I recently received an RX 9060 XT with 16GB of VRAM as a birthday gift. My current system has a Ryzen 5 5600, 16GB of DDR4-3200 memory, and an older RX 6650 XT connected to a 1080p 120Hz monitor. I mostly play noncompetitive games, so extremely high refresh rates and maximum esports performance aren't priorities. The new graphics card handles 1080p very easily, and I'm wondering whether upgrading to a 1440p monitor would make sense. Is this CPU and GPU combination capable of running modern games comfortably at 1440p, and are there any monitor size or panel recommendations I should consider?
3 Answers
Yes, 1440p is a sensible upgrade for that system. The jump from 1080p to 1440p is very noticeable, and an RX 9060 XT should handle it well in most games. A 27-inch 1440p display is a great size because it looks much sharper than 27-inch 1080p without needing an enormous desk.
Your PC is definitely capable of 1440p. You may need to lower a few settings or use upscaling in especially demanding games instead of running everything at maximum, but the higher resolution will still look substantially better than 1080p. Since you don’t play competitive shooters, the extra image quality is probably more valuable than chasing an extremely high refresh rate.
I’d go for a 27-inch 1440p monitor with at least a 144Hz or 165Hz refresh rate. That gives you a sharp image and smooth motion without being overly focused on competitive gaming. If your budget allows, OLED is also worth considering for its contrast and response times, although a good IPS display will offer better value and no burn-in concerns.
Agreed. The improvement in clarity is especially obvious on a 27-inch screen, and 1440p monitors are much more affordable now.