I'm using a Ryzen 7 7700X with an EVGA RTX 3070 Ti and have around $500–$600 set aside for a GPU upgrade. What would be a worthwhile replacement, and should I increase my budget or consider upgrading the CPU instead?
3 Answers
Your Ryzen 7 7700X is still plenty capable for a modern GPU, especially at 1440p or 4K, so I wouldn’t spend money replacing the CPU. The main issue is that most cards under $600 won’t be a huge jump over a 3070 Ti. Saving for an RX 9070 XT would make the upgrade feel much more worthwhile.
If the $500–$600 limit is firm, an RX 9070 GRE under about $550 could work, but it’s more of a modest upgrade and its 12 GB of VRAM is less appealing for long-term use. I’d either keep the 3070 Ti for now or save for a 9070/9070 XT, depending on your target resolution and games.
The RX 9070 is probably the strongest option near this price range. If you can stretch a little farther, the 9070 XT gives you a more noticeable performance increase and 16 GB of VRAM. Your current processor should pair well with either one.
So you’d recommend increasing the budget rather than replacing the CPU?