Keep 3070 or use free 5060?
Posted by Rito_Suave@reddit | buildapc | View on Reddit | 107 comments
My older brother bought his first PC last fall and bought a prebuilt with a 5060, he recently upgraded his graphics card to a 5070TI and offered to give my his “old” graphics card for free as my build has been relatively untouched since I got it in 2020. After looking at the comparison it seems like it’s a pretty negligible difference either way and said he’s okay with me selling it once I have it.
Which should I keep and which should I sell? Take the slight quality loss and future proof with the newer card or just sell it for some extra cash? (I’m a graduate assistant in college so I don’t have many funds, especially for PC upgrades)
CommandShot1398@reddit
In my opinion, the best approach would be selling both and getting a 9060xt or 9070xt. They are both low tier.
Ecstatic_Job_3467@reddit
This. Selling both would net a 9060XT 16Gb.
Zrawte-@reddit
Friend went with a 9060xt 16gb and I had a 5060 8gb at the time and in some games I would have better fps especially random titles like riders republic, and I was on 3440x1440 he was on standard 1440p. I also had x4 mfg and way better upscaling also way cooler, handled OC like a champ he also faced a bunch of random driver issues which was annoying cause I had to deal with it for him and that card only costed me $230 open box at microcenter
Middle-Effort7495@reddit
mfg on 8 gigs of vram lol
pirate742@reddit
Why are you like this
jasons7394@reddit
Yeah...it works fine.
FreedomKnown@reddit
Top 10 things that never happened, I don't even think the 5060 can run that resolution because of the 8gb
coolboy856@reddit
Wht are you talking about lmao, 8gb runs 1440p just fine in most games
Zrawte-@reddit
If you don’t own either you have no input, I used to run a gtx 1070 with the same monitor goofball
cheeseybacon11@reddit
That's barely an upgrade and I'd argue not worth the hassle. If you can get a 9070 though it's definitely worth.
dstanton@reddit
People always forget the 9070.
Selling both would net close to $500. And that's in line with the 9070 with any sale, or used, which is likely to still carry near 2yr of warranty.
Excellent considering they're only ~10% slower than the XT.
jasons7394@reddit
Most warranties do not transfer and require original invoice.
miroljubni-rom@reddit
+1
If op can get a 9070 for 500 usd it's a great deal.
DxvilSnipes@reddit
I have a 9070xt for £250 + expensive ram, motherboard and psu off my friend I’m very lucky and I love my GPU it’s a beast.
Suspicious_Issue4155@reddit
But DLSS and frame gen though
XxShMODyxX@reddit
I thought the 9070/9060 cards had AMD’s version of frame gen?
salmonmilks@reddit
Yes, but less games implement FSR4 in general. You might need to wait a long while before you'll see it everywhere like the latest dlss. FSR3.1+ is needed from the game to upgrade it... This is something important to note because you'd have to download optiscaler, which is more of a hassle for anyone looking for plug and play. A lot of people in r/radeon notes this issue very commonly.
This is coming from a 9060xt user. It's an important thing to note before telling anyone to buy them.
Zrawte-@reddit
AMD only has x2 FG but looks and feels worse than x4 MFG
Suspicious_Issue4155@reddit
if u like ghosting sure
BillDStrong@reddit
If they must, they can get a 5070 themselves. for less than 600 used.
https://bestvaluegpu.com/history/new-and-used-rtx-5070-price-history-and-specs/
ArasmaS90@reddit
AMD has framegen but yeah, FSR is inferior to DLSS.
fadedspark@reddit
FSR4 and better actual performance or fake frames and slightly better upscaling. Tough choice.
theadwaita@reddit
9060 xt lol
CommandShot1398@reddit
Chill down boy, I don't like AMD because I do cuda programming. But for gaming they are better in price to performance ratio.
BlazingLazers69@reddit
A 9070xt maybe, but a 9060xt idk. DLSS is a gamechanger and all the "fake frames are bad!" criticisms just don't seem that valid to me? There was actually a blind study done where people rated games running native, dlss, and fsr and dlss won by a landslide.
AMD is cool and I get wanting to stick it to Nvidia, but having just played Doom the Dark Ages with my 5070 12gb and using DLSS at 1440p and getting >200fps I feel like DLSS is black magic.
