RTX vs GTX: What's the Difference and Which Should You Buy?

NVIDIA's GTX (GeForce Experience Technology) line was the standard gaming GPU series up until 2018. The RTX (Ray Tracing Xtreme) lineup launched with the 20-series and introduced two game-changing technologies: real-time ray tracing and DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling). **Ray Tracing** Ray tracing simulates how light behaves in the real world — reflections, shadows, and ambient lighting all become dramatically more realistic. GTX cards have shader-based ray tracing fallback but run it so slowly it is effectively unusable. RTX cards have dedicated RT cores that handle this workload efficiently. **DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling)** DLSS uses AI to upscale a lower-resolution image to a higher one with minimal quality loss. This effectively gives you higher frame rates for free. GTX cards do not support DLSS. RTX 40-series cards support DLSS 3, which includes Frame Generation — doubling frame rates in supported games. **Raw Rasterisation Performance** For traditional rasterisation (standard rendering without ray tracing), the RTX 30 and 40 series cards significantly outperform any GTX card. An RTX 4060 is roughly 3–4x faster than a GTX 1060 in modern titles. **Should You Buy GTX in 2026?** NVIDIA stopped making GTX cards. The last GTX card was the GTX 1650 Super. If you are buying new, there is no GTX option — only RTX. If you are buying used, a GTX 1080 Ti or GTX 1070 Ti can still play 1080p games, but you will miss out on DLSS and ray tracing, and drivers receive less attention over time. **GTX vs RTX Summary Table** - Ray Tracing: GTX = No / RTX = Yes - DLSS Support: GTX = No / RTX = Yes (DLSS 3 on 40-series) - Frame Generation: GTX = No / RTX 40-series = Yes - New Cards Available: GTX = No / RTX = Yes - Best For: GTX = Used budget builds / RTX = All new builds The bottom line: if you are building or upgrading in 2026, RTX is the only sensible choice. GTX cards are legacy hardware.