Is a 3070 GPU still solid in a new budget build?

Posted by Pseudo_Badger@reddit | buildapc | View on Reddit | 33 comments

I've been taking my time building my PC for a few years now, just picking up parts when I can on a sale.

I bought a Microcenter bundle a few years back and this is what it came with:

CPU: i9-12900K (LGA 1700)

MoBo: ASUS Prime Z790 V-WiFi

RAM x2: G.Skill Ripjaws S5 DDR5-6000 RAM (CL32-38-38-96 1.35v)

I have an opportunity to buy a RTX 3070 Zotac AMP Holo GPU under $200 which seems like a steal to me. Is it still viable for gaming titles currently out?

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Own-Indication5620@reddit

Yes, it's still fine for high 1080p or medium/high 1440p gaming depending on the game. DLSS helps a lot.

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Hollow3ddd@reddit

I went budget 5070, great results from a 3090 with features added. Selling the 3090 on eBay to AI homebrew kids. Fetches a great price

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Yes, it is. Some titles you'll have to lower textures, no framgen, and/or raytracing to stay below the vram limit even at 1080p, or a 2080ti nearly matches it in performance at defaults with 3gb more vram but uses 50w more at defaults and is usually the same price. In performance a 3070 is mostly equivalent to a 5060. Sounds like a pretty good deal.

So you just have the igpu? remember to plug the monitor into the gpu not keep it in the mobo. use ddu if you have a discrete gpu already (or just good to run even if not just in case there's remnants from a windows drive you stuck in the new one), even if nvidia->nvidia or amd->amd.

install nvidia drivers with nvcleanstall.

undervolt+overclock for more performance at same/less power (nvidia) - vid comments have good info, guide methodology applies to other nvidia gpus

framesync labs has some neat vids

excellent script for windows debloating / telemetry + ai removal / update disruption pausing <-highly recommend. run after feature updates because microsoft adds back in the ai and other junk

ddr5 information collation - that's a hynix kit you have, excellent. it'll go as high as your memory controller allows. ignore the amd stuff in this comment. see r/overclocking for examples, buildzoid also did vids with alder lake. you could likely do some undervolting on the cpu too, imwateringpsus has some guides

isthereanydeal.com, r/FreeGameFindings

pcgamingwiki.com for game by game optimizations/info

framelimiting based on monitor refresh rate

see r/keyboards r/MechanicalKeyboards r/MouseReview r/MousepadReview r/HeadphoneAdvice r/headphones r/monitoreview pcmonitors.info displayninja monitorsunboxed rtings imartz/chinesebluesnowmanguy r/Controller for peripheral recs.

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Pseudo_Badger@reddit (OP)

This is awesome information so thank you for all that! Good call on the reminder to plug the monitor into the GPU and not the MoBo. I remember reading that before but definitely forgot.

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deleted_by_reddit@reddit

[removed]

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NoireXP@reddit

for framegen, depending on games (Tarkov for example), i used Lossless Scaling (on my 3080). Not as good as Nvidia frame gen of course but it works fine for me.

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Vloxalion@reddit

Alternative for 30 series

heard about using optiscalar with the igpu, forgot what the verdict was

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ohnoletsgo@reddit

I’ve been rocking the 3070 since release and it hasn’t struggled with anything I’ve thrown at it.

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Hetstaine@reddit

180 i'm guessing.

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ikyn@reddit

For anyone that might need a 3070, DM me. I have with OG boxes and I have no use for a 3070 anymore.

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PigSlam@reddit

I upgraded to an RX9070 from an RTX 3070, and it was doing a fine job at the time, but the 9070 is much finer.

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I_Push_Buttonz@reddit

Personally I'd say no. Not because the 3070 is bad, but just because its so old and from an era where cards were mined on. Unless I knew for sure a card from back then wasn't mined on, I wouldn't buy it.

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Full_Vegetable_5348@reddit

Yeah I still have mine and it's a decent card, at that price I think its a good deal.

