I imagine your NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Ti has served you well over the past 5+ years. But playing recent AAA titles, you‘ve started to notice some cracks in its armor. Frame rates not as high as you‘d like, having to dial back quality settings, features like ray tracing unavailable…
Upgrading to a newer graphics card can work wonders. But with so many options now available, where do you even start?
That‘s where I come in!
In this epic guide, we‘ll cover:
- Why you should upgrade from the vintage 1070 Ti in 2023
- The BEST cards to upgrade to for all budgets and resolutions
- Key gaming benchmarks and performance comparisons
- Everything else you need to know!
Let‘s dive in…
Why Upgrade Your GTX 1070 Ti in 2023?
Don‘t get me wrong – the GTX 1070 Ti remains a legendary card even today. When it launched back in 2017, it delivered flagship-class 1080p and 1440p gaming performance at a more affordable price point than the GTX 1080.
But a lot has changed in half a decade!
Modern titles are extremely demanding, pushing even top-end GPUs to their limits. Architectures like NVIDIA‘s Turing, Ampere and AMD‘s RDNA2 have advanced what‘s possible in terms of efficiency, ray tracing, upscaling tech and raw speed.
Upgrading from your aged Pascal card to a newer generation unlocks massive real world benefits:
- 2-3x higher frame rates for smoother gaming
- Enable cutting edge features like ray tracing and DLSS
- Crank graphics settings to ultra at higher resolutions
- Saves money over a full system rebuild
Got the itch yet? Let‘s look at the best graphics cards to upgrade to in 2023!
(Quick note – always make sure your CPU, motherboard, PSU etc. won‘t bottleneck performance before upgrading!)
RTX 4090 – The No Compromise Beast Upgrade
Let‘s start with the biggest, baddest graphics card upgrade currently possible: the $1600 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. This flagship GPU pushes performance to the very limits, more than 2x faster than last generation‘s top offerings!
Key Specs:
| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| CUDA Cores | 16,384 |
| Memory | 24GB GDDR6X |
| Boost Clock | 2.52 GHz |
| TDP | 450W |
Tested in demanding games against the GTX 1070 Ti, there‘s just no comparison. We‘re talking 200-300% higher average frame rates with the settings maxed out. Where the 1070 Ti struggles to hit 60 FPS, the 4090 soars past 120 FPS even at 4K!
Of course, being the top-end GeForce card does come at a price – both figuratively and literally! $1600 puts it out of reach for many. And it remains massive in size, requiring a full ATX build. But if you want the ultimate no compromises GPU upgrade that will last ages, nothing beats the RTX 4090 today.
Pros
- Massive performance well beyond any other card
- Easily handles 4K 144Hz gaming
- Tons of power headroom for future titles
- Leading ray tracing and DLSS 3 capability
Cons
- Extremely expensive at $1600
- 450 watt TDP requires beefy PSU
- Largest consumer GPU ever at three slots thick
GeForce RTX 4070 Ti – The High-End Sweet Spot
Not willing to drop $1600 on the 4090 beast? No worries! The recently launched GeForce RTX 4070 Ti offers nearly as impressive performance for hundreds less.
Key Specs:
| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| CUDA Cores | 7,680 |
| Memory | 12GB GDDR6X |
| Boost Clock | 2.61 GHz |
| TDP | 285W |
With a 70-100% performance uplift over the GTX 1070 Ti depending on the title, the 4070 Ti makes easy work of 1440p gaming. We‘re talking well over 100 FPS on max settings in most games, perfect for high refresh rate monitors. It packs enough power for 4K visuals as well when you turn on DLSS 3 in supported games.
The best part is great performance comes efficiently. At 285 watts, the 4070 Ti sips power versus last generation while running cool and quiet. Unless you‘re upgrading from an ancient card, you likely won‘t even need a new PSU.
Pros
- Excellent 1440p performer, solid 4K option
- Significant gains over the GTX 1070 Ti
- Relatively tame 285W power consumption
Cons
- $800 still costly for many
- Only one HDMI 2.1 port
- 12GB VRAM limits future proofing
GeForce RTX 3070 Ti – Capable High Refresh Upgrade
As a mid-range alternative to the pricey 40 series cards, last year‘s RTX 3070 Ti remains a strong pick as well. It keeps pace surprisingly close to the newer 4070 Ti in many titles.
Key Specs:
| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| CUDA Cores | 6,144 |
| Memory | 8GB GDDR6X |
| Boost Clock | 1.77 GHz |
| TDP | 290W |
With its efficient Ampere architecture, the 3070 Ti deliver around 70% higher frame rates versus the aging GTX 1070 Ti. Thanks to advanced GDDR6X memory, it also doubles the memory bandwidth – a major bottleneck previously.
