What’s the Best Nvidia GPU for a $1200 PC Build?

Hey everyone! I'm looking to build a PC and I need some help choosing the right GPU. Here's what I plan to use the PC for: gaming (mostly offline games like RDR2, KCD2, and Days Gone), photo editing (processing vacation photos in RAW format and stacking photos of the night sky), experimenting with AI (like Whisper and ComfyUI, which is why I'm leaning towards an RTX card), and watching YouTube (I do that about 90% of the time).

I've already decided to go with an AM5 socket and DDR5 to keep it relevant for a few years. My budget for the GPU is around $1100, but if I can get something with 1.5 times the power for the same price, I'm all in! I'm okay with either new or used cards. If you've got suggestions for improving other parts of the setup, feel free to share!