I'm considering a graphics card upgrade and want to know how much of a difference it would make in my current system. My build has a B460M motherboard, an Intel Core i9-10900K, 32GB of DDR4 memory, an RX 7600 XT with 16GB of VRAM, and a be quiet! Pure Power 13 M 850W 80+ Gold power supply. I mainly play at 1440p on a 180Hz monitor, with occasional use of a 4K 60Hz TV, and I prefer high-quality settings. The RX 7600 XT has started struggling in games such as Marvel's Spider-Man, Resident Evil 9, Silent Hill 2, and future demanding releases. My budget is ideally below $650, though I could stretch to about $650 if necessary. An RTX 5070 is available locally for less than a Radeon RX 9070 XT, so I'm wondering whether the 5070 is a meaningful upgrade or if I should save for a different card.
4 Answers
The RTX 5070 would be a substantial upgrade over the RX 7600 XT and should be a strong 1440p card. You also get DLSS, frame generation, and generally better ray-tracing performance, which can help in visually demanding games. For the features and games you listed, it would be a noticeable improvement rather than a minor sidegrade.
I’d look closely at the RX 9070 before committing to either the 5070 or 9070 XT. It is already faster than the 5070 in conventional rendering, comes with 16GB of VRAM, and should be a better fit for high-settings 1440p gaming. The 9070 XT is closer to the RTX 5070 Ti in performance, so it can be worth considering if you find one near the top of your budget.
Your 850W power supply is more than adequate for these cards, assuming it is installed correctly and in good condition. The i9-10900K should still be fine for 1440p, especially at high settings, although it may limit extremely high frame rates in some CPU-heavy games. Since your current card is the much weaker component, upgrading the GPU should make the biggest difference.
The main concern with the 5070 is its 12GB of VRAM. That is usually workable at 1440p today, but demanding games using high-resolution textures and ray tracing may become more restrictive over time. If you plan to keep the card for several years, a 16GB option such as the RX 9070 or RX 9070 XT may offer better longevity, provided the price difference is reasonable.
That’s my concern as well. I’m trying to balance the lower price of the 5070 against not needing to replace it again soon.
The regular 9070 is priced fairly close to some 9070 XT models where I live, so I’m comparing both before deciding.