I'm considering switching from my current NVIDIA card to an AMD GPU for better performance. I mainly play demanding Skyrim modlists, and my RTX 4060 usually manages only around 30 FPS. I especially like the realism that newer DLSS features can add, particularly to NPC faces, so I'm concerned that AMD's FSR won't look as good. The newer NVIDIA cards are outside my budget, so I'm wondering whether an RX 9070 GRE—or possibly another AMD model—would be a meaningful upgrade despite giving up DLSS.
4 Answers
A 9070 GRE should be dramatically faster than a 4060—potentially around 50% faster or more depending on the game and settings. That said, Skyrim modlists can be limited by CPU performance, draw calls, scripts, or poorly optimized mods, so check whether your current GPU is truly the bottleneck before upgrading.
Don’t assume you’ll miss DLSS features as much as you expect. In many games, image quality differences are less obvious during actual play than they appear in comparison videos, particularly with good textures, lighting, and a sensible reshade. AMD’s upscaling may not be identical, but the much higher raw performance could matter more for a demanding Skyrim setup.
If playing at roughly 30 FPS is acceptable to you, the AMD card can still be a good choice, but most people will notice the jump to 60 FPS more than subtle reconstruction or facial-detail differences. Also investigate whether a compatible upscaling or frame-generation wrapper can provide some of the features you like, though support and quality can vary by game.
The RX 9070 GRE should be substantially faster than an RTX 4060, especially at 1440p with heavily modded games. However, I’d also price-check the standard RX 9070. If the difference is manageable, the extra performance and longer-term headroom may make it the better buy than stopping at the GRE.
The GRE should still be a major improvement, but I agree that the regular 9070 is worth considering if the price gap isn’t too large.
I’m used to lower frame rates from older RPGs, but I’d definitely prefer 60 FPS or higher if the upgrade can manage it. I’ll also check whether those third-party options work with my mod setup.