RTX 40 series vs RTX 50 series: what changed and who should upgrade

Three things changed across the range. Most 50 series cards use GDDR7 memory, which is faster than the GDDR6 and GDDR6X on the 40 series. The cards support DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation, which can insert more than one generated frame between each rendered one, where the 40 series supports the earlier single-frame version. And the high-end cards use the newer 12V-2x6 power connector.

What did not change much is the underlying speed per tier. The generation is better described as a refinement of the same approach with new features than as a step change in raw performance, which is why the comparison below tier by tier matters more than the headline.

A 40 series card is not stuck in the past. DLSS 4 Super Resolution and Ray Reconstruction, the image-quality upgrades to NVIDIA's upscaler, run on the 40 series as well, so owners get that benefit without buying new hardware. The one headline feature they lack is Multi Frame Generation.

That matters for how you read the upgrade case. If the feature you want is better upscaling, you may already have it. If the feature you want is more generated frames for smoothness, that is the 50 series only.

Compared with its direct predecessor, each 50 series card gains by a different amount. These are differences in estimated 1440p performance.

The generation is most worthwhile at the very top and at the lower end of the range, and least worthwhile in the middle. The flagship gains the most in absolute terms, and the 5060 Ti is a large relative step over the 4060 Ti. In between, the RTX 5070 is effectively a price cut on the RTX 4070 Super, and the 5080 and 5070 Ti are modest steps.

That is useful when buying new, because the price you pay for a current card is often lower than its predecessor's launch price for the same speed. It is a weak reason to upgrade if you already own the previous card.

If you own an RTX 4070 Super, 4070 Ti Super or 4080 Super, upgrading to the matching 50 series card gives you a single-digit gain in speed and a new frame generation mode. For most people that does not justify the cost of the change, particularly after selling the old card.

If you own a card from the 30 series or earlier, or a lower-end 40 series card, the case is stronger. The jump from an RTX 4060 Ti to a 5060 Ti is large, and an owner of an older card gains the whole of the generation's upscaling and frame generation improvements on top. The upgrade guide on this site explains how to judge the size of a step.

A 40 series card is only a sensible purchase if it is cheaper than the 50 series equivalent for the same speed, and many of them are discontinued, so their prices depend on remaining stock. Check each card's page for its price basis and for whether it is still in production.

At equal price, the 50 series card gives you the newer feature set and a card that will be supported and available for longer. At a clearly lower price, the 40 series is worth a look, as long as you accept it lacks Multi Frame Generation.