Graphics Card Performance & Value 2026: 1440p FPS vs FPS per $10

About This Chart

Data Visualization Method

• Data: Average 1440p gaming frame rates for 15 graphics cards, paired with a U.S. price snapshot for each card. Frame rates are published benchmark results. The value metric is derived from them.
• Selection: Current-generation consumer desktop cards from NVIDIA (GeForce RTX 50 series), AMD (Radeon RX 9000 series) and Intel (Arc B-series). Mobile, workstation, China-only and unreleased models are outside the scope.
• Benchmark basis: 2560×1440, native rendering, high or ultra settings depending on the game. The average is a geometric mean across 11 rasterized games, with no upscaling or frame generation. All 15 results come from the same test bench.
• Price basis: U.S. prices in USD, recorded on October 5, 2026. A single market and a single currency keep the ratio comparable across cards; these are not global prices.
• Value metric: FPS per $10 = (average 1440p FPS ÷ U.S. price) × 10. Calculated from unrounded inputs and displayed to two decimal places. Frame rates are shown to one decimal place, as published.
• Chart form: A horizontal bar chart with two views, switched from the toggle at the top: 1440p Average Gaming FPS (absolute performance) and Average FPS per $10 (performance relative to price). Bars re-sort from highest to lowest each time the view changes. In both views, a longer bar means a better result on that metric.
• Reference dates: Benchmarks as updated on June 24, 2026; prices as of October 5, 2026. Chart published [확인 필요: 공개일].

Creator's Note

The fastest graphics card and the one that returns the most frames for its price are not necessarily the same card, and switching between the two views makes that gap visible. A high FPS per $10 can come from strong performance, from a low price, or from both: the Arc B570 leads the value view while posting the lowest average frame rate in this set, whereas the RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT stay in the upper part of both views. The two metrics answer different questions, and neither is complete on its own.

Data Sources

• Tom's Hardware GPU Hierarchy — average 1440p raster frame rates for all 15 cards.
• PC Gamer Price Watch — lowest price from a reputable U.S. seller for 14 cards.
• Tom's Hardware Best GPUs — median U.S. street price for the RTX 5090, used because the price tracker listed no reputable seller for it.
• Manufacturer specification pages from NVIDIA, AMD and Intel — used only to confirm model names and specifications. Not plotted.

Launch reviews from TechPowerUp, TechSpot and GamersNexus were consulted only to check the direction of the results. Their numbers are not mixed into the chart, because test settings and game lists differ.

This chart is a new visualization built from published figures. It does not reproduce the original tables or graphics, and the benchmark results and prices remain the work of their respective publishers.

Limitations

The frame rates are an average across one fixed set of games on one test bench. Individual games and genres can favor different cards, and a different game list or system configuration would shift the results. The average also excludes ray tracing, upscaling (such as DLSS or FSR) and frame generation, so cards with stronger features in those areas may look different in practice.

Prices are a single-day snapshot. Retail prices change by seller and by week, and prices outside the U.S. can differ substantially because of taxes, currency and local supply. The RTX 5090 price follows a different definition (median street price rather than lowest listing), so its value figure is close but not strictly like-for-like with the other 14 cards.

The benchmarks predate the price snapshot by about three months. Driver updates or later test revisions after June 24, 2026 are not reflected. If the chart is updated, both inputs should be refreshed from the same sources and the new dates noted.

What This Chart Doesn't Show

FPS per $10 is a ratio of performance to price, not the extra frames gained by spending another $10. A card with modest absolute performance can rank high on this metric simply because it is inexpensive, and a high value score does not mean a playable frame rate in any particular game.

Neither view is a buying ranking. Average frame rate does not capture VRAM capacity, power draw, heat, noise or driver stability, and the right card depends on resolution, settings, target frame rate, monitor refresh rate and budget.