When I got my existing gaming PC in 2022, the RTX 3080 was already a 2-year-old card, but still one of the fastest in the world. The RTX 40 series wasn't out yet, and even after it launched, my RTX 3080 was pretty powerful for quite a while. In early 2024, however, it had started to feel limited, especially in the most demanding titles like Alan Wake 2 and the path tracing mode in Cyberpunk 2077. I've been thinking about upgrading my GPU for a while, and I think I finally know what I'll be switching to.

RX 9070 XT will be a decent upgrade over the RTX 3080

All things considered

You wouldn't normally consider an AMD GPU a worthy upgrade from an Nvidia 80-class card, but things have changed in the GPU market. AMD's RX 90 series took a huge leap in performance, improving ray tracing, upscaling, and frame generation compared to the RX 7000 series. No one expected AMD to deliver like it did, especially when the launch was delayed by a few months.

Compared to the RTX 3080, the RX 9070 XT represents a 30–40% performance jump, depending on the game in question. That might not sound like much, but given the price point, that's an impressive jump. I care only about 1440p performance since I just bought the Alienware AW3423DWF, and I'm sticking to 3440 x 1440 gaming for the next five years (at least). And the RX 9070 XT excels at 1440p, especially with the help of the much-improved FSR 4.

I will finally have enough VRAM for 2025 (and beyond)

Sufficient VRAM is a luxury

Despite being a high-end GPU in 2020, the RTX 3080 was limited to 10GB of VRAM. This wasn't a problem back then, but as newer titles started demanding more VRAM, I noticed I was frequently hitting the 10GB VRAM limit. Now, with a new monitor and a higher resolution than 1440p, I need a GPU with at least 16GB of VRAM for it to run comfortably for a couple more years.

Enter the RX 9070 XT. Despite its mid-range positioning, AMD hasn't cut down on the VRAM, something Nvidia is known to do. Today, 12GB of VRAM is considered the bare minimum, and 16GB is comfortable for 1440p gaming. The RX 9070 XT doesn't force you to buy a higher-end card simply to access a larger framebuffer; its 16GB VRAM is more than enough to take full advantage of its horsepower.

The value for money is superior vs. RTX 5070 Ti

No contest

You might be wondering why I'm not considering GPUs like the RTX 5080, or at least the RTX 5070 Ti. For starters, the RTX 5080 is overpriced for what it brings to the table, more so here in India. The RTX 5070 Ti, on the other hand, besides being overpriced, doesn't even justify the premium in the performance department. Compared to the RX 9070 XT, it's only around 6% faster at 1440p.

Why will I pay $150 more for a 6% FPS difference? The RTX 5070 Ti might be a powerful card, but it doesn't justify its price against the RX 9070 XT, especially in my region. Ray tracing performance is still in Nvidia's favor, but with FSR 4, I can still manage 60+ FPS in ray-traced games with FSR 4 upscaling. Non-RT gaming is where the AMD card really shines, going toe-to-toe with the Nvidia offering while being significantly cheaper.

RX 9070 XT prices in my region nearly mirror the US prices

Unlike those of Nvidia cards

The RTX 5070 Ti might be $150 pricier than the RX 9070 XT, but there's another problem here in India. I can't even buy one at the prevailing US prices — I need to pay 10–40% more to grab one (after accounting for existing import duties). In contrast, the RX 9070 XT is priced almost the same in India as in the US. It's still not available at MSRP here, but I don't have to pay a huge premium for the AMD card just because I'm not living in the US.

Nvidia GPUs have always enjoyed larger price hikes compared to AMD offerings, but between the RX 9070 XT and RTX 5070 Ti, I can't justify paying around 20% more for the latter. Even in ray tracing, the RTX 5070 Ti is only around 25% faster, a benefit that gets offset by the 20% price premium. If the prices happen to correct in the next few months, or the rumored RTX 50 Super series delivers something exciting, I'd happily revisit my decision.

AMD's ray tracing and FSR 4 are finally competitive

A long time coming

AMD is finally in the same league as Nvidia when it comes to ray tracing and upscaling. It might still lag behind, but the foundation laid by RDNA 4 promises greater things in the future. FSR 4 produces a much more stable and sharper image compared to FSR 3, and performance and support will only improve from here on out. Buying an AMD GPU no longer feels like a compromise, considering the price and performance.

AMD finally debuted dedicated ray tracing hardware and AI/ML on its RX 90 series GPUs, and it couldn't have come sooner. With the progress AMD has shown, we can expect a significant performance leap with its next-gen GPUs. The company might even return to the high-end segment with a contender that can finally rival Nvidia's next 90-class GPU.

It's between the RX 9070 XT and RTX 50 Super for me

I've mostly decided to buy the RX 9070 XT, but I'm willing to wait for the RTX 50 Super refresh in the next 3–4 months. Who knows, maybe Nvidia will deliver more VRAM and slightly better performance at the same price points. If that's indeed the case, I could consider sticking with Nvidia. Buying the rumored RTX 5080 Super would still be a stretch, but maybe the RTX 5070 Ti could see a price drop after the launch of the Super cards.