I'm considering upgrading my PC before the next Final Fantasy VII game releases because I'd like to play at 1440p. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth ran reasonably well, but I noticed some texture pop-in and a few visual artifacts early in the game, which I'd like to avoid in the next title if possible.
My current system is an AMD Ryzen 5 5600X on an MSI B450 Tomahawk, with 32 GB of DDR4-3600 memory, an RTX 3060 Ti 8 GB, a 500 GB PCIe 3.0 NVMe SSD, two 2 TB SATA SSDs, and a 600 W EVGA Bronze power supply. Everything is housed in a Phanteks Eclipse P400A case. My current display is a 27-inch 1080p 240 Hz Samsung Odyssey G4.
I assume the monitor should be replaced first, but I'm unsure whether the CPU, GPU, storage, or power supply also needs an upgrade. Is the RTX 3060 Ti still suitable for 1440p with DLSS and adjusted settings, or would a newer card with more VRAM be a better choice?
4 Answers
The monitor and graphics card are the most important upgrades for 1440p. Your 3060 Ti can probably handle many games at that resolution with DLSS and optimized settings, but its 8 GB of VRAM may become a limitation with high-resolution textures. I wouldn’t buy a GPU solely based on an unreleased game, though, since its requirements and optimization are still unknown. If you need a card now, something in the RX 9070 XT class offers a substantial performance and VRAM increase. Otherwise, wait and see how the game actually performs.
The GPU will have the largest effect on 1440p performance. Storage could contribute to texture streaming issues if the game is installed on a slower or nearly full drive, but your SSDs are generally suitable. I’d keep the CPU, RAM, motherboard, and power supply for now, upgrade the display, and wait for confirmed system requirements and benchmarks before buying a graphics card.
A reasonably priced 1440p monitor would be a sensible first step. The 3060 Ti is still capable of 1440p when using DLSS Balanced or Quality and tuning demanding settings, so test it before replacing the card. If you can maintain a frame rate you’re happy with in Rebirth, it may be adequate for the next game as well, though that can’t be guaranteed.
Your system is already around or above current-console performance, so you shouldn’t assume every setting needs to be maxed out. Console-equivalent PC settings are often a mix of medium and low, and DLSS can provide better results than older upscaling options. The CPU is not an urgent upgrade, but a Ryzen 7 5800X3D or similar chip could be worthwhile later if you want better minimum frame rates without changing platforms.
That makes sense. The limited VRAM is my biggest concern, but I’ll try DLSS and lower texture settings first. Since my current display is only 1080p, I’ll probably upgrade the monitor before deciding on the graphics card.