I'm looking to upgrade my GPU from a 3070 and my main focus is on efficiency. With the recent flak against Nvidia, I was intrigued by the 9070 and 7900XT, but their TDP ratings have me concerned. I want my room to stay cool and save on electricity costs while gaming a lot. I have an 850W PSU and would like to keep it around a 60% load for optimal efficiency. Initially, I thought I'd need to stick with Nvidia due to their lower TDP, but after watching a Gamers Nexus video, it seems the 9070 might actually be more efficient. How does its efficiency scale in older games that aren't under full load? I'm gaming at 1440p and my budget is around €600 to a max of €700.
6 Answers
If you're considering the 9070 or 9070 XT, go ahead and undervolt them. Check out benchmarks online that show both stock and undervolted performance, especially compared to something like the 5070 Ti.
If you're after the most efficient models, the 5060 is a solid choice, closely followed by the 9070. Just make sure to look into those edge cases like low wattage cards — they can be surprisingly effective!
When looking at efficiency, you definitely want to compare frame rates and wattage. Nvidia often leads in performance, but if you're focused on efficiency, the 9070 is a great option. Undervolting and underclocking can really boost your efficiency more than just choosing the GPU with the lowest TDP!
Absolutely, the 9070 is pretty efficient compared to the 9070 XT. The 9070 consumes around 200 watts, while the XT can go up to about 300 watts with a noticeable performance difference of around 10-15%. If you undervolt the 9070, you'll likely get similar performance at a lower wattage, keeping your system cool and quiet!
That's awesome! Keeping the fans quiet and the room cool while gaming is a big win.
Yup, you're spot on! The efficiency really comes down to how much work a card does for the power it consumes. Focus on FPS per Watt instead of just raw power draw or TDP. That'll give you a better understanding of which card is truly more efficient.
That makes sense, but I still find it confusing why under 100% load both cards perform similarly despite the AMD having a higher TDP. How does that work?
It's definitely perplexing! Performance in real-world conditions can vary widely beyond just TDP numbers.
Honestly, you shouldn't be too worried about the TDP of the 9070 if you're already using a 3070. They have similar TDP ratings, and with undervolting, the 9070 is a very efficient card at around €600. It’s definitely worth considering!
Yeah, I undervolted my 9070 XT to just over 200 watts and hardly noticed any performance loss. I still get 120 to 170 fps at 1440p!