Seeing Games as They Were Meant to Be Seen: My Graphics Card Upgrade Journey

After years of making do with aging hardware, I finally took the plunge and upgraded to an AMD RX 9070 XT. As someone who works in IT and runs an extensive home lab, I'm no stranger to hardware upgrades, but this one hit differently. For the first time, I'm experiencing ray tracing, and it's completely transformed how I see the games I've been playing.

The Ray Tracing and Path Tracing Revelation

Ray tracing was always one of those features I'd read about but never experienced firsthand. The realistic lighting, reflections, and shadows seemed like nice-to-haves rather than must-haves. I was wrong. So incredibly wrong.

Cyberpunk 2077 has become my showcase piece for what modern graphics can do. With 87.6 hours already invested in Night City, I thought I knew this game inside and out. But with ray tracing enabled, it's like playing it for the first time all over again. The neon reflections in puddles, the way light scatters through crowds, the realistic shadows cast by the mega buildings—it's breathtaking. Every rain-soaked street corner is now a photo opportunity. I find myself just standing still sometimes, rotating the camera to catch how light plays off different surfaces. It's funny, I never thought to take pictures in game for many of the games that have that feature, it looks like I'll be doing more of that now that things look nice.

Rediscovering Open Worlds

Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced is another game I'm actively playing (I fired it up today, actually). Even though GTA V is getting long in the tooth, the enhanced edition with proper ray tracing makes Los Santos feel fresh again. The vehicle reflections alone are worth the upgrade, seeing the city reflected in your car's paint as you cruise down Vinewood Boulevard adds a level of immersion I didn't know I was missing.

I've also been diving back into Red Dead Redemption 2, which I last played a few months back. The ray-traced lighting at different times of day is stunning. Sunrise over the Heartlands, moonlight filtering through the Bayou trees, the warm glow of a campfire—these moments hit differently now. With only 32.9 hours logged and just 4 out of 51 achievements, I have plenty of reasons to keep exploring, and now I have the visual fidelity to fully appreciate Rockstar's masterpiece.

The Achievement Hunter in Me

Looking at my library, I realize I'm a bit of a serial game-starter. Starfield (98 hours, 34/62 achievements), Fallout 4 (90.9 hours, 6/84 achievements), and Horizon Zero Dawn (23.4 hours, 21/79 achievements) all show that I love diving into these massive worlds, even if I don't always see them through to completion. It looks like I'll be circling back now that things look nicer.

But you know what? The graphics upgrade is giving me a reason to revisit these worlds. Far Cry 6 is sitting there with 0 out of 99 achievements despite 28.4 hours of play—that tropical paradise deserves another look with ray-traced lighting bouncing off the Caribbean waters. Man that game was hard to play on such an old GPU.

Games I'm Excited to Experience Properly

There are several games in my library that I've barely touched but am now excited to experience with my new hardware:

• Expeditions: A MudRunner Game - Last played in July 2025, this one's physics and environmental effects should really shine with better graphics processing
• STAR WARS Jedi: Survivor - 21.2 hours in with 14/53 achievements, the lightsaber effects and alien worlds deserve the ray tracing treatment
• The Last of Us Part I - Only 19.3 hours logged from May 2023, and this remake was built to showcase modern graphics technology. What a hard game to play with an older card.

The Technical Side

As someone who manages complex IT systems and runs Home Assistant automation at home, I appreciate that the RX 9070 XT isn't just about pretty pictures. The performance is consistent, thermals are manageable, and it integrates seamlessly with my setup. The power supply compatibility worked out perfectly, and I'm getting the framerates I need while maintaining visual quality.

The Perfect Timing: GTA 6 on the Horizon

Here's the thing that really makes this upgrade feel perfectly timed: GTA 6 is set to launch on November 19, 2026. After spending 31.7 hours in GTA V Enhanced and literally playing it today, I can't help but think about how incredible Vice City is going to look with modern ray tracing and next-gen graphics.

I've been with the GTA series for years, and seeing how much the Enhanced edition of GTA V has improved with my new card makes me incredibly excited for what Rockstar is building. The game is returning to Vice City with a massive open world called Leonida, a Florida-inspired state that goes far beyond the city's borders. The thought of exploring those neon-soaked streets, the swamps, the coastal areas, all with the kind of visual fidelity that modern hardware can deliver is genuinely thrilling.

The timing of my upgrade couldn't be better. By the time November 2026 rolls around, I'll have nearly a year of experience with ray tracing under my belt, I'll know exactly how to optimize my settings for the best experience, and my RX 9070 XT will be ready to handle whatever Rockstar throws at it. GTA 6 is being built specifically for next-generation hardware, promising cutting-edge graphics, advanced AI, and the most detailed open world Rockstar has ever created.

After all those hours in Los Santos, I'm ready for Vice City. And this time, I'll actually be able to see every ray-traced reflection in every puddle, every piece of neon bouncing off wet pavement, every detail that makes Rockstar's worlds feel alive.

What's Next

With my new graphics capability, I'm planning to be more intentional about my gaming time. Instead of bouncing between titles (looking at you, 98 hours in Starfield with barely half the achievements), I want to really experience these worlds the way developers intended them to be seen.

I'm particularly excited to dive deeper into Cyberpunk 2077—with 23 out of 57 achievements and "Yesterday" showing as my last play session, I'm clearly hooked. The combination of compelling storytelling and now stunning visuals has me completely absorbed in V's story. And of course, I'll be keeping my skills sharp for when Vice City calls in November 2026.

Final Thoughts

Upgrading your graphics card isn't just about higher frame rates or better textures, though those are nice. It's about seeing the artistry and craft that game developers pour into their worlds. It's about those small moments: the way light filters through leaves, how fire reflects in a character's eyes, the subtle shadows that add depth to a scene.

For the first time in years, I'm not compromising. I'm not wondering what I'm missing. I'm experiencing games as they were meant to be experienced, and it's reignited my passion for gaming. And knowing that I'm now ready for GTA 6 when it launches this November? That's just the cherry on top.

Now if you'll excuse me, Night City is calling, and I have some photo mode screenshots to capture. Vice City can wait... but not for much longer. Time to dive into GTA5 online and buy a new mansion.

What games would you recommend for showcasing ray tracing? Drop your suggestions in the comments below.