These are the cards most people choose between for a 1080p gaming PC, and the right one depends less on raw speed than on memory, the upscaler your games support and your processor.
| Card | VRAM | Launch price | 1080p High | 1080p Ultra | 1440p High | 1440p Ultra | Games at 60 FPS, 1440p High |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arc B580 | 12 GB | $249 | 96 | 75 | 68 | 60 | 129 |
| GeForce RTX 5060 | 8 GB | $299 | 117 | 94 | 79 | 63 | 154 |
| Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB | 8 GB | $299 | 123 | 99 | 85 | 68 | 164 |
| Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB | 16 GB | $349 | 130 | 105 | 92 | 73 | 171 |
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Median estimated FPS across our 210 games, native resolution. Every FPS number here is an estimate from the FPSVibe model, not a measurement: we haven't tested these cards ourselves. Against published benchmark results it was not fitted on, the model's median error is about 10%. Unless a line says otherwise, the numbers use a Ryzen 7 7800X3D and 32 GB of RAM, so the card is the limit as far as possible, and prices are US launch prices.
Speed: closer than the names suggest
A note on close calls: the model's median error is about 10%, so when two cards are less than 10% apart in our estimates, we call it a tie, not a win. Then price, video memory and features decide.
At 1080p High the RX 9060 XT 16GB is about 11% faster than the RTX 5060, and the RTX 5060 about 23% faster than the Arc B580. The RX 9060 XT 8GB sits between them, 5% ahead of the RTX 5060: a tie, at the same launch price. At 1440p High the order is the same: 171 of our 210 games reach 60 FPS on the RX 9060 XT 16GB, 129 on the B580.
Per launch dollar the four are within 10% of each other, so none of them is a bad deal at its launch price; you're choosing how much speed and memory to pay for.
| Game, 1440p High | Arc B580 | RTX 5060 | RX 9060 XT 8GB | RX 9060 XT 16GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 176 | 206 | 222 | 239 |
| Fortnite | 92 | 107 | 115 | 125 |
| Marvel Rivals | 52 | 60 | 65 | 70 |
| Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 | 63 | 74 | 80 | 86 |
| Forza Horizon 5 | 91 | 107 | 115 | 124 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 61 | 71 | 77 | 83 |
| Hogwarts Legacy | 57 | 66 | 71 | 77 |
| Baldur's Gate 3 | 79 | 92 ⚠ | 99 ⚠ | 106 |
| Monster Hunter Wilds | 38 | 45 ⚠ | 48 ⚠ | 52 |
| Black Myth: Wukong | 30 | 35 | 38 | 41 |
⚠ marks a card with less video memory than the game asks for at that setting: expect stutter, or lower the texture setting.
Video memory: the real difference
The RTX 5060 and RX 9060 XT 8GB have 8 GB, the Arc B580 12 GB and the RX 9060 XT 16GB 16 GB. At 1080p High, 8 GB still covers nearly every game we have figures for, but Baldur's Gate 3 and Monster Hunter Wilds already ask for more than 8 GB at 1440p High, and more games do at Ultra. That's why the cheapest card, with 12 GB, is safer for Ultra textures than the two $299 cards, and why we'd pay the extra $50 for the RX 9060 XT 16GB rather than buy the 8 GB version. The details, game by game: is 8 GB of VRAM enough.
Upscaling and frame generation
Each card has its own upscaler, and which games support it matters as much as a few FPS. DLSS is on the official lists of 109 of our 210 games, FSR on 82 and XeSS on 53. The RTX 5060 can use all three where a game offers them; the Radeon and Arc cards can't use DLSS. For frame generation, the RTX 5060 has DLSS Frame Generation (71 games) and FSR Frame Generation (27 games), the others FSR Frame Generation only. Frame generation shows more frames but still responds like the frame rate without it, so it's a bonus for smooth motion, not a reason to buy a slower card. More in DLSS vs FSR vs XeSS.
If most of your games are on the DLSS list, the RTX 5060 makes sense even though it ties with the RX 9060 XT 8GB on native speed. If you play at native resolution, there's little between them.
Your processor changes the picture
The numbers above use a fast processor so the cards can show their differences. With a Ryzen 5 5600 instead, at 1080p High the RTX 5060 drops to about 100 FPS and the RX 9060 XT 16GB to 106, a tie: the processor, not the card, limits many games. On an older or cheaper processor at 1080p, the extra money for the faster cards buys less than the table suggests, and the extra memory matters more. Check your pair in the bottleneck calculator.
Power and the rest
The Arc B580 is rated at 190 W, against 145 W for the RTX 5060 and 150–160 W for the RX 9060 XT, so it needs a slightly bigger power supply and makes more heat for the speed. Before you buy, check your main games on their game pages: each one shows the estimate for your exact card and warns you when it's short of video memory.
Which one to buy
- Arc B580 if your budget stops at about $250 and you want more than 8 GB.
- RTX 5060 if the games you play support DLSS, or you want DLSS Frame Generation, and you play at 1080p.
- RX 9060 XT 8GB if you play at native 1080p without DLSS and accept 8 GB; it ties with the RTX 5060 for the same price.
- RX 9060 XT 16GB for 1440p, Ultra textures, or keeping the card for years.
Compare any two of them side by side on the comparison pages, or see how they rank against every card in the best graphics card for 1080p.