CommandShot1398@reddit
Well, based on my experience, up until 6 months ago, when I had a 3090, I used fsr with my that card because it was more stable. Especially in oblivion remastered. But I haven't played new titles so I this might have been changed.
Suitable-Unit@reddit
I'm prone to motion sickness and frame gen makes most games unplayable for me. Not shitting on it but it's not for everybody and encouraging it encourages developers to say "fuck optimizing, frame gen and DLSS will sae our game".
Any FPS is also unplayable with the added frame lag.
BlazingLazers69@reddit
1000% agree with hoping they don't use DLSS as a weak crutch (looking at you UE5). For that reason even though I'm mostly a Nvidia guy, I'm actually rooting for AMD and especially Intel. Competition is good. The only real "team" is players vs corporations.
But yeah I recently did a mid tier build for a buddy and put a 5060 8gb in there. I was happy for the price performance ratio.
Maybe I will pick up a 9060/70xt for a build though. You guys are giving me FOMO lol. Still cheaper than cocaine lol.
Perfect_Exercise_232@reddit
Eh id recommend a 4070 instead at that point
aragorn18@reddit
Personally, I would take the 5060 and sell the 3070. You get faster DLSS 4.5 upscaling and access to frame generation.
changen@reddit
Wow, there's a LONG ass chain of deleted comments under you lol. What happened here? lol
Middle-Effort7495@reddit
You can't frame gen with 8 gigs of vram lol
Intelligent_Clock951@reddit
Yes you can??
Middle-Effort7495@reddit
good luck with that lil bro
Intelligent_Clock951@reddit
Lmfao literally did it on every game I played with a 2060 super last year. There wasn’t a game I wouldn’t play without it. No problems w the vram. Honestly I have a 5070 12g vram now and never really see my stuff go past 8gb vram. For everyone buying a pc and learning don’t listen to the people about vram unless u have the money for it.
Middle-Effort7495@reddit
2060 doesn't have frame gen. amd's takes way less vram in which case the point is irrelevant. 3070 has it.
Intelligent_Clock951@reddit
2060super definitely uses frame gen.
Middle-Effort7495@reddit
Frame gen is 40 series exclusive, and mfg 50 series. Have no idea what you're talking about, lil bro. But it definitely does not. Just like 8 gigs of vram.
Confident_Oil4430@reddit
Hey buddy fsr 3 is supported on all 20 series cards man frame gen is not only possible but fsr has way more game compatibility then dlss.
Intelligent_Clock951@reddit
Got you tickled there huh big bro
Middle-Effort7495@reddit
damn daddy kinda sussy
RainbowFartss@reddit
Frame Gen started with the 40 series and DLSS3. You're mixing it up with Ray tracing maybe.
Confident_Oil4430@reddit
The 20 series card Have access to fsr in far more games then dlss dlss isn't the only way to frame gen on Nvidia cards guys stop acting like yell don't know this 🤣🤣
jdatopo814@reddit
It uses AMD FSR for frame generation, not DLSS frame generation.
Confident_Oil4430@reddit
Fsr 3 is compatible with 20 series cards goofball you absolutely can use frame gen on a 20 series card.
Big-Salamander-2158@reddit
You’re really not future proofing anything with the 5060. Raw performance is the same. Both have 8gb of vram, with the 5060 having an x8 interface, so it’s hit harder when you run out of vram than the 3070. Dlss 4.5 is better on the 5060, but I hardly call dlss 4.0 vs 4.5 future proofing. You are lowering your power draw, if that’s something you’re interested in. But i personally wouldn’t bother with the switch since there is so little to gain, even if it’s free.
AShamAndALie@reddit
Raw performance is the same? 3070 is like 40% stronger at 1440p.
Big-Salamander-2158@reddit
No it isn’t, you’re sure you’re not confusing it with a 5070?
AShamAndALie@reddit
Am I?
DragonQ0105@reddit
Sell both and get something better?
Big-Salamander-2158@reddit
If selling both gets you the funds to do so, yeah. Because this is just swapping the cards around with little benefit.
Tricky_Orange_4526@reddit
This! just really getting zero benefit out of it besides lower power draw.
BoutTreeFittee@reddit
I'd just sell it. Save some money for next year.
Buildthehomelab@reddit
you are missing a key detail, how much is the vm ram for the 3070?
