Kept going back and forth on the 9070 XT and now I'm just sitting here watching prices climb
Posted by Least-Ad4841@reddit | buildapc | View on Reddit | 66 comments
Been eyeing the 9070 XT for like 2 months. Every time I was about to buy I'd see some post saying "wait for reviews" or "prices will drop" so I just kept holding off.
Well that aged terribly. Between the tariff stuff and stock being all over the place, the prices I was looking at back in February are basically gone now. Some listings on Amazon are just straight up absurd compared to MSRP.
My current setup is a 3700X with a 6700 XT and it still handles everything I play fine, but I wanted to future proof a bit before it starts struggling. Now I'm stuck debating whether to just grab whatever is available at a semi reasonable price or keep waiting and hope things settle down. Had the money set aside for this and now I dont even know if its enough to cover what I originally planned to get.
ShredGuru@reddit
Pretty safe to bet that inflation will only get worse for the foreseeable future.
The best time to buy was like a year and a half ago. The second best time is now.
PloksGrandpappy@reddit
Inflation isn't the primary reason for the massive price hikes though. It's tarrifs, scalping, and supply/demand due to AI, which could all cause the price to fluctuate wildly.
Secret-Ad-2145@reddit
Literally all of that is inflation.
KorrAsamiEnjoyer@reddit
Literally not all of that is inflation. GPU, RAM, and storage prices are being heavily influenced by a massive increase in demand starting at the beginning of the year.
ShredGuru@reddit
Yeah, I am speaking generally. But you can bet things will only get worse while Trump is in office, and no guarantees it gets any better after he's gone either.
PloksGrandpappy@reddit
I get the sentiment, and I'm not trying to argue, but we've already been here during Trump's 1st term with the semiconductor shortage. GPU's were releasing 3-4x higher than MSRP and then slowly came back down, in spite of inflation and everything else. That's how I got my 6700xt for under $300, by waiting. So no, you literally cannot bet that the price will only increase, and the best time may not be "now", due to the same factors as back then.
6700xt price history.
UpstairsConnection57@reddit
All of which is going to stick around for years to come.
kbuis@reddit
Honestly, the best time to buy was even 4 months ago. I got mine at MSRP just before the holidays.
bardnotbanned@reddit
Inflation is not the culprit here, prices could very well be coming down in the coming months, and the best time to buy was only about six months ago.
0 for 3.
WaterWeedDuneHair69@reddit
You mean 5-6 months ago.
itsforathing@reddit
If your current rig is handling everything fine, don’t upgrade until you have to
Signed: someone who held onto a 4 core cpu for 10 years then went absolutely haywire with back to back upgrades that cost way more than they had money to spend
00k5mp@reddit
https://pcpartpicker.com/search/?q=9070xt
There is one for $709, that's 20 less then I paid for mine last June.
Impossible-Move-2096@reddit
Classic PC builder dilemma wait for reviews, miss the deals 😅 tariffs really made the 9070 XT a moving target.
thatoneguyy22@reddit
I bought the powercooler 9070xt red devil for 850 USD when prices were high back in November, still sitting at 850 now, don't regret it. Coming from a 2060s it's been smooth as butter.
SpottyPaws0975@reddit
Buy it now cause the markets only gonna get worse
TokageLife@reddit
If you're in the US prices aren't climbing for the 9070XT at all since nobody is buying them, they're readily available starting at $700. It's bad enough retailers like Newegg have been bundling random hardware to try to move inventory while even the shittiest 5070ti models are still going for 1K+.
SpottyPaws0975@reddit
Me but with ssd
i waited til near the end of my build to buy my ssd and the samsung 990 pro is getting close to unaffordable, the prices are getting ridiculous
i managed to snag it for £245 but it's gone up to around £300 since then, for ssd...
Jesuisunetchoin@reddit
9070 XT will have the same performance in two years, just hold, 6700 XT can 1440p still
RationalDialog@reddit
I upgraded to a 9070 xt from a 290x (yes) in October.
If you are ok with your current display resolution and set of games, you can wait it out a long time, years if needed be. Not like the card rots or something. Old drivers also keep running. Only issue at some point will be new games but usually the performance of the old card will be the bigger problem than drivers.
Playing old games, can also be ones you buy new for like $5 on steam, also saves a shit ton of money vs paying $100 for a new AAA game which is full of bugs.
I agree with the others. Prices likely will not get better anytime soon. The AI bubble could burst and then prices will go down but that could be in 5 months or 5 years. We don't know. I also upgraded my ssd in feburary (with already high prices) and they have like gone up another 50% since then, predictably.
