Mario Petkovski
Despite the increased processing power of modern graphics cards, high-quality video editing and rendering can still tax even the most powerful desktop computers. Software and video production standards evolve in tandem with hardware developments.
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You’ll need powerful hardware to do any kind of rendering or editing. With a more powerful GPU, you can finish your work more quickly.
Choosing between Nvidia and AMD, the two most popular graphics card makers is not always easy. AMD’s consumer GPUs fall somewhere in the middle in terms of price and performance. The Radeon PRO series is AMD’s line of high-end graphics processing units (GPUs) designed for commercial use.
On the contrary, Nvidia has a stellar reputation for its reliability and effectiveness. As of the year 2021, the RTX A series graphics cards have replaced the Quadro as Nvidia’s professional GPU series.
To make things easier for you, we’ve listed five of the best graphics cards for rendering in 2022.
Best Graphics Card for Rendering 2022
When your job entails visual effects or graphic design, you can’t deny the importance of your workstation, especially if you work in the animation or industrial design industries.
Upgrading your graphics card to the best of the best is a worthy investment.
| Best Graphics Cards for Rendering | Video Ram Memory (VRAM) | Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA) Scores | BUY NOW |
|---|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA RTX A6000 | 48GB | 10,752 | |
| EVGA GeForce RTX 3090 FTW3 Ultra | 24GB | 10,496 | |
| ASUS ROG Strix NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 | 24GB | 10,496 | |
| AMD Radeon Pro W5500 | 8GB | 1,408 | |
| MSI Gaming GeForce GTX 1660 Super | 6GB | 1,408 |
| Best Graphics Cards for Rendering | Video Ram Memory (VRAM) | Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA) Scores | BUY NOW |
|---|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA RTX A6000 | 48GB | 10,752 | |
| EVGA GeForce RTX 3090 FTW3 Ultra | 24GB | 10,496 | |
| ASUS ROG Strix NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 | 24GB | 10,496 | |
| AMD Radeon Pro W5500 | 8GB | 1,408 | |
| MSI Gaming GeForce GTX 1660 Super | 6GB | 1,408 |
After considering a wide range of factors, such as price, user reviews, technical specifications, and competitive tests, we’ve handpicked this list of the best graphics cards for rendering in 2022.
With that said, let’s dive deep into the five recommended graphics cards we’ve gathered below.
Top Pick: NVIDIA RTX A6000
In 2022, the NVIDIA RTX A6000 remains the best professional graphics card for 3D rendering and modeling professionals.
The RTX A6000 is designed for professional-level rendering work and comes with features like error correction code (ECC) memory, strong reliability, and a slew of specialized drivers.
This beast of a graphics rendering and modeling card, with 10,752 compute unified device architecture (CUDA) cores and 84 RT cores, gives you unrivaled performance in real-time ray tracing and fine frame ray tracing.
Pros
- Insanely fast multitasking and rendering performance
- Near universal compatibility
- Best Video Ram Memory (VRAM) on the market
Cons
- Only 1 HDMI 2.1 port
- Needs a cooling system to prevent overheating
Runner Up: EVGA GeForce RTX 3090 FTW3 Ultra
With its affordable price and fast rendering speeds, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 is highly recommended for 3D modeling and rendering professionals. While designed for entertainment purposes, this card provides professional editors with performance on par with our top pick, the NVIDIA RTX A6000.
This graphics card boasts 10,496 CUDA cores and 24GB of VRAM, allowing it to swiftly and efficiently process extremely demanding workloads. In addition, the RTX 3090 is one of the fastest cards available for 3D rendering, and it has a relatively low price compared to the RTX A6000.
Pros
- Smooth rendering performance
- Great for both rendering and gaming
- Minimal coil whine
Cons
- Increased fan noise
- Needs a better support bracket
Most Reliable: ASUS ROG Strix NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090
When it comes to rendering and gaming, NVIDIA’s RTX 3090 is one of the best to exist. Comparison tests indicate that the Strix is one of the best graphics cards for both rendering and gaming.
With 24 GB of GDDR6X memory, the ASUS ROG Strix NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 is more than enough for rendering and video editing. This is a whopping 6040% increase over the 3080. It is safe to assume you will never experience any difficulties with this GPU and its VRAM.
Because of its massive storage capacity and lightning-fast processing speed, the card performs greatly in rendering and comes with impressive build quality. This graphics card is a powerhouse if you don’t mind the coil whine and large power consumption.
Pros
- Great performance on ray tracing and high-demanding games
- Overclocks well
- Extremely smooth and fast in 3D rendering
Cons
- Large and heavy
- Noticeable coil whine
Value for Money: AMD Radeon Pro W5500
The AMD Radeon Pro W5500 continues AMD’s tradition as a go-to for reliable, low-cost professional 3D rendering cards. The AMD Radeon Pro W5500 is a dependable card that doesn’t overheat compared to the other professional-level cards on our list and can handle 3D workloads.
The Pro W5500 may be one of the weakest cards here, with only 8GB of VRAM, but it is a certified professional workstation card.
If your workstation isn’t up-to-date enough to run modern graphics cards like the RTX A6000 or RTX 3090, the Pro W5500 is a solid choice. It has been tested and approved for use in professional 3D rendering and visualization software and has no trouble processing 4K data.
Pros
- Low power consumption
- Performs well with multiple GPU tasks
- Cool and quiet
Cons
- Only great for computer-aided design (CAD)
Budget: MSI Gaming GeForce GTX 1660 Super
The Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super is a great budget graphics card for the expanding GDDR6-based Turing architecture. This graphics card is a superstar when it comes to entry-level graphics cards.
It can yield professional-grade visual quality and has a specialized graphics processor made for 3D modeling and other graphically intensive tasks, allowing you to complete tasks more quickly without sacrificing quality.
Graphics designers and 3D modelers will find the GTX 1660 Super’s 6GB of GDDR5 memory more than adequate. The GTX 1660 Super is a high-performance graphics card that can also be used for 3D modeling and other visual effects. You can get a noticeable boost in performance without spending too much.
Pros
- Great rendering performance
- Reduced power consumption
Cons
- Limited ports
- No ray tracing cores
To Sum Up
A higher Video RAM (VRAM) and Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA) Cores are among the requirements for 3D modeling and rendering cards. Only workstation graphics cards, such as those on this list, are capable of such advanced graphical computation.
If you’re on a budget, the MSI Gaming GeForce GTX 1660 Super is a great graphics card for low-cost artists. Its performance is sufficient without breaking the bank, making it an attractive option for those needing a new graphics card.
However, if money is not a problem, we highly recommend going for the NVIDIA RTX A6000 for the best performance in rendering.
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