Struggling to decide - 2070S vs 5700XT?

kaigame

Weaksauce
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Hi all,

I'm finally getting around to replacing my GTX 980TI, although with childcare and the like, replacing with a 2080TI just isn't in my budget unfortunately.

So i'm trying to weigh up the pro's and con's between the 5700XT and the 2070S. I'll be watercooling whichever i end up getting so am factoring the cost of the waterblock into my budget. The 2070S is more expensive(both card and waterblock), but is the difference worth the extra?

FYI, the rest of the system is a Ryzen 2700@4 Ghz, 32GB DDR 3200.

If i go down the 2070S route, i'm at a loss as to which card to purchase, as EK haven't updated their site yet, and compatibility is pending on all but the FE card from what i can tell.

Any thoughts? reviews seem to give wildly different results, watercooling is mainly to keep temps down, plus it'll be a drop in upgrade with the loop already in place.
 
If you have a monitor with gsync or plan to, go with the 2070S.

I was in the same debacle. I decided I'm going to get a freesync monitor and the cheaper 5700xt instead of the 2070S
 
The general consensus is that the 2070S is a better card but costs $100 more. Basically it's 25% more expensive, but has about 15-20% more performance (or less depending on the game). I don't think you can really go wrong as they are both good cards.
 
Pros: 5700xt, save a couple $.
2070 super, supports dxr which is still questionable on if it's worth using, especially at this tier.

Performance is similar, depends on the game, so if you have specific games look up benches. The 2070 super is slightly more power efficient but doesn't seem to big. Recommend you check aftermarket 5700 XT if you have a case with ventilation as the blower can bother some users.

I think that about sums it up, honestly most would probably be happy either way as they are very comparable.
 
Skip the watercooling and get a 2080S.

The cost difference of the 2080S is more than the waterblock will cost, which is too much.

I think i'll go with the 5700XT, it'll be easier to stomach, even the waterblock is cheaper :D
 
Since you're watercooling I agree on the 5700 XT. You're going to be mounting a new cooler, anyway, so you won't have to worry about the mounting pressure issue with the stock cooler.
 
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That's an easy one. You want to try RTX and get some extra oomph, go with the RTX2070S
Want to save a few bucks and don't care about RT, go 5700XT

BTW 2070S generally runs cooler and more silent than 5700XT, so I don't think you really need watercooling.
 
If you enjoy tinkering 5700xt. Also, I highly recommend the bykski block you can get on AliExpress for about $100 shipped
 
The general consensus is that the 2070S is a better card but costs $100 more. Basically it's 25% more expensive, but has about 15-20% more performance (or less depending on the game). I don't think you can really go wrong as they are both good cards.

I think the 2070S is the stronger overall card. Again it depends on what you play. What suits you the most is what counts.
 
It should be...its $100 more...


Fwiw, I've also seen most reviews peg the difference at closer to 5-7% with some as low as 2% (techspot). Of course this is an average, there are games where Navi blows the doors off the super (bfv) and games where super decimates Navi.
 
Reading the OP FTW! No mention of replacing a monitor either.

No mention of it, true. But since OP has an nVidia card you can't discount the possibility that s/he has a GSync monitor and, if so, would need to replace if wanting to maintain VRR.

He's doing water with either, some people watercool for the hobby of water-cooling.

Yes, some people watercool (see sig). With one, it looks like it would be necessary to eke out all available performance. For the other it will just make it quieter and cooler.
 
No mention of it, true. But since OP has an nVidia card you can't discount the possibility that s/he has a GSync monitor and, if so, would need to replace if wanting to maintain VRR.

That's true, but reading between the lines, if the OP is asking questions between two different cards, you'd have to assume that he isn't locked into G-sync otherwise we might be talking about whether or not the 2060S or 2070S is a better value.

On a side note, G-sync on Freesync monitors has been working a lot better for me with newer driver updates. I tried it when it was first announced and had terrible results. Now my monitor is "G-sync certified" and it workes great. I'd be hard pressed to drop extra money for a G-sync monitor only at this point.
 
