I currently have a Core i5-12400F, MSI H610M-E motherboard, RTX 4060 8GB, 16GB of DDR5 RAM, a 1TB NVMe drive, and a 750W power supply. I'm using a 1080p 120Hz monitor, but I'm also considering spending about $200 on a 1440p monitor for games such as Cyberpunk 2077, Elden Ring, and Red Dead Redemption 2.
I can sell my RTX 4060 and purchase an RX 9060 XT with 16GB of VRAM for roughly $500, making the upgrade cost about $200. Is that a worthwhile performance upgrade for 1440p gaming? Would my i5-12400F bottleneck the card, and is a 750W power supply sufficient? Alternatively, should I simply upgrade the monitor and continue using the RTX 4060?
4 Answers
The 4060 can run games at 1440p, but you’ll likely need to lower settings or use upscaling in demanding newer titles. If you’re happy with that, upgrading only the monitor is perfectly viable. If you want a more comfortable 1440p experience with higher textures and better longevity, the 16GB RX 9060 XT is a more suitable card. Don’t expect a massive leap in every game, though, so compare current local prices and benchmarks before committing.
The upgrade is reasonable for an extra $200, especially if you’re moving from a 1080p monitor to 1440p and want higher settings or smoother performance. However, make sure the actual performance difference is large enough in your local market. A higher-tier card such as an RX 9070 GRE may offer much better value for around $70 more in some regions, but if it costs roughly $760 where you live, it’s outside the budget and the 9060 XT becomes the more practical option.
For 1440p AAA gaming, the i5-12400F should generally be fine and is unlikely to hold back the RX 9060 XT significantly. A 750W PSU should also provide enough power, assuming it’s a decent-quality unit rather than relying only on the wattage label. The 16GB of VRAM should be useful over time, and the upgrade makes more sense if you specifically want better 1440p performance. Just check the card’s physical dimensions and power connectors before buying.
I was planning to test 1440p gaming with the RTX 4060 first, but I’m concerned it may struggle in newer AAA games.
A 750W supply should be plenty for this class of graphics card, and the processor shouldn’t be a major bottleneck at 1440p, where the GPU does more of the work. The main things to verify are the power supply’s quality, the card’s case clearance, and whether the specific model needs any unusual power connector.
The 9070 GRE is much more expensive here, so it isn’t really an option. Given that price difference, I’m mainly deciding between the 9060 XT and keeping the 4060.