I'm currently using a GTX 1070 Ti and want to upgrade for 1440p gaming at roughly high settings. GPU prices are still pretty steep, so I'm trying to figure out what performance tier is considered good enough today. Should I buy something now, or would waiting for a sale—possibly Black Friday—be the smarter move?
5 Answers
There is no guarantee prices will fall significantly. Waiting for a major sale like Black Friday is reasonable if you do not need the upgrade immediately, but the market could remain expensive for a long time. Set a price target for the card you want and buy when it reaches that price rather than waiting indefinitely.
Try to prioritize at least 12GB of VRAM. Used RTX 4070, 4070 Super, RX 7800 XT, or RX 7900 GRE cards could be strong upgrades if you find one around the $350–600 range. A regular RTX 4070 in the $350–400 area would be particularly solid.
For a new card, the Radeon RX 9060 XT is generally one of the better-value options for 1440p. The RTX 5060 Ti with 16GB is another reasonable choice, although pricing can make it less attractive. Cards such as the RX 9070 or RTX 5070 Ti are excellent, but they are more than you need for basic 1440p high settings and can be expensive.
For consistently high or ultra settings at native 1440p, I would aim for something around an RTX 5070 or RX 9070 and avoid the lower-end 8GB models if possible. Upscaling can make weaker cards work, but relying on it is not ideal if native resolution matters to you.
A 12GB RTX 3060 or similar card can technically handle 1440p, but it would not be a huge upgrade from a 1070 Ti and you would still need to lower settings in demanding games. An RTX 3060 Ti is faster, but its 8GB of VRAM can already be limiting at native 1440p. I would save for a more substantial upgrade instead.
I’m using an overclocked Ryzen 5 5500 with 16GB of RAM. I’ve considered upgrading the CPU too, but I’m leaning toward upgrading the GPU first.
Waiting until Black Friday at least seems sensible if I can keep using the 1070 Ti in the meantime.