I'm trying to decide between the RTX 5070 and the RX 9070 for my setup. I've been using a GTX 1660 Super, but it's starting to fail, so I know I need an upgrade. I have an Intel i5-9400F, which I know might bottleneck the GPU in some situations. I game on a 1440p monitor, and the RX 9070 is a little cheaper in my area. How much of a bottleneck will I experience with the i5-9400F, and which GPU would be the better choice?
5 Answers
At 1440p, the CPU won't bottleneck you too much in most games. But with newer titles, NVIDIA's drivers can be more CPU-intensive. If you're bottlenecked, the RTX 5070 might perform worse than the RX 9070. Generally, the RX 9070 outperforms the 5070 across most games, plus it has more VRAM, which can help.
I went with the RX 9070XT over the RTX 5070 just because it was more budget-friendly and I’m not a fan of NVIDIA’s practices. I watched several benchmarks and found the 9070XT offers better performance per dollar. It’s still a solid card even without their frame generation tech. If the price is right, the regular 9070 could also be a great choice over the 5070.
Either GPU will be a big upgrade from your GTX 1660 Super. They have similar performance levels, so if the RX 9070 is cheaper for you, I'd say go for that one!
The RX 9070 has a bit more power and 4GB more VRAM, which might not matter much for 1440p gaming. The CPU bottleneck will depend on the games you play. Check out this benchmark video to see how the CPU affects performance: [Benchmark Link](https://youtu.be/TXKyQYiLro8?t=626). Just keep in mind that it's comparing 9070XT to 5070, so it may not be a perfect comparison.
I'd go with the RX 9070. It's stronger in rasterization and ray tracing, plus it has better energy efficiency and a more stable driver experience. With an older CPU like the 9400F, the lower CPU overhead of the 9070 might be beneficial.
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