I'm running a Ryzen 7 5800X3D, an RTX 3080 Ti with 12GB of VRAM, and 32GB of DDR4 memory. My display is a 65-inch LG CX in the living room, but I stream games to it through Moonlight on an Xbox Series S because I can't run an HDMI cable from the PC. Both devices use gigabit Ethernet, though I can't use G-Sync or VRR on the TV this way.
The usual advice I've seen is to use 1440p at 120 FPS for fast or competitive games and 4K at 60 FPS for slower, cinematic games. However, even Alan Wake Remastered seems to stutter occasionally at 4K with DLSS on Quality mode. Is the RTX 3080 Ti simply being pushed too hard at 4K, or could the streaming setup be causing the problem?
3 Answers
A 3080 Ti can handle plenty of 4K gaming, but 12GB of VRAM is becoming a limitation in newer or especially demanding titles. At 1440p, you’ll generally have much more headroom and a steadier frame rate. For 4K, you may need to reduce texture quality, ray tracing, or use a more aggressive DLSS mode.
I’d use 1440p at 120 FPS for fast games and reserve 4K 60 for titles that are easier to run. A large TV can make 1440p look surprisingly good from normal viewing distance, especially when the TV’s processing softens motion a little. The lack of VRR also makes inconsistent frame pacing more noticeable.
The streaming chain could also be contributing. Even with wired gigabit Ethernet, Moonlight and the Xbox client add encoding, decoding, and network latency. Check the PC’s frame-time graph and GPU utilization while playing locally, then compare that with streaming. If it is smooth locally but stutters through Moonlight, the GPU probably isn’t the only issue.
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