Switching from 9070 xt to 5070 ti - Need some perspective
Posted by InspoBreach@reddit | buildapc | View on Reddit | 40 comments
Hey everyone!
I recently snagged an RX 9070 XT at its €698 MSRP, received it about a week and a half ago and have been having a blast with it. It handles most games like a champ, although I've been having some driver timeout issues when trying to use path tracing in games like Cyberpunk and Indiana Jones (seems to be a known issue mentioned in AMD's latest driver notes). For now, I'm playing Cyberpunk at RT Ultra with FSR 4 thanks to optiscaler, and it looks fantastic!
However, as it's a new build, I've also been eyeing the RTX 5000 series and managed to order an RTX 5070 Ti SFF for €940 (yeah, over the Msrp but not as much as I usually see it).
Now I'm getting some buyer's remorse. The 9070 XT is genuinely great, but I can't shake the feeling that I'd enjoy my gaming more with better ray tracing and would like to even try path tracing. Plus, the fact that Doom: The Dark Ages is a game I'm super hyped for and will likely be Vulkan (meaning no FSR 4 at launch, and I'm not sold on FSR 3 quality) has me leaning towards Nvidia. Knowing I'd have access to DLSS 4, which is a significant step up from FSR 3 or Xess for non-FSR 4 games, is also a big draw.
Is the jump from a great RX 9070 XT to an above-MSRP RTX 5070 Ti worth it for better RT/PT and DLSS 4, or am I just overthinking it? Any insights would be appreciated!
TLDR: Bought RX 9070 XT at €698 MSRP, ordered RTX 5070 Ti SFF for €940 for better ray tracing/path tracing and DLSS 4 (especially for Vulkan games like Doom). Feeling unsure if the upgrade is worth the cost despite the 9070 XT being great.
TimmmyTurner@reddit
iirc you get like 3% more frames average across all games?
and yes the 25.3.1 update was terrible, amd dropped a 25.3.2 adrenaline update that fixes all the issues. remember to update to that optional version
InspoBreach@reddit (OP)
It's true, the performance uplift isn't this strong (hence my doubt about keeping the 5070 ti).
It would mostly be about being able to use higher rt settings with better performances as I play mostly single player games.
Thank you for also taking the time to inform me on the 25.3.2 adrenalin version. Sadly, I downloaded it back when I was trying to settle my problem and it's still one of the problems mentioned in the release notes.
TimmmyTurner@reddit
if I'm not wrong, runtime error is actually caused by unstable ram though? not the GPU.
I personally got myself a 9070xt and I don't think I've met with this issue.
InspoBreach@reddit (OP)
I'm not sure, I'll definitely check this out but I've stress tested the ram and found no errors.
Thanks for the heads up!
TimmmyTurner@reddit
what CPU are you using?
InspoBreach@reddit (OP)
Ryzen 5 7600, tried turning off PBO and EXPO to no avail and the system is very stable but the game crashes every time I turn path tracing on (after a minute or so).
It's actually mentioned as a problem in amd latest drivers' patch notes so I guess that's more of a software problem,
lamp7777@reddit
I considered upgrading from 3070 Ti to 9070 XT but went with the 5070 Ti. DLSS4 upscaler to me is a significant upgrade over DLSS3 and swapping it into older games is very easy. Going to FSR4 would have felt like a downgrade from 3070 Ti in quality and convenience.
9070 XT wouldn't have ran games like Cyberpunk and Indiana Jones with full PT well enough and not having ray reconstruction in Cyberpunk makes PT look terrible. They were already playable on the 3070 Ti on high settings without PT, so 9070 XT wouldn't have changed the experience. PT makes a big visual difference in those games even over regular RT and I personally don't see a point in buying a new GPU if it can't do PT properly as there will be more of them in the future.
DLSS MFG is also useful even on a 144hz monitor. I run Assassin's Creed Shadows with 3x MFG which allows me to use DLAA with max settings at 1440p. Having the option to trade input lag in games where it doesn't matter for image quality is great. 240€ is a lot but I would easily spend at least 150€ extra for these features.
InspoBreach@reddit (OP)
Thanks for the in depth review!
I do feel the same about your point considering PT in the future and mostly realized this when I watched the latest review from the upcoming Doom game.
I feel like a lot of dev are going to crank the settings up with mostly only ray traced lightning in the future and it'd be sad to not be able to enjoy it with more visual fidelity (especially as I feel like this was my reason to invest in a new system)
networkninja2k24@reddit
Going from msrp 9070xt to 5070ti way for another $240 is hardly worth it. Then again it’s your wallet do as you please.
InspoBreach@reddit (OP)
Yes, that's what I'm also thinking and have difficulties justifying the price for merely software that I want to see in games.
YuYuaru@reddit
At my country 9070XT and 5070Ti price difference only 70usd so I go with 5070Ti
InspoBreach@reddit (OP)
Yeah, with such a difference I'd get it. Not sure it's worth it in my case.
LongjumpingTown7919@reddit
I would keep the 5070 Ti, Path Tracing looks great.
InspoBreach@reddit (OP)
Thanks for your opinion!
Luckyirishdevil@reddit
Is the ability to see something a little more sparkly or "realistic" worth $240 to you? If so, keep the 5070 ti. You can likely sell the 9070 XT for more than you bought it for. I have a 4090 and fail to see the draw for ray/path tracing. They aren't worth the FPS hit to me, and I refuse to buy into frame gen BS. I prefer raw raster performance
InspoBreach@reddit (OP)
It's not only just about path tracing but also about better upscaling for more fps.
For example, in games that don't support fsr4 (and where optiscaler doesn't work), I don't like to have to choose between no upscaling and lower fps or a mediocre visual quality due to fsr 3 and better fps.
