I'm building a new PC in Spain with roughly €950–€1,000 available for the graphics card and memory together. My main use is AAA gaming on a 1440p 120Hz monitor, although I'm comfortable lowering settings or playing at 1080p. I'll also use the system for audio production and possibly some light video editing.
I'm considering two combinations:
- RTX 5060 8GB for about €493 plus 32GB DDR5-6000 for about €468
- RX 9070 GRE 12GB for about €630 plus 16GB DDR5-6000 for about €352
Because of current memory prices, I probably won't be able to upgrade for at least two or three years. Is 8GB of VRAM likely to become a serious limitation for AAA games during that time, even at 1080p, or would 16GB of system RAM cause more problems with gaming, multitasking, audio production, and light editing?
4 Answers
Eight gigabytes of VRAM is becoming uncomfortably tight for new AAA games, even at 1080p. Texture quality and ray tracing may need to be reduced, and some games can suffer from streaming issues. If the choice is strictly between these two packages, I’d take the 9070 GRE and accept 16GB of RAM rather than build around the RTX 5060.
I’d investigate whether a 16GB RX 9060 XT can fit alongside 32GB of RAM. It is slower than the 9070 GRE, but it should still handle 1440p reasonably well with sensible settings and upscaling. That combination would avoid both the 8GB VRAM concern and the limitations of 16GB system memory.
Look at the complete local market before deciding. A discounted 16GB graphics card, a cheaper version of the 9070 GRE, or even a used high-end card could potentially leave enough money for 32GB of memory. A used RTX 3080 was suggested as one example, though its power draw, age, and lack of newer features should be considered carefully.
The RX 9070 GRE is the stronger choice for AAA gaming by a wide margin. Its extra GPU performance and 12GB of VRAM are much better suited to 1440p than the RTX 5060’s 8GB. Sixteen gigabytes of system RAM is still usable today, especially for gaming, although it may require more compromises with multitasking. If the motherboard has four memory slots, adding another kit later could be possible when prices improve.
Sixteen gigabytes can already cause stuttering or limit performance in some newer games when browsers, launchers, or other applications are open, so it isn’t completely risk-free.
A regular RX 9070, RX 9070 XT, or another 16GB card could also be worth checking if the price difference is only around €50. Those options would provide a better long-term VRAM buffer.