Expect strong triple digit 1440p performance on high/ultra settings. The card can tackle 4K gaming as well if you enable DLSS where available. While the 10GB on its big brother 3080 would help with future proofing, the 3070 Ti still brings excellent value at around $600.
Pros
- Great modern AAA game 1440p performance
- DLSS and ray tracing support
- Better value than pricier 40 series
Cons
- 8GB VRAM concerning long term
- Power hungry GDDR6X runs hot
- Small improvement over RTX 3070
Radeon RX 6700 XT – Top AMD Pick for 1440p
On the AMD front, our pick as the best value upgrade for NVIDIA fans is the Radeon RX 6700 XT. It goes toe-to-toe with Nvidia‘s pricier RTX 3070 Ti for less dough.
Key Specs:
| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Stream Processors | 2,560 |
| Memory | 12GB GDDR6 |
| Game Clock | 2.32GHz |
| TDP | 230W |
Leveraging advanced RDNA2 architecture, the 6700 XT delivers around 80% better frame rates versus the last-gen 1070 Ti. It makes easy work of 1440p gaming, usually at well over 100 FPS in eSports titles. More demanding games still see 60+ FPS on max settings at this resolution.
As an added bonus over NVIDIA cards, the 6700 XT ships with 12GB of video memory versus just 8GB on the RTX 3070 Ti. That additional VRAM headroom gives you better future proofing as games grow more demanding.
Pros
- Excellent 1440p high FPS performance
- Quiet and cool thanks to RDNA2 efficiency
- 12GB VRAM great for future proofing
Cons
- Ray tracing isn‘t great
- RDNA3 launches soon
- Still costs $100+ over MSRP
RTX 3060 Ti – The Budget 1080p Beast
Dropping down to 1080p gaming, NVIDIA‘s RTX 3060 Ti remains a terrific performer that won‘t break the bank. It delivers around a 70% lift versus the GTX 1070 Ti for only around $400.
Key Specs:
| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| CUDA Cores | 4,864 |
| Memory | 8GB GDDR6 |
| Boost Clock | 1.67 GHz |
| TDP | 200W |
Built using power efficient 2nd-gen RT cores atop the Ampere architecture, the 3060 Ti offers stunned performance for a mid-range card. It provides full support for ray tracing and DLSS 3.0 while surpassing 60 FPS with the settings cranked up across virtually any title.
The 8GB frame buffer is just enough for today‘s games at 1080p. If you don‘t plan on upgrading monitors for a few years, the 3060 Ti is a perfect match that won‘t destroy your wallet.
Pros
- Fantastic 1080p gaming for around $400
- 70% faster than the GTX 1070 Ti
- Efficient 200W TDP
Cons
- 8GB VRAM prevents future 1440p use
- RTX 3060 non-Ti better value
Radeon RX 6600 XT – Top Budget 1080p Pick
If looking for an even more affordable 1080p card, AMD‘s Radeon RX 6600 XT packs a surprising punch for just $260. It leverages the same RDNA2 architecture as pricier options.
Key Specs:
| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Stream Cores | 2,048 |
| Memory | 8GB GDDR6 |
| Boost Clock | 2.35GHz |
| TDP | 160W |
While not reaching the heights of NVIDIA‘s card, the 6600 XT still delivers around a 70% lift over the GTX 1070 Ti. It makes easy work of 1080p gaming, usually surpassing 60 FPS even in demanding titles with max settings. The 8GB GDDR6 memory gives enough breathing room moving forward.
If you‘re sticking to 60 Hz 1080p gaming for now and want to save money, the 6600 XT brings excellent performance per dollar. Just don‘t expect to enable intensive ray tracing workloads at reasonable frame rates.
Pros
- Capable 1080p card for only $260
- Cool and efficient 160W design
- 8GB VRAM plenty for 1080p
Cons
- Lags RTX 3060 Ti across the board
- Can‘t enable ray tracing well
- PCIe 4.0 x8 interface limiting
Key Takeaways – What Card is Best to Upgrade to?
I know that was a ton of information! Let‘s quickly recap the best graphics card for YOU to upgrade your aging GTX 1070 Ti:
1080p Budget Gaming – RTX 3060 Ti or Radeon RX 6600 XT
1080p/1440p High Refresh – RTX 3070 Ti or Radeon RX 6700 XT
4K Future Proof Monster – RTX 4080 16GB or 4090
Match your selected card to your target resolution, graphics settings, and target frame rate (60 FPS, 144 Hz, etc.). This ensures you get the biggest performance leap from your current GTX 1070 Ti without overspending!
For any pre-built recommendations with these cards, check out my detailed gaming PC build guide here. Feel free to reach out if you have any other questions!
