Best Graphics Card for Arc Raiders: What to Buy

Best Graphics Card for Arc Raiders: What to Buy

The best graphics card for Arc Raiders is the Radeon RX 9070 for most 1440p players, while the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti is the better choice for 1440p ray tracing or 4K with DLSS. Your target resolution, frame rate, ray tracing preference, and power supply matter more than choosing the most expensive GPU.

Quick recommendations

These are buying categories rather than guaranteed frame rates. Arc Raiders performance varies with the CPU, map area, graphics preset, ray tracing settings, upscaling mode, driver version, and game patches. Treat any FPS range as an approximate expectation, not a fixed result.

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#1 Pick

ASUS Prime GeForce RTX 5070 12GB GDDR7 OC Edition Gaming Graphics Card

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#2 Pick

ASUS Dual GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB GDDR7 OC Edition Gaming Graphics Card

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#3 Pick

ASUS Prime Radeon RX 9070 XT 16GB GDDR6 OC Edition Gaming Graphics Card

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#4 Pick

GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 5080 Gaming OC 16G Graphics Card, WINDFORCE Cooling System, 16GB 256-bit GDDR7, GV-N5080GAMING OC-16GD Video Card

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Why the RX 9070 is the best overall fit for 1440p

The Radeon RX 9070 combines 16GB of VRAM with a roughly 220W board power target, making it a balanced option for a modern multiplayer shooter. It has enough memory for high-quality textures at 1440p and leaves more headroom for future patches than an 8GB card.

At native 1440p, the RX 9070 is suited to high settings and high-refresh gaming, although a stable 144Hz experience may require a few demanding options to be reduced. FSR can increase performance when the GPU is limiting frame rate. For competitive play, use a quality upscaling mode rather than an aggressive performance mode, because distant objects and fine foliage can become less clear.

The RX 9070 is less compelling if ray tracing is central to your preference. AMD’s current cards can run ray-traced effects, but GeForce models generally offer stronger ray-tracing performance and broader access to DLSS features. For a mostly rasterized Arc Raiders setup, however, the RX 9070’s 16GB capacity and power efficiency make it a particularly sensible upgrade.

When the RTX 5070 Ti is the smarter choice

Choose the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti if you want to combine 1440p with ray tracing, use a high-refresh monitor, or keep the card for several demanding games. Its 16GB memory is preferable to a 12GB model for a long-term purchase, and NVIDIA’s DLSS Super Resolution and frame-generation features can provide additional performance where the game supports them.

Frame generation is most useful when the underlying rendered frame rate is already reasonably high. It should not be used to disguise very low base performance, since input response still depends primarily on the non-generated frames. For a competitive shooter, begin with native rendering or DLSS Quality, then test frame generation only if latency and image stability remain acceptable.

The trade-off is power. The RTX 5070 Ti is commonly specified around 300W, so pair it with a quality power supply of about 750W for a typical modern gaming system. Check the exact model’s connector requirements and use the supplied cable or a properly rated replacement rather than forcing a connector into place.

Best budget choice: RTX 5060 Ti 16GB

The GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB is a practical choice for 1080p and an entry point for 1440p. Its approximately 180W power draw works well in smaller systems, and the 16GB version avoids the memory limitations that can affect demanding texture settings. The 8GB version may cost less, but it is harder to recommend for a new gaming PC intended to last several years.

For 1080p, start with high settings, ray tracing disabled, and DLSS Quality if the frame rate is below your monitor’s refresh target. At 1440p, use high rather than ultra textures if memory usage becomes unstable, and consider DLSS Quality or Balanced. This card is less suitable for native 4K or heavy ray tracing.

Best 4K options

RTX 5080: the flexible 4K choice

The GeForce RTX 5080 has 16GB of VRAM and an approximately 360W board power target. It is the stronger choice for 4K when you want ray tracing, DLSS, and a high-refresh display. In many demanding games, 4K Quality upscaling is a better compromise than native 4K: it reduces the rendering workload while retaining much of the target resolution’s clarity.

A 4K image contains four times as many pixels as 1080p. Compared with 1440p, it contains about 2.25 times as many pixels. That is why a card that feels excessive at 1080p can become appropriate at 4K, especially when ray-traced lighting is enabled.

RX 9070 XT: value-focused 4K raster performance

The Radeon RX 9070 XT is a strong alternative for 4K without ray tracing. It has 16GB of VRAM and an approximately 304W board power target. It can be attractive when its market price is substantially below the RTX 5080 and you are comfortable using FSR instead of DLSS.

For 4K, use FSR Quality first, then Balanced only if necessary. Disable ray tracing before lowering texture quality: textures primarily affect VRAM capacity, while ray tracing can impose a much larger processing cost. If image quality at 4K is the priority, a moderate upscaling mode is usually preferable to a heavily reduced internal resolution.

VRAM, bandwidth, and power: what actually matters

Arc Raiders does not need a flagship GPU simply because it is a modern PC game. The important distinction is whether you want comfortable 1080p, high-refresh 1440p, or 4K with advanced effects.

Memory capacity is not the same as memory bandwidth. A 16GB card can hold more textures and buffers, while a wider bus and faster memory can move data more quickly. For Arc Raiders, 16GB is the comfortable target for a new 1440p or 4K purchase; 8GB remains usable at 1080p but gives you less flexibility with future texture packs and other games.

Power supply sizing should include the rest of the system. For example, a 300W GPU plus a 120W gaming CPU, 70W for the motherboard, drives, fans, and USB devices, and a 25% safety margin gives: (300 + 120 + 70) × 1.25 = 612.5W. That points to a quality 750W supply rather than a minimally rated 650W unit, allowing for transient spikes and future upgrades.

Settings to use for each target

• 1080p competitive: high textures, medium shadows, ray tracing off, motion blur off, and native resolution or DLSS/FSR Quality. Cap FPS slightly below the monitor’s refresh rate if you use adaptive sync.
• 1440p high quality: high textures, high geometry, medium or high shadows, ray tracing off initially, and Quality upscaling only if needed. Keep sharpening restrained to avoid shimmering.
• 1440p ray tracing: use the RTX 5070 Ti or faster, begin with DLSS Quality, reduce ray-traced reflections or global illumination before lowering texture quality, and monitor VRAM usage.
• 4K: use Quality upscaling, high textures, and selectively reduce shadows, volumetric effects, and ray tracing. Ultra presets often consume performance without producing a proportional improvement during fast multiplayer matches.

Decision matrix: which card should you buy?

Bottom line

Buy the RX 9070 for the best all-round Arc Raiders build at 1440p, the RTX 5070 Ti for ray tracing and NVIDIA’s upscaling features, and the RTX 5060 Ti 16GB for efficient 1080p gaming. Move to the RX 9070 XT for value-oriented 4K raster performance or the RTX 5080 when 4K ray tracing and high refresh rates justify the extra cost, power, and cooling.