AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT: In-Depth Review

For the last few generations, AMD has been striving to compete with Nvidia at the high end. However, with the introduction of the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT, Team Red has shifted its focus from the ultra-high-end segment dominated by the RTX 5090, to delivering the best graphics card for the majority of gamers—a goal they have successfully achieved.

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT, priced at $599, goes head-to-head with the $749 GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, making it one of the top GPUs on the market today. AMD enhances its appeal with the introduction of FSR 4, marking the first time an AMD graphics card features AI upscaling. This makes the Radeon RX 9070 XT an ideal choice for 4K gaming, especially for those not looking 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, but 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 boasts significant improvements in its shader cores, but the real highlights are the new RT and AI Accelerators. The AI Accelerators power FidelityFX Super Resolution 4 (FSR 4), marking AMD's first foray into AI upscaling. While FSR 4 may not boost framerates as much as FSR 3.1, it significantly enhances image quality. Users who prioritize framerates can easily disable FSR 4 through the Adrenalin software.

AMD's enhancements to the shader cores result in better performance per core. Despite having fewer Compute Units (64) than the previous Radeon RX 7900 XT (84), the Radeon RX 9070 XT delivers a substantial generational leap at a more affordable price. Each Compute Unit contains 64 Streaming Multiprocessors (SMs), totaling 4,096, alongside 64 ray accelerators and 128 AI accelerators.

However, the Radeon RX 9070 XT comes with less memory than its predecessor, featuring 16GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, compared to 20GB on a 320-bit bus. While this is a reduction in capacity and bandwidth, it remains sufficient for most 4K gaming needs. The card's power consumption is rated at 304W, slightly higher than the 300W of the RX 7900 XT, though in testing, the 7907 XT peaked at 306W, less than the 314W of the older model.

AMD has opted not to launch a reference design for the Radeon RX 9070 XT, relying instead on third-party manufacturers. The Powercolor Radeon RX 9070 XT Reaper, with its compact triple-fan design, effectively managed temperatures at 72°C during testing. The card uses standard power connectors, requiring two 8-pin PCI-E connectors and a recommended 700W power supply. It features three DisplayPort 2.1a and one HDMI 2.1b port, though a USB-C port would have added extra versatility.

FSR 4

AMD has long sought an AI upscaling solution to compete with Nvidia's DLSS. With the Radeon RX 9070 XT, they introduce FSR 4, which utilizes AI accelerators to analyze previous frames and game engine data for more accurate upscaling. While FSR 4 offers superior image quality compared to FSR 3, it does come with a performance hit. For instance, in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 at 4K Extreme settings, FSR 4 resulted in a 10% performance drop, and in Monster Hunter Wilds, a 20% drop. However, the enhanced image quality, particularly in detailed elements like grass and text, may justify the trade-off for those focused on visual fidelity.

AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT & 9070 – Benchmarks

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Performance

The Radeon RX 9070 XT, priced at $599, outperforms the $749 Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti by an average of 2%, despite being 21% cheaper. This competitive performance is a significant achievement for AMD. The RX 9070 XT is 17% faster than the RX 7900 XT, which launched at $899 two years ago, and maintains its lead at 4K resolution, making it an excellent choice for entry-level 4K gaming, even with ray tracing enabled.

Testing was conducted using the latest drivers available, with Nvidia cards on Game Ready Driver 572.60 and AMD cards on Adrenalin 24.12.1, except for the Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070, which used pre-release drivers provided by AMD.

In 3DMark benchmarks, the 9070 XT showed an 18% improvement over the 7900 XT in Speed Way, though it lagged 18% behind the RTX 5070 Ti. However, in the Steel Nomad benchmark, the performance gap widened to a 26% increase over the 7900 XT, and the 9070 XT even surpassed the RTX 5070 Ti by 7%.

In specific games, the Radeon RX 9070 XT demonstrated strong performance. In Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, it led the RTX 5070 Ti by 15%, and in Cyberpunk 2077, it was only 5% behind despite the significant price difference. In Metro Exodus, the RX 9070 XT matched the RTX 5070 Ti's performance, while in Red Dead Redemption 2, it achieved a 125 fps, outpacing the RTX 5070 Ti's 110 fps. However, in Total War: Warhammer 3, it fell 13% behind the RTX 5070 Ti.

The Radeon RX 9070 XT also excelled in Assassins Creed Mirage, outperforming the RTX 5070 Ti by 12%, and in Black Myth Wukong, it achieved a surprising 8% lead over the RTX 5070 Ti. In Forza Horizon 5, it maintained a 5% performance edge over the RTX 5070 Ti.

Announced quietly at CES 2025, the Radeon RX 9070 XT feels like AMD's strategic move against Nvidia's Blackwell graphics cards. At $599, it represents a return to more reasonable pricing in the graphics card market. While it may not match the raw power of the RTX 5080 or RTX 5090, it offers a compelling alternative for gamers seeking high performance without the premium price tag.

The Radeon RX 9070 XT evokes memories of the GTX 1080 Ti, which launched at $699 in 2017 as the fastest consumer card of its time. While the 9070 XT may not claim that title, it feels like the first worthy flagship since then, delivering exceptional value and performance for the majority of gamers.