buffer, which can be a bit underwhelming given most modern titles are pushing for more VRAM at 1440p gaming.
Pros:
- DLSS 4 multi-frame generation makes it ideal for smooth AAA gaming.
- Compact and power-efficient design thanks to the improved Blackwell architecture.
Cons:
- $699 for 12 GB VRAM is laughably overpriced in 2025.
- 192-bit bus chokes memory bandwidth in some high-res workloads.
- Offers minimal gains over RTX 4070 Ti in non-DLSS scenarios.
2) AMD Radeon RX 9070 16 GB ($807+)
AMD's latest RDNA 4 lineup is designed to eat away at Nvidia's market share. The Radeon RX 9070 is a prime example of how the company is trying to draw gamers towards its alternatives. The card can match the RTX 5070 in multiple games, and even beat it in a few scenarios. The real performance is closer to the RTX 4070 Ti Super. This makes it a lucrative deal around the $800 price tag.
In terms of the underlying hardware, you get the flagship Navi 48 graphics chip with the GPU, bundled into an efficient 260W design. In terms of thermal footprint, AMD has gotten better with the RDNA 4 lineup, but efficiency still remains behind Nvidia. However, the latest offering isn't faster than the RX 7900 XT and the 7900 XTX, as AMD has practically dropped out of the flagship GPU race this year.
Pros:
- 16 GB VRAM future-proofs it better than any sub-$900 Nvidia card.
- Significant uplift in raster performance over 7800 XT.
- RDNA 4 improves power efficiency and compute density.
Cons:
- Ray tracing is still a weak point, despite RDNA 4 improvements.
- FSR 3 is not widely supported and lacks maturity.
- Launch drivers are often rough and need several updates to stabilize.
Read more: Nvidia RTX 5060 Ti review: This GPU can play Cyberpunk 2077 Path Tracing at 160 FPS
1) Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti 16 GB ($899+)
The Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti is the absolute king of 1440p gaming, both in terms of rendering potential and pricing (pun intended). The card has been designed to play the latest titles flawlessly at the resolution, and it holds up to the promise pretty well. The GPU is about as fast as the Radeon RX 7900 XTX and RTX 4080 Super in terms of native performance, and AI improves upon this.
With DLSS 4 multi-frame generation, you can guarantee triple-digit framerates in virtually all titles. Moreover, the 16 GB VRAM buffer helps future-proof the card. However, those looking for some 4K capabilities as well might run into issues in more demanding video games like Alan Wake 2 and Black Myth Wukong.
Pros:
- Fastest 70-class GPU ever, capable of 4K with DLSS enabled.
- DLSS + frame gen makes demanding games playable even on ultra.
- Solid thermal performance despite the 250W power envelope.
Cons:
- $899 MSRP puts it dangerously close to RTX 4080 Super pricing.
- Nvidia is still stingy with memory bandwidth — 256-bit bus on a $900 card.
- Limited VRAM headroom in demanding creator workloads vs. AMD offerings.
Overall, these are some of the latest and most lucrative 1440p gaming GPUs to buy in 2025. Do note that we have focused more on no-hiccups performance; hence, several worthy alternatives that still give a run for their money (such as the RTX 5060 Ti and the AMD RX 6800 XT) were dropped from the list.
With the list above, we have focused on current market trends and availability to present a realistic list to gamers.
