I'm considering upgrading my RTX 3070 to an RX 9070 XT for $685. My 3070 still works fine, and I estimate I could sell it for around $150, making the upgrade cost roughly $550. GPU prices seem unpredictable, so I'm wondering whether it makes more sense to upgrade now and extend the useful life of my system rather than risk paying even more later. My system has an MSI PRO B650-P motherboard, a Ryzen 7 7700X, 32GB of DDR5-6000 memory, and a 27-inch 1440p 144Hz monitor. I've also been playing more demanding, story-focused games lately. Is the performance and extra VRAM worth the cost, and does the specific board partner matter much?
5 Answers
For roughly $550 after selling the 3070, I’d consider it a reasonable upgrade. The card offers a lot more performance and VRAM, and pricing on newer GPUs has been high enough that waiting doesn’t guarantee a better deal.
The upgrade is especially worthwhile if you’re targeting high refresh-rate 1440p gaming. It should handle 1440p at 144Hz much more comfortably and remain useful for years. You may even be able to get closer to $200 for a clean, working 3070 depending on your local market.
Yes, it makes sense if you want to keep the rest of the platform for several more years. The 9070 XT should give you a much stronger GPU foundation for future games.
XFX is a perfectly reasonable board partner. Brand matters mostly for the cooler, noise levels, factory tuning, warranty, and customer support rather than the underlying GPU performance. Check reviews for the exact model, but you don’t need to avoid XFX.
Good to know. I’ll compare reviews for the specific XFX model, but it sounds like the brand itself isn’t a major concern.
I made the same jump from a 3070 to a 9070 XT and was very happy with it. At 1440p, the difference is substantial, especially in newer games, and the doubled VRAM should help the card age better. The main caveat is ray tracing: it works, but Nvidia is generally stronger there.
That’s what I’m leaning toward. Since I’m using 1440p and playing more visually demanding games now, the extra performance would probably get used.