5 best GPUs to play Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail

Picture of the FINAL FANTASY XIV: DAWNTRAIL
The Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail expansion (Image via Square Enix)

The Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail expansion (7.0 update) will take the story of the warrior of light to new heights. The update brings a ton of new content and will be released on July 2, 2024. However, you may need a new GPU to play the upcoming expansion. According to the official provisional system requirements for the Dawntrail expansion, the graphics card requirements have increased significantly.

This article lists the best GPUs you should buy to prepare your system for the update.

Note: This list is subjective and solely reflects the writer's opinions.


Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail system requirements

Here's the full system requirements list (provisional) of the Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail expansion:

SpecificationsMinimum system requirementsRecommended system requirements
CPUIntel® Core™ i7-7700 or higherIntel® Core™ i7-9700 or higher
RAM8GB or higher16GB or higher
OSWindows 10 or higher (64-bit only)Windows 10 or above (64-bit only)
GPUNVIDIA® Geforce® GTX970 (4GB) or higher
AMD Radeon™ RX 480 or higher
NVIDIA® Geforce® RTX2060 (6GB) or higher
AMD Radeon™ RX 5600 XT or higher
Resolution target1280x720 1920x1080
Storage140GB or more 140GB or more

Please note that this is a provisional system requirements list that could see some changes before the expansion is released. As of now, you need a Nvidia GTX 970 to play the game on 720p resolution and an Nvidia RTX 2060 for 1080p gameplay.

You will need a decently powerful GPU to play the game on 2K or even 4K resolution. Below is a list of graphics cards we hand-picked to ensure the game runs absolutely fantastic.


List of the best GPUs to play Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail smoothly

1) AMD RX 7900 GRE

The Sapphire Pure AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE (Image via Sapphire)
The Sapphire Pure AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE (Image via Sapphire)

Price: $529.99

The AMD RX 7900 GRE is a great GPU if you plan to play this game at 4K resolution. It will comfortably deliver 60+ FPS even with the highest graphical settings. It has 16GB of VRAM, which is the highest VRAM capacity on this list, and it will future-proof your gaming rig.

SpecificationsDetails
Shader cores5120
RT cores80
TMUs320
ROPs160
Base clock1287 MHz
Boost clock2245 MHz
VRAM size16 GB
VRAM bus width256-bit
VRAM bandwidth576 GB/s
Manufacturing nodes5nm, 6nm
Thermal design power (TDP)260W

It even has a decent ray tracing performance that you can enjoy in games like Spider-Man: Miles Morales or Resident Evil 4 Remake. The GPU supports FSR upscaling and frame generation, which works decently well.

Pros

  • Can play Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail at 4K.
  • Has decent ray-tracing performance.
  • Has 16 GB VRAM for smooth gameplay.

Cons

  • Its ray-tracing performance is great but not as good as Nvidia's RTX graphics cards at this price range.

2) AMD RX 7700 XT

The Sapphire Pulse AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT (Image via Sapphire)
The Sapphire Pulse AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT (Image via Sapphire)

Price: $374.99

If you want a powerful GPU under the $400 mark, the AMD RX 7700 XT is the best. It can easily play some of the most demanding games at 1440p without breaking a sweat. It can even play Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail at 4K if you lower some graphics settings.

SpecificationsDetails
Shader cores3456
RT cores54
TMUs216
ROPs96
Base clock1435 MHz
Boost clock2554 MHz
VRAM size12 GB
VRAM bus width192-bit
VRAM bandwidth 432 GB/s
Manufacturing nodes 5nm, 6nm
Thermal design power (TDP) 245W

To deliver the best performance, AMD also equipped the GPU with 12GB of memory, which is incredibly necessary in 1440p or 4K gaming. The memory bandwidth is also quite fast, which should reduce stutters.

Pros

  • Delivers excellent performance for the money.
  • Has 12 GB of VRAM to prevent VRAM-related issues at higher resolution.
  • Perfect video card to play Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail at 1440p with High settings and even at 4K with Medium Settings.

