Best GPUs to Buy for 1440p Gaming in 2025

1. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti

For our first recommendation, we’re going with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB, released in April 2025 as part of NVIDIA’s latest 50 Series lineup. Built on the new Blackwell architecture, this GPU delivers a substantial generational uplift, nearly twice the performance of its predecessor, the RTX 4060 Ti, and when paired with DLSS 4, you’re sure to notice a notable performance boost.

If you’re considering this card, we strongly recommend the 16GB VRAM version, especially if you can find it at or around MSRP. The 8GB variant doesn’t meet the architectural demands required to execute ray tracing in modern titles. It’s not a future-proof investment, and while budget constraints are real, the 16GB model offers a far better balance of performance and longevity.

2. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 is a powerful GPU capable of delivering smooth performance in most AAA titles at high to ultra settings, thanks in part to DLSS 4 and its Multiframe Generation technologies introduced with the 50 Series. This GPU features 12GB of fast GDDR7 VRAM and a 192-bit memory bus, enabling higher memory bandwidth and faster data transfer between the VRAM and the rest of the system.

However, it doesn’t match the VRAM capacity of lower-tier models, such as the 16GB RTX 5060 Ti. While the RTX 5070 generally offers higher raw performance and faster memory, it may face limitations in scenarios where a larger VRAM capacity is more critical, such as 4K gaming, processing high-resolution texture packs, or intensive creative workloads like 3D rendering or video editing. Having extra VRAM in these cases allows the graphics card to store more data locally, reducing its reliance on slower system memory and helping to prevent stuttering or performance drops in memory-intensive applications.

At MSRP pricing and under, this is a great deal for a graphics card and is sure to get you through the next couple of years of AAA titles at 1440p. For those wanting to future-proof their system a bit further, we recommend picking up a GPU with that all-important extra VRAM.

3. AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB

It’s now Team Red’s turn. Over the past couple of years, AMD has dominated the gaming market with its CPUs, and while NVIDIA hold this title in the GPU space, AMD have taken the fight to them in the mid-range market. Better yet, they tend to cost less on a performance comparison to their NVIDIA competitors. The AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT with 16GB of VRAM is a solid choice for 1440p resolution.

Again, we are seeing a narrow 128-bit memory bus, meaning that this graphics card will not transfer data as fast as some higher-end graphics cards; it also utilises a slower GDDR6 interface, further limiting the bandwidth. This narrower bus may bottleneck performance in bandwidth-heavy scenarios, such as high-refresh 1440p gaming with ultra textures or ray tracing enabled. That said, this card isn’t without merit. Its standout feature is the generous 16GB of VRAM, which ensures smoother gameplay when handling large texture packs and offers some future-proof stability with upcoming releases.

This GPU offers the highest boost clock speed of any of the GPUs we are recommending at an impressive speed of up to 3.31.GHz, and its core clock speed is higher than what NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 5070 can be boosted to! Its competitive pricing is also a massive bonus, with an MSRP of $349, you’re receiving strong performance on a budget. Overall, the RX 9060 XT is a compelling mid-range option for gamers who prioritise VRAM capacity and value, particularly in AMD-optimised titles.

4. AMD Radeon RX 9070

We’re now stepping into the higher-end territory for gaming and performance. The AMD Radeon RX 9070 is a strong contender in this 1440p GPU roundup, primarily due to its increased memory bus capacity, which is double the 128-bit amount offered by the RX 9060 XT, with the RX 9070 featuring a 256-bit memory bus.

16GB of GDDR6 VRAM hits the current sweet spot for 1440p gaming, and while GDDR6 is no longer cutting-edge, the RX 9070’s other specifications more than compensate. With 56 ray accelerators, the card delivers playable frame rates with ray tracing enabled, especially when paired with AMD’s FSR upscaling, which leverages advanced frame generation to boost performance in supported titles.

The RX 9070 also boasts a high stream processor count, enabling more efficient parallel processing and improved performance in demanding games. Although its clock speeds are lower than the RX 9060 XT (2.07GHz base, 2.52GHz boost), the increased core count offsets this, resulting in better overall throughput.

5. AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT

Finally, we come to the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT, with a reasonably modest MSRP of $599. For an additional $50, the 9070 XT features a higher core clock speed, increased clock speed, extra ray accelerators, and more stream processors than the non-XT version. Due to these factors, this card requires more power, with a suggested minimum power requirement of 750W, with the GPU itself consuming 304W.

1440p Gaming Benchmarks

Apex Legends (1440p High Settings)

Apex Legends is the first game we are using to demonstrate how well these graphics cards can perform, and this is due to its high framerate ceiling; it can push high FPS numbers with powerful GPUs. It is one of the ‘big three’ in the battle royale genre that has taken the gaming community by storm. The only problem being, well, every card we tested performed exceptionally well… not a bad problem to have!

Marvel Rivals (1440p High Settings)

All the GPUs we tested hit or surpassed the 60 FPS mark, with the 9070 XT unsurprisingly providing the best overall performance. In comparison to Apex Legends, Marvel Rivals has a more complex and visually demanding environment, which means that it will be more challenging for graphics cards to maintain higher framerates. Marvel Rivals supports both ray tracing and frame generation, but it’s important to note that enabling ray tracing typically reduces raw frame rates due to its heavy computational demands. Upscaling technologies like FSR or DLSS can help offset this impact, improving overall performance and visual fluidity.

Hogwarts Legacy (1440p High Settings)

In a graphically demanding AAA title like Hogwarts Legacy, we’d expect a graphics card to comfortably surpass the 60 FPS threshold found on most consoles. Thankfully, all the graphics cards featured in this roundup surpass the 60FPS mark, which will lead to a smooth tour around the grounds of Hogwarts. It’s nice to see that the RX 9060 XT 16GB held its own in this title, averaging a 110-framerate performance, making this a brilliant entry-level option for 1440p gaming.

For those looking to game at that 1440p 144Hz sweet spot, the 9070 XT is the clear winner; in neither demanding nor competitive titles did it falter in delivering smooth gameplay. Across the board, the GPUs performed proportionally to their specifications by comparison. Consistently, the 9070 XT exceeded the 144 FPS that we want to see. The 9070 came second in our testing, also staying just above the 144 FPS mark to provide a high refresh rate of 144Hz, making this choice a cheaper option still capable of delivering similar quality to the XT version of this GPU. When we compare the MSRP of the 9070 XT and the 5070, we see that they were both priced at $549; yet, the RX 9070 outperforms the RTX 5070 in our tests. That said, these results do not reflect the impact of DLSS or FMF frame generation technologies. If enabled, we would expect DLSS to give the 5070 a performance edge in supported titles, just as FMF does for the RX 9000 series.