The performance of a graphic processing unit is evaluated based on its specification. The Benchmarks tell what level of good performance it can offer. Therefore, it is important to understand the GPU hierarchy to analyze its expected performance. GPUs at different levels of the hierarchy may differ according to their price, features, and capabilities for different purposes. Some GPUs are best built for gaming, while they can still handle another graphic-intensive tasks. On the other hand, some top-tier GPUs are dedicated to producing high-end content, advanced rendering graphics, and data engineering. In This blog, we will explore the GPU hierarchy and its
Begin by explaining the concept of GPU hierarchy and its significance in evaluating graphics card performance.
Graphics Card Hierarchy Top GPU Making Brands
When it comes to GPU hierarchy, Nvidia and AMD are two major brands that are competing in the market. Although AMD is not a direct competition, for the last couple of years, it has been advancing towards better GPU designs at affordable prices. Therefore, AMD is emerging as a second choice for people who want to get access to advanced graphics within their budget.
Nvidia
Nvidia has been pioneering innovation in GPUs since the launch of its first GPU in 1999. No doubt Nvidia has no comparison when it comes to GPU technology and the advanced science behind it. Nvidia’s market share in the GPU market in the last quarter of 2023 was noticed at around 88%, while the other hand, AMD stands at somewhere at 12%. Intel and other IT hardware manufacturers were trying to jump into the race; however, they were not able to give a solid setback to any of the two major GPU makers. By the second quarter of 2024, AMD’s Market share decreased by 0.2%, and by the last quarter of 2024, Nvidia hit the all-time high 90% of global GPU market share. According to different statistics, such as Yahoo Finance and Investing.com, it is 88%. However, despite the minimal variation, all agree with Nvidia’s dominance as the GPU market leader.
Its data center GPUs are a key component in all AI advanced application-based large language models. It collaborates with more than 20,000 companies through its GPU technology and AI solutions.
Nvidia’s Blackwell Technology is a breakthrough in the GPU industry, and currently, its flagship GPU RTX 5090 from Rtx 50 Series is the most powerful graphic card in the world right now.
Graphics Card Hierarchy from Nvidia
Nvidia began its RTX 10 series back in 2016, and now, almost after a decade, it has evolved to RTX 50 Series. Nvidia just recently uncovered its RTX 50 series at CES 2025. Here is the list of GPU series and their Architecture.
Series | Architecture | GPUs |
RTX 50 Series | Blackwell Architecture | RTX 5090 RTX 5080 RTX 5070, RTX 5070 Ti RTX 5060, RTX 5060 Ti |
RTX 40 Series | Ada Lovelace Architecture | RTX 4090 RTX 4080 Super RTX 4070 Ti Super RTX 4070 Super RTX 4060 Ti (16GB / 8GB) RTX 4060 |
RTX 30 Series | Ampere | RTX 3090 Ti RTX 3090 RTX 3080 Ti RTX 3080 RTX 3060 Ti RTX 3060 RTX 3050 |
RTX 20 Series | Turing | RTX 2080 Ti RTX 2080 Super RTX 2070 Super RTX 2060 Super RTX 2060 |
Before its RTX series, Nvidia had a GPU series named GTX. The GPU card hierarchy from the Nvidia GTX series is as follows:
Nvidia GTX Series
GTX series | Architecture | GPUs |
GTX 16 Series | Turing | GTX 1660 Ti GTX 1660 Super GTX 1660 GTX 1650, GTX 1650 Super |
GTX 10 Series | Pascal | GTX 1080, GTX 1080 Ti GTX 1070, GTX 1070 Ti GTX 1060 (6GB / 3GB) GTX 1050 Ti, GTX 1050 |
Nvidia DATA Center GPU Hierarchy
Nvidia offers some data center GPUs that are designed for high-performance computing, machine learning, and cloud computing.
Data Center GPUs Series | Architecture | Top GPU Models |
H- Series | Hopper Architecture | H200, H100 |
A- Series | Ampere Architecture | A100, A40 |
L-Series | Ada Lovelace | L40S, L40 |
V-Series | Volta Architecture | V100, V100S |
P-Series | Pascal | P100, P40 |
Entry Level GPUs vs Mid-Level GPUs vs Top Tier GPUs
Currently, Nvidia’s RTX 5090 is considered the world’s most powerful GPU. It has recently been released in the largest tech event of CES 2025. It became available in the market on 31st Jan 2025. Nvidia’s top-tier GPUs contain around 12 GB GDDR6X, while the mid-range GPUS has 8 GB GDDR6 GPUs IN RTX 40 and 30 series. On the other hand, the entry-level GPUs in the GPU benchmark list have a minimum memory of 8 to 6 GB of either GDDR6 or GDDR5 Technology.
Here is the chart showing GPU hierarchy according to GPU performance comparison:
Top Tier GPUs | Mid-Level GPUs | Entry Level GPUs |
RTX 5090 RTX 5080 RTX 4080 Super RTX 4080 RTX 3090 Ti RTX 3090 Ti | RTX 4070 Ti Super RTX 4070 Super RTX 4070 RTX 4060 Ti (16GB / 8GB) RTX 4060 RTX 3070 Ti RTX 3070 RTX 3060 Ti | RTX 3050 (8GB / 6GB) GTX 1660 Super GTX 1660 Ti GTX 1650 Super GTX 1650 |
AMD GPUs
AMD Advanced Micro Device Manufacturer is an American hardware manufacturing company that creates microprocessors and related technologies. AMD’s core product lines are processors and accelerators for both individual uses as well as for servers. Currently, AMD holds around 12% of the global GPU industry market share.
Recently, AMD announced its integration into the new Deep seek V-3 model. Until now, Nvidia has been providing data center chips and advanced processors to AI giants that deal with large language models, cloud computing, and deep learning AI training. However, after the introduction of the Deep Seek V3 Model, which is open source and offers multimodal design to bring unparalleled efficiency.
Although it has a small market share in the GPU market, AMD still never stays behind the game when it comes to catching up with advanced technology. Even in center processing units, it is striving to compete with Intel, the biggest player in the CPU Market. AMD’s two major brands are Ryzen for CPU and Radeon for GPUs. In addition, the AMD Instinct MI series offers AI and data center GPUs, such as Mi300X and M1250, which compete with Nvidia’s H100 and A100.
Graphics Card Hierarchy of AMD GPUs
Considering GPU benchmark comparison, the most powerful GPU from AMD is going to be RX 9070, which is going to arrive in March 2025, as AMD officially disclosed in CES 2025. According to the AMD GPU benchmark list, the top-tier AMD GPUs have 20 GB to 24 GB VRAM.
Here is the list of GPU hierarchies according to the GPU benchmark specifications.
Top Tier GPUs of AMD | Architecture | Vram |
Radeon RX 9000 Series (Upcoming) | RDNA 4 | TBD |
Radeon RX 7900 XT | RDNA 3 | 20GB GDDR6 |
Radeon RX 7900 XTX | RDNA 3 | 24GB GDDR6 |
Radeon RX 7900 GRE | RDNA 3 | 16GB GDDR6 |
Radeon PRO W7900 | RDNA 3 | 48GB GDDR6 |
Radeon RX 6950 XT | RDNA 2 | 16GB GDDR6 |
The mid-level AMD GPUs come with 16 to 8 GB of VRAM. All of them support 1140p Ultra resolution and have a high frame per second. These are perfect for 1080 ultra gaming.
AMD’s Mid-Level GPUs | Nvidia Equivalent | Vram |
Radeon RX 7800 XT | RTX 4070 Super | 16 GB GDDR6 |
Radeon RX 7700 XT | RTX 4060 Ti | 12 GB GDDR6 |
Radeon RX 7600 XT | RTX 4060 | 16 GB GDDR6 |
Radeon RX 7600 | RTX 4060 / RTX 3060 | 8 GB GDDR6 |
In AMD’s GPU hierarchy, the entry-level GPU has benchmarks that seamlessly support 1080p gaming, but they can’t support high-end gaming due to limited ray tracing technology. They are manufactured with RDNA2 Architecture and support a Vram of 8GB to 6GB.
AMD’s Mid-Level GPUs | Nvidia Equivalent | Vram |
Radeon RX 7600 | RTX 3060 | 8 GB GDDR6 |
Radeon RX 6650 XT | RTX 3050/ 3060 | 8 GB GDDR6 |
Radeon RX 6600 XT | RTX 3050 Ti | 8 GB GDDR6 |
Radeon RX 6600 | RTX 3050 | 8 GB GDDR6 |
Radeon RX 6500 XT | GTX 1650 Super | 4 GB GDDR6 |
Intel Qualcomm, Tesla & Google
Besides AMD and Nvidia, Intel, Qualcomm, Tesla & Google also make GPUs on a smaller scale. However, their GPUs are mostly used in entry-level graphics; they can’t offer completion to advanced technology provided by Nvidia and AMD.
Third-Party Brands Offering Custom Variation of the GPUs
Nvidia and AMD are the two most popular Graphic processor manufacturers. However, there are many third-party brands that buy their GPUs, make value additions, and sell them on the market. These brand design their own PCBs, cooling solutions, and power supply and rebrand the GPU with their name. The most popular third-party GPU brands are as follows:
The value Additions these brand makes are:
- Adding Vapor Chamber Cooling
- Military-Grade Capacitors
- Better VRMs & Power Delivery
Conclusion
In conclusion, when it comes to GPU ranking and performance, Nvidia and AMD are two major players in the market. When we do a GPU performance comparison, both manufacturers offer a variety of GPUs to cater to different workload requirements. However, AMD is considered a bit more reasonable than Nvidia.
FAQs
Which GPU is best for deep learning?
Nvidia Data center GPUs such as Tesla A100 with ampere architecture and H100 with hopper architecture are the two best GPUs for deep learning. NVIDIA RTX A6000 Tensor Core GPU is known for its performance as well as cost-effectiveness.
What determines GPU performance?
A GPU’s performance can be determined by its specification features, such as the number of core counts, clock speed, memory size, memory technology, and overall GPU tech architecture. Considering these elements, we draw a GPU benchmark comparison and their respective GPU Rankings in performance.
What is the best GPU for streaming?
The best budget GPUs with amazing streaming performance are RTX 4060 and RTX 3070 from Nvidia and Radeon RX 7800 XT and Radeon RX 7600 XT from AMD.