I'm choosing between a used RX 6700 XT and RTX 3070, both selling for roughly €200–220. My target is 1080p gaming at high or ultra settings. The RX 6700 XT appeals to me because it has more VRAM, while the RTX 3070 is usually about 5–10% faster in benchmarks. Which card would make more sense overall?
3 Answers
The deciding factor is mostly whether you expect to exceed 8GB of VRAM. Choose the 3070 for stronger feature support and slightly better performance, or the 6700 XT for longer-term VRAM capacity. Since they cost about the same, compare the condition, cooler, warranty, and power requirements of the specific used cards too.
I’d lean toward the RTX 3070 if you care about ray tracing, DLSS, or Nvidia-specific features. It’s generally the faster GPU, and DLSS can be useful in demanding games. Just keep in mind that its 8GB of VRAM may become a limitation in newer titles at high settings.
The RX 6700 XT is probably the better all-around choice for this price. Its 12GB of VRAM gives it more breathing room for newer games and high-resolution textures, and its standard rasterized performance is still very close to the 3070. At 1080p, that extra VRAM may matter more than a small benchmark advantage.
That’s the tradeoff I’d use as well. The 3070 is faster, but the 6700 XT’s 12GB can help avoid texture-quality compromises in newer games.