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Adjective-Noun-nnnn@reddit

That's what I'm running. For most games at 1080p resolution, it's more than enough. I get at least 60FPS in Helldivers 2, Elden Ring, Monster Hunter Wilds, Risk of Rain 2 when we've looped twice, every fighting game, Deadlock, etc. I noticed Deadlock runs around 120FPS with settings on high. The only game where I really needed to fiddle with the settings was Cyberpunk, which runs at ~55FPS with DLSS and ray tracing turned on.

So yeah it's fine. It's feeling like it's on the verge of Meh, but until the AI bubble pops, I'm not looking to upgrade and take out a second mortgage.

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beirch@reddit

It's fine for 1080p. For 1440p I would try to get a 2080 Ti instead.

At $200 it's a decent deal. Nothing insane, but decent.

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WizardMoose@reddit

I have an old rig with an 8700k and 3070. CS2, Rivals, Cyberpunk, Overwatch, Elden Ring, and BF6 all ran fine. BF6 and Elden ring I'd have to make most of the settings low/medium to get more than 100 frames. All the other games I could run a mix of medium and high and be fine. All of this at 1080p. I tried 1440 for CS and OW and it was fine.

Overall a solid GPU. With the 12900k, you could go for something with a little more power, but if you're within a $200 budget, then I think the 3070 is the best you'll find.

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-NewYork-@reddit

This question makes sense only if you specify the resolution.

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Pseudo_Badger@reddit (OP)

I think I would mainly play on 1080p but I do have a monitor that supports 1440p. I would just tinker around with settings.

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Snowbunny236@reddit

No it doesn't. Under 200 for a 3070 is a steal regardless.

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-NewYork-@reddit

OP doesn't ask whether it's a good price. OP asks if it's viable for gaming.

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Snowbunny236@reddit

Reread the whole post.

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OkStrategy685@reddit

Yeah I'm using one. Playing No man's sky on ultra at solid 144 fps 1080p

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VoidNinja62@reddit

Yep decent used deal.

30 Series were good cards and its newer than a 1080 TI or something.

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Fixitwithducttape42@reddit

I'm happily rocking a RX 5700 XT, that is more powerful. And the RTX 3070 is probably more powerful than what the current steam report shows as the last time I check it was a GTX 1060 most people were using a year or so ago.

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jnadams2000@reddit

My current build is a 3900X and 3070 OC with 16gb ram. I’m running around 160-180fps in high settings with low ray tracing/or off in most games. On a regular 3070 you could def run high with a little bit lower frame rate for sure.

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HayesBrewery@reddit

3070 should still be good for a budget build of you can find a good deal on one

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Sea_Perspective6891@reddit

30 series cards should still get support for a while. I think it's 20 series & below cards that will loose update support if they haven't already. I was going to get a 3060Ti myself before the 40 series cards came out & ended up getting a 4070 instead & saw that I was able to get one for a fair retail price when they were new. Also check Best Buy if you ever want something newer. They've been good at avoiding price increases for the most part when they have new GPUs in stock. They also try to price match to keep them cheaper than competing stores.

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Fun-Blacksmith8476@reddit

Below 200 yes

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Gutter_Flies@reddit

Yeah it’s alright. 5060 is a bit better (in my personal experience) if you can find one for the same price. Not super likely, but not impossible either.

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Emblazoned1@reddit

Its fantastic for that price. Have a 3070 paired with a 9600x at 1440p. When not vram limited it plays everything at high/ultra very well with dlss quality. Without upscaling you will see under 60 fps though. Highly recommend jumping on that and using for now. I'm only upgrading in a couple months out of fun no necessity lol its an amazing value.

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Snowbunny236@reddit

Simple answer, yes. Complicated answer, still yes.

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blackburn26@reddit

Buying an RTX 3070 for under $200 in April 2026 is an absolute steal. It gets your PC running now for a fraction of the cost of a 50-series card. Use it for 1-2 years. It will play everything coming out in 2026 beautifully at 1440p. It’s a solid, reliable card that pairs perfectly with your Z790 board's PCIe 4.0 support and will make that i9-12900K feel very fast.