Can’t find Nvidia RTX 3070 restock? AMD’s new 1440p GPU could be the answer

AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT
(Image credit: AMD)

Finding where to buy the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 is a nightmare. But AMD could have the answer in its new Radeon RX6700 0XT, a rival 1440p graphics card. 

Sporting 12GB of GDDR6 video memory and promising to deliver two times the performance of older-generation graphics cards, the Radeon RX 6700 XT is posed to battle the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070. Especially as at $479, the RX 6700 undercuts the $499 RTX 3070.  

While it uses the same RDNA 2 GPU architecture found in the more powerful Radeon RX 6900, RX 6800 XT and RX 6800 graphics cards, the RX 6700 XT is targeted at the mid-range market. AMD’s own benchmarks show the RX 6700 can deliver well over 60 frames per second at 1440p in games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Assassin's Creed Valhalla

Team Red also championed how the Radeon RX 6700 XT beats Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 2080 Super, a last-generation GeForce graphics card but one that’s still very powerful. The fact Nvidia chose this card for comparison suggests that AMD sees the RX 6700 as a good replacement for the GeForce RTX owners who can't find an RTX 30-series card due to stock shortages.  

AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT benchmarks

(Image credit: AMD)

But the RX 6700 XT also offers competitive performance with the RTX 3070, often beating it in AMD’s benchmarks or only slightly lagging behind in games like Gears 5. We need to see independent tests to assess how well the RX 6700 XT holds up outside of AMD’s labs, but it looks like a very promising 1440p gaming graphics card.

The RX 6700 XT also comes stuffed with AMD's latest tech, including 96MB of Infinity Cache to help boost graphics bandwidth, as well as ray tracing support, Radeon Anti-Lag tech, and Smart Access Memory. This basically allows AMD Ryzen processors, like the AMD Ryzen 5000 series, to better access a Radeon GPU’s memory.

AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT

(Image credit: AMD)

In short, the Radeon RX 6700 XT is shaping up to be a solid 1440p gaming performer, and a graphics card that will see frame rates exceed 160 fps in esports titles at 1080p.

Slated for a March 18 release date, we'll have to see if AMD can entice people to opt for the Radeon RX 6700 XT over the GeForce RTX 3070. But more importantly, we’re hoping it will be a lot easier to buy than existing graphics cards from both the Radeon 6000 series and GeForce RTX 30-series, all of which have been very difficult to find.

The same is true for machines using AMD’s RDNA 2 tech, notably Sony and Microsoft’s new games consoles. PS5 restocks updates are very difficult to spot quickly, and locating where to buy the Xbox Series X is a huge pain at the moment.

Roland Moore-Colyer

Roland Moore-Colyer a Managing Editor at Tom’s Guide with a focus on news, features and opinion articles. He often writes about gaming, phones, laptops and other bits of hardware; he’s also got an interest in cars. When not at his desk Roland can be found wandering around London, often with a look of curiosity on his face.