AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT Review

For several generations, AMD has striven to match Nvidia's high-end performance. However, with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT, Team Red strategically shifts focus, conceding the ultra-high-end market to the RTX 5090. Instead, AMD aims to deliver the optimal graphics card for the majority of gamers—a goal it undeniably achieves.

Priced at $599, the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT rivals the $749 GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, instantly establishing itself as a top-tier GPU. AMD further enhances its appeal with the inclusion of FSR 4, marking the debut of AI upscaling on an AMD graphics card. This makes it the ideal choice for 4K gaming, particularly for those unwilling to spend $1,999 on the RTX 5090.

Purchasing Guide

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT launched March 6th, starting at $599. Note that prices may vary due to third-party card offerings. 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 AI Accelerators power FidelityFX Super Resolution 4 (FSR 4), introducing AI upscaling to AMD's lineup. While FSR 4 doesn't always surpass FSR 3.1 in frame rates, it significantly enhances image accuracy and quality. Conveniently, Adrenalin software allows disabling FSR 4 for prioritizing frame rates.

Beyond AI upscaling, AMD's enhanced shader cores deliver superior per-core performance. Despite possessing 64 Compute Units (compared to the RX 7900 XT's 84), the 9070 XT achieves a substantial generational leap—at a significantly lower price. Each Compute Unit features 64 Streaming Multiprocessors (SMs), totaling 4,096, alongside 64 ray accelerators and 128 AI accelerators.

However, the RX 9070 XT features less memory than its predecessor, with 16GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus (versus the RX 7900 XT's 20GB GDDR6 on a 320-bit bus). This impacts 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's power consumption slightly increases to 304W (compared to the 7900 XT's 300W). Testing revealed the 7900 XT actually consumed more power (314W) than the 9070 XT (306W). This power budget is standard for modern GPUs, simplifying cooling solutions. Unlike previous generations, AMD doesn't offer a reference design, necessitating reliance on third-party manufacturers. 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 utilizes two standard 8-pin PCI-E power connectors, simplifying upgrades for most users with a 700W power supply (as recommended by AMD). Connectivity includes three DisplayPort 2.1a and one HDMI 2.1b ports. The absence of a USB-C port is a missed opportunity.

FSR 4

AMD has long needed an AI upscaling solution to compete with DLSS. While previous FSR versions offered performance gains, they suffered from ghosting and blurriness. The Radeon RX 9070 XT addresses this with FSR 4.

Similar to DLSS, FSR 4 uses AI accelerators to analyze frames and game engine data for accurate upscaling. Image quality surpasses FSR 3 (which employed temporal upscaling), but at a performance cost. In *Call of Duty: Black Ops 6* at 4K Extreme settings (FSR 3.1: Performance), the 9070 XT achieved 134 fps, dropping to 121 fps with FSR 4 (a 10% reduction) but with improved image quality. *Monster Hunter World* showed a 20% performance drop with FSR 4.

This performance decrease is expected due to the increased workload of AI upscaling. AMD aims for the improved image quality to compensate. FSR 3.1 remains available via Adrenalin software, with FSR 4 being opt-in (it was disabled by default on my review unit).

AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT & 9070 – Benchmarks

Performance

The Radeon RX 9070 XT delivers impressive performance. At $599, it undercuts the RTX 5070 Ti by 21% while offering comparable speed. Across benchmarks, it's 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.

Testing utilized the latest drivers (Nvidia: Game Ready Driver 572.60, except RTX 5070 on review drivers; AMD: Adrenalin 24.12.1, except RX 9070 XT/9070 on pre-release drivers). 3DMark results, while not reflecting real-world performance perfectly, indicate the 9070 XT's potential.

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

Game-specific results show varied performance against competitors. The Radeon RX 9070 XT showcases strength in titles like *Call of Duty: Black Ops 6*, *Red Dead Redemption 2*, *Assassin's Creed Mirage*, *Black Myth: Wukong*, and *Forza Horizon 5*, often surpassing the RTX 5070 Ti. However, it falls behind in others, such as *Total War: Warhammer 3*.

The Radeon RX 9070 XT's performance, especially considering its price, represents a significant value proposition. While not reaching the speed of the RTX 5080 or 5090, it provides excellent performance at a much lower cost, making it a compelling choice for most gamers.