RTX 3070 vs RX 6700 XT vs RX 6800

[Silicon Bargain Hunter]

Hey yall!

 

I'm on the hunt for a new GPU and could use some advice. I've managed to negotiate these deals on Facebook Marketplace:

• PowerColor RX 6700 XT for $300 CAD

• RX 6800 for $400 CAD

• ASUS Strix RTX 3070 for $325 CAD

Here's some context:

1. My Setup:

• I have an LG C1 TV that maxes out at 120Hz, so I'm likely gaming around 1440p.

• I play AAA games like Forza and Tekken 8, plus Nintendo Switch titles like Super Smash Bros. and Mario Wonders on Yuzu.

1. Performance Comparison:

• PowerColor RX 6700 XT:

  • $/FPS: 3.1 (the lower the better, so this is 10% better than the 6800's)

  • VRAM: 12GB

  • Memory Bus: 192-bit

• RX 6800:

  • Approximately 19% better performance than the RX 6700 XT

  • $/FPS: 3.4 (so 10% worse than the 6700 XT)

  • VRAM: 16GB

  • Memory Bus: 256-bit

• ASUS Strix RTX 3070:

  • $/FPS: 3.3 (close to the RX 6800)

  • VRAM: 8GB

  • Memory Bus: 256-bit

  • DLSS support would have been great, but I'm concerned about the 8GB VRAM bottleneck that's becoming more prominent in newer games.

My Budget:

• I can't go beyond $400 CAD for a GPU.

The Dilemma:

• Do I go for the budget-friendly PowerColor RX 6700 XT, stretch for the extra performance and VRAM of the RX 6800, or should I consider the ASUS Strix RTX 3070 (with DLSS) despite potential VRAM limitations?

I'm conscious about budget ($/FPS), but I wouldn't say no to better performance and DLSS if it's worth it. Any insights or suggestions would be much appreciated!

[filpo]

1 minute ago, Silicon Bargain Hunter said:

VRAM: 8GB

this is the main reason why I would not get the 3070 in this case since the 6700 XT performs quite similar for less money in your case BUT it has more vram. Then we've got the RX 6800 which performs better with double the vram for a bit more. So just steer clear of the nvidia card 

 

2 minutes ago, Silicon Bargain Hunter said:

Here's some context:

1. My Setup:

• I have an LG C1 TV that maxes out at 120Hz, so I'm likely gaming around 1440p.

• I play AAA games like Forza and Tekken 8, plus Nintendo Switch titles like Super Smash Bros. and Mario Wonders on Yuzu.

What're your system specs? (CPU, PSU, RAM, Motherboard, Case etc.)

4 minutes ago, Silicon Bargain Hunter said:

PowerColor RX 6700 XT:

• $/FPS: 3.1 (the lower the better, so this is 10% better than the 6800's)

• VRAM: 12GB

• Memory Bus: 192-bit

depending on your system specs I'd say this is the best option since that 10% more you get from the rx 6800 will be either 6 fps at games that you're running at 60 fps or 12 fps at 120 fps. Obviously the gap will be larger the higher the frame rate. But IMO it's just not worth it when the 6700 XT costs 25% less

[Silicon Bargain Hunter]

15 minutes ago, Silicon Bargain Hunter said:

VRAM: 8GB

This is the main reason why I would not get the RTX 3070 in this case since the RX 6700 XT performs quite similar for less money in your case BUT it has more VRAM. Then we've got the RX 6800 which performs better with double the VRAM for a bit more. So just steer clear of the Nvidia card.

I agree with you. The 8GB VRAM on the RTX 3070 can be limiting, especially with newer AAA titles requiring more memory. The RX 6700 XT has 12GB of VRAM and manages to close the performance gap with the RTX 3070 while being more affordable. The RX 6800, on the other hand, offers even better performance with its 16GB VRAM, providing a more future-proof option.

