I'm considering an upgrade for my gaming setup, and I'm stuck between buying the RX 9070 or the RX 9070 XT. My current build includes an i5 13400F processor, 32 GB of RAM, and an RTX 3060 Ti. I just upgraded my power supply to an 850-watt Super Flower Platinum. I primarily game at 1080p and don't plan on increasing my resolution since most new games aren't well optimized, and going higher could lead to lower frame rates. I've found the RX 9070 XT available for $634, so I'm wondering if it would be worth it or if the RX 9070 would suffice without causing bottleneck issues.
3 Answers
The RX 9070 XT is about 10% faster, but I'd be cautious with your setup. Your CPU could bottleneck the card at 1080p—like when I used my i5 12600K with DDR4, it struggled with Cyberpunk 2077 at 1440p until I made some upgrades. It really depends on how you plan to use it, though!
If you're looking for the most future-proof option, definitely go for the RX 9070 XT! It'll serve you better in the long run.
The RX 9070 runs cooler than the 9070 XT right out of the box. The XT has a bit more processing power and higher clock speeds. If you're considering both, check the prices closely; if they're not too far apart, the XT is usually the better option.
I saw a video that showed my CPU handling games just fine at 1080p; you might want to check it out! https://youtu.be/uXKiabAFmfg?si=6yN1DI3j2UFFpMJN