GPU Advice: 4070ti vs 7900xt

[Roobir]

Hey Carbonites,

Here we go again, the CUD itch returns.

I'm thinking about selling my XFX SWFT 6900XT back to a local PC shop and using that to upgrade to a new GPU, not too bad of a deal (they will give me ~1000). I would prefer to have a GPU that is going to be the most cool and hopefully quiet too (so big and chunky I'm assuming will be the winner). Lately the 6900XT has been ramping up too high since replacing CPU and getting more fps. :O

Here are some of the specs of the rig as it is now:
Asus ROG strix X670e-e with 7800X3D and 32GB Corsair vengeance DDR5 6000 (CL30)
Corsair HX1000 80+ platinum with a Corsair 5000D case
BenQ Mobiuz EX3415R (3440x1440) main screen and LG UltraGear 27GL850-B (2560x1440) secondary screen

I play a little bit of everything, but mostly World of Warcraft with mates when I have time.

Some quick options available from Amazon and dependable online retailers are:

• Cheapest:
  • Zotac Gaming Trinity 4070ti @ 3300.
  • XFX Merc 310 7900xt @ 3300.
  • Sapphire Pulse 7900xt @ 3400.
  • GALAX EX gamer1 4070ti @ 3400.
  • MSI Ventus 3x 4070ti @ 3400.
  • Asus TUF Gaming 4070ti @ 3500.
  • PNY Gaming Verto 4070ti @ 3500.
  • Zotac Gaming Amp extreme 4070ti @ 3600.
• Little bit more expensive:
  • Asus ProArt 4070ti @ 3850.
  • Gigabyte Eagle 4070ti @ 3900.
  • Asus Rog strix 4070ti @ 4000.
  • MSI Suprim 4070ti @ 4000.
  • XFX speedster ultra 7900xt @ 4000.
  • PowerColor Hellhound 7900xt @ 4000.
  • MSI Ventus 3x 4070ti @ 4200.
  • MSI Gaming Trio 7900xt @ 4100.
  • PowerColour Red Devil 7900xt @ 4500 (import so perhaps not relevant)

Please let me know your thoughts and opinions on what GPU you think will compliment the rig the best, knowing the games and resolution and goal of having something a bit more quiet and cool is preferred.

PS: currency is in AED

 

[Valheru]

7900XT is the faster card.

4070Ti is better with RT.

Both cards have frame generation, which can seem rather pointless on the surface.

For some it does seem that the driver / stability issues with AMD can be an issue (even though you are on AMD).

Personal choice would be "Zotac Gaming Trinity 4070ti @ 3300." as there is zero point in paying the asus tax, the SKU's are so close to each other.

 

[Roobir]

I have had a few hiccups here and there with AMD drivers, the biggest one was Battlefield 2042 last year where the game crashed to Windows every time you applied any tweak on the GPU (even undervolting crashed). The latest issue was World of Warcraft slow launch of game for about 2-3minutes before it would start - think most on 6000 series complained about this. However, just enough time to go make a coffee or prepare a snack.

If we lean towards 4070ti, which one would be the most whisper quiet and cool?

 

[Valheru]

I have had a few hiccups here and there with AMD drivers, the biggest one was Battlefield 2042 last year where the game crashed to Windows every time you applied any tweak on the GPU (even undervolting crashed). The latest issue was World of Warcraft slow launch of game for about 2-3minutes before it would start - think most on 6000 series complained about this. However, just enough time to go make a coffee or prepare a snack.

If we lean towards 4070ti, which one would be the most whisper quiet and cool?

If you are worried about cooling, go for the Zotac extreme. VERY underrated cards, I played around with a 3080 for a week once, and that thing ran very cool.

Currently own a MSI Ventus 3x and also very happy with the cooling. The premium to pay to go to something overkill like the ROG card is not wort it, that single digit degree difference is not worth the initial layout. Just make sure you have adequate cooling / airflow from the case and you shopuld be fine with Zotac / MSI.

FYI:
I have 3x120mm ML PRO intake & 3x140mm ML PRO exhaust. They are set to ramp to the full 2400RPM if things get toasty, but never do that during gaming.

 

[Roobir]

If you are worried about cooling, go for the Zotac extreme. VERY underrated cards, I played around with a 3080 for a week once, and that thing ran very cool.

