AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT Review

For several generations, AMD has strived to compete with Nvidia at the high end. However, with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT, AMD has strategically focused on delivering the best graphics card for the majority of gamers—a goal it undeniably achieves. This $599 card rivals the $749 GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, immediately establishing itself as a top contender. AMD further enhances its appeal with the introduction of FSR 4, bringing AI upscaling to its graphics cards for the first time. This makes it 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 launched on March 6th, starting at $599. Prices may vary due to 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. The AI Accelerators power FidelityFX Super Resolution 4 (FSR 4), AMD's first AI upscaling technology. While not always improving framerates over FSR 3.1, FSR 4 significantly enhances image accuracy. A toggle in Adrenalin software allows disabling FSR 4 for prioritizing framerates. Enhanced shader cores provide better per-core performance. Despite having 64 Compute Units (compared to 84 in the RX 7900 XT), the 9070 XT delivers a substantial generational leap at a lower price. Each Compute Unit features 64 Streaming Multiprocessors (SMs) for a total of 4,096, along with 64 ray accelerators and 128 AI accelerators.

The RX 9070 XT has 16GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus (compared to 20GB GDDR6 on a 320-bit bus in the RX 7900 XT). This reduction in memory capacity and bandwidth is noticeable but generally sufficient for most 4K gaming. The card requires 304W of power (slightly higher than the 7900 XT's 300W, but often consumes less in real-world use). AMD is not releasing a reference design; third-party manufacturers provide the cards. Cooling is generally effective, even in compact designs. The card uses two 8-pin PCI-E power connectors and offers three DisplayPort 2.1a and one HDMI 2.1b ports (a USB-C port would be a welcome addition).

FSR 4

FSR 4, AMD's answer to DLSS, uses AI accelerators to upscale lower-resolution images to native resolution. While offering improved image quality over FSR 3.1, it does introduce a performance hit (around 10-20% in tested games). This trade-off favors image quality over raw frame rates, making it ideal for single-player games. FSR 4 is optional and can be disabled in Adrenalin software.

AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT & 9070 – Benchmarks

Performance

The Radeon RX 9070 XT offers exceptional value. At $599, it's 21% cheaper than the RTX 5070 Ti while delivering comparable or slightly better performance in most games. It's approximately 17% faster than the RX 7900 XT and 2% faster than the RTX 5070 Ti on average. Its strength is particularly evident in 4K gaming, even with ray tracing enabled. Testing was conducted using the latest drivers available for each card.

3DMark benchmarks show a significant performance improvement over the RX 7900 XT, sometimes even surpassing the RTX 5070 Ti. Game benchmarks reveal a mixed bag, with the RX 9070 XT sometimes outperforming and sometimes slightly underperforming the RTX 5070 Ti, depending on the game and its optimization for AMD or Nvidia hardware. In games like *Call of Duty: Black Ops 6*, *Red Dead Redemption 2*, and *Assassin's Creed Mirage*, the RX 9070 XT shows a clear advantage. However, titles like *Total War: Warhammer 3* favor the RTX 5070 Ti. The surprising win in *Black Myth: Wukong* highlights the improved ray tracing capabilities of the RDNA 4 architecture.

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 represents a significant step forward for AMD, offering high-end performance at a competitive price. While not matching the absolute top-tier cards, it provides excellent value for most gamers and feels like a return to a more sensible flagship graphics card pricing model.