Also prices during COVID where way, way worse! that is when I wanted to update but I just could not justify it and it took so long to normalize...
So can you live with remaining on the 6700xt for another 5 years?
If not I would probably snag a 9070 (xt) (non-xt is not that much worse and if there is a good deal, go for it) ASAP.
Gex2-EnterTheGecko@reddit
Prices briefly dipped on the Powercolor Reaper 9070xt to $575 a couple months ago and you bet your ass I scooped it up ASAP.
RationalDialog@reddit
yeah got that in October. saved me from updating my ancient case as it's the only one that fitted.
Symphonic7@reddit
Great 2-slot card, and not too big. Perfect for SFF builds. Where did you pick that up, I was thinking of getting one myself for my NR200 build.
Gex2-EnterTheGecko@reddit
It was at my local Microcenter
Symphonic7@reddit
Makes sense, thats where I got my 6950XT. I moved about an hour away from it, gonna have to make trip if I see the deal
SyncedUp78@reddit
I grabbed mine for around that price at microcenter right before Christmas. great timing
Happy-Inspector4031@reddit
Saw the same thing with my 5080, every single person was saying "wait for the 50 super series" "prices will be much lowers" decided to pull the trigger on the 5080, got it before the prices went way up. I got it on a small sale too, Im glad I did because now the cheapest 5080 is as much as I got the asus tuf 5080. The upgrade was also insanely good. The prices will likely go up too, never know for sure if they'll go up or down
FantasticBike1203@reddit
If you want to upgrade, always just pull the trigger and go for it, look you can wait and things will eventually get cheaper, but by that time it's 2-3 years later and newer hardware has released and new games have higher requirements, even when you lose out on some money, you have technically spent that by playing games with the hardware.
Being strategic is important, but when it comes at the cost of losing out on the time you could be using it, it's not worth it imho.
casdawer@reddit
Most 9070XTs perform within a small margin of each other so getting a ‘basic’ Pulse will not cause you to lose much in terms of cooling or frame rate. (Noise may vary based on cooler design).
I managed to snag a B Grade (UK) 9070XT and it’s a fantastic card.
Lucario-Mega@reddit
Pulse is genuinely a really good model too, sapphire is awesome.
MarxistMan13@reddit
Sapphire is awesome for support, but the Pulse is probably the worst model available as far as performance, cooling, and noise go.
As already said though, we're talking small differences for the most part.
Lucario-Mega@reddit
Is it really that bad? We have other low end models like asrock challenger, surely pulse isn’t on the bottom of the list?
MarxistMan13@reddit
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bvT5XvG65Y
This isn't all the models, but the Pulse was the worst model out of 14 tested.
Jerri_man@reddit
I wouldn't say it's the worst since it doesn't have the connectors that have fried PCs
MarxistMan13@reddit
You're not going to have issues with the 12v-2x6 on a 9070XT. It's pulling under 380W, compared to the 450-600W of the 5090. If it's properly installed, it'll be fine.
Jerri_man@reddit
You'd think so but you can easily google the reports
Interesting_Goal7308@reddit
If I were you, I’d set a hard ceiling in my head. Then just chill and monitor. No doom-refreshing listings, no emotional buys. If the 9070 XT or whatever you’re aiming for would give you a noticeable upgrade you’ll actually feel every day, then it’s worth buying at a reasonable-but-not-perfect price but if your current setup is still handling everything fine, then you’ve still got leverage. You can afford to wait for normal stock cycles, post-launch stabilization or even alternative cards dropping prices around it.
Dulcenia@reddit
Do you NEED this upgrade as in you see the next year of gaming as it being required? Buy what you actually need.
Zatchillac@reddit
If your luck is like mine then prices will keep going up until you finally buy, and then they'll go down
hqli@reddit
...hey, could you go buy some ram, ssd, and hdd? I think I'd really love for the prices on those to come down
Zatchillac@reddit
I bought RAM and it went down like 2 weeks later. Thankfully I'm still good on storage for now
karmapopsicle@reddit
Keep what you've got and just enjoy it. Your system is well balanced now. Upgrading "before it starts struggling" is just a good way to waste your money and end up going down a rabbit hole of spending much more than you planned upgrading the rest when say the CPU starts becoming the obvious bottleneck with the much faster GPU in some titles.
Ask yourself the following:
Are you feeling like you're missing out on RT in the latest AAAs?
Would roughly doubling your performance actually make a tangible difference in the games you're playing?
Would you be better off just keeping that money saved for another year or two to instead to a larger system overhaul to a newer gen GPU that delivers the same or better performance for less money?
