I'm planning to build a gaming PC that I'll keep mostly unchanged for around three to five years. I'll be playing at 1080p and targeting 60 FPS on a 24-inch monitor. Between the RTX 3070, RTX 3070 Ti, and RX 6700 XT, which would be the best investment? I'm also comparing local used prices: about $260 for a 3070 Ti versus $197 for a 6700 XT. Is the extra cost for the 3070 Ti worthwhile, considering it only has 8GB of VRAM compared with the 6700 XT's 12GB?
2 Answers
All three cards should handle 1080p at 60 FPS comfortably, even in demanding games. The RTX 3070 Ti is generally faster for standard rendering, but the RX 6700 XT’s 12GB of VRAM gives it a better chance of holding up as newer games use more memory. At $197, the 6700 XT is the stronger value unless you specifically need Nvidia features such as better ray tracing, DLSS, or CUDA support.
For a three-to-five-year build, VRAM is worth taking seriously. The 3070 Ti can deliver higher raw performance, but its 8GB limit may require lowering texture quality sooner in future AAA games. Since the 6700 XT is about $63 cheaper where you live and your target is only 1080p 60 FPS, I’d choose the 6700 XT and put the savings toward another component.
A faster card like an RTX 3080 would offer more performance, but it also has 10GB of VRAM and would likely use more power. For a 1080p 60 FPS system, the 6700 XT already meets the target without paying extra for performance you may not use.
So the 6700 XT is probably the more balanced option overall, especially because of the extra VRAM and lower price?