I've finally saved enough for a GPU upgrade from my RX 6600 XT and would appreciate some advice. I'm looking for smoother 1440p gaming, better VR performance, and more VRAM. My previous AMD experience wasn't especially smooth, although that may have been caused by driver or software issues rather than the card itself.
The RTX 5070, RTX 4070 Ti Super, and RX 9070/RX 9070 XT all cost roughly the same where I live, usually within about $60 depending on the seller and model. Prices range from around $600 for some RTX 4070-class cards to approximately $800 for the RTX 5070 and RX 9070-series cards.
Video and photo editing are my main professional workloads, so I also need to know whether the GPU choice will make a meaningful difference in Photoshop, Premiere Pro, or After Effects. I'm planning to upgrade my power supply if necessary.
My current system is an Intel Core i9-11900KF, 32 GB of DDR4-4000 memory, a 2 TB NVMe SSD, an MSI MAG B560 Tomahawk motherboard, a 650 W PSU, and a Sapphire Pulse RX 6600 XT. Which GPU would be the best overall fit for both work and gaming?
4 Answers
I’d avoid choosing the RTX 5070 purely because it is newer. If the RTX 4070 Ti Super is only slightly more expensive, its 16 GB of VRAM makes it a more attractive option. If the price difference is closer to 30%, the 9070 XT becomes much easier to recommend for gaming. Either way, a quality PSU upgrade is advisable before installing one of these cards, since 650 W leaves limited headroom depending on the specific model and the rest of the system.
For a work-and-gaming balance, I’d lean toward the RTX 4070 Ti Super if you can find it at a reasonable price. It has 16 GB of VRAM, strong performance, mature Windows drivers, CUDA support, and broad compatibility with creative software. Nvidia is generally the safer choice when Premiere Pro and After Effects are part of your job, though it may not be worth paying a large premium over the newer cards.
The RX 9070 XT is probably the strongest gaming-focused option here. Its 16 GB of VRAM gives it more headroom than the 12 GB RTX 5070, especially at 1440p with high-quality textures and in VR. However, the RTX 5070 can still be faster in some Adobe workloads, so the right choice depends on how heavily you prioritize professional editing versus gaming.
The RTX 5070 makes the most sense if your Adobe work is the deciding factor. Photoshop performance is usually fairly close between these options, but Premiere Pro and After Effects often benefit more from Nvidia’s CUDA and hardware-acceleration support. For gaming alone, the RX 9070 XT offers more VRAM and can be the better value, but the 5070 is the safer professional-workstation choice.
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