More and more Steam users are now using Nvidia RTX 4000 graphics cards, but shiny new AMD GPUs are struggling to do the same in the store. Steam’s latest hardware survey suggests an increase in Nvidia RTX 4070 Ti and RTX 4080 owners, while the top-ranked card is starting to lose ground.
The GeForce RTX 4000 and Radeon RX 7900 options entered the race for the best graphics cards late last year, but where next-gen stands isn’t exactly clear. For starters, Nvidia says GPUs like the RTX 3060 are still part of the current-gen family, and AMD has yet to release anything that can compete with the RTX 4090. Still, even if it all seems out of sync , Lovelace’s lineup apparently has a leg up on AMD at the moment, as all three newcomers to the green team have made it to Valve’s list of best GPUs.
The latest GPU figures from Steam’s Hardware Survey reveal that 0.19% of users are now using an RTX 4080, with the RTX 4070 Ti ranking slightly lower at 0.17%. Additionally, the popularity of the RTX 4090 saw a 0.07% increase from January, shifting to the RTX 3050 Ti.
The RTX 4000 GPUs aren’t what we’d call popular yet, with total combined usage still equating to less than 1%. For context, the reigning hardware survey champion is the Nvidia GTX 1650, and several other RTX 3000 cards sit closer to the top of the popularity totem. However, this older budget option lost some users last month, so we may see more of a shift to newer cards throughout 2023.
That said, there are no signs of life in the hardware survey when it comes to the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT and XTX, as neither card has enough users to rank. A contributing factor could be the fact that we are still awaiting FSR 3.0, the red team’s answer to Nvidia DLSS 3 and Frame Generation. The last two tools can increase fps beyond native capabilities, which can sway potential buyers without brand loyalty.
Of course, Steam’s hardware survey is constantly changing, and Radeon RX 7900 graphics cards may soon be on the list. Again, it may seem like Nvidia is winning the race, but things may change when AMD fans start upgrading their old cards.