If you enjoy tinkering 5700xt. Also, I highly recommend the bykski block you can get on AliExpress for about $100 shipped
Didn't like the look of the Acrylic fittings, so i've gone with the EK block, should arrive in a week.

Not if you're throwing a 100 USD waterblock at it and replacing a monitor. All of a sudden, that 100 USD 'more' is now gone.
No new monitor for me, one thing at a time, besides i'm going to miss my 16:10 aspect ratio :D

He's doing water with either, some people watercool for the hobby of water-cooling.
I like watercooling, it's fun, most of the time...... i like the low temps too :D

small update, managed to pick up an MSI 5700xt today for £300, which is £110 below retail, wouldn't fit in their PC.. just waiting for the block now.
 
Didn't like the look of the Acrylic fittings, so i've gone with the EK block, should arrive in a week.


No new monitor for me, one thing at a time, besides i'm going to miss my 16:10 aspect ratio :D


I like watercooling, it's fun, most of the time...... i like the low temps too :D

small update, managed to pick up an MSI 5700xt today for £300, which is £110 below retail, wouldn't fit in their PC.. just waiting for the block now.
Great deal, congrats!!
 
I've got the 5700 XT, it's a great card. I had a 2060 in another machine, the XT is definitely better than that.

For 1080p and 1440p, even high refresh, the XT works nice. I think 4K would be a stretch, but may be possible with Radeon Image Sharpening and upscaling.

If you do eventually get a new monitor, make sure it is FreeSync, it's a huge difference.

Great deal you got, hope you enjoy.
 
I've got the 5700 XT, it's a great card. I had a 2060 in another machine, the XT is definitely better than that.

For 1080p and 1440p, even high refresh, the XT works nice. I think 4K would be a stretch, but may be possible with Radeon Image Sharpening and upscaling.

If you do eventually get a new monitor, make sure it is FreeSync, it's a huge difference.

Great deal you got, hope you enjoy.

So do i, just got to wait a week before i can give it a go, it's about time i replaced that 980ti and hopefully i'll see a decent improvement.
 
This is how i feel about the whole thing having owned both a 5700 XT and now a Gigabyte 2070 Super windforce oc. The monitor thing is kinda of a mute point because G-sync compatible works almost identical to freesync now. I own a couple 144hz and 165 hz monitors andthe it seems to work as well as AMD GPU and freesync. The initial launch the 5700 XT had a blower cooler and ran hot. The biggest problem is cooling V-ram i tried using copper shims with copper ram sinks and arctic cooler but i was still hitting 90c or higher depending on power limit. I would like to see a 5700 XT strix card and what that can do. The problem is the cost the better AIB cards are gonna be like $450 maybe more similar to how the RTX 2070 S cards are priced like the strix version is like $590 or something crazy. So it goes back to $100 difference and what you get for that. I believe in the case of gigabyte 2070 S the cooling solution is extremely well made. They basically put their 2080 cooler on this and it is very quiet and load temps are as low as a Arctic cooler Extreme on a 5700 XT ! The other thing is the 2070 S actually pulls less power than the 5700 XT. Overclocking the 2070 S overclocks better than the 5700 XT. Then there is drivers, AMD drivers are not as mature as Nvidia's. I was having trouble controlling fan speed on the 5700 XT it just wouldn't work correctly no matter which software i tried , afterburner etc. Wattman would crash and reset the settings stuff like that. I had stuttering in Black ops 4 for some reason couldn not figure it out why? This after I reinstalled windows etc. The 5700 XT does have some really cool features like anti-lag and the image sharpening which works really well. I guess the thing to do would be to wait for 5700 XT AIB with custom coolers and PCB with better binned ram that have better power delivery designs. See what those prices look like and weigh your options then i guess if you're on the fence?
 