Cons

  • The FSR upscaling of AMD is not as good as Nvidia's cards.

3) Nvidia RTX 4060 Ti

The MSI Gaming GeForce RTX 4060 Ti (Image via MSI)
The MSI Gaming GeForce RTX 4060 Ti (Image via MSI)

Price: $364.99

The Nvidia RTX 4060 Ti is the best graphics card for a mid-range PC build and has enough performance to play Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail at 1440p. Even other games that are more graphically demanding can be played at 1440p resolution with high graphical settings.

SpecificationsDetails
Shader cores4352
RT cores34
TMUs136
ROPs48
Base clock2310 MHz
Boost clock2535 MHz
VRAM size8 GB
VRAM bus width128-bit
VRAM bandwidth 288 GB/s
Manufacturing nodes 5nm
Thermal design power (TDP) 160W

The RTX GPUs are known for their fantastic ray tracing performance, and it's no different here. It can run all of the ray-tracing effects except Overdrive mode in Cyberpunk 2077 without dropping frames significantly.

Pros

  • An excellent gaming card for 1440p gaming.
  • Ray-tracing performance is great in many games.
  • Can easily play Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail smoothly at 1080p High settings or 1440p Medium settings.

Cons

  • The 8GB VRAM may not be enough for a few games at 1440p resolution.

4) Nvidia RTX 3060

The MSI Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 (Image via MSI)
The MSI Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 (Image via MSI)

Price: $284.99

The Nvidia RTX 3060 is one of the rare cards that refuses to be replaced. Even though the new RTX 4060 is technically its replacement, it can still hold on its own thanks to its large VRAM capacity. The new replacement GPU actually has a lower VRAM capacity, and that's why the RTX 3060 is still loved by many gamers.

SpecificationsDetails
Shader cores3584
RT cores28
TMUs112
ROPs48
Base clock1320 MHz
Boost clock1777 MHz
VRAM size12 GB
VRAM bus width192-bit
VRAM bandwidth 360 GB/s
Manufacturing nodes 8nm
Thermal design power (TDP) 170W

This card can easily run Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail at 1080p with 60+ FPS and can even run it at 1440p if you choose to lower some graphical settings.

Pros

  • Has a great value for money performance.
  • Can run game emulators with great performance due to its fast memory.
  • Has a higher memory capacity that can help in games like The Last of Us: Part 1.

Cons

  • It may not be available in every region since it has been replaced by the newer RTX 4060.

5) Intel Arc A580

The Sparkle Intel Arc A580 (Image via Sparkle)
The Sparkle Intel Arc A580 (Image via Sparkle)

Price: $159.99

The Intel Arc A580 is the cheapest graphics card on this list, but don't let its low price tag fool you. It is a decent GPU that can get close to the performance of the RTX 3060 at almost half the price. That's what makes this gaming card a great choice for budget gamers.

SpecificationsDetails
Shader cores3072
RT cores24
TMUs192
ROPs96
Base clock1770 MHz
Boost clock2000 MHz
VRAM size8 GB
VRAM bus width256-bit
VRAM bandwidth 512 GB/s
Manufacturing nodes6nm
Thermal design power (TDP) 175W

Even the ray tracing performance of this GPU is commnedable. The only reason it doesn't sit higher on this list is because its drivers are not as stable as Nvidia or AMD.

Pros

  • Great video card for 1080p gaming.
  • Can comfortably play Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail at 60 FPS.
  • Has its own XESS upscaling technology.

Cons

  • Has low clock speeds, which could hurt performance in some games.

These are the best graphics cards to buy for the Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail expansion. The AMD RX 7900 GRE can easily play this game at 4K while delivering 60+ FPS, so if you want the best visuals, you'll want to pick this GPU. However, if you don't want to spend that much on a video card, you can go for the Nvidia RTX 4060 Ti, which will allow you to play the game smoothly at 1440p.

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