I'm replacing my RX 6700 XT, and I already have someone interested in buying it for CAD $350. I'm choosing between the RX 9070 GRE for CAD $739.99, the RX 9070 for CAD $899.99, and the RX 9070 XT for CAD $999.99. Which one would you choose for 1440p gaming, with some heavily modded Skyrim using lots of 2K/4K textures? Should I buy now or wait?
3 Answers
For 1440p, the RX 9070 is already a strong choice. If you’re seriously considering 4K later, its 16GB of VRAM gives it more breathing room than the GRE. The RX 9070 XT is faster, but the regular 9070 is only a little behind in most games, so the decision comes down to whether the extra performance is worth CAD $100 to you.
Since you’re mainly gaming at 1440p, I’d lean toward the RX 9070 unless you want maximum frame rates or plan to move to 4K soon. The GRE saves money, but its 12GB VRAM makes it less appealing for heavily modded games and high-resolution texture packs. In many titles, the difference between the 9070 and XT may only be around 5–10 frames, depending on settings and the game.
The RX 9070 GRE is probably the best performance-per-dollar option, but it’s also the slowest of the three and only has 12GB of VRAM. It should be great for 1080p and 1440p, but 4K or future games could expose that VRAM limit. The RX 9070 is more power-efficient and has 16GB of VRAM, while the XT is the fastest but uses more power. At these prices, the XT’s extra performance is usually worth the relatively small upgrade cost.
I’ll probably stay at 1440p since 4K seems like it would cost too many frames. My main concern is whether the extra VRAM on the 9070 would help with heavily modded Skyrim and large 2K/4K texture packs.