Using excessive paste on my Radeon VII helped junction temps. I think at one point I had them up to 115C. Personally, I like to keep them under water's boiling point.

I the junction temp is refferring to the GPU not the VRM IC''s
 
I'm wondering if i can overclock this Gigabyte 2070 Super to perform in between a 2080 & 2080 Super ? or possible get to 2080 super speeds? Then i think it be worth the $100 or so price premium.
 
I'm wondering if i can overclock this Gigabyte 2070 Super to perform in between a 2080 & 2080 Super ? or possible get to 2080 super speeds? Then i think it be worth the $100 or so price premium.
Well the 2070 super pretty much matches the 2080 (and its actually faster in some games at stock) so that one should be easy. I think you could probably get really close to 2080S performance.
 
Ok watercooling is great and all,

But why on earth are you going to the expense and trouble of water cooling a mid-tier card?
 
I never said it was VRMs. On the Radeon VII it's the highest of over 80 sensors on the die.

well i never had trouble cooling the GPU and the Junction temp was low. It was the Vram temps that were high and if it got up to 100c it became unstable and would crash. I couldn't get the fan speed high enough to cool them with the Extreme III
 
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Stick with the 980ti until you can afford the latest xx80ti card at that time. The jump from a 970 to a 2070 wasn't a really noticeable jump TBH in most games on my older 4770K machine (around 12% overall). The jump was about 3% more on the machine in my signature with the 2070 over the 970. Most of the jump was the higher amount of memory on the 2070. If I hadn't of upgraded the rest of the system, I would have probably stuck with the 970!
 
Stick with the 980ti until you can afford the latest xx80ti card at that time. The jump from a 970 to a 2070 wasn't a really noticeable jump TBH in most games on my older 4770K machine (around 12% overall). The jump was about 3% more on the machine in my signature with the 2070 over the 970. Most of the jump was the higher amount of memory on the 2070. If I hadn't of upgraded the rest of the system, I would have probably stuck with the 970!

This is most definitely game dependent as I have a 390 in my spare PC and the difference between the 390 and 5700xt is absolutely massive and tangible at 1080 and 1440p.
 
Well the 2070 super pretty much matches the 2080 (and its actually faster in some games at stock) so that one should be easy. I think you could probably get really close to 2080S performance.

?? How would that work? The 2070S is a cut down 2080. Not "like" one. It is one. Same die, same memory, same bus, just less cores. It isn't ever going to be better than a 2080 with the same cooling solution.

It's a much better value because it's $500. Not because it's as fast or faster than a 2080 for $700.
 
the 2070 super overclocks better than the 5700 XT thats where extra $ for more performance. Overclocked 2070 super gets close to stock 2080 super. The other problem is availability all these cards 5700 XT and 2070 super are out of stock everywhere right now. So if you needed a card today your choices are limited
 
Stick with the 980ti until you can afford the latest xx80ti card at that time. The jump from a 970 to a 2070 wasn't a really noticeable jump TBH in most games on my older 4770K machine (around 12% overall). The jump was about 3% more on the machine in my signature with the 2070 over the 970. Most of the jump was the higher amount of memory on the 2070. If I hadn't of upgraded the rest of the system, I would have probably stuck with the 970!

So basically never upgrade?!?!?!? i don't think i'll take that advice! I'm never going to spend £1000+ on a GPU, i don't have that kind of disposable income! But yes i can afford to spend £400 on a GPU which from all reviews and benchmarks should give me a 100%-ish increase in raw GPU performance.
 
Some poeple just like AMD Gpu's and some people just like Nvidia Gpu's no matter what for whatever reason.

Correct, I went 980ti - 970 - AMD 7990(died) - AMD 6950 - 8800GTS - 4870x2 - and a 7900x2 at some point, and more. i'm not loyal to any brand, the brands haven't done anything for me other than charge more per generation for their products. My CPU is AMD, used to be Intel, and i'll probably switch back at some point, whatever is the best price/performance at the time i need to upgrade.
 
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