I currently have a standard RTX 4070, and I was planning to upgrade to an RTX 5080 next month. However, prices have increased by several hundred dollars, with some models now costing around $1,700. I know an upgrade is not strictly necessary, but I enjoy playing at maximum settings and there are a few games where my 4070 cannot maintain the performance I want. Would it make more sense to buy an RTX 5070 Ti, pay the inflated price for an RTX 5080, switch to an RX 9070 XT, or simply keep the 4070 and wait for a sale or the next generation?
4 Answers
Before buying anything, check whether the games you play actually fall below your target frame rate. You may be able to get the experience you want by using High instead of Ultra, since the visual difference is often small. If the 4070 is still meeting your expectations, there is no urgent reason to replace it.
I’d keep the RTX 4070 for now. A roughly 40% performance increase is hard to justify at an inflated price of around $1,700, especially when your current card still handles most games well. Wait for prices to settle, a worthwhile sale, or a more substantial future upgrade.
If you really want an upgrade, the RX 9070 XT is worth considering. It generally costs much less than an RTX 5080 while delivering a large portion of its rasterized gaming performance. Just make sure its feature set, ray tracing performance, and software support fit the games you play.
I would save the money for a more significant upgrade later rather than moving to a 5070 Ti or overpriced 5080 now. Spending that much for a moderate improvement can leave you disappointed, while waiting gives you a better chance at lower prices or a genuinely larger performance jump.
I may wait for a seasonal sale, but if prices stay unreasonable I’ll probably hold onto the 4070 until the next generation.
That makes sense. Waiting for a major sale or the next generation seems much better than paying a premium right now.