I currently game on a 1440p monitor with a GTX 1080 Ti and am considering a used RTX 3060 Ti or RX 6700 XT. Their performance is fairly similar, but the 6700 XT costs about $50 more and offers additional VRAM. I'm mainly wondering whether DLSS on the 3060 Ti looks noticeably better than FSR on the 6700 XT, and how much either feature can help maintain 60 FPS or higher. I could also wait for a discounted RX 7700 XT, but that may take several months. Which option makes the most sense for 1440p gaming?
2 Answers
The RTX 3060 Ti is still a solid choice if you find one at the right price. With only a $50 difference, though, the RX 6700 XT is probably the better long-term buy because its 12GB of VRAM gives it more breathing room at 1440p. DLSS generally has a slight image-quality advantage over FSR, but the difference usually isn’t large enough to outweigh the extra VRAM.
I’d either wait for a good RX 7700 XT sale or choose the RX 6700 XT now. Eight gigabytes can be limiting at 1440p in newer games, while the 6700 XT’s 12GB should age better. The 3060 Ti can still work well with DLSS Quality, but you may need to lower textures or other settings in demanding titles.
I use a 3060 Ti at 1440p with DLSS Quality and it generally looks very good. Eight gigabytes is still enough in many games, although titles such as Indiana Jones and The Last of Us can require reduced settings. Less demanding games can run at a stable 60 FPS with only around 5GB of VRAM in use.
That’s helpful. I’m mostly trying to avoid buying something that will struggle with newer 1440p games because of its memory capacity.