For several generations, AMD has strived to compete with Nvidia at the high-end. However, with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT, Team Red strategically targets the majority of gamers, rather than vying for the ultra-high-end market dominated by the RTX 5090. This strategic shift has resulted in a truly exceptional graphics card.
The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT, priced at $599, delivers performance comparable to the $749 GeForce RTX 5070 Ti. This alone makes it a top contender, but AMD further enhances its appeal with the introduction of FSR 4, marking the first time AI upscaling is integrated into an AMD graphics card. This makes it the ideal choice for 4K gaming, especially for those who aren't interested in the significantly higher cost of the RTX 5090.
Purchasing Guide
The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT launched March 6th, with a starting price of $599. Remember that prices may vary among third-party vendors; aim for a price under $699.
AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT – Photos
Specs and Features
Built on the RDNA 4 architecture, the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT boasts improved shader cores, but the real highlights are its new RT and AI Accelerators. The AI Accelerators power FidelityFX Super Resolution 4 (FSR 4), AMD's first AI upscaling technology. While FSR 4 doesn't always boost frame rates compared to FSR 3.1, it significantly enhances image accuracy and quality. Conveniently, Adrenalin software allows users to disable FSR 4 if frame rate is prioritized.
Beyond AI upscaling, AMD has significantly improved its shader cores, leading to better per-core performance. Despite having 64 Compute Units (compared to 84 in the Radeon RX 7900 XT), the RX 9070 XT delivers a substantial generational leap at a lower price point. Each Compute Unit features 64 Streaming Multiprocessors (SMs), totaling 4,096, along with 64 ray accelerators and 128 AI accelerators.
However, the RX 9070 XT has less memory than its predecessor, with 16GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus (compared to 20GB GDDR6 on a 320-bit bus). This reduces capacity and bandwidth, but remains sufficient for most 4K gaming. The continued use of GDDR6 is a minor drawback.
While the new architecture is more efficient, the RX 9070 XT has a slightly higher power consumption than the 7900 XT (304W vs 300W), although testing showed the 7900 XT actually consumed more power in some scenarios. This power budget is typical for modern graphics cards, simplifying cooling solutions. Unlike previous generations, AMD isn't releasing a reference design; third-party manufacturers provide all available models. My review unit, the Powercolor Radeon RX 9070 XT Reaper, maintained a temperature of 72°C during testing despite its compact triple-fan design.
The Radeon RX 9070 XT uses standard power connectors (two 8-pin PCI-E), eliminating the need for potentially problematic adapters. A recommended 700W power supply is sufficient. Connectivity includes three DisplayPort 2.1a and one HDMI 2.1b ports; a USB-C port would have been a welcome addition.
FSR 4
AMD's FSR has lacked the quality of Nvidia's DLSS. FSR 4, powered by the RX 9070 XT's AI accelerators, addresses this by analyzing previous frames and game engine data to upscale lower-resolution images. While image quality surpasses FSR 3, there's a performance trade-off. Testing in *Call of Duty: Black Ops 6* showed a 10% performance decrease with FSR 4, and *Monster Hunter World* showed a 20% drop. This is expected given the increased processing demands of AI upscaling. FSR 3.1 remains available as an alternative, and FSR 4 is opt-in via Adrenalin software.
AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT & 9070 – Benchmarks
Performance
The Radeon RX 9070 XT delivers exceptional performance for its price. At $599, it's 21% cheaper than the RTX 5070 Ti while offering comparable, and sometimes superior, performance. Across various benchmarks, the RX 9070 XT is approximately 17% faster than the RX 7900 XT and 2% faster than the RTX 5070 Ti. Its 4K performance, even with ray tracing, is particularly impressive.
Testing utilized the latest drivers (Nvidia Game Ready Driver 572.60 and AMD Adrenalin 24.12.1, with pre-release drivers for the RX 9070 XT). 3DMark benchmarks, while not reflecting real-world gameplay perfectly, indicate a substantial performance improvement over the 7900 XT and competitive results against the RTX 5070 Ti.
Game benchmarks show varying results, with the RX 9070 XT outperforming the RTX 5070 Ti in some titles (e.g., *Call of Duty: Black Ops 6*, *Red Dead Redemption 2*, *Assassin's Creed Mirage*, *Black Myth: Wukong*, *Forza Horizon 5*) and trailing slightly in others (*Cyberpunk 2077*, *Total War: Warhammer 3*). In all cases, the performance difference is relatively small, considering the significant price gap.
Test System
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D
Motherboard: Asus ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
RAM: 32GB G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo @ 6,000MHz
SSD: 4TB Samsung 990 Pro
CPU Cooler: Asus ROG Ryujin III 360
The Radeon RX 9070 XT's performance, especially at its price point, represents a significant step forward for AMD. While not matching the top-tier cards from Nvidia, it provides exceptional value and performance for the vast majority of gamers. It feels like a return to the era of high-performance flagship graphics cards at a reasonable price, reminiscent of the GTX 1080 Ti.