Rito_Suave@reddit (OP)
Both 8gb
Buildthehomelab@reddit
ah yeah then the 5060 is prob a good upgrade for you, jst for dlls alone. Performance wont be a lot faster but new dlls so good
gamblodar@reddit
I'm not trying to be snarky. I don't understand this logic. The 3070 is between 3% and 27% faster, depending on resolution, than the 5060. No matter how good DLSS is, I consider this a downgrade. What is it about DLSS that's this good? I love it and use it all the time. It's a great way to get some more fps, but I'd rather just have more fps.
IrrationalRetard@reddit
Had to scroll so far for a comment that mentions this. I also remember seeing the launch reviews conclude that the 3070 was the better card.
PrimoAngelo@reddit
Agree! On mine 3070 I upgraded last year the vram from 8 to 16gb swapping gddr6 chips and now I have more stable 1 and 0,1% low and more futureproofing with 16gb for next 3-5 years.
PIZZAMEMER69@reddit
Id be interested in seeing an in depth explanation of how you swapped out the vram, probably not a good idea for most people but interesting to see nonetheless.
PrimoAngelo@reddit
Guide: https://github.com/Nicoolodion/RTX-3070-16GB-GUIDE
Video example: https://youtu.be/EM1UL4GHviU?is=dU9sB2BLGAqBPvgm
PIZZAMEMER69@reddit
Thank you my g, this is super intriguing.
Buildthehomelab@reddit
Who did it for you?
PrimoAngelo@reddit
I have done it, I do microsoldering as a hobby https://youtu.be/KxRfb14NotM https://youtu.be/VT0ep4vYA00
Buildthehomelab@reddit
awesome, its a hobby i want to pick up but man oh man too many hobbies.
bs2k2_point_0@reddit
For one it’s more energy efficient. He may not care but whoever pays the electric bill would appreciate the 70 watts difference.
There’s also an argument to be made for length of time that the card will be supported by updates.
But honestly, he could sell both and get an even better card as others have said.
Buildthehomelab@reddit
This, i was going to say. if he can sell both for the price of a 5060 ti 16gb it will be best of both worlds
bs2k2_point_0@reddit
For sure. I have the 5060ti 16gb myself and it’s plenty enough for me. For about the same or a few bucks more he may even be able to get a 5070. That’s like 27% faster and only 4gb less vram.
Buildthehomelab@reddit
lol not trying to be snarky. The logic is yes benchmarks are in favor of the 3070. But its an older gpu and 200w vs 150W. The 5060 is a lot more efficient and if the user wants to run an small ai model or generate an image its a much better option.
Also its a new card vs something that is a couple of years old and well used at this point.
DLSS can make that you can run a game that you couldnt before, and having more compute cores will put less strain on the gpu for better overall fps. With better dlls he can potentially get better fps and better looking game so why not.
gamblodar@reddit
This is the part I don't get. Having more real FPS cam make you run a game you couldn't, too
aragorn18@reddit
The 5060 only comes in 8GB.
Buildthehomelab@reddit
you are right i was thinking the 5060 ti 16 gb
gamblodar@reddit
8GB. NVidia doesn't make a 16GB 5060, only a 5060Ti.
Putrid-Stranger9752@reddit
Sell both and get a 5070
BillDStrong@reddit
This. Or keep both and use Lossless Scaling for dual GPU frame gen.
Captain_Mothra@reddit
Poor decision
miroljubni-rom@reddit
This. Or a 9070. Depending on how much each of them costs and how much op cares for nvidia specific features vs 16gb vram and higher raw performance.
Large-Teach9165@reddit
Sell both and get an even better one. If you can afford it, the 9070 XT. It'll get more complicated if you want to go with Nvidia, I don't think you'll get enough for the 5070 Ti, so you'll have to go for a previous generation. Or who knows, maybe the 5070 Ti is only crazy expensive in the country where I live lol.
throwpapi255@reddit
Sell both get a better gpu. 5060 8gb is gonna run into the same problems as your 3070
croissantexpert@reddit
One thing no one has asked you or mentioned is your CPU/mobo. If your build is from 2020, then there's a good chance it only supposes PCIe 3. That means the PCIe5 x8 on the 5060 will downgrade to PCIe 3 x8.
That actually kills performance. I was in a similar situation a few months ago, except I had purchased a cheap 5060. The lows on the 5060 will cause noticeable stuttering.
Dry-Faithlessness184@reddit
Depends what they ran and I agree tbat it's important because of this.
