I'm planning to upgrade my graphics card mainly for 1080p gaming at high settings. I'm not interested in relying on upscaling technologies such as DLSS or FSR, so native rendering performance matters most to me. My current CPU is an Intel Core i5-10400F.
The three cards I'm considering are the RTX 5060 8GB, RX 9060 XT 8GB, and RTX 3060 12GB. They're all within about $10 of one another, with the RX 9060 XT being the most expensive and the RTX 3060 the cheapest. Which one would be the best purchase for my system, and why?
5 Answers
The RTX 5060 is also a reasonable option, particularly if you use CUDA for applications beyond gaming or decide you want DLSS available. It should handle 1080p high settings well, but based strictly on native gaming performance and the prices you listed, the RX 9060 XT is the better fit.
The RX 9060 XT 8GB is the strongest option for your stated preferences. It offers the best native rasterization performance of these three, while the RTX 3060 is noticeably slower despite having 12GB of VRAM. At 1080p, 8GB is generally still workable if you use high rather than completely maxed-out settings, though some newer AAA games may require texture compromises.
Since all three cards cost almost the same, I’d rank them RX 9060 XT first, RTX 5060 second, and RTX 3060 last. The 9060 XT gives you the most raw performance, while the 5060 offers useful Nvidia features and CUDA support. The 3060 is simply too old and slow to justify choosing it for such a small saving.
I’d choose the RX 9060 XT for gaming, but keep the CPU in mind. The i5-10400F may limit performance in some 1080p games, especially if you’re targeting high refresh rates. A faster processor upgrade could eventually provide a bigger improvement than moving between these GPUs.
The RTX 3060 doesn’t make much sense here. Its extra VRAM doesn’t compensate for being considerably slower, and the newer cards are available for almost the same price. Between the RTX 5060 and RX 9060 XT, the 9060 XT is the better choice if you plan to play without upscaling. The 16GB version would be worth considering if its price is reasonably close, since it would provide more breathing room for future games.
The 12GB on the RTX 3060 can help in some memory-heavy situations, but the card’s lower performance means it still isn’t a compelling choice for modern high-setting gaming at nearly the same price.