I recently upgraded from a used RTX 3070 to a Gigabyte RX 9070 XT. The performance has been excellent, but I started experiencing driver crashes soon after installing it. I've tried DDU, reinstalling Windows, preventing Windows from automatically replacing drivers, and using a registry change to block those updates. After the registry change, I've gone several hours of gaming without another crash.
The card's temperatures seem normal, and it still has nearly two years of warranty remaining. The hotspot can reach around 85°C, but I adjusted the fan curve and applied an undervolt to keep temperatures under control. I'm still a little concerned because of Gigabyte's reputation and the earlier driver problems.
Someone offered an RTX 5070 plus $150 cash and a $150 keyboard, though I may be able to negotiate for $200–$300 instead. Would trading be a bad idea? The RTX 5070 would still be a major upgrade over my old RTX 3070, and I mainly play at 1440p, but I know it is slower than the RX 9070 XT and may have less VRAM.
5 Answers
I had similar driver crashes with a 9070 XT. After doing a clean driver installation and blocking Windows from replacing the graphics driver, I’ve been crash-free for several weeks. My card also runs cool after adjusting the fan curve and undervolting. Given that the 9070 XT is faster and you still have almost two years of warranty, I wouldn’t switch solely because of the initial crashes.
The offer is more reasonable if it really includes the RTX 5070, $150–$300 in cash, and a keyboard you actually want. That effectively puts the 5070 in the neighborhood of $450–$500 depending on how much cash you negotiate. Just make sure the lower performance and reduced VRAM won’t bother you, especially in newer games at ultra settings.
I’m a few days crash-free after making the registry change too. Since the temperatures look normal and the card is still under warranty, I’m leaning toward keeping the 9070 XT rather than giving up performance for the 5070.
I’d probably keep the RX 9070 XT. The RTX 5070 is roughly 15–25% slower, and Nvidia’s drivers aren’t necessarily trouble-free either. At 1440p, the 9070 XT is an excellent fit, and you’ve already found a possible fix for the crashes. If you’re comfortable with the performance difference and the extra money is substantial, the trade could still make sense, but it isn’t an obvious upgrade.
If you strongly prefer Nvidia’s software, features, or upscaling, taking the 5070 could be understandable. Otherwise, it’s a downgrade in raw performance, and the 50-series hasn’t been completely free of driver issues either. I’d only do it for a large enough cash difference or if the RX 9070 XT continues crashing after more testing.
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