KingBasten@reddit
Ok I'll bite. \
YES
God YES
Would you be better off just keeping that money saved for another year or two to instead to a larger system overhaul to a newer gen GPU that delivers the same or better performance for less money?
YES YES YES!!!! YES!
BrainttS@reddit
Go ahead and buy it - this purchase is still worth the money. The RTX 5070 Ti is still more expensive, yet it delivers the same performance without DLSS.
UpstairsConnection57@reddit
DLSS is MUCH better than FSR4 when it comes to wide usage in games and future proofing.
karmapopsicle@reddit
I mean the 5070 Ti is modestly faster in raw performance (~5%), but DLSS is a primary selling point. Given nearly all modern games require some sort of upscaler running for antialiasing to replace the built in crappy TSR, having the best one is a noticeable benefit.
UpstairsConnection57@reddit
Prices are not coming down for a long time.
Comprehensive_Ease_4@reddit
As someone who bought 32gb ddr5 ram at $150 when the price first started climbing I thought I was crazy….
Comprehensive_Ease_4@reddit
Now this isn’t GPU prices but the same thing applies, with how PCs are going rn there’s no way to tell or what to expect as stuff is only climbing
Benelurker@reddit
Do not upgrade unless it is total necessary. 9070xt upgrade will require a new CPU of at least 5800xt & X3D is at crazy prices. You do not want to pay premium prices for AM4. I would wait for the best offer to get AM5 with new GPU.
Symphonic7@reddit
This is why I hate it when people immediately parrot the "Wait for X, don't buy now" line. If you listen to reddit, you'll be waiting indefinitely for the next best thing. Always watch prices, set a baseline for what is acceptable for the product. And when it hits it, buy it. I built a 7800x3D system right before the RAMpocalypse because I saw the writing on the wall, while everyone was waiting for black friday deals. Less than a week later my 32GB DDR5 6000 CL28 kit doubled in price, and the CPU was no cheaper on Black Friday. I did pick up an OLED 240 Hz 1440p on Black friday though for $435 shipped.
forgotmapasswrd86@reddit
Its going to get worse. Pull the trigger now.
MarxistMan13@reddit
No one knowledgeable would tell you these things. A) reviews have been out forever. New GPUs won't be out for quite a while. What reviews are you supposed to wait on? B) Prices were obviously going to climb with the DRAM shortage. Anyone that knows anything would tell you not to wait.
So... you got got, but whoever you were taking your advice from, you should lose their number.
ElGoddamnDorado@reddit
Who the hell was saying in February that prices were gonna drop anytime soon?
Leather_Confidence@reddit
I bought a Gigabyte 9070XT off Amazon in the new year and its still the same price.
vlhube71@reddit
Hard lesson to learn but this is a precautionary tale for any aspiring PC enthusiast… if you need or want it, get it.
Temporary_Ice7792@reddit
If you have a MicroCenter available, they have the AsRock Challenger 9070XT for $689. It’s rough out there for sure….
PGleo86@reddit
I got one of these back in January (was $600 then) and it's a good one. Quieter than the EVGA 3090 it replaced and has been (as you'd expect from a new GPU of course) rock solid. Even at $689 it's not a terrible buy.
Temporary_Ice7792@reddit
Same here, got it at MSRP in November somehow. Beast of a card, very quiet. Not worth the $400 difference between it and the 5070Ti IMHO. Would prefer a Sapphire Pulse or XFX Quicksilver but those are almost 5070Ti prices
Unfair_Salamander189@reddit
In my country 800-1000 euro
catcat1986@reddit
This is my thought, but highly dependent on your income and how you feel about money.
For myself, I want a top quality gaming experience, so breaking the bank a little bit for a top quality rig that will last me a long time is worth it.
My opinion is it isn't worth it to fret over 100 dollars here and 100 dollars there, when the gaming experience and reliability will be worth it over the long haul.
Warcraft_Fan@reddit
Just get it now.
jhenryscott@reddit
Selling my 9070 non xt in SE Michigan if you happen to live near there. XFX swift, white
Chaosr21@reddit
I can't even get ddr4 for my daughter's computer. It's over $100 for 16gb of ddr4
timfountain4444@reddit
If it is still playing fine then just wait. You don’t NEED to upgrade and that future proofing will still be an option in the future
Cyber_Data_Trail@reddit
Go for it. Amazing card.
SpoiledCabbage@reddit
I was looking at graphics cards when I filed my taxes and by the time the return came the 9070xt rose several hundred dollars (probably a month time frame) and I backed out and I'm waiting for it to drop to $600 at the least or I'll get a 9060xt instead