I've been getting into gaming more lately and playing titles like the Silent Hill 2 Remake, The Witcher 3, and Red Dead Redemption 2 on my PC, which has a GTX 1050ti and an AMD Ryzen 5 5600x. I usually run the settings on low or medium, and while it works fine, I've noticed the GTX isn't cutting it anymore with recent AAA games like Cyberpunk 2077.
I'm on a budget since I'm still in school and don't have a job, but I've been looking into upgrading to either the RTX 5060, RX 9060 XT, or the Intel B580 for the best price-to-performance ratio.
The catch is that the 5060 only has 8GB of VRAM, while the RX 9060 XT has 12GB and 16GB versions. Considering I'm gaming at 1080p, I've heard 8GB is typically enough, but I'm wondering if it's worth spending nearly €100 more for the 9060 with extra VRAM.
Also, I've heard the RTX comes with features like DLSS, anti-aliasing, and better ray tracing—are these worth it? Additionally, could my CPU (the R5 5600X) bottleneck any of these options?
5 Answers
How much more is the 9060 XT compared to the 5060? If they are fairly close in price, maybe consider the 9060 XT 8GB version instead, as that could be a good balance since the performance is more comparable to the 5060.
I'm running a similar setup with a Ryzen 5600 and RX 9060 XT, and I've seen VRAM usage hit around 13GB in newer games. If you're playing at higher settings like I do, I seriously doubt that an 8GB card would hold up as well. Plus, I’ve noticed my CPU hitting 100% usage in some games, so consider how that might affect performance too. Honestly, for the difference in price, the performance benefits are worth it for me.
I’ve got both setups—one with an RTX 5060 and another with a Ryzen 5700X3D and an RX 9060 XT. The 5060 surprisingly handles Cyberpunk 2077 and Baldur’s Gate 3 pretty well at high settings in 1080p, thanks to DLSS. I usually don’t use ray tracing because it eats up VRAM, and I still enjoy great visuals. If you're on a tight budget, you could stick with the 5060 and have a solid gaming experience without needing the extra power from the 9060.
It really depends! For 1080p gaming, most titles won’t require more than 8GB for now. That said, some newer games might start to struggle with it. If you don’t need CUDA for specific tasks, the RX 9060 XT offers a better long-term investment due to its extra VRAM. The B580 is great, but it might not perform as well as the other two options. I'd suggest sticking closer to the 9060 or the B580 rather than the 5060 considering the pricing.
Can’t you just lower the settings on those demanding games? Wouldn’t that make them playable?
I think the RX 9060 XT is worth it for the extra VRAM. Those 8GB can be limiting, especially as games get more demanding. You’ll likely benefit from the added performance in future titles as well. It's a good long-term investment, especially if you plan to keep gaming for a while.
They're about the same price right now, but I've heard that the 5060 might outperform the cheaper models.