Best GPUs for 1080p and 1440p Gaming: RTX 5060 Ti, RX 9060 XT, RTX 3070 & More

Modern GPU pricing trends highlight shifting value between new midrange cards and powerful yet affordable options in the used market.

Hardware by Nakiro on Dec 06, 2025

If you've been looking at graphics card prices lately, you may have noticed that RTX 5060 Ti 16GB and RX 9060 XT 16GB have dropped below their MSRP levels. In some cases, they are even 10% cheaper than the advertised prices. At these prices, the question arises: are they a decent deal?

To explore this, we compared them against three used graphics cards currently offering solid prices in the used market. We tested all of these cards across some of the most popular multiplayer titles, all of which are in the top 10 games played on Steam. Benchmarks were run at 1080p low settings and 1440p high settings to determine whether you can save money with a cheaper option or enjoy higher graphical fidelity with newer cards.

Best GPUs, 1080p, 1440p Gaming, RTX 5060 Ti, RX 9060 XT, RTX 3070, NoobFeed

Cards in Comparison

For the used market, we focused on three cards: RX 6800 16GB, which has a similar VRAM structure to the newer cards; RTX 3070, which is widely available on the used market and reasonably priced despite its 8GB VRAM; and the RTX 3080, which is power-hungry but still performs very well in benchmarks.

Battlefield 6 Performance

Starting with Battlefield 6, one of the most popular games right now, we noticed that at 1080p, RTX 5060 Ti and RX 9060 XT show very good optimization. This is important, as not all games perform well on newer hardware immediately.

At 1440p, RTX 3080 excels, though the 0.1% lows on both RTX 3080 and 3070 raise questions about Nvidia's optimizations on older cards. Focusing on the 0.1% lows is critical, as they reflect stuttering that can be attributed to either game optimization or GPU driver support.

Best GPUs, 1080p, 1440p Gaming, RTX 5060 Ti, RX 9060 XT, RTX 3070, NoobFeed

Arc Raiders Performance

Arc Raiders, another popular multiplayer title, runs well at 1080p on RTX 5060 Ti 16GB and RX 9060 XT 16GB. At 1440p, RTX 3080 shows its raw hardware advantage, particularly on memory bus performance.

RX 6800 also works well; however, there have been some problems with AMD drivers that have caused a few graphical defects in games like Fortnite. This makes some wonder if AMD GPUs are still being optimized.

Fortnite and Driver Issues

RTX 3080 did quite well in Fortnite at both 1080p and 1440p. RX 9060 XT also performed well, but RX 6800 exhibited graphical issues, such as purple lines appearing on the mini-map, suggesting driver issues.

AMD has confirmed continued optimizations for RX 6000 series cards, but it seems newer cards like RX 9060 XT are prioritized over older models.

Escape from Duck and Counter-Strike 2

Escape from Duck did poorly on all cards when it came to 0.1% lows, even if it had a good average FPS. This points to problems with optimization instead of hardware limits.

At 1080p low settings in Counter Strike 2, RTX 3080 was the best card, although AMD cards did well too. Both AMD cards, especially RX 6800, did worse at 1440p, which could be because of holes in drivers or optimization.

Best GPUs, 1080p, 1440p Gaming, RTX 5060 Ti, RX 9060 XT, RTX 3070, NoobFeed

PUBG Performance

PUBG ran differently on each card. RTX 5060 Ti had a high average FPS at 1080p, but its 0.1% lows were bad. This was fixed at 1440p. DX11 enhanced worked better than DX12, which made the stuttering worse.

Power Consumption and Efficiency

People often forget about power use, even though it's quite important for managing heat and improving the whole system's performance. RTX 3080 uses a lot more power than competing cards, but its cooling technology keeps noise levels low. RTX 3070 and 5060 Ti use a lot less electricity.

5060 Ti stands out as the efficiency king, especially when undervolted, bringing system power consumption close to 200W without sacrificing performance. RX 9060 XT can also be undervolted, though not as effectively as the Nvidia card.

Price-to-Performance Analysis

When you look at price-to-performance, RTX 5060 Ti delivers fewer FPS per dollar than RX 9060 XT 16GB at both 1080p and 1440p. This is because Nvidia's power-efficiency features cost more. However, the card has long-term driver support, which is quite important.

RTX 3070 is a great deal, especially for competitive 1080p gaming, even though it only has 8GB of VRAM. For 1440p high settings, RX 9060 XT, RTX 5060 Ti, RX 6800, and RTX 3080 are better choices, with RX 9060 XT and RTX 5060 Ti offering longer-term support.

Buying Used GPUs

Used GPUs like RTX 3070 can be found for around $150-$200, making them an absolute bargain for 1080p low settings. You can also get RTX 3080 and RX 6800, but be careful because they use more power and could wear out faster. When you buy a used card, make sure you can get your money back if it doesn't work well or has hardware problems.

Best GPUs, 1080p, 1440p Gaming, RTX 5060 Ti, RX 9060 XT, RTX 3070, NoobFeed

Recommendations

If you want to play games at 1080p with modest settings, RTX 3070 is the best value. For 1440p high settings, RX 9060 XT 16GB or RTX 5060 Ti 16GB are both fantastic choices that will last a long time.

If the price is right, RX 6800 is a nice purchase, however driver support might be an issue. RTX 3080 uses a lot of power, but if you can control its power consumption, it still works well.

Final Thoughts

In the end, new cards like RTX 5060 Ti and RX 9060 XT are great for future-proofing your system because they have long-term support, low power consumption, and a lot of VRAM.

The used market is a great place to get deals, especially on RTX 3070. When you buy something, think about more than just how well it works. Think about how efficient it is, how well it works with drivers, and how much it costs compared to how well it works.

Also, check our other NVIDIA articles below: