I recently returned to PC gaming after being away for a while. My current system has a Ryzen 5 7600, 32 GB of DDR5-6000 memory, a 750 W modular power supply, an SSD, and an RX 6650 XT. I mostly use it for work, browsing, and occasional Counter-Strike and League of Legends, but I'd like to be ready for GTA 6.
I'm considering either buying a PS5 Pro mainly to play GTA 6 at launch or waiting for the PC version, since Rockstar usually releases its PC ports later. If I upgrade my PC, I'm thinking about an RX 9070 XT, which costs around €800 where I live. I also wondered whether it makes sense to buy an inexpensive 4K 180 Hz IPS monitor, or whether 1440p would be a better match. I currently have two 1080p 180 Hz monitors and don't particularly need OLED.
Would an RX 9070 XT be a worthwhile upgrade for this system and provide comfortable performance for several years? Is the Reaper model a good choice, and are Sapphire, XFX, or PowerColor better alternatives? I'd also like to know how AMD's FSR and ray tracing compare with NVIDIA's features, and whether I should be concerned about long-term driver support for newer RX 6000 and RX 7000 cards.
5 Answers
The RX 9070 XT would be a substantial jump over the RX 6650 XT and should pair well with your Ryzen 5 7600. For that card, I’d favor a good 1440p high-refresh display rather than buying a 4K 180 Hz monitor. It can run 4K with upscaling, but newer demanding games won’t consistently approach 180 fps at native 4K, so you’d be paying for refresh-rate headroom you probably won’t use. A quality panel with strong HDR may be a more meaningful upgrade than resolution alone.
The Reaper is generally fine. Sapphire, XFX, and PowerColor are also commonly regarded as dependable AMD board partners, so compare temperatures, noise, warranty, and price rather than assuming every model performs dramatically differently.
There’s no need to rush into either purchase. The 6650 XT is still perfectly usable at 1080p, and the rest of your build is solid. Wait until the PC version is actually announced, then compare the real system requirements and GPU prices. You may find that a future upgrade offers better value than buying a PS5 Pro now or paying €800 for a card before you need it.
I wouldn’t buy an entire console for a single game, especially when the PC version is very likely to arrive eventually. Rockstar’s PC releases have historically followed the console launch by roughly a year or more, so the practical choice is either wait or buy a regular PS5 if playing at launch matters that much. The Pro mainly gives you a stronger GPU; don’t expect it to turn GTA 6 into a high-refresh-rate experience, since the game is likely to be heavily CPU-limited and may target 30 fps.
If GTA 6 on launch day is your main priority, you’ll need a current console because the PC release is expected later. If you’re not in a hurry, keep your current setup and wait. Your PC is already more than capable for the games you normally play, and buying a PS5 Pro just for one title is difficult to justify unless you’re happy paying for immediate access.
AMD cards do give up some NVIDIA advantages, particularly the strongest ray-tracing and path-tracing performance, DLSS image quality in certain games, and some specialized frame-generation or AI features. However, FSR is widely supported and can look quite good, and the 9070 XT is powerful enough that you won’t need upscaling in every game. For ordinary rasterized gaming, it offers very strong performance for the money.
I also wouldn’t worry about the support rumor you saw. The discussion was likely confusing the old Radeon HD 7000 series from around 2011 with the much newer RX 7000 series. AMD should continue supporting current cards for many years, although specific features and optimizations can change over time.
You could keep the existing 1080p monitors for now and upgrade the display later. At 1440p, the 9070 XT should have a much more comfortable balance between image quality and frame rate, while FSR can help when a game is especially demanding.