If it was intel, that would be 10th gen I think which is 3.0, but if it was AmD they were on Zen 3 which had 4.0 and is less of a concern for an actual bottleneck
Also matters what the target resolution is for performance concerns, likely 1080p
TheRtHonLaqueesha@reddit
I wish somebody would give me a 5060 for free. I'm still using a 1060 .
ExistingCan1114@reddit
Use free 5060 if its free lol And you can get from your 3070 money and get something to 5060
dank_imagemacro@reddit
It's overkill, but if they both fit in your case/motherboard, you could use one for gaming, and the other for streaming, lossless scaling etc.
elonelon@reddit
keep those GPU, u may never know which one will die first.
nousername1244@reddit
take the 5060 and sell the 3070 while it still has value.
KaioKen@reddit
Sell the 3070 and keep the 5060.
whatismynaem@reddit
Personally if you feel that the performance of your current system is already good enough for your needs then I suggest just keeping your 3070 and selling the 5060 if you need the money more. Look at the average price listings of used 3070s in your area and compare it to the 5060 and see if the price difference is big enough that you feel you would need that extra cash more or not. You'll probably have an easier time selling the 5060 imo.
j_portela@reddit
sell and buy a 9060xt or 9070 if possible
Dwarf-Eater@reddit
I would either sell the 3070 and keep the 5060, or sell both and grab a 7800xt or 4070 or the beat card you can afford after selling the two
KFC_Junior@reddit
recommending rdna3 is absolutely braindead tbh
Dwarf-Eater@reddit
Nicee 🤟
mattmaster68@reddit
As someone with an NVIDIA graphics card:
I dont use any of the features for my 3070ti. I use NVIDIA because of the better creative drivers.
If you’re only interested in gaming, sell the cards for a 9070.
Mr_Henry_Yau@reddit
Before I can give you my suggestions, I have a question for you.
What CPU are you currently using?
CaptMuttbunch@reddit
Sell them both and get a 4090
Insidious_Ursine@reddit
Sell both and save up a bit longer for a 9070xt.
X3m9X@reddit
If you want to upgrade sell both and get something better.
If you dont want to, just sell the 5060.
It all depends on your needs here. Is your current rig fill your needs right now? For me personally, the 3070 is still a powerful enough that would definitely last for like 4 years. I would just sell the 5060 and save the money for something else (food, commodities etc.)
Any-Can-6776@reddit
If ray tracing performance on 9060xt was better id go for it. Sticking with my 3070
Any-Can-6776@reddit
5060
TheMinisterOChlorine@reddit
If you have DDR5 and PCIE 5, swap to the 5060, if you're on an older system, sell it, and use that to upgrade to a newer AM5 or 1851 platform (the 250K is right now excellent on the intel side), as you will need a PCIE 5 anyways to take advantage of the new gen cards, or just sell both cards, keep your stuff and get a 16gb 5060ti or a 5070 and bypass the whole 8x pcie lanes headache of the 5060.
Significant_Writer_9@reddit
Take it and keep it as a backup?
PIZZAMEMER69@reddit
Sell both and buy a better gpu
richard987d@reddit
Sell both and buy a 3090
sleepytechnology@reddit
VRAM is the same size and while the 5060 has a more narrow bus, it uses GDDR7 (vs 3070 GDDR6) which allows it to be the same bandwidth speed as the 3070. Less cores but newer architecture and higher L2 cache, maybe some games might benefit more from the cache alone.
Overall yeah like you said yourself the performance difference is almost negligible (TPU says the 5060 is 3% weaker) so I would either use the 5060 and sell 3070 if need the money, or sell both and get an even better card.
scmitr@reddit
It depends. What games are you playing?
gamblodar@reddit
I say sell whichever one you can get the most money for, unless you plan to game at 4K. At 4K, the 3070 is 27% faster than the 5060 8GB.
InsomniacSpider-Man@reddit
If you're open to the use of DLSS, you should see a nicer difference from the 5060 compared to the 3070, especially using DLSS 4.5
I'd try running both cards in your favorite games and enabling DLSS to see if there's a difference.
If there isn't, or if you're not big on the AI upscaling stuff, might as well sell the 5060.
If you're open to trying overclocking, try overclocking the 5060 and see how that feels.
At the end of the day, if the difference is negligible, it's completely up to you. Would it negatively affect your experience to have the 5060?