Question GPU upgrade ?

[mahaldraken]

Hey, some time ago I replaced most of the components in my computer and now it's time for a new card.


Currently the components look like this:
ryzen 7 7800x3d
b650 gaming x ax
32gb ram
ssd drive
550W seasonic power supply
pulse rx 5700xt

I was thinking about rtx 5070 because it seems to be a better value for money than the Ti version (atleast where i live). At the moment I mainly play cs2 and warzone but I really play all types of games.
Unfortunately the card is getting a bit old and I'm tired of constant problems with drivers. Is the 5070 a good choice, if so which models are good? Do I have to replace the PSU?
Thanks in advance for your help

 

[Eximo]

RTX 5070 is a power increase over your current GPU, and I would say your power supply is a little small to start with. (225W -> 250W)

You should be looking at a 650W PSU for an RTX 5070 (250W) or RX 9070 (220W).

Now if that 550W of yours is ATX 3.0 or better, then it would be more acceptable, as that would be able to absorb power spikes that newer cards produce when load changes rapidly.

 

[mahaldraken]

Hi thank you for the answer.
Im not sure where can i find the exact specs of my PSU. It says it is ATX but not which standard.

The full name is :Seasonic Focus Plus 550W Gold 80 Plus SSR-550FX. ​

I'm not sure if I will decide to get another AMD card. Unfortunately with this one I had many times problems with stuttering as well as game crashes and honestly it discouraged me a bit, well unless maybe newer cards dont have this problem.

 

[Eximo]

No that unit is not ATX 3.0. It is possible your game crashes are PSU related to start with. 5700XT is when GPUs started having high power spikes, and that could easily cause instability.

Regardless, unless you were sticking with a 5060 Ti or 9060 XT, I would replace it.

Well, the argument against the 5070 is the 12GB of VRAM. Not a big problem today, but in the next few years it may require you to compromise on resolution and settings. On the positive side, it has frame gen and can compensate for worse performance at the expense of input lag. On the positive, it is much closer to its MSRP than AMD right now.

9070 has the 16GB of VRAM going for it, also supports frame gen.

 

[ak47jar3d]

The power consumption of the 5700 xt pulse and rtx 5070 is similar. It should be fine. I don't think like the 5070 compared to 9070 as its basically worse in every way. Unless the 5070 is cheaper, the 9070 is better choice.

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

The power consumption of the 5700 xt pulse and rtx 5070 is similar.

Yes, but as highlighted above, newer cards have high transient power spikes. This is why it's recommended to go with more wattage. The 5700xt didn't have major power spikes. The OP could get by, bBut won't know until testing.

 

[logainofhades]

Warzone prefers AMD, I would look at a 9070 for sure. Yes you will want a new PSU.

 

[mahaldraken]

Again, thanks for all the responses.
ok so no matter which gpu i choose i need a new PSU. will 650w be enough? Any particular company is best?
Here most 9070 cards are about 100 dollars more expensive than 5070 is it worth the extra? What to consider when choosing a model besides the price?

 

[logainofhades]

9070 has more vram, so it will hold up longer. There isn't a huge gap right now, performance wise, but as games become more v-ram hungry, being able to keep you hardware longer is a good thing. Also 50 series drivers have been problematic at best.

https://www.techpowerup.com/review/asus-radeon-rx-9070-tuf-oc/34.html

 

[ak47jar3d]

Yes, but as highlighted above, newer cards have high transient power spikes. This is why it's recommended to go with more wattage. The 5700xt didn't have major power spikes. The OP could get by, bBut won't know until testing.

I guess I don't really make recommendations on transient spikes, I make them based max power limit that card has. I owned 6900 xt toxic oc on 750w power supply which would have required a psu if the same logic is applied to a card like that.

 

[Eximo]

It just depends on the PSU and the system. Erring on the side of caution is just better all around. PSUs also age and stop being able to deliver their full power after some years. Which is why it is also recommended to look at PSUs with 7-12 year warranties, with 10 being somewhat common.

300W GPU on a 750W PSU is actually alright if it was a decent unit. Typical CPU draw will gaming is well below 100W, and the rest of a simple gaming setup is well within the range.

Another reason to overspec a PSU is because you don't necessarily know what people plug into their computers. Some people use them to charge their phones.



As for suggestions. What region and currency are we talking about?

 

[logainofhades]

I guess I don't really make recommendations on transient spikes, I make them based max power limit that card has. I owned 6900 xt toxic oc on 750w power supply which would have required a psu if the same logic is applied to a card like that.

30 series suffered from spikes too. Even high end Seasonics, that should have been plenty wattage wise, had issues with said spikes.

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

I guess I don't really make recommendations on transient spikes, I make them based max power limit that card has. I owned 6900 xt toxic oc on 750w power supply which would have required a psu if the same logic is applied to a card like that.

I'm not disagreeing with you. In an ideal world, the TGP of a GPU is easy to follow and factor in to a purchase. Lets make life easy for people. But, it's not always like that. The high end GPU's have ridiculous spikes, and more mid-high, have less so. It's something to be aware for a consumer though. And not many are.

 

[Eximo]

Pretty much why the ATX 3.0/3.1 spec exists. They can handle spikes of double power for up to 100ms. But we all know that PSU makers don't always follow the specs that closely. And there are older 2.x units that can handle power spikes, fairly well.

For Seasonic, it just happened that one of their more popular high end units, wasn't so good for the 3080/3090 in particular. But they weren't the only ones affected.

Also true that mid-range cards used to draw like 150W, now that mid range is 200-300W, those smaller 550W PSUs are less common and those available aren't as good as they should be.

 

[mahaldraken]

So, what wattage for the PSU should i choose?
And do you guys think paying 100$ more for 9070 is worth it?

 

[Third-Eye]

So, what wattage for the PSU should i choose?
And do you guys think paying 100$ more for 9070 is worth it?

If you are getting a RTX 5070 or RX 9070 non XT, get at minimum a 650watt psu with a 10 year warranty.

If you are able to afford a faster card like the RTX 5070 ti/4080/RX 9070 XT, get minimum 750 watt.

As for the RX 9070 non XT, it's the about the same performance as the 5070, but the ray tracing is slower. There still isn't really enough games with good ray tracing to really worry about it as a reason for purchasing, especially if you play a lot of competitive shooters where you will be reducing graphics settings anyway. In single player games, that extra vram will make it last longer, or just allow for higher texture and asset settings with about the same performance at 1440p or higher res.

I'd say the only decision to make between the cards is if you care about or want DLSS 4, or don't mind waiting for FSR 4 support to be added to the games already released that you play now.