I'm planning to sell my XFX RX 6800 16GB and use the money toward a GPU upgrade. I'm deciding between an ASRock RX 9070 XT Steel Legend 16GB for about $620 and an XFX RX 7900 XT 20GB for about $625.
My system has a Ryzen 9 5900X, 32GB of DDR4 memory, an ASRock B550M Steel Legend motherboard, a 1000W Corsair PSU, a 2TB NVMe SSD, and a Corsair 3500X case with a 360mm AIO. The white 9070 XT would match the rest of the build, while the black 7900 XT would give it a contrasting look.
I currently play at 1080p and 200Hz, although I'm also considering upgrading to a high-refresh 1440p monitor. I usually play at ultra settings and don't have much experience with upscaling. Would the RX 9070 XT's newer architecture, ray-tracing improvements, efficiency, and newer features make it the better choice, or is the RX 7900 XT's extra 4GB of VRAM and raster performance more useful for long-term gaming? Also, what would be a realistic selling price for my RX 6800 if it's in good condition?
5 Answers
The RX 9070 XT is generally the stronger card. It offers better ray tracing, newer features, improved efficiency, and better support for newer upscaling technology. The 7900 XT’s extra 4GB of VRAM is unlikely to matter much for normal 1080p or 1440p gaming unless you use very large texture mods, demanding VR applications, or non-gaming workloads such as local AI models.
At 1080p, native rendering is usually preferable because upscaling can be less beneficial at that resolution. The 9070 XT still makes more sense overall because of its raw performance and newer feature set, not just because of upscaling.
I’d choose the RX 9070 XT. The RX 7900 XT is only the better option if you specifically need 20GB of VRAM. For typical gaming, the 9070 XT is faster overall, has stronger ray tracing, and should have a longer useful lifespan because it is based on the newer architecture. The white Steel Legend model also matches your build nicely.
That makes sense. I’m also planning to move to a high-refresh 1440p monitor, so I’ll probably go with the 9070 XT.
A used RX 6800 in good condition might realistically sell for roughly $350–$400, depending on the exact model, local demand, warranty, and whether you sell privately or through a marketplace. Check recently completed sales rather than current asking prices, since unsold listings are often overly optimistic.
At 1080p and very high frame rates, your Ryzen 9 5900X can become the limiting factor with either card, especially in competitive or CPU-heavy games. The upgrade will make more sense once you move to 1440p, where the GPU does more of the work. The 5900X is still capable, but don’t expect every game to take full advantage of a 9070 XT at 200Hz and 1080p.
The 9070 XT should be a noticeable upgrade over the RX 6800, but the size of the improvement depends heavily on the game and resolution. At 1080p, some of the benefit may be hidden by the 5900X. At 1440p, especially with a high-refresh display, the upgrade will be much easier to appreciate. Your 1000W PSU is more than sufficient for either card.
I normally run games at native resolution with ultra settings, so I wasn’t sure whether the newer upscaling features would matter to me.