I’d probably get the 9070 XT over the 7080 XT, just for full performance FSR4 (there’s some compatibility with it on Linux, but it’s slower). Maybe even the non-XT model for the same reason.
I concur. I would only get a 7000 series card if I wanted the 20 or 24 GB of RAM from a 7900 XT or XTX, since there isn't an equivalent high-end 9000 series card.
EDIT: I see you have an itx case, so maybe that limits your GPU options a bit.
It appears to support 3-slot cards, so it should be fine.