 

My System Specs... It's my first build and only the GPU is missing!

• CPU: Ryzen 5 7600 with stock cooler
• PSU: EVGA 1000 GQ 80 Plus Gold
• RAM: XPG Lancer Blade 32GB (2x16GB) DDR5 6400MHz CL32 (Hynix A-die)
• Case: Thermaltake Versa H18
• SSD: Kingston 1TB
• Motherboard: MSI PRO B650M-A WiFi ProSeries
• I'll probably buy 5x 120mm fans (Arctic P12 or some cheap rgb option, depending on the temps)

"I agree that the RX 6700 XT is a solid choice given my setup and the games I play. The 10% additional performance of the RX 6800 would only translate to about 6 FPS extra in games running at 60 FPS or 12 FPS at 120 FPS. While the gap widens at higher frame rates, the RX 6700 XT provides excellent value at 25% less cost."

 

I completely agree with you on this. The RX 6700 XT offers a great price/performance ratio, especially given its 12GB VRAM and similar performance to the RTX 3070. However, the RX 6800, with its 16GB VRAM, can still be advantageous for future-proofing, especially for games that demand more VRAM or require ultra settings.

Ultimately, for my use case (1440p gaming on an LG C1 TV), the RX 6700 XT is likely the best value option, while the RX 6800 would provide a bit more headroom for future titles.

So, you think a 33% increase in price doesn't justify the 19% perf increase?

[podkall]

6800 all the way:

 

1 minute ago, Silicon Bargain Hunter said:

My System Specs... It's my first build and only the GPU is missing!

• CPU: Ryzen 5 7600 with stock cooler
• PSU: EVGA 1000 GQ 80 Plus Gold
• RAM: XPG Lancer Blade 32GB (2x16GB) DDR5 6400MHz CL32 (Hynix A-die)
• Case: Thermaltake Versa H18
• SSD: Kingston 1TB
• Motherboard: MSI PRO B650M-A WiFi ProSeries
• I'll probably buy 5x 120mm fans (Arctic P12 or some cheap rgb option, depending on the temps)

if you don't wanna wait then 6800's the shot

 

also 400CAD for 6800 is pretty decent deal:

 

PCPartPicker Part List

Video Card: *XFX Speedster SWFT 319 Radeon RX 6800 16 GB Video Card  ($561.65 @ Amazon Canada)
Total: $561.65
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-05-07 13:17 EDT-0400

[filpo]

3 minutes ago, Silicon Bargain Hunter said:

• CPU: Ryzen 5 7600 with stock cooler
• PSU: EVGA 1000 GQ 80 Plus Gold
• RAM: XPG Lancer Blade 32GB (2x16GB) DDR5 6400MHz CL32 (Hynix A-die)
• Case: Thermaltake Versa H18
• SSD: Kingston 1TB
• Motherboard: MSI PRO B650M-A WiFi ProSeries
• I'll probably buy 5x 120mm fans (Arctic P12 or some cheap rgb option, depending on the temps)

How much are you paying for all this (I assume new apart from gpu)

 

3 minutes ago, Silicon Bargain Hunter said:

So, you think a 33% increase in price doesn't justify the 19% perf increase?

It can, but I would only get it if it can fit in your budget. What I said above was mostly based on the value. If you want that extra performance and vram which would allow for potentially more headroom later on then sure, get it. it's quite a good card and for 400 CAD, it's really quite good

 

2 minutes ago, podkall said:

6800 all the way:

@Silicon Bargain Hunter If these performance uplifts line up with the games you're playing (these results are an average over about 20-25 games) then definitely get the RX 6800

[Silicon Bargain Hunter]

I've been weighing the advice from both of you regarding the RX 6800 vs. RX 6700 XT, and I appreciate the insights.

On one hand:

3 minutes ago, Silicon Bargain Hunter said:

My System Specs... It's my first build and only the GPU is missing!

