Quick Answer

1440p 120fps on RX 9070 is realistic with a tuned High preset and FSR Quality. Start from a High preset, cap the frame rate to 120fps, then adjust shadows, reflections and upscaling first because those settings move performance more than texture quality. For SA buyers, Sapphire Pulse RX 9070 or PowerColor Hellhound RX 9070 cards usually sit around R12,000-R16,000, so the better value move is tuning settings before replacing a working GPU.

Recommended Stellar Blade Settings

Use this as the first profile: High textures, High geometry, Medium shadows, Medium reflections, Medium effects and upscaling on Quality. Keep textures high if the card has enough VRAM, but reduce shadows before reducing texture quality because shadow cost is easier to see in the frame-time graph. On a 1440p monitor, the goal is not only the fps counter; it is a stable 1% low with no sharp dips during boss fights.

A practical South African setup is a 144Hz or 165Hz gaming monitor with DisplayPort, a 16GB RAM minimum and an NVMe SSD. If your screen is only 60Hz, the same GPU should be tuned for quieter fan speeds rather than chasing unused frames.

Expected FPS And Upscaling

With RX 9070, expect around 120-150 fps in lighter areas and lower dips in heavy combat. FSR Quality is the first upscaling mode to try because it keeps image quality clean while reducing GPU load. Use FSR frame generation if available only when the base frame rate already feels responsive; frame generation cannot fix a choppy base render.

If the game feels uneven, cap 3-5 fps below the monitor refresh rate and check GPU usage. A 120Hz panel can feel better at a locked 117fps than at an uncapped 90-140fps swing.

What To Lower First

Lower shadows one step, then reflections, then volumetric effects. Leave texture quality high unless VRAM usage is causing stutter, because texture reductions often hurt the look more than they help frame rate. Keep ray-tracing-style extras off if the target is 120fps rather than screenshots.

FAQ

Can RX 9070 hold 1440p 120fps in Stellar Blade?

It can if the target matches the settings profile above. Native Ultra is the wrong baseline for high-refresh play; tuned High with FSR Quality is the practical target.

Do I need a new CPU for this settings guide?

Usually no. A Ryzen 5 7600, Ryzen 7 7800X3D, Core i5-13600K or similar CPU is enough for this GPU target unless background apps are stealing resources.

Is frame generation worth using here?

Use it for 1440p high-refresh play when the base fps is already smooth. For mouse-and-keyboard combat, keep latency in mind and prefer a stable base frame rate before adding generated frames.

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