Currently own a MSI Ventus 3x and also very happy with the cooling. The premium to pay to go to something overkill like the ROG card is not wort it, that single digit degree difference is not worth the initial layout. Just make sure you have adequate cooling / airflow from the case and you shopuld be fine with Zotac / MSI.

FYI:
I have 3x120mm ML PRO intake & 3x140mm ML PRO exhaust. They are set to ramp to the full 2400RPM if things get toasty, but never do that during gaming.

Now it gets even more tricky!

This morning there is a sale on a Palit JetStream 4070ti for 2300 AED. I think model "NED407T019K91043J"

What you think @Valheru , do I snipe this offer?

 

[thecurto]

Now it gets even more tricky!

This morning there is a sale on a Palit JetStream 4070ti for 2300 AED. I think model "NED407T019K91043J"

What you think @Valheru , do I snipe this offer?

Wait 2 - 3 weeks if you can. Nvidia is announcing new Super GPUs in the first week of January.

There should be a new faster 4070 Ti Super with 16GB of VRAM which will be the best option for future proofing.

And even if it is out of budget, that should cause the price of the regular 4070 Ti to drop so you'll save more money than buying right now

 

[Valheru]

What you think @Valheru , do I snipe this offer?

Keep an eye on it, maybe the newer ones are a deal, or make the older one a better proposition like @thecurto said.

 

[Roobir]

*Sad CUD noises*

I think its maybe better to wait in any case, this special is definitely too good to be true. Will stay focused on the goal, something that doesn't make as much noise as the 6900XT and is hopefully cool while doing some hard work. For that, I think the Zotac AMP or the PNY might be the better options.

 

[goldfritter]

If we lean towards 4070ti, which one would be the most whisper quiet and cool?

Techpowerup does deep-dive reviews of many GPU models, specifically comparing the temps and noise levels to other cards of the same series. They will be your best bet for an in-depth comparison of noise levels.

E.g. ASUS GeForce RTX 4070 Ti TUF Review

 

[thecurto]

*Sad CUD noises*

I think its maybe better to wait in any case, this special is definitely too good to be true. Will stay focused on the goal, something that doesn't make as much noise as the 6900XT and is hopefully cool while doing some hard work. For that, I think the Zotac AMP or the PNY might be the better options.

In the meantime, you could try a basic undervolt for your 6900 XT using AMD's Adrenalin Software.

I've got one set for my 6800 XT and it's much, much quieter. The power draw is 40W lower, temps are 20C cooler and I'm only losing less than 5% performance. I've also set my fan speed to 50% max. Here's a quick step-by-step for you:

1. Open AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition
2. Head to the Performance tab > Tuning > Custom button in the top right corner.
3. Toggle the sliders for GPU Tuning and Advanced Control to on.
4. Set the Voltage (mV) value to 1050, and increase the Max Frequency (MHz) by about 5%
5. Toggle Fan Tuning to on and adjust the curve so that the fans never hit 100% speed at full load.
6. Use the AMD overlay or MSI Afterburner/RivaTuner to monitor temps and performance while gaming (Metrics > Overlay > Enable Metrics Overlay in the AMD software)
7. Repeat steps 4 - 6 with minor adjustments until you are happy with perf-to-noise/temp profile.
8. Click the Export Profile button in the top right to save your settings to an XML file which you can import if your settings are lost or are restored to default after loadshedding.
9. Enjoy the peace and quiet

You also shouldn't notice much of a performance drop in WoW but your PC should be substantially quieter.

Lastly, 1050mV is a conservative starting point for undervolting most AMD GPUs in this tier but each individual GPU silicon is different. It should be stable at this value but you can also reduce the number in 25mV increments (while stress testing each step of the way) if you want to be adventurous and get your GPU as quiet as possible.

 

[Zeza]

*Sad CUD noises*

I think its maybe better to wait in any case, this special is definitely too good to be true. Will stay focused on the goal, something that doesn't make as much noise as the 6900XT and is hopefully cool while doing some hard work. For that, I think the Zotac AMP or the PNY might be the better options.

When having the itch, being told to wait is the worst advice 🥹 but the supers are so close might just wait and see what happens when they are announced? I went from 2080 to 7900xtx in December after a lifetime of Nvidia and I am very happy no real issues, AMD does take some more tinkering though but I enjoy it.

