I'm planning a PC upgrade and looking for a used graphics card for roughly €420 to play at 1440p. I've narrowed my options to the RX 7800 XT and RTX 4070, but I'm unsure which offers the better overall experience.
Ray tracing isn't a major priority for me, although upscaling and image quality are important. From what I understand, the RX 7800 XT is usually faster in traditional rasterized games and has 16GB of VRAM, while the RTX 4070 has stronger ray-tracing performance and generally better upscaling support.
The used-market situation also makes me lean toward the 7800 XT. I've found several reputable gaming stores with good sales histories offering that card. For the RTX 4070, I've only found one private listing from a seller with limited technical-sales feedback. The card is a dual-fan Zotac model with 12GB of VRAM, reportedly used only for gaming, recently repasted, and kept at good temperatures. However, the original box is missing, so I'm less confident about the purchase.
For 1440p gaming, how significant are the differences between these cards in rasterization, ray tracing, VRAM capacity, and upscaling? Would the RTX 4070 be worth choosing despite the less trustworthy listing, or is the RX 7800 XT the safer and better-value option?
4 Answers
If you can find a used RX 9070 for around €500, that would be a much stronger option than either of these cards. Otherwise, between the two listed choices, the RTX 4070 is attractive for ray tracing and upscaling, while the RX 7800 XT is the better pick for raw performance, VRAM, and a safer purchase.
I’d choose the RX 7800 XT in this situation. It offers excellent 1440p raster performance, 16GB of VRAM, and newer upscaling features are also available on that generation of cards. Unless ray tracing or Nvidia-specific software features are especially important to you, the 7800 XT is the safer value purchase—particularly when it comes from a reputable store with buyer protection.
I’d avoid buying a modern gaming GPU with less than 16GB if you want to keep it for several years. The RTX 4070 is efficient and capable, but the RX 7800 XT’s extra VRAM makes it more comfortable for demanding 1440p games and high texture settings. Given the uncertainty around the private listing, I’d favor the 7800 XT from the established seller.
The RTX 4070 is clearly stronger for ray-traced games, but the RX 7800 XT can be slightly faster in standard rasterized titles. For 1440p gaming without heavy ray tracing, the 7800 XT’s 16GB of VRAM is a meaningful advantage and gives it more headroom for future games. The 4070 generally has the better upscaling and frame-generation experience, though the difference matters most if you regularly use those features.
That makes sense. I’m mostly concerned about whether the 4070’s upscaling advantage is large enough to justify giving up 4GB of VRAM and buying from a less established seller.