• CPU: Ryzen 5 7600 with stock cooler
• PSU: EVGA 1000 GQ 80 Plus Gold
• RAM: XPG Lancer Blade 32GB (2x16GB) DDR5 6400MHz CL32 (Hynix A-die)
• Case: Thermaltake Versa H18
• SSD: Kingston 1TB
• Motherboard: MSI PRO B650M-A WiFi ProSeries
• I'll probably buy 5x 120mm fans (Arctic P12 or some cheap RGB option, depending on the temps)

Given this setup and aiming for 1440p gaming, I agree that the RX 6700 XT is a strong choice. Its 12GB VRAM, lower price, and solid performance make it an excellent value proposition. As you mentioned, the extra 19% performance increase of the RX 6800 would translate to only a few extra FPS in most scenarios.

On the other hand:

Chart showing 25% performance increase in the RX 6800 vs. RX 6700 XT

Also, $400 CAD for the RX 6800 is a pretty decent deal:

• PCPartPicker Part List:
• Video Card: XFX Speedster SWFT 319 Radeon RX 6800 16 GB Video Card ($561.65 @ Amazon Canada)
• Total: $561.65
• Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.

The RX 6800 indeed offers a solid performance boost (19 fps in recent youtube videos comparing the 2 gpus) over the RX 6700 XT. The additional 16GB VRAM makes it more future-proof, particularly for texture-heavy AAA titles at higher resolutions. Considering the current market price of $400 CAD, it's definitely a good deal compared to the retail price.

 

So for my setup and budget:

• RX 6700 XT: Offers the best value at a lower price.
• RX 6800: Provides a significant performance increase and future-proofing for a bit more.

[podkall]

4 minutes ago, Silicon Bargain Hunter said:

The 10% additional performance of the RX 6800 would only translate to about 6 FPS extra in games running at 60 FPS or 12 FPS at 120 FPS. While the gap widens at higher frame rates, the RX 6700 XT provides excellent value at 25% less cost."

your shot, the diff can differ based on game:

 

 

 

 

 

• the shot is on you, 6700 XT isn't bad, if you're not one of the people who need to play every single brand new game, it can be enough for you, because as far as I remember, most current and older games don't just randomly increase in VRAM requirement, there's also always a choice of slightly decreasing the settings which can result in fine performance still probably even for the 6700 XT, it's in a bit of a sweetspot slightly behind RTX 2080 ti and better than RTX 2080 slightly

[Silicon Bargain Hunter]

Response:

3 minutes ago, Silicon Bargain Hunter said:

CPU: Ryzen 5 7600 with stock cooler PSU: EVGA 1000 GQ 80 Plus Gold RAM: XPG Lancer Blade 32GB (2x16GB) DDR5 6400MHz CL32 (Hynix A-die) Case: Thermaltake Versa H18 SSD: Kingston 1TB Motherboard: MSI PRO B650M-A WiFi ProSeries I'll probably buy 5x 120mm fans (Arctic P12 or some cheap RGB option, depending on the temps)

Expand

How much are you paying for all this (I assume new apart from GPU)?

Here's the breakdown:

• CPU: Ryzen 5 7600 with stock cooler ($230, new from CanadaComputers)
• PSU: EVGA 1000 GQ 80 Plus Gold ($80, used from Facebook Marketplace)
• RAM: XPG Lancer Blade 32GB (2x16GB) DDR5 6400MHz CL32 (Hynix A-die) ($125, new from CanadaComputers)
• Case: Thermaltake Versa H18 ($60, new from Amazon.ca)
• SSD: Adata 1TB ($80, bought it new a while back)
• Motherboard: MSI PRO B650M-A WiFi ProSeries Motherboard ($110, used from eBay)
• Fans: 3-pack of 140mm fans ($40)
• Total: $1,035 (if I go with the RX 6700 XT) vs. $1,135 (if I choose the RX 6800), including taxes.