I’m about to upgrade the rest of my rig to exactly what you have, have you had any issues with that CPU mobo combo? Reading some strange things about wacky Ethernet ports and what not 🥹

 

[Zeza]

In the meantime, you could try a basic undervolt for your 6900 XT using AMD's Adrenalin Software.

I've got one set for my 6800 XT and it's much, much quieter. The power draw is 40W lower, temps are 20C cooler and I'm only losing less than 5% performance. I've also set my fan speed to 50% max. Here's a quick step-by-step for you:

1. Open AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition
2. Head to the Performance tab > Tuning > Custom button in the top right corner.
3. Toggle the sliders for GPU Tuning and Advanced Control to on.
4. Set the Voltage (mV) value to 1050, and increase the Max Frequency (MHz) by about 5%
5. Toggle Fan Tuning to on and adjust the curve so that the fans never hit 100% speed at full load.
6. Use the AMD overlay or MSI Afterburner/RivaTuner to monitor temps and performance while gaming (Metrics > Overlay > Enable Metrics Overlay in the AMD software)
7. Repeat steps 4 - 6 with minor adjustments until you are happy with perf-to-noise/temp profile.
8. Click the Export Profile button in the top right to save your settings to an XML file which you can import if your settings are lost or are restored to default after loadshedding.
9. Enjoy the peace and quiet

You also shouldn't notice much of a performance drop in WoW but your PC should be substantially quieter.

Lastly, 1050mV is a conservative starting point for undervolting most AMD GPUs in this tier but each individual GPU silicon is different. It should be stable at this value but you can also reduce the number in 25mV increments (while stress testing each step of the way) if you want to be adventurous and get your GPU as quiet as possible.

Thanks for this!

Very helpful as also just joined the AmD club.

Found 1050 stable for everything except CP2077, so set up a game profile for that one - have you by any chance found similar?

 

[thecurto]

Thanks for this!

Very helpful as also just joined the AmD club.

Found 1050 stable for everything except CP2077, so set up a game profile for that one - have you by any chance found similar?

No problem!

It's been rock solid for me at 1050mV in everything I've played so far but that's the mystery of the silicon lottery. I've only run a couple of benchmarks in CP2077 so far but I'm planning to do another full play-through next week so I'll let you know if I have any crashes.

BTW, here's all the rumoured info and dates on the Nvidia Super GPUs launching: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 SUPER review and sales embargo information leaks out - VideoCardz.com

 

[RaptorChris]

Wait 2 - 3 weeks if you can. Nvidia is announcing new Super GPUs in the first week of January.

There should be a new faster 4070 Ti Super with 16GB of VRAM which will be the best option for future proofing.

And even if it is out of budget, that should cause the price of the regular 4070 Ti to drop so you'll save more money than buying right now

I wonder if it will get the 256 bit bus like the 4080, if so depending on price it will be the GPU to get

 

[thecurto]

I wonder if it will get the 256 bit bus like the 4080, if so depending on price it will be the GPU to get

I think that's the plan (hopefully).

The 4070 Ti Super should essentially be a cut down version of the current 4080 so I'm hoping for the same 16GB of VRAM on a 256-bit bus since it's rumoured to use the same AD103 die.

The biggest question mark will be the pricing. If it comes in at the same price as the current 4070 Ti and that card gets a discount then Nvidia will have a new MVP card.

If it slots in between the existing 4070 Ti and the 4080 pricing then it will be sticking with the 'meh' theme of 2023 GPUs

 

[Roobir]

When having the itch, being told to wait is the worst advice 🥹 but the supers are so close might just wait and see what happens when they are announced? I went from 2080 to 7900xtx in December after a lifetime of Nvidia and I am very happy no real issues, AMD does take some more tinkering though but I enjoy it.

I’m about to upgrade the rest of my rig to exactly what you have, have you had any issues with that CPU mobo combo? Reading some strange things about wacky Ethernet ports and what not 🥹

Negative - all has been quite a seamless upgrade. First thing I did was upgrade the motherboard BIOS (for that burn issue on X3D), enabled EXPO, tinkered with a few small things; lighting (don't want the ASUS logo permanently burning), disabled onboard sound and bluetooth (don't need, use SB play! 4 for speakers) and i think thats about it.

For Windows, I installed Win10 as a few small things about Win11 annoyed me - just be sure to install the AMD chipset drivers from the AMD website.

