For several generations, AMD has strived to compete with Nvidia's high-end offerings. However, with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT, Team Red strategically targets the majority of gamers, abandoning the ultra-high-end market dominated by the RTX 5090. This focus results in a graphics card that excels for most users.
Priced at $599, the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT rivals the $749 GeForce RTX 5070 Ti in performance. This alone establishes it as a top contender, but AMD enhances its appeal with FSR 4, introducing AI upscaling to its cards for the first time. This makes it an ideal choice for 4K gaming, especially for those not considering the significantly more expensive RTX 5090.
Purchasing Guide
The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT launched on March 6th, starting at $599. Expect price variations among third-party cards. 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 its standout features are the new RT and AI Accelerators. These accelerators power FidelityFX Super Resolution 4 (FSR 4), AMD's first AI upscaling technology. While not always boosting frame rates significantly over FSR 3.1, FSR 4 delivers superior image quality. Adrenalin software allows users to disable FSR 4 if frame rate is prioritized.
Beyond AI upscaling, enhanced shader cores provide better per-core performance. Despite having 64 Compute Units (fewer than the 84 in the Radeon RX 7900 XT), the RX 9070 XT achieves 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.
The RX 9070 XT features 16GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus (less than the RX 7900 XT's 20GB on a 320-bit bus). While sufficient for most 4K gaming, the reduced memory capacity and bandwidth are a notable difference. The continued use of GDDR6 is also a point to consider.
While more efficient, the RX 9070 XT has a slightly higher power budget (304W) than the 7900 XT (300W). However, testing showed the 7900 XT consuming more power in practice. Cooling shouldn't present major challenges. Unlike previous generations, AMD isn't releasing a reference design, relying on third-party manufacturers. The review unit (Powercolor Radeon RX 9070 XT Reaper) maintained a temperature of 72°C during testing despite its compact triple-fan design.
The RX 9070 XT uses two 8-pin PCI-E power connectors, simplifying upgrades for many users with a 700W power supply. Connectivity includes three DisplayPort 2.1a and one HDMI 2.1b ports; a USB-C port would have been a welcome addition.
FSR 4
FSR 4, AMD's AI upscaling solution, aims to compete with Nvidia's DLSS. Previous FSR versions suffered from ghosting and fuzziness. FSR 4 uses AI accelerators to analyze frames and game engine data for accurate upscaling. Image quality surpasses FSR 3, but at a performance cost. In *Call of Duty: Black Ops 6* at 4K Extreme settings, switching from FSR 3.1 to FSR 4 resulted in a 10% performance decrease, though with improved image quality. Similar performance drops were observed in other titles. This is expected behavior due to the increased computational demands of AI upscaling. FSR 4 is optional, easily disabled via Adrenalin software.
AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT & 9070 – Benchmarks
Performance
The Radeon RX 9070 XT delivers strong performance, undercutting the RTX 5070 Ti by 21% while being, on average, 2% faster. Performance varies across games, but the overall competitiveness is a significant achievement for AMD. The RX 9070 XT is approximately 17% faster than the RX 7900 XT and 2% faster than the RTX 5070 Ti. Its 4K performance, especially with ray tracing, is exceptional for its price point.
Testing used the latest drivers (Nvidia Game Ready Driver 572.60, except for the RTX 5070; AMD Adrenalin 24.12.1, except for the RX 9070 XT and RX 9070, which used pre-release drivers).
3DMark benchmarks show an 18% improvement over the 7900 XT in Speed Way and a 26% improvement in Steel Nomad, even surpassing the RTX 5070 Ti by 7% in the latter.
Game benchmarks highlight varying results. In *Call of Duty: Black Ops 6*, the RX 9070 XT leads the RTX 5070 Ti by 15%. *Cyberpunk 2077* shows a closer competition, with the RTX 5070 Ti maintaining a small lead. *Metro Exodus* demonstrates comparable performance between the RX 9070 XT and RTX 5070 Ti. *Red Dead Redemption 2* showcases the RX 9070 XT's strong Vulkan performance. *Total War: Warhammer 3* shows a weakness for the RX 9070 XT, while *Assassin's Creed Mirage* and *Black Myth: Wukong* demonstrate impressive performance gains over previous generations. *Forza Horizon 5* also shows a small but noticeable lead over the RTX 5070 Ti.
The Radeon RX 9070 XT's performance at its price point represents a significant value proposition, offering flagship-level performance without the premium cost of the RTX 5080 or 5090. It provides a compelling alternative for gamers seeking high-end performance without breaking the bank.
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
