AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT: In-Depth Review

For the past few generations, AMD has been striving to challenge Nvidia at the high end of the graphics card market. With the launch of the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT, however, AMD has shifted its focus away from the ultra-high-end segment dominated by the RTX 5090, instead aiming to deliver the best graphics card for the majority of gamers. Priced at $599, the Radeon RX 9070 XT goes head-to-head with Nvidia's $749 GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, making it a standout choice in today's market. The inclusion of FSR 4, AMD's first foray into AI upscaling, further enhances its appeal, particularly for 4K gaming enthusiasts who don't want to shell out nearly $2,000 for 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 models, which can be pricier. Aim to purchase one for under $699 to get the best value.

AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT – Photos

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Specs and Features

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT is built on the cutting-edge RDNA 4 architecture, which brings significant upgrades to its shader cores. However, the spotlight is on the new RT and AI Accelerators. The AI Accelerators are key to FidelityFX Super Resolution 4 (FSR 4), marking AMD's first implementation of AI upscaling in its graphics cards. While FSR 4 might not boost frame rates beyond the capabilities of FSR 3.1, it significantly enhances image accuracy, leading to superior image quality. For those prioritizing frame rates, the Adrenalin software offers a convenient toggle to disable FSR 4.

AMD has also optimized its shader cores, boosting performance on a per-core basis. Despite featuring fewer Compute Units (64) than its predecessor, the Radeon RX 7900 XT (84), the RX 9070 XT achieves a notable generational performance leap at a more affordable price point. Each Compute Unit contains 64 Streaming Multiprocessors, totaling 4,096, along with 64 ray accelerators and 128 AI accelerators.

However, the RX 9070 XT comes with a reduced memory capacity compared to the RX 7900 XT, equipped with 16GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus instead of 20GB on a 320-bit bus. This reduction impacts both capacity and bandwidth, yet it remains sufficient for most 4K gaming scenarios. The use of GDDR6, despite the downgrade, is a point of consideration.

The RX 9070 XT has a slightly higher power budget than its predecessor, requiring 304W compared to the 300W of the RX 7900 XT. Interestingly, my testing showed the RX 7900 XT consuming more power, peaking at 314W against the RX 9070 XT's 306W. With a typical power budget for modern GPUs, cooling the RX 9070 XT shouldn't be an issue. Notably, AMD has opted not to release a reference design for this model, leaving the market to third-party manufacturers. I tested the Powercolor Radeon RX 9070 XT Reaper, which features an efficient triple-fan design and maintains temperatures around 72°C during testing.

The RX 9070 XT uses standard power connectors, needing two 8-pin PCI-E connectors, which simplifies upgrades for users with a recommended 700W power supply. For connectivity, it offers three DisplayPort 2.1a and one HDMI 2.1b port, meeting the expectations for a modern graphics card. The inclusion of a USB-C port would have been a welcome addition for increased versatility.

FSR 4

For years, AMD has been in need of an AI upscaling solution to compete with Nvidia's DLSS. Earlier versions of FidelityFX Super Resolution were performance-competitive but suffered from issues like ghosting and fuzziness. The Radeon RX 9070 XT introduces FSR 4, an AI-powered solution that addresses these problems.

FSR 4, like DLSS, uses AI accelerators within the Compute Units to analyze previous frames and game engine data, upscaling lower-resolution images to your native resolution with greater accuracy than the temporal upscaling of FSR 3. This leads to improved image quality but does come with a performance hit. In Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 at 4K with Extreme settings and FSR 3.1 on "Performance", the RX 9070 XT achieved 134 fps. Switching to FSR 4, the frame rate dropped to 121 fps, a 10% performance reduction, but with enhanced image quality, particularly in details like grass and in-game text. Similarly, in Monster Hunter Wilds at 4K max settings with FSR 3 and ray tracing, the RX 9070 XT delivered 94 fps, but with FSR 4, it fell to 78 fps, a 20% drop.

This performance trade-off is expected, as AI upscaling is a more demanding process than temporal upscaling. AMD acknowledges this, suggesting that the improved image quality compensates for the performance loss, especially beneficial for single-player games where visuals are paramount. Fortunately, FSR 3.1 remains available, and FSR 4 can be disabled through the Adrenalin software if needed.

AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT & 9070 – Benchmarks

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Performance

AMD's Radeon RX 9070 XT punches above its weight at $599, undercutting the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti by 21% while delivering, on average, 2% faster performance. While there are games where the RTX 5070 Ti outperforms the RX 9070 XT, the fact that they are competitive is a testament to AMD's efforts.

Across my comprehensive test suite, the RX 9070 XT proved to be about 17% faster than the RX 7900 XT, which launched at $899 