 

[Roobir]

In the meantime, you could try a basic undervolt for your 6900 XT using AMD's Adrenalin Software.

I've got one set for my 6800 XT and it's much, much quieter. The power draw is 40W lower, temps are 20C cooler and I'm only losing less than 5% performance. I've also set my fan speed to 50% max. Here's a quick step-by-step for you:

1. Open AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition
2. Head to the Performance tab > Tuning > Custom button in the top right corner.
3. Toggle the sliders for GPU Tuning and Advanced Control to on.
4. Set the Voltage (mV) value to 1050, and increase the Max Frequency (MHz) by about 5%
5. Toggle Fan Tuning to on and adjust the curve so that the fans never hit 100% speed at full load.
6. Use the AMD overlay or MSI Afterburner/RivaTuner to monitor temps and performance while gaming (Metrics > Overlay > Enable Metrics Overlay in the AMD software)
7. Repeat steps 4 - 6 with minor adjustments until you are happy with perf-to-noise/temp profile.
8. Click the Export Profile button in the top right to save your settings to an XML file which you can import if your settings are lost or are restored to default after loadshedding.
9. Enjoy the peace and quiet

You also shouldn't notice much of a performance drop in WoW but your PC should be substantially quieter.

Lastly, 1050mV is a conservative starting point for undervolting most AMD GPUs in this tier but each individual GPU silicon is different. It should be stable at this value but you can also reduce the number in 25mV increments (while stress testing each step of the way) if you want to be adventurous and get your GPU as quiet as possible.

This is great advice, thanks.

I've already done a bit of tinkering on the GPU. When I was on the previous CPU (11900K) I had a good ratio of peace and quiet. But since the 7800X3D, the PC is a rocket and GPU just wants more cooling What a fortunate problem to have.

Right now I'm at 91% of original voltage, forgot the numeric value, +15% power, Fan at default (quiet bios) with zero rpm disabled and maximum duty cycle of 70% (creates a gentle curve that isn't too rough). Also have a lot of 140mm fans in the Corsair 5000D for a gentle breeze that isn't loud for intake/exhaust and the final touch of some AliExpress type 3x fan cooler below the GPU to push a little bit more air on to it.

Because of this itch, now i'm looking at the Sapphire 7900 XT again - especially as they are able to deliver it tomorrow

Sapphire Radeon RX 7900 XT Pulse Review

Sapphire's Radeon RX 7900 XT Pulse is one of the more affordable RX 7900 XT custom designs out there. For $860 you get impressive 4K gaming performance and a triple-slot, triple-fan thermal solution that achieves amazing noise levels with good temperatures. Overclocking worked very well, too.

www.techpowerup.com

XFX Radeon RX 7900 XTX Merc 310 OC Review - 3x 8-pin FTW

With the Speedster Merc 310, XFX has engineered an excellent custom-design Radeon RX 7900 XTX. Thanks to an upgraded cooler, the card can easily handle the additional heat output from the three 8-pin power inputs. The additional power is put to good use, to extend the performance lead against...

www.techpowerup.com

I think maximum 28dBa on full load with default fan is pretty good. But the XFX Merc has better temperature at higher noise (38dBa). Less heat = higher boost clocks. I think its a ~100Mhz difference at ~10dBa difference.

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat to do

PS: both of these two 7900XT's are priced at 3300 AED today.

 

[Obie]

I had an xfx 7900xt msrc and a 4070ti and I liked the 4070ti for the lower power consumption and the ray tracing ability.
Overall I preferred the 7900xt though.
It was just a powerhouse and the value was insane

 

[Roobir]

I think I just need to walk away for the weekend, and not look at GPU prices

Perhaps a fresh format and reinstall will make my CUD / disease relax!

 

[Obie]

Perhaps a fresh format and reinstall will make my CUD / disease relax!

trust me it won't
I ended up getting a 4080 but I would've stuck with a 7900xtx if it didn't draw 400 watts.

I'm very happy with the performance now but I'll always have a soft spot for AMD.

 

[Areola Grande]

@Roobir look at the specs on my rig. I'm running pretty much exactly what you're looking at.

I never hear the GPU. It may make noise, your setup may b e different to mine, but I never hear it. I do play with headphones on mostly so there is that, however, the card runs well and would make a great addition to your system.

Therefore, I suggest you wait.

