4K is kind of pointless for gaming anyway, IMO. I've got a 32" 4K 165 Hz OLED screen and I much prefer 1080p at 165 Hz over 4K at <= 60 Hz and a pegged GPU. I don't really see pixels either way. 4K is nice for text, though!
I usually play like this, it gives a very sharp image at 120-180W with a barely audible fan.
If you haven't tried machine learning based upscalers do give it a try! The newest generation (DLSS 4.5/FSR 4.1) are in general preferred by users over a native image since they provide a far superior way of native AA.
AI based frame-gen is also very good. 4k/120 Hz (1080p/60 FPS rendered) is very doable on mid-range cards these days.