I'm looking to upgrade my girlfriend's PC since she just got a new 1440p monitor and her current setup is getting a bit outdated. Right now she has an i5 9400f CPU, an RTX 2060 GPU, 16 GB of DDR4 RAM, and a 550W power supply. I found two options: a second hand RTX 4070 Super with 12 GB for €470 and a brand new RX 9060 XT with 16 GB for €400. I'm torn between going for the RTX 4070, which is known for better performance, but the RX 9060 feels appealing too since it has more VRAM and doesn't require a PSU upgrade right now. My girlfriend doesn't care about Ray Tracing and is happy with high/medium settings, so I'm looking for advice on which card would make for a better long-term investment. Any thoughts?
3 Answers
I'd recommend the RTX 4070 Super as well, especially being only used for around a year and a half. The RX 9060, while decent with its 16 GB, might not fully utilize its VRAM due to the power limits of its architecture. If your girlfriend's gaming is more casual, either choice will do, but for future-proofing, the 4070 offers better performance and features. And if in the future she wants a platform upgrade, you'll already be set with a good GPU.
Honestly, if the 9060 XT is only going to be used casually and not for competitive gaming, it could be a great short-term solution to avoid upgrading everything at once. Plus, your PSU should be capable of handling it without any issues. But if you're okay with a gradual upgrade path, going for the 4070 Super and planning a full platform upgrade later seems most sensible in the long run.
That's a good point! We definitely want to take our time upgrading, so maybe using the 9060 for now and then switching to the 4070 later could work too.
Given your current setup, I'd suggest going with the RTX 4070 Super if your power supply can handle it. It's more powerful and provides better future-proofing, especially if you plan to upgrade your CPU and motherboard later on. Since your girlfriend doesn't need ultra settings, this card should serve her well for high settings at 1440p. If your PSU quality is decent, you should be fine with it. Just keep in mind the cpu could bottleneck performance a bit, so eventually upgrading that would help.
Thanks for confirming! I wasn't sure about the PSU, but I'll check its ratings. If we do end up upgrading the CPU and motherboard later, the 4070 seems like a solid choice.
I appreciate the clarity! We want this upgrade to last, so the extra power of the 4070 is appealing. Plus, it seems like most are leaning that way.