Looking back, it’s not hard to see how much the graphics card situation has changed. Finding a model at a good price a year ago was almost impossible, which unfortunately prevented many users from being able to renew their gaming PCs for quite some time. It’s great to see how that scenario is now different, with prices that are much closer to reality.
Much of the blame for this change lies with NVIDIA and AMD, since both companies have launched a new batch of graphics cards on the market. As far as NVIDIA is concerned, its RTX 4000 have been arriving in a very staggered manner, starting with the most powerful graphics cards and ending (at least, until now) with the most affordable, its RTX 4060.
The case of AMD is not very different in that same sense. In fact, just a few days ago two new cards from this company landed in stores. We are referring to the RX 7800 XT and RX 7700.
These new AMD cards have arrived at a fairly moderate price, but it is still worth knowing that we have more options on the market that can give us similar performance. For this reason, in this article we have put together some alternative graphics to these two new Radeon already available. Do you want to know what they are? Keep reading!
What to take into account when buying an alternative to the RX 7700 XT and RX 7800 XT?
Although the list of alternatives is below, it is advisable to stop first as we always do to take some things into account. Choosing a graphics card is a complex process that requires very careful thought, regardless of the model we choose. For this reason, below these lines we have also collected a series of factors that can tip the balance towards one model or another.
RX 7700 XT and RX 7800 XT: Target, play at 1440p
A gaming PC is still a compendium of elements with a purpose (in this case, obviously, to play). In that sense, our choice of graphics card must be in accordance with what we hope to obtain from the equipment. Obviously, we will always have a budget that limits the type of pieces we can choose from, but even within it we will have the possibility of choosing between several options.
If we consider opting for an RX 7700 XT or an RX 7800 XT it is because we want to play at 1440p, even at the most current. The alternatives that we have selected are also designed for this, although the performance that we can obtain from each one and its price will vary, making the decision to choose between one model or another very subjective.
Is it worth betting on a 2023 ensemble?
Gamers are a group that always prioritizes choosing the most current. As a general rule, newly released technology tends to offer more performance, new technologies and greater longevity. This may seem like reason enough not to look back and choose older pieces, but all that glitters is not gold.
These new components (in this case, graphics cards) are going to offer better performance than those that were released last year. Now, if we look at a specific model, it is very possible that we will find a graphics card from last year that offers a superior quality-price ratio, even belonging to a higher range. Again, the decision to choose a piece or not from this 2023 depends once again on each individual, and for this reason in the alternatives below we will be able to find models from both years.
DLSS vs. FSR
Scaling technologies have gained enormous importance in the video game sector. Thanks to these, it is possible to extract much higher performance without having to sacrifice much graphic quality, and right here we can see one of the main differences between NVIDIA cards and AMD cards. The former have DLSS as their exclusive technology, while the latter use their own (FSR), which in this case is open source.
Right now the technology that works best is undoubtedly DLSS, and especially its latest version, exclusive to the RTX 4000. Now, AMD has already announced the FSR 3.0, technology that promises to give a lot to talk about. It is a point to keep in mind when choosing graphics, although we will not be able to use them with any game in our catalog, since they have to be compatible.
It is not enough to just buy a new graphics card: pay attention to the rest of the components
The graphics card can be considered the key element of any gaming computer, but that does not mean we should neglect all the pieces that will surround it. Depending on the model we choose, we may need more space in our box to mount it, or even purchase a new one to improve the airflow inside it and so that it does not heat up excessively.
Consumption is another key point that cannot be overlooked. Before updating this component we must look very carefully at its consumption, since if this is much higher than the card we want to retire we will necessarily have to buy a new power supply.
More VRAM does not mean it is better
The amount and type of VRAM that a graphics card has is a point that must be taken into account when choosing a model. Games are becoming more demanding in this regard, and even more so if we want to play everything at 1440p. It is also interesting that we have an assembly with good VRAM if we are going to make heavy use of the computer to work editing content, but is this characteristic the most important when choosing?
The amount of VRAM that a graphics card has is key, but it is not that factor capable of tipping the balance by itself. For example, NVIDIA has RTX 3060 models with 12 GB of VRAM, but these are not going to offer more performance than an RTX 3070 with 8 GB of VRAM. Of course, we must keep in mind that the higher the resolution, the greater the amount of VRAM we will need.
There are many assemblers, but not all of them offer the same result
One of the biggest difficulties when choosing a graphics card lies in the large number of assemblers there are. It is not difficult to look at a specific model and see that there are three or more different models, each with its own design. The main difference that usually exists between these assemblies is in their components, in their cooling system and of course in the price.
Here you have to be careful, since buying a more expensive assembly will not ensure that you choose a better quality piece or that it will last longer. The models that we have selected for this list of alternatives are from several different assemblers, although they are all of great quality.
Alternative graphics card to the RX 7700 XT and RX 7800 XT
MSI AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT
The first alternative option that we are going to place on this list is also the cheapest. In this case, we are referring to the RX 6750. It has two fans, 12 GB of VRAM and we can find it right now for 379.90 dollars and it comes with Starfield as a gift (like all the AMD graphics cards on this list).
Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4060Ti
We now move on to an assembly from 2023, and also one that has only been on the market for a short time. The RTX 4060 Ti is perhaps taking a step back in terms of performance compared to the new AMD graphics, but in return we will have a similar price and access to DLSS 3.0. With it we can play at 1440p and 60 fps, although in this case we are looking at a larger assembly and three fans. It costs 479.90 dollars.
Zotac Gaming GeForce RTX 3070 Twin Edge
With a slightly higher power, but from the previous generation we have this RTX 3070 with 8 GB of VRAM, in this case from the Zotac Gaming assembler. We are looking at a model with a fairly moderate size and that will serve us wonderfully for playing at 1440p with ray tracing activated. It has one HDMI port and three Display Ports, and we can find it right now for 499.90 dollars.
XFX SPEEDSTER MERC319 AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT
The next graphics card on this list is the RX 6800 XT, one of the best graphics cards that AMD launched in the previous generation. With this we will have more than enough to play at 1440p with superb performance, and we will even be able to play many games at 4K. We are looking at another good-sized assembly with 16 GB of VRAM and three powerful fans so that temperatures do not rise excessively. Right now it costs 529.90 dollars.
Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4070 Windforce OC
The last option that we are going to find on this list is another graphics card from this same year, the RTX 4070 from NVIDIA. This particular assembly is also from Gigabyte, and is the company’s proposal to reign in the 1440p range. It is the most expensive graphics card of all those in this selection, although in exchange it is the one that will possibly offer the best performance (thanks, in large part, to DLSS 3.0). On Amazon we found it for 639.90 dollars. It comes with overclock as standard to get a little more performance.
