RTX 5070 or RX 9070 XT for a First PC Build?
Asked by
MellowCedar42
I'm building my first PC and I'm torn between the GeForce RTX 5070 and Radeon RX 9070 XT, which are currently priced similarly. Some gamers have warned me about poor experiences with AMD graphics cards and suggested sticking with NVIDIA, but the RX 9070 XT seems to offer more performance and VRAM for the money. I'm also wondering whether an RTX 5070 would hold its value better if I upgrade when the next generation arrives. The RTX 5070 Ti is outside my budget.
The rest of the build includes a Gigabyte B650 AX motherboard, Ryzen 7 9700X, 32GB of DDR5-6000 memory, and a Samsung Odyssey OLED G5 monitor. I'll mainly be gaming, but I also plan to use programs such as After Effects. Should I choose the RTX 5070 or RX 9070 XT, and is a 1TB Samsung SSD worth buying, or would a less expensive drive be the better choice?
Answers
If the RTX 5070 and RX 9070 XT cost the same, the 9070 XT is generally the stronger buy. It offers substantially better traditional gaming performance and more VRAM, while still being competitive in standard ray tracing. The 5070’s main advantages are NVIDIA’s ray-tracing performance, DLSS, and broader support for some creative and AI software. For gaming value at equal pricing, though, the 5070 is the weaker card.
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AMD cards can have driver or software problems for some people, but those experiences aren’t universal. The 9070 XT provides much more performance per dollar, so I wouldn’t reject it solely because of general warnings about AMD. Since you’re using After Effects, check the specific effects and plugins you rely on; NVIDIA may be preferable if your workflow depends heavily on CUDA or certain NVIDIA-optimized features.
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The RTX 5070 only makes more sense if it’s noticeably cheaper, you strongly prefer NVIDIA’s software features, or your After Effects workload benefits from CUDA and NVIDIA encoding. At the same price as the RX 9070 XT, I’d choose the 9070 XT for gaming and keep the extra budget for storage or other parts.
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I’d avoid paying a premium for a 1TB Samsung SSD. Samsung drives can be good, but you’re often paying extra for the brand, and 1TB fills up quickly once you install modern games and creative applications. A reputable 2TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe drive from a less expensive brand would usually give you better capacity and value. Just compare reviews for sustained performance, endurance, and warranty support rather than choosing the absolute cheapest model.
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MellowCedar42: That makes sense. I was mainly worried that AMD’s lower price meant there was a major reliability catch, but the extra VRAM and performance are tempting.