With the imminent arrival of the Supers, the line-up should get more interesting. Considering the class and budget of cards you're looking at and the fact you have a 4K screen, getting a 12GB card doesn't make much sense. At this budget, you should be getting at least 16GB.

 

[Roobir]

Hey carbonites, I was not strong enough to wait

This morning, targetted advertisement on Amazon hit me with a 3000 AED Zotac trinity 4080.

I have ordered it and its on the way! I can still return it, but I think the CUD was too strong. Another victim of upgrade disorder!

 

[thecurto]

Hey carbonites, I was not strong enough to wait

This morning, targetted advertisement on Amazon hit me with a 3000 AED Zotac trinity 4080.

I have ordered it and its on the way! I can still return it, but I think the CUD was too strong. Another victim of upgrade disorder!

I think I would also struggle to ignore a R15,000 RTX 4080 (in a universe where I had 15K lying around).

Crazy good deal! Enjoy!

 

[Roobir]

I thought it was perhaps too good of an offer to miss, judging by the normal price for 4080 and I thought I was willing to wait for a 4070ti super (which might be closer to 4080 in performance, but no idea how much the intial cost would be).

Before I knew what was happening, it was already added to cart and sameday delivery selected (with a cheeky salama extended warranty) and bought.

Now, I cant really find much reviews about this specific Zotac trinity 4080, mostly find for the AMP version. Do anyone have any reviews to share or any feedback about it? The cooler looks absolutely massive.

 

[Roobir]

Latest update lads, I've been juked by Amazon :'(

Last night they updated the order 5minutes before delivery that the order is cancelled due to item unavailable. Then the same reseller has the same item again but at 5000 AED price. Think someone made a mistake and was picked up when I bought it at that low price.

So we back to deciding again, but now my mind has wondered over to the 7900 XTX MERC for 4000 price. But, no delivery will happen for the next 3 days, so might as well wait a bit longer and let the CUD subside and leave my body

 

[Valheru]

So we back to deciding again, but now my mind has wondered over to the 7900 XTX MERC for 4000 price. But, no delivery will happen for the next 3 days, so might as well wait a bit longer and let the CUD subside and leave my body

I would still advise against the AMD card, the Zotac 4070Ti is cheaper and has a great feature set.

 

[Roobir]

Good morning carbonites!

I actually cannot believe this worked! I reached out to Amazon support and explained the ordeal from end-to-end, said I paid for price X and it was then cancelled at last moment, then next day back up at X+2000 price.

So they reviewed it and prompted me to buy the card at the listed 5000 price (same Zotac RTX4080 trinity) and once received in working order they will provide me with an Amazon gift card of 2000 for the difference.

Guess the RTX4080 is back on the menu boys, here goes round two! Ordered and on the way.

 

[Roobir]

It has arrived and its glorious! The card is definitely more beefy than expected and now brings up new challenge; what to do with those nasty triple cables in front of it. Maybe the Corsair 12VHPWR adapter would be nice to bring the cables above the GPU (instead of infront of it).

Let me know what you guys think about the power cable adapters

So far, all on auto and hits around 50-55c at 30% duty cycle (it hasn't moved off from 30% since starting a game) - all whisper quiet and been a treat so far. Tomorrow will try to stress test it a bit more.

 

[Roobir]

GPU is definitely banging, obviously in WoW its not a big difference, but the temperatures are really amazing so far (around 50c avg throughout a session with a peak spike here and there of like 57c). Did timespy 3DMark and furmark - reached around 64c highest on all default. Adjusting power to 110% with +150MHz on core reaches 72c (and some impressive results). With manual fan I'm sure the temps can be contained a bit better as the auto fan curve is quite chilled.

A small comparison though, geforce feels (subjectively) better at variable refresh rate on my specific freesync monitor when compared to AMD 6900XT. On AMD I had this weird stutter type effect (like a small dip to 100Hz now and again) that completely went away if i disabled freesync premium. On geforce it works super well.

Also, the AMD driver and utility app is like kilometers ahead of Nvidia. Adjusting power, fan, undervolting etc is such a breeze in the native driver/app utility - whereas geforce needs a different app (MSI AB) for adjusting performance metrics. First prize I guess would be to adjust these values in the BIOS itself and not needing any app to make adjustments.

Either way, thanks for the all the help here lads. I'm happy with the purchase and Amazon gave me the 2k difference as a gift card - which the wife has already depleted