Have 7900xtx. How long should I wait before upgrading GPU?

Posted by liweisha@reddit | buildapc | View on Reddit | 31 comments

I wasn't sure which subreddit to post this question to so please let me know and I'll post accordingly!

I'm currently rocking a 7900xtx (ASRock Taichi White OC, if relevant). I've recently done some research about upgrading from the 7900xtx into either the current gen's flagship (9070xt) or switching over to Nvidia.

I've read the 7900xtx having equal/similar performance to a 5070ti or 5080 if optimized and tuned properly, as well as being more performative than a 9070xt. Having 24gb of VRAM does give me peace of mind but I wonder how overkill, if at all, that is when I'm not fully utilizing the VRAM for productivity since I mainly play games. Which is why I began considering other current gen options.

I do sometimes run into performance issues in games where I feel like I should be able to run a higher quality preset but granted, I haven't done much tuning/optimizing so I've been running my GPU stock. I hardly run Black Myth: Wukong at 60fps at high settings and I wonder if it's because the game has been more optimized for Nvidia or if it's because I should tune my GPU rather than run it stock.

Question is: should I upgrade my GPU into a current gen GPU or wait until there's a significant upgrade release? I've cancelled multiple orders on either a 5070ti and a 9070xt because I wasn't sure how much of a sidegrade those swaps would have been.

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Apart-Ad7284@reddit

Well I just went from a 9070xt to sapphire nitro 7900xtx I value raw performance over ai 💩 best relevant gpu rn is 5070 ti 5080 and 9070xt and the 7900xtx beats them in raster easy I speak for my self since the sapphire has the highest tdp

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ATKmain@reddit

Honestly, you answered your own question. The fact that you cancelled multiple orders tells you your gut knows it is a sidegrade.

The 7900 XTX is still a beast. Here is the reality check:

The 9070 XT is a downgrade from your card. You would literally be losing performance.
The 5070 Ti trades blows with the 7900 XTX depending on the title. Not worth the money or hassle of switching ecosystems for zero net gain.
The 5080 is roughly similar performance with less VRAM. Again, sidegrade territory.
The only current gen card that would be a clear upgrade is the 5090, and even then the price to performance jump is questionable.

Before you spend a cent, try this first:

Update to the latest AMD drivers. AMD has been shipping meaningful performance improvements in driver updates throughout 2025 and 2026.
Enable SAM (Smart Access Memory) if you have a Ryzen CPU and haven't already.
Try undervolting. The 7900 XTX responds really well to it. You often get the same or better performance with lower temps, which lets the card boost higher and more consistently.
For Black Myth Wukong specifically, that game runs worse on AMD due to heavy DLSS/Nvidia optimisation. Try FSR 3 with frame generation enabled if you haven't. Also check if ray tracing is on because that tanks AMD performance disproportionately in that title.

When to actually upgrade:

Wait for next gen. RDNA 5 from AMD and Nvidia's 60 series (or whatever comes after Blackwell) should land late 2026 or early 2027. That is when you will see a genuine generational leap worth paying for. Your 24GB of VRAM is also future proofing you better than most current gen cards, especially as games start requiring more.

The rule I follow: if the upgrade is not at least 40 to 50 percent faster in the games you actually play, it is not worth the cost and effort of switching. Nothing on the market right now hits that bar for a 7900 XTX owner.

Keep your card. Tune it. Wait for next gen.

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ComfortableUpbeat309@reddit

Sorry but even a 4080 non super curb stomps a 7900xtx. You won’t go over 16gb vram with these cards. Max settings ue 5 games can’t even run at 4k with a 7900xtx because it can’t hold stable fps at all, compared to a 4080(super)/5080. Most people that can afford these cards, are gonna buy a 1440p high refresh rate screen. 4k eats to much performance with Raytracing

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MikeyFromDaReddit@reddit

Yuck 1440p. 4k Only buddy. I have a 7900 xtx and it performs fine. I do not turn RT on in most games. What you wrote is based on feelings. I spent the last 3 weeks doing prompt after prompt comparing GPUs only focusing on the data. A 4080 does not curb stomp the 7900 XTX not a single review, not a single video, not a single prompt that lead to a feature by feature comparison says such a thing. The ONLY thing it does better and can out perform the 7900 XTX by leaps is in RT. RT is not a must for all gamers. It is such a side grade for better RT

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MikeyFromDaReddit@reddit

5090 is 50% faster in most games over the 7900 XTX. It is the only upgrade. I feel stuck in no man's land of GPUs!!!

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liweisha@reddit (OP)

Appreciate your points!

I have zero idea why the thought of tuning my card never crossed my mind when it should've been so obvious to me. I'm seeing the performance increases now that I've undervolted as you suggested.

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TurnLegal7048@reddit

The answer is, any upgrade except to a 5080 / 5090 or 4090 is not recommended, it would be a sidegrade or downgrade. Even the 5080, would mean you get extra raw power and access to better technologies (Nvidia dlss, ray tracing) but lose on VRAM. The only real, significant upgrade in all aspects (power, tech, vram) is the 5090. And it will be an expensive upgrade.

