I've been using an RTX 3080 since shortly after it launched, but it has started struggling with newer games—especially at my ultrawide resolution. I'm often dropping settings to medium, so I just bought an RTX 5070 for $630. Now I'm seeing people call it a poor choice compared with cards like the RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT. Is the 5070 still a meaningful upgrade for 3440×1440 gaming, or should I cancel the order and consider an AMD card instead? I'm particularly interested in ray tracing, DLSS, frame generation, VRAM, and overall value.
5 Answers
The biggest issue is that the jump from a 3080 to a 5070 may feel smaller than you hoped. If you wanted a major performance uplift, a 5070 Ti or RX 9070 XT would make more sense. If your 3080 is already struggling and you value NVIDIA features, though, the 5070 is still a perfectly defensible upgrade at $630.
For 3440×1440, the 5070 is a capable card and should run most games very well at high or ultra settings. You may need to avoid blindly maxing every setting in the newest or most demanding titles, but that doesn’t make the card a bad choice. DLSS and frame generation can also help a lot when used appropriately.
You’re not cooked, and you didn’t waste your money. The 5070 should provide a good experience for several years, particularly if you’re comfortable using high instead of ultra when a game is unusually demanding. There may be better value options, but that doesn’t turn the card you bought into a bad GPU.
The RX 9070 and 9070 XT generally offer better raw gaming performance and more VRAM for similar money, so they’re worth comparing if pure rasterized performance is your priority. NVIDIA still has advantages in ray tracing, DLSS, frame generation, streaming, and some productivity workloads. The better choice depends on which features matter most to you.
Ray tracing and upscaling are the parts I’m most unsure about. I’ve mostly heard that NVIDIA is noticeably stronger there, so I don’t want to focus only on benchmark numbers.
The RTX 5070 definitely isn’t trash. It’s roughly 20% faster than a 3080, uses considerably less power, adds newer features like DLSS 4, frame generation, and AV1 encoding, and has better ray-tracing performance. At $630, it’s a reasonable purchase, especially if you specifically want NVIDIA’s software features. The main concern is its 12GB of VRAM, and it isn’t a massive generational jump from your 3080.
I only placed the order recently, so I can still cancel it. I hadn’t really considered AMD, but the RX 9070 XT is available locally for about $740. I’m going to compare the ray tracing, upscaling, and performance differences before deciding.
I’d temper the expectations a little. Ultrawide 1440p is more demanding than standard 1440p, and the 5070 isn’t dramatically faster than a 3080. It’s a solid upgrade, but not necessarily a night-and-day one.