I'm planning to build my PC within the next few days and have a maximum budget of about €1,800. I'm in Portugal, where component prices are fairly high. The RTX 5070 currently costs around €629.90, but I'm also considering the RTX 5060 Ti 16GB or RX 9060 XT 16GB because they offer more VRAM. My main game will be Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, and I'm aiming for 1440p with smooth performance rather than maximum graphics quality. I'd prefer not to change the rest of the parts in my planned build unless there are clearly better-value suggestions. Is the RTX 5070 worth the extra cost, or would one of the 16GB cards be a better choice?
3 Answers
The RTX 5070 should deliver noticeably better performance than the RTX 5060 Ti or RX 9060 XT, especially in a demanding game like Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. At 1440p without ray tracing, though, either of the cheaper cards may be enough if you prioritize smooth frame rates over ultra settings. Nvidia’s upscaling and frame-generation features are also useful, so the best choice depends on the prices and settings you want to run.
It may be worth comparing the RX 9070 XT as well. If it is about €759.90 while the RTX 5070 is €629.90, the AMD card is considerably more expensive, so the extra performance would need to justify the difference. For an €1,800 build, the RTX 5070 seems like the more balanced option unless you specifically need more VRAM or the 9070 XT offers a major performance advantage in your games.
Take another look at the memory kit in the build, because the RAM appears to be taking up more of the budget than necessary. A reasonably priced, compatible kit with the same capacity and speed could free up money for the graphics card without changing the rest of the system. Just make sure it has the right generation, capacity, and timings for your platform.
I’m planning on playing at 1440p, but I don’t care much about maxed-out graphics. As long as the performance stays smooth, that’s what matters most to me.