So, looking at the total value of the build, the $100 increase between the RX 6700 XT and RX 6800 only amounts to a 10% increase in the total budget for a 19% performance increase. But from the gpu budget standpoint, it's a 33% $ increase.

 

Let me know if you have any more thoughts!

 

Edit : SSD: Adata 1TB ($80, bought it new a while back)

[Silicon Bargain Hunter]

"the shot is on you, 6700 XT isn't bad, if you're not one of the people who need to play every single brand new game, it can be enough for you, because as far as I remember, most current and older games don't just randomly increase in VRAM requirement, there's also always a choice of slightly decreasing the settings which can result in fine performance still probably even for the 6700 XT, it's in a bit of a sweetspot slightly behind RTX 2080 ti and better than RTX 2080 slightly"

 

You're absolutely right, the difference does vary based on the game, and the RX 6700 XT isn't a bad choice at all. I'm not necessarily someone who needs to play every single brand-new game at ultra settings, so the 6700 XT should still hold up well. As you said, most current and older games don't have rapidly increasing VRAM requirements, and lowering the settings slightly can help maintain smooth performance.

[filpo]

1 minute ago, Silicon Bargain Hunter said:

• CPU: Ryzen 5 7600 with stock cooler ($230, new from CanadaComputers)
• PSU: EVGA 1000 GQ 80 Plus Gold ($80, used from Facebook Marketplace)
• RAM: XPG Lancer Blade 32GB (2x16GB) DDR5 6400MHz CL32 (Hynix A-die) ($125, new from CanadaComputers)
• Case: Thermaltake Versa H18 ($60, new from Amazon.ca)
• SSD: Kingston 1TB ($80, new)
• Motherboard: MSI PRO B650M-A WiFi ProSeries Motherboard ($110, used from eBay)
• Fans: 3-pack of 140mm fans ($40)
• Total: $1,035 (if I go with the RX 6700 XT) vs. $1,135 (if I choose the RX 6800), including taxes.

for 10 CAD more I'd get an MP44L, it's higher quality and more reliable than the NV2 TEAMGROUP MP44L 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (TM8FPK001T0C101) - PCPartPicker

3 minutes ago, Silicon Bargain Hunter said:

Case: Thermaltake Versa H18 ($60, new from Amazon.ca)

here's a case that's 15 CAD more but with three fans up front and a fan exhausting so no need to get 140mm fans

Phanteks XT PRO ATX Mid Tower Case (PH-XT523P1-BK01) - PCPartPicker

7 minutes ago, Silicon Bargain Hunter said:

CPU: Ryzen 5 7600 with stock cooler ($230, new from CanadaComputers)

do you need the iGPU? If not then get the 7500F for 194 CAD (but it is from aliexpress so if you don't trust them then just get the 7600)

 

this means you can fit in a Thermalright PA120SE with much better cooling than the stock wraith stealth cooler and get lower temps

Don't use the stock cooler, it's horrible. I have it with a 5600 and I get 65-70c while gaming (30% usage on CPU) while having a few fans pointing straight at it with about a 15cm gap

Also the 7500F I linked doesn't even include a stock cooler 

try this (parts without links are from you)

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler  ($41.90 @ Amazon Canada) 
Motherboard: MSI PRO B650M-A WIFI Micro ATX AM5 Motherboard  ($110.00) 
Memory: ADATA XPG Lancer Blade 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory  ($125.00) 
Storage: TEAMGROUP MP44L 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  ($89.97 @ Newegg Canada) 
Video Card: XFX Speedster SWFT 319 Radeon RX 6800 16 GB Video Card  ($400.00) 
Case: Phanteks XT PRO ATX Mid Tower Case  ($74.98 @ Newegg Canada) 
Power Supply: EVGA 1000 GQ 1000 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply  ($80.00) 
Custom: 7500F ($194.00)
Total: $1115.85
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-05-07 13:40 EDT-0400

