I've always gamed at 1080p and have been happy with it, but I'm considering moving to 1440p or possibly 4K. My current system has a Ryzen 7 5700X, an RTX 3060 12GB, 16GB of DDR4 RAM, and a 1080p monitor. New games run well at 1080p, but I'm thinking about upgrading before GTA 6 eventually arrives on PC. I'm considering an RTX 4070, upgrading to 32GB of RAM, and buying a higher-resolution monitor. My total GPU budget is around €500, especially if I can sell the RTX 3060 for roughly €250–€300. Would an RTX 4070 be a good choice, or are there better options for 1440p or 4K? For story games, I'm happy with excellent visuals at a steady 60 FPS, while competitive games and GTA Online would ideally run at higher frame rates.
4 Answers
The Ryzen 7 5700X is still a capable processor for 1440p gaming. An RTX 4070-class card is a strong match for 1440p, especially with upscaling and frame generation where available. For 4K, however, you’ll likely need a faster GPU, and 12GB of VRAM may become limiting in some newer titles at high settings. I’d treat 4K as a separate, more expensive upgrade path rather than expecting a standard 4070 to handle it comfortably everywhere.
Consider buying the monitor first and trying 1440p with your current hardware. The RTX 3060 should still handle many games at that resolution if you’re targeting around 60 FPS, and this lets you see whether the upgrade feels worthwhile before spending heavily on a GPU. You could also wait for a good graphics-card sale while using the current system.
Selling the RTX 3060 while it still has decent resale value could make sense, but focus on the actual performance increase and price rather than buying any replacement automatically. A good deal on a noticeably faster card would be worthwhile, especially if your net upgrade cost stays near €500. Your 16GB of RAM is still usable, but moving to 32GB is sensible for newer games and multitasking, though it won’t dramatically improve GPU-limited performance.
A regular RTX 4070 is a solid 1440p option around the midrange price point and the 5700X should pair well with it. For the display, waiting for a major sale may help, since monitors often get significant discounts. A 1440p OLED would provide a very noticeable improvement in contrast and motion clarity, but make sure the price and burn-in coverage fit your budget. For 4K, save for a stronger GPU rather than buying a 4070 specifically for that resolution.
For story-focused games, I mainly want the best image quality I can get while staying above 60 FPS. I’d want more headroom for competitive games and eventually GTA Online, though.