I'm considering moving from an RTX 3070 to an RX 6800 XT mainly to get more VRAM. I play at 1440p and don't use frame generation or upscaling, so those features aren't important to me. Would the extra VRAM and performance make a noticeable difference in games, or would I be better off saving for a newer, faster GPU?
5 Answers
The RX 6800 XT is roughly 20–25% faster in traditional rasterized gaming, and its 16GB of VRAM is much more comfortable for high-resolution textures at 1440p. That said, it’s still more of a moderate upgrade than a dramatic one. It makes the most sense if you can sell the RTX 3070 and keep the additional cost low.
First check whether you’re actually hitting the RTX 3070’s 8GB VRAM limit. If you’re only lowering texture settings occasionally, the 6800 XT may not feel worth the money. Extra VRAM helps prevent stuttering and texture compromises, but it doesn’t automatically make the card fast enough for every demanding game.
Compare benchmarks for the specific games you play at 1440p rather than relying only on average GPU rankings. CPU limitations can also reduce the difference, especially in competitive or CPU-heavy games. In general, the 6800 XT is a solid step up, but it’s not large enough to justify a major out-of-pocket upgrade.
The 6800 XT isn’t necessarily a downgrade. It is generally faster than the 3070 in normal rasterized rendering, and it can even perform competitively in ray tracing at 1440p. However, Nvidia still has advantages in features and some ray-traced workloads, so the better choice depends on the games and settings you use.
I’d probably save for a newer card instead of spending much on a 6800 XT. A roughly 20% performance increase can be hard to notice unless the 3070 is running out of VRAM, and newer GPUs offer better ray tracing, upscaling hardware, and longer-term support. More VRAM is useful, but GPU performance and architecture matter too.
That makes sense. If the improvement is only around 20%, I’ll probably wait unless I find a 6800 XT at a very good price.