For the past few generations, AMD has been striving to challenge Nvidia's dominance in the high-end graphics card market. However, with the launch of the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT, Team Red has shifted its focus away from competing directly with the ultra-high-end RTX 5090. Instead, AMD aims to deliver the best graphics card for the majority of gamers, a goal it has successfully met.
The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT is a $599 graphics card that goes head-to-head with the $749 GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, positioning it as one of the top GPUs on the market today. AMD enhances its appeal with the introduction of FSR 4, marking the first time AI upscaling is available on an AMD graphics card. This makes the RX 9070 XT the ideal choice for 4K gaming, especially for those not willing to spend $1,999 on the RTX 5090.
Purchasing Guide
----------------The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT will be available starting March 6, with a starting price of $599. Be aware that prices may vary due to third-party cards, which may be priced higher. Aim to purchase one under $699 for the best value.
AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT – Photos
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Specs and Features
------------------Built on the RDNA 4 architecture, the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT features significant enhancements to its shader cores, but the real highlights are the new RT and AI Accelerators. The AI Accelerators drive FidelityFX Super Resolution 4 (FSR 4), introducing AI upscaling to AMD graphics cards for the first time. While FSR 4 doesn't necessarily boost framerates over FSR 3.1, it significantly enhances image quality. For those prioritizing framerate, the Adrenalin software offers an option to disable FSR 4 entirely.
AMD has also improved the performance of its shader cores, allowing the RX 9070 XT to deliver a substantial generational leap despite having fewer Compute Units (64) than the previous Radeon RX 7900 XT (84). Each Compute Unit contains 64 Streaming Multiprocessors, 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 on a 320-bit bus. While this represents a reduction in capacity and bandwidth, it remains sufficient for most 4K gaming needs. The new architecture is more efficient, yet the RX 9070 XT has a slightly higher power budget of 304W compared to the 7900 XT's 300W. Despite this, testing showed the 7900 XT consuming more power at peak.
Cooling the RX 9070 XT is manageable, though AMD has not released a reference design, relying instead on third-party manufacturers. The Powercolor Radeon RX 9070 XT Reaper, with its compact triple-fan design, maintained temperatures at 72°C during testing. The card uses standard power connectors, requiring two 8-pin PCI-E power connectors, and comes with three DisplayPort 2.1a and one HDMI 2.1b port. The inclusion of a USB-C port would have added more versatility.
FSR 4
-----For years, AMD has sought an AI upscaling solution to rival Nvidia's DLSS. The Radeon RX 9070 XT introduces FSR 4, addressing previous issues of ghosting and fuzziness in earlier versions of FidelityFX Super Resolution. FSR 4 uses AI accelerators to upscale lower-resolution images, offering better image quality than FSR 3's temporal upscaling, though with a slight performance hit.
In Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 at 4K Extreme settings with FSR 3.1 on "Performance," the RX 9070 XT achieved 134 fps, dropping to 121 fps with FSR 4—a 10% performance loss but with improved image quality. In Monster Hunter Wilds at 4K max settings with FSR 3 and ray tracing, it hit 94 fps, dropping to 78 fps with FSR 4—a 20% drop. While this is a trade-off, AMD expects the enhanced image quality to outweigh the performance hit, particularly for single-player games. FSR 4 is an opt-in feature, easily toggled off in the Adrenalin software if needed.
AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT & 9070 – Benchmarks
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Performance
-----------The Radeon RX 9070 XT, priced at $599, significantly undercuts the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti by 21% while being on average 2% faster. Across the test suite, the RX 9070 XT was 17% faster than the RX 7900 XT and 2% faster than the RTX 5070 Ti, making it an excellent entry-level 4K graphics card, even with ray tracing enabled.
All graphics cards were tested with the latest available drivers. In 3DMark, the RX 9070 XT outperformed the RX 7900 XT by 18% in Speed Way and by 26% in Steel Nomad, even surpassing the RTX 5070 Ti by 7% in the latter.
In specific games, the RX 9070 XT showed strong performance. In Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, it led the RTX 5070 Ti by 15%. In Cyberpunk 2077, the RTX 5070 Ti had a slight 5% edge, while in Metro Exodus, the RX 9070 XT was neck-and-neck with the RTX 5070 Ti. Red Dead Redemption 2 saw the RX 9070 XT achieving 125 fps, outperforming the RTX 5070 Ti's 110 fps. In Total War: Warhammer 3, the RX 9070 XT trailed by 13%, but in Assassin's Creed Mirage, it led by 12%. The RX 9070 XT also excelled in Black Myth Wukong and Forza Horizon 5, showing its competitive edge.
AMD's Radeon RX 9070 XT, announced quietly at CES 2025, feels like a strategic move to challenge Nvidia's Blackwell graphics cards. At $599, it represents a return to more reasonable pricing in the graphics card market. While not as fast as the RTX 5080 or RTX 5090, it's a more accessible option for most gamers, reminiscent of the value and performance offered by the GTX 1080 Ti in 2017. The RX 9070 XT stands out as a worthy flagship for those seeking high performance without the ultra-high-end price tag.