You’re right about Wukong, it is a game heavily optimized for Nvidia cards.

I’d say the best option for you would be waiting for the “9900 xtx” or “6080/6090”. Unless you really must have path tracing to play wukong right now with max lighting and are willing to pay the premium price of a 5090

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MikeyFromDaReddit@reddit

Why wait for a 6090? Prices will still be high, but I guess skipping a generation means better technology upgrade.

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geemad7@reddit

No, imho, it is only a sidegrade and not worth it. Even the 5080 is not an upgrade. I am in the same boat, wanted to upgrade to 5090, the only real upgrade. But not at these prices. I just keep running the XTX and see what the future holds.

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MikeyFromDaReddit@reddit

Yeah it is sad. We do not have an upgrade path other than a 5090

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littleemp@reddit

You upgrade when your hardware does not do what you want it to do and there is a piece of hardware that does.

That can be right now, in a year or in five years. It's up to you.

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Lightening84@reddit

Man, with all of the "I can't afford to eat" that gets echo'd around reddit, there sure are a lot of "I just bought a $800 video card 2 years ago and do you think I should upgrade to the current-gen $1,000 video card?"

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liweisha@reddit (OP)

I mean, no disrespect to anyone else or their situations, but my circumstance is completely irrelevant to theirs.

And it's not like trying to flaunt being able to throw money around, if that's what this post can be perceived as. I simply made this post to gather insight. If it matters to you, I've found insight.

Be well.

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Soulpills@reddit

Hello! Are you playing in 4K? Cuz 60fps is ok in this title. 7900xtx is still packing a hell of a punch. Make sure you use FSR and frame generation.

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liweisha@reddit (OP)

Playing in 2K. If you're referring to Wukong, I'll consider 4k60fps if I can get my build to reach it. I sort of gave up on trying to optimize my performance for Wukong a while ago after tinkering and watching videos but I'll definitely check out some more guides if I care enough to revisit the title.

And for the times where I've toggled FSR on, I notice the image quality is somewhat grainy but I'll keep toggling FSR and frame generation in mind.

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XGreenDirtX@reddit

WuKong is a prime example of shit optimization.

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CtrlAltDesolate@reddit

Wait until you're no longer able to run the games you want at the settings you want.

I would not upgrade to anything but a 5090 from this gen though, in most titles the uplift wouldn't be worth the cost.

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liweisha@reddit (OP)

Not upgrading until I'm not able to run the games I want is actually a really good point I hadn't thought about. Thanks for that.

And yeah, even if the 5090 is an upgrade, the absurd pricing nor marginal uplift isn't worth it.

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Primus_is_OK_I_guess@reddit

Personally, I would rather have any of the other GPUs you listed, but not enough to switch if I already had the 7900xtx.

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felesmiki@reddit

when the games u play doesnt feel right to you, either by low graphics, or fps, but it should be personal

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rednemesis337@reddit

What’s your use case, basically, what do you use it for? Do you play 2k, 4k want to play at a specific resolution? Want a lot of fps? Have you watched youtube comparisons and benchmarks? Generally speaking your gpu has the memory to last, but check this video, I don’t think it’s worth changing at the moment.

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liweisha@reddit (OP)

Use case is 2k. I'm also running a 7800x3d so I don't feel like a FPS would be a major issue. I've quickly skimmed through benchmarks but I'll check out your linked video for sure

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rednemesis337@reddit

Then it’s definitely not worth it, for reference I started to play at 2k and upgraded to a 6800 not even xt and has served me well so far. Although I don’t tend to play AAA or a lot of heavy games at ultra.

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SushiBump@reddit

I've owned a 7900xtx and now I'm on a 5080. I swapped to a 5080 because I do other stuff where an Nvidia card is beneficial. But if you're just gaming, then I honestly think the only GPU that offers a big enough jump to warrant an upgrade from a 7900xtx is a 5090 - and I don't think a 5090 is worth it if you're only using it for gaming.

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liweisha@reddit (OP)

your input is appreciated!

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kmkm2op@reddit

Just put the optiscaler and fsr4 int8 in the bag. Easy 4k gaming that way

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Errorr404@reddit

Not worth upgrading at all. Sit tight and use optiscaler for now.

As for the 9070xt it comes out of factory with hot clocks so not much room for improvement, pretty much all of nvidia 50xx series are heavily underclocked. I have my 5070 running 3.2ghz at stock voltage 1.07v.

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Errorr404@reddit

9070 non XT comes out of factory at around 2.5ghz (actual game clocks might be higher like it is with Nvidia too) so much more room for improvement to get it near 9070xt raw performance. Although with how AMD has been treating their RDNA2-3.5 users by not providing official FSR4 support IDK if I would be considering AMD in the future. I found my 5070 under MSRP and with 5 year warranty from zotac so that swayed me over.

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