That's also what I'm worried about for upcoming AAA games that I'll want to play. If FSR4 isn't available, I'll have a powerful card that will be limited due to not wanting to use upscaling.
Don't know if it makes sense.
Luckyirishdevil@reddit
I'm sure it makes sense to you....and it sounds like you have already made up your mind. You drank the Nvidia cool-aid and let them sell you a mediocre bump in stats and software gimmicks. To me, I'll ride the raw raster train all day and drop settings of I have to. If dropping from ultra to high ruins your gaming experience, you need to go outside and touch some grass. It's a game. Be happy you can run it as well as you can. This sub is filled with ppl around the globe piecing together budget builds with 1650's. A 5070 ti or 9070 XT is going to be a great card either way.
InspoBreach@reddit (OP)
You are right about your point that the 9070 xt is a great cards and I agree that dropping settings is of course normal (I've been doing it for years playing on a laptop before this new build).
I just feel like when you invest in a new pc with great specs expecting high performance at your resolution, you shouldn't need to drop the settings you might enjoy and choosing a card that does what you like is important. I also think more and more games might use less and less baked lights though and, especially as I only play single players games, I do think being able to with a more performant and qualitative upscaling is important (I love fsr4 but sadly it's not available on a lot of games, even with optiscaler).
Of course not being able to use path tracing in games like cyberpunk is not the end all be all of gaming (and I've been loving playing without it) but I've been a bit frustrated seeing it could run smoothly while it does for a few minutes but still crash afterwards. I know nvidia isn't necessarily better (and maybe has even worse drivers right now).
Anyway, I might still return the 5070 ti after testing it and keep the 9070 xt and I do feel like the price increase might indeed not be worth it.
htraos@reddit
What's a driver timeout issue? What happens?
InspoBreach@reddit (OP)
It's a driver error that has been happening for some user on high ray tracing / path tracing settings or in some other cases. It happens to me when trying to run cyberpunk path tracing for example (even though it runs buttery smooth at more than 60 fps while it does)
htraos@reddit
Does the screen go black for a second? I'm having that too, wondering if it's the same issue.
Stargate_1@reddit
Sriver timeout typically means the pc freezes briefly and then after some seconds the black screens disappear
InspoBreach@reddit (OP)
On my side, it does start like a freeze and then yes, screen can go black.
PicklePuffin@reddit
Never used an AMD card but the 5070ti looks like a great card. I love my 5080 to death, and DLSS 4 and Ray tracing are great kickers on the Nvidia side.
Give it a try and see how you like it! If you can afford the difference, I advise not sweating the ‘performance to cost’ ratio.
PoL0@reddit
wait, what? you really mean that, don't you? I cannot fathom that feeling, but whatever floats your boat...
RippiHunti@reddit
9070 XT is still really good at RT, especially in games designed for RDNA in console.
Saneless@reddit
Nah, they are just trying to come up with reasons to make an irrational choice the objectivity right one
InspoBreach@reddit (OP)
I meant better ray tracing performances (higher fps). I play mostly single player games and so visual quality is an important factor to me.
I do realize it might really not be worth the price different and I do understand the buyer's remorse might mostly be due to me realizing I fumbled by ordering the 5070 ti.
Typical_tablecloth@reddit
I actually did the exact same thing, but my decision to sell the 9070xt for a 5070ti was specifically for Cyberpunk pathtracing. I was super apprehensive about it, but I’m actually quite happy with the results.
Maxing the graphics plus path tracing with locked 144fps, is unbelievable. Of course DLSS and a bit of frame gen make it possible, but I haven’t run into any noticeable input lag or ghosting that many have reported yet.
InspoBreach@reddit (OP)
Thanks a lot for your answer! Cyberpunk is also the game I'd like to play maxed out ever since it released.
And of course, I'd love to play other upcoming titles with high ray tracing or path tracing settings.
PhoenixKing14@reddit
Im pretty sure you can mod any fsr3 game to fsr4, so don't worry about that. The ray tracing will be a bit better, but probably not worth the vast price difference.
I mean, if you have the money to burn, go for it. But I'd rather use that on just about anything else
InspoBreach@reddit (OP)
That's the thing, for now fsr4 still doesn't support vulkan so no fsr4 for these games. With games like doom the dark ages releasing in May, I'm not sure fsr4 will support vulkan by then and I wouldn't want to either have to use fsr 3 or play at lower settings for acceptable framerates.
vn2090@reddit
I’d also add that the 9070xt has some strange things happen to me with shader caching and changing graphic settings. I recommend resetting shader cache anytime you change settings. Seems like a driver thing at the moment with amd and the 9070xt
InspoBreach@reddit (OP)
I didn't know about this! I would need to check it out, thanks for the tip!
ApplicationCalm649@reddit
It's not much of an upgrade for $240.
InspoBreach@reddit (OP)
Yeah that's also what I was thinking... Thanks for the insight
ApplicationCalm649@reddit
Don't get me wrong, I like my 5070 Ti, but...if I'd been able to snag a 9070 XT for $240 less I'd be gaming on that right now.
It does suck that Doom TDA won't launch with FSR 4, though.
InspoBreach@reddit (OP)
Haha glad to see a point of view from the other side! Yes it does suck though, nothing is confirmed but I'm not sure it will be on it as vulkan still isn't supported...
Active-Quarter-4197@reddit
you already bought it so you might as well try and out see yourself
InspoBreach@reddit (OP)
That's also one of the point I forgot to mention that kinda tips the scale towards the 5070 ti (even though amd mentioned they're working on one). Thanks for your answer!