6 minutes ago, Silicon Bargain Hunter said:

"the shot is on you, 6700 XT isn't bad, if you're not one of the people who need to play every single brand new game, it can be enough for you, because as far as I remember, most current and older games don't just randomly increase in VRAM requirement, there's also always a choice of slightly decreasing the settings which can result in fine performance still probably even for the 6700 XT, it's in a bit of a sweetspot slightly behind RTX 2080 ti and better than RTX 2080 slightly"

 

You're absolutely right, the difference does vary based on the game, and the RX 6700 XT isn't a bad choice at all. I'm not necessarily someone who needs to play every single brand-new game at ultra settings, so the 6700 XT should still hold up well. As you said, most current and older games don't have rapidly increasing VRAM requirements, and lowering the settings slightly can help maintain smooth performance.

If you wanna get the 6700 XT then just stick in the list above, should work great

[Salted Spinach]

If you want it to last as long as possible, you will want the 16GB of VRAM and all the performance you can get.

 

No hate on the 3070 but 8GB of VRAM is just utterly miserable today, before even considering future titles.

[Silicon Bargain Hunter]

Thanks for your suggestions and insights!

 

SSD:

• I already have the ADATA 1TB, but I'll definitely consider the TEAMGROUP MP44L for additional storage! It has great speeds, and I could use some extra space.

Case:

• Here are the dimensions of the Thermaltake Versa H18: 39 cm x 20.5 cm x 38 cm (30.4k cm³), with a max GPU clearance of 32.5/35 cm.
• In comparison, the Phanteks XT Pro is 44.96 cm x 22.99 cm x 49.99 cm with a huuuge max GPU clearance, which is nice!
• It's quite a bit bigger! I went with an mATX motherboard to try out a smaller form factor, so I'm leaning towards the Thermaltake Versa H18 for now. However, that might make the Assassin cooler even more important.

CPU Cooler:

• My plan was to check the CPU temps with the stock cooler before deciding whether to buy an aftermarket one. I'm not entirely sure about this, but I remember having watched a Hardware unboxed video (I think he was reviewing the R5 7600) and if I'm correct, he showed that the stock cooler was enough for top performance with no thermal throttling (I think the thermal throttling begins at like 90-95 degrees celcius on the R5 7600). Is it really that bad to keep the Ryzen 5 7600 around 65-70°C?

CPU:

• I already bought the Ryzen 5 7600, but thanks for suggesting the 7500F!

Cheers!

 

Edit : R5 7600 and thermal throttling.

[Silicon Bargain Hunter]

6 minutes ago, Salted Spinach said:

If you want it to last as long as possible, you will want the 16GB of VRAM and all the performance you can get.

 

No hate on the 3070 but 8GB of VRAM is just utterly miserable today, before even considering future titles.

Yes, and also, PC games are typically built based on console titles (PC games are usually ports -- at least for AAA games). Since consoles serve as the reference, even though the PS5 and Xbox Series X share RAM between system memory and VRAM, they still have a total of 16GB.

 

When you're playing a ported game on a GPU with only 8GB VRAM, like the RTX 3070, you're at a significant disadvantage because 16GB is a lot more suitable for future gaming demands. With the PS5 Pro coming up and next-gen consoles on the horizon, we can easily imagine that the demands for VRAM will skyrocket.

 

Developers will increasingly optimize for the higher memory capacities of upcoming consoles, leaving GPUs with lower VRAM capacities struggling to keep up. Future-proofing with 12GB or 16GB VRAM, like the RX 6700XT or 6800 provide, will help ensure better performance in next-gen titles and AAA games.

