Which GPU for 1440p?
A 1440p monitor needs an RX 9060 XT 16GB for 60 fps, an RX 9070 or RTX 5070 for about 100 fps, and an RX 9070 XT or RTX 5070 Ti to approach 144 fps.
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What graphics card do you need for 1440p?
A 1440p gaming monitor needs a Radeon RX 9070 or GeForce RTX 5070 for about 100 fps at ultra settings, and a Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB for 60 fps. No card under £1,300 averages 144 fps at native 1440p in Tom's Hardware's GPU hierarchy (June 2026), so a 144 Hz monitor needs upscaling on any of them.
The MSI GeForce RTX 5070 12G Ventus 2X OC at £728.99 on Amazon UK at the time of writing (October 2026) is the pick for a high-refresh 1440p monitor, and the XFX Swift Radeon RX 9070 OC at £627.00 is the value pick. The ranked field is in Best graphics card UK 2026, the head-to-head in RTX 5070 vs RX 9070 XT, and the monitor choice in 1080p vs 1440p gaming monitor.
| Situation | Pick | 1440p average | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60 Hz monitor or 60 fps target | PowerColor Radeon RX 9060 XT Reaper 16GB | 67.3 fps | £479.99 |
| High refresh, best value at native | XFX Swift Radeon RX 9070 OC | 104.0 fps | £627.00 |
| High refresh with DLSS 4.5 | MSI GeForce RTX 5070 12G Ventus 2X OC | 96.4 fps | £728.99 |
| Closest to 144 fps per pound | ASUS Prime Radeon RX 9070 XT OC | 116.5 fps | £729.99 |
| 1440p with heavy ray tracing | Gigabyte GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Eagle OC SFF | 66.2 fps with ray tracing | £1,079.99 |
Which graphics card hits 60, 100 and 144 fps at 1440p?
The Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB clears 60 fps at 1440p ultra, the Radeon RX 9070 clears 100 fps, and the GeForce RTX 5070 falls just short at 96.4 fps. Compare Electronic's tier table divides each card's Amazon UK price by its Tom's Hardware 1440p ultra average, an 11-game geometric mean on a Ryzen 7 9800X3D.
| Target | Card | 1440p ultra fps | Price | £ per 1440p frame |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 fps | PowerColor RX 9060 XT Reaper 16GB | 67.3 | £479.99 | £7.13 |
| 60 fps | Gigabyte RX 9070 GRE Gaming OC 12GB | 86.6 | £529.99 | £6.12 |
| 60 fps | ASUS Dual RTX 5060 Ti 16GB OC | 73.4 | £679.99 | £9.26 |
| 100 fps | XFX Swift RX 9070 OC 16GB | 104.0 | £627.00 | £6.03 |
| 100 fps (just under) | MSI RTX 5070 12G Ventus 2X OC | 96.4 | £728.99 | £7.56 |
| 100 fps (just under) | Gigabyte RTX 5070 Eagle OC SFF | 96.4 | £799.99 | £8.30 |
| 144 fps with upscaling | ASUS Prime RX 9070 XT OC 16GB | 116.5 | £729.99 | £6.27 |
| 144 fps with upscaling | Gigabyte RTX 5070 Ti Eagle OC SFF | 116.8 | £1,079.99 | £9.25 |
| 144 fps with upscaling | MSI RTX 5070 Ti 16G Ventus 3X OC | 116.8 | £1,099.99 | £9.42 |
| 144 fps with upscaling | Gigabyte RTX 5080 Gaming OC | 128.3 | £1,299.99 | £10.13 |
The XFX Swift RX 9070 OC is the cheapest 1440p frame here at £6.03, which matches Tom's Hardware's description of the RX 9070 as "the 1440p raster value champ". The ASUS Prime RX 9070 XT OC follows at £6.27 with 12.0% more speed. NVIDIA cards cost more per frame at native resolution: £7.56 for the MSI RTX 5070 and £9.25 for the Gigabyte RTX 5070 Ti. The RTX 5060 Ti 16GB is the worst buy in the 60 fps tier, at £9.26 per frame against £6.12 for the faster Gigabyte RX 9070 GRE.
Can any graphics card run 1440p at 144 fps?
Only the RTX 5090 averages over 144 fps at native 1440p ultra in Tom's Hardware's suite, at 167.3 fps; the RTX 4090 reaches 143.4 fps. Every card a 1440p buyer is likely to consider needs upscaling or lower settings to fill a 144 Hz panel, and the table shows how far each one falls short.
| GPU | 1440p ultra fps | Short of 144 fps by | Extra speed needed | Frame generation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RTX 5070 | 96.4 | 47.6 fps | 49.4% | Up to 6X (DLSS 4.5) |
| RX 9070 | 104.0 | 40.0 fps | 38.5% | 2x (FSR) |
| RX 9070 XT | 116.5 | 27.5 fps | 23.6% | 2x (FSR) |
| RTX 5070 Ti | 116.8 | 27.2 fps | 23.3% | Up to 6X (DLSS 4.5) |
| RTX 5080 | 128.3 | 15.7 fps | 12.2% | Up to 6X (DLSS 4.5) |
Frame generation is where NVIDIA earns its higher price per frame. Tom's Hardware says DLSS 4.5 upscaling and Multi Frame Generation across RTX 50-series cards make "matching your GPU's performance to your monitor's refresh rate a snap", while FSR frame generation is limited to a 2x boost where it is available. The refresh rate worth buying is covered in What refresh rate do I need for gaming?.
How much VRAM and power does a 1440p card need?
A 1440p card needs 12GB of VRAM at minimum and 16GB for ray tracing, and a 650 W to 750 W power supply. Tom's Hardware says the 12GB RX 9070 GRE's memory "quickly becomes a liability at 1440p" with ray tracing, and recommends an RTX 5070 or RX 9070 for about 60 fps with ray tracing at 1440p, or an RX 9070 XT or RTX 5070 Ti for the best experience. With ray tracing on, the RTX 5070 averages 51.5 fps against 47.6 fps for the RX 9070, an 8.2% lead that reverses the raster result.
The makers recommend a 650 W power supply for the MSI RTX 5070 Ventus 2X OC and XFX Swift RX 9070 OC, and 750 W for the ASUS Prime RX 9070 XT OC and Gigabyte RTX 5070 Ti Eagle OC SFF. Memory is covered in How much VRAM do I need? and power in How many watts PSU do I need?.
Which 1440p graphics card should you buy?
The MSI GeForce RTX 5070 12G Ventus 2X OC is the 1440p pick for a high-refresh monitor, at £728.99 on Amazon UK at the time of writing (October 2026), £71.00 less than the Gigabyte RTX 5070 Eagle OC SFF. It averages 96.4 fps at 1440p ultra, and Tom's Hardware gave the RTX 5070 the nod over the RX 9070 in its own picks for the image quality and smoothness of DLSS 4.5 and Multi Frame Generation.
MSI GeForce RTX 5070 12G Ventus 2X OC specifications
- GPU: GeForce RTX 5070 (Blackwell), 6144 CUDA cores
- Memory: 12 GB GDDR7, 192 bit, 672 GB/s
- Graphics power: 250 W; recommended PSU 650 W
- Cooler: 2 x TORX FAN 5.0
- Interface: PCIe 5.0 x16
- Upscaling: DLSS 4.5 with up to 6X Multi Frame Generation
The Ventus 2X is MSI's dual-fan RTX 5070, cooled by two TORX FAN 5.0 fans, and its 250 W graphics power keeps a 650 W power supply in play for an upgrade. Buyers who play at native resolution get more speed for the money from Radeon: the XFX Swift RX 9070 OC is £101.99 cheaper and 7.9% faster in raster, and the ASUS Prime RX 9070 XT OC costs £1.00 more and is 20.9% faster, with a 750 W power supply.
MSI GeForce RTX 5070 12G Ventus 2X OC - pros and cons
Where to buy
Check price
Three alternatives cover other priorities, at Amazon UK prices on 6 October 2026.
Also consider
Radar · 0-100 scores
- MSI GeForce RTX 5070 12G Ventus 2X OC
- XFX Swift Radeon RX 9070 OC
- ASUS Prime Radeon RX 9070 XT OC
- Gigabyte GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Eagle OC SFF
Verdict
1440p needs an RX 9060 XT 16GB for 60 fps and an RX 9070 or RTX 5070 for about 100 fps, and no card under £1,300 reaches 144 fps natively. The MSI GeForce RTX 5070 12G Ventus 2X OC at £728.99 suits a high-refresh monitor with DLSS 4.5, and the XFX Swift Radeon RX 9070 OC at £627.00 is the cheapest 1440p frame. The ranked shortlist is in Best graphics card UK 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Is the RTX 5070 good for 1440p?
Yes. The GeForce RTX 5070 averages 96.4 fps at 1440p ultra in Tom's Hardware's June 2026 GPU hierarchy, and Tom's Hardware says the RTX 5070 or RX 9070 gives a high-refresh experience at 1440p. The MSI GeForce RTX 5070 12G Ventus 2X OC costs £728.99 on Amazon UK at the time of writing (October 2026) and runs from a 650 W power supply.
Is the RX 9070 XT overkill for 1440p?
No. The Radeon RX 9070 XT averages 116.5 fps at 1440p ultra in Tom's Hardware's hierarchy, still 23.6% short of 144 fps, so it fills a 144 Hz monitor only with upscaling or lower settings. The ASUS Prime Radeon RX 9070 XT OC costs £729.99 on Amazon UK in October 2026, £6.27 per 1440p frame, and needs a 750 W power supply.
Can an RTX 5060 run 1440p?
Yes, at about 60 fps. The GeForce RTX 5060 averages 59.8 fps at 1440p ultra in Tom's Hardware's hierarchy, but its 8GB of VRAM limits ray tracing at that resolution. The PowerColor Radeon RX 9060 XT Reaper 16GB averages 67.3 fps with twice the memory, for £479.99 on Amazon UK at the time of writing (October 2026).
What graphics card do I need for 1440p at 144Hz?
No graphics card under £1,300 averages 144 fps at native 1440p ultra in Tom's Hardware's suite; only the RTX 5090 does, at 167.3 fps. The ASUS Prime Radeon RX 9070 XT OC (116.5 fps, £729.99) and Gigabyte GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Eagle OC SFF (116.8 fps, £1,079.99) get within 24% and close the gap with upscaling or high settings.
How much VRAM do I need for 1440p?
12GB of VRAM is the minimum for 1440p and 16GB is the amount to buy for ray tracing. Tom's Hardware says the 12GB RX 9070 GRE's memory quickly becomes a liability at 1440p with ray tracing. The XFX Swift Radeon RX 9070 OC has 16GB, averages 104.0 fps at 1440p ultra and costs £627.00 on Amazon UK in October 2026.
What power supply does a 1440p graphics card need?
650 W for an RTX 5070 or RX 9070 and 750 W for an RX 9070 XT or RTX 5070 Ti, on the makers' recommendations. The MSI GeForce RTX 5070 12G Ventus 2X OC is a 250 W card and the ASUS Prime Radeon RX 9070 XT OC a 304 W card, so the RX 9070 XT usually means a bigger power supply in an older PC.