 

Edit : PC games are usually ports -- at least for AAA games

[filpo]

4 minutes ago, Silicon Bargain Hunter said:

It's quite a bit bigger! I went with an mATX motherboard to try out a smaller form factor, so I'm leaning towards the Thermaltake Versa H18 for now. However, that might make the Assassin cooler even more important.

if you want a smaller case then the deepcool mattrexx 40 or CH360 might be good options. H18 is just a bit on the low end

 

5 minutes ago, Silicon Bargain Hunter said:

Is it really that bad to keep the Ryzen 5 7600 around 65-70°C?

my cpu is a ryzen 5 5600, 7600 has higher clocks and will most likely run hotter

 

5 minutes ago, Silicon Bargain Hunter said:

My plan was to check the CPU temps with the stock cooler before deciding whether to buy an aftermarket one

Sure, you can check them and then if they're bad then get a PA120SE

[MadAnt250]

1 hour ago, Silicon Bargain Hunter said:

RX 6800:

I won't waste time with a bunch of text.

RX 6800, if it fits, it sits.

[Silicon Bargain Hunter]

28 minutes ago, filpo said:

if you want a smaller case then the deepcool mattrexx 40 or CH360 might be good options. H18 is just a bit on the low end

Hey, I looked at the DeepCool CH360 and compared it to the Thermaltake Versa H18:

• DeepCool CH360:

  • Offers more pre-installed fans and better out-of-the-box airflow.
  • Flimsy build quality, noisy Molex fans, and cable management challenges are significant drawbacks.

• Thermaltake Versa H18:

  • Better build quality and cable management.
  • Requires additional fans for optimal cooling but remains more rigid and quieter.

Thanks again for your help! Your insights were really valuable.

[Mortal_2077]

I recently bought Rx6700xt for 200$ in second hand. But I never expected this card perform so well! 

I don't like Nvidia cards because of over cost. If your a fan of dlss or Ray tracing than go for it rtx 3070

I love fsr 3 over dlss and I don't like to use in-game ray tracing. I am a modder. I like to create preset and rtgi for all games. Rx6700xt have ( RT core : 40) that's enough for rtgi preset. And 12gb vram is more advantage when comes with Ray tracing ( RT required more vram) 

[Silicon Bargain Hunter]

19 hours ago, Mortal_2077 said:

I recently bought Rx6700xt for 200$ in second hand. But I never expected this card perform so well! 

I don't like Nvidia cards because of over cost. If your a fan of dlss or Ray tracing than go for it rtx 3070

I love fsr 3 over dlss and I don't like to use in-game ray tracing. I am a modder. I like to create preset and rtgi for all games. Rx6700xt have ( RT core : 40) that's enough for rtgi preset. And 12gb vram is more advantage when comes with Ray tracing ( RT required more vram) 

Thanks for sharing your experience with the RX 6700 XT. And btw, congrats for having bought it that low!

 

For me, ray tracing becomes interesting starting at the RTX 4070. With the RTX 3070, I would ditch that option since it's so resource-hungry. DLSS would be nice (would be a plus), but I'd rather future-proof with more than 8GB VRAM than have the option of DLSS.

 

VRAM vs. Texture Quality: 8GB VRAM is a big problem because, as I recall, Hardware Unboxed showed in their 8GB vs. 12-16GB VRAM video that texture quality is superior on a 12-16GB VRAM GPU compared to an 8GB option, even at the same texture quality setting! So the extra VRAM on the RX 6700 XT and RX 6800 is a big advantage.

 

Long-Term Texture Bottleneck: Although anecdotal, I read on Reddit that 8GB brings another issue. After playing for a while (15-30 minutes or more), VRAM becomes a bottleneck for loading textures, resulting in stuttering or delayed texture loading. This problem isn't often caught by reviewers because their tests are usually shorter, and they often game with higher-end GPUs.

 

FSR vs. DLSS: We can probably expect FSR to continue to mature and be supported by more games in the future. Plus, are there any mods for popular aaa games that can toggle DLSS using AMD GPUs?

 

All in all, DLSS would be nice to have, but future-proofing with more VRAM is my priority. FSR 3 has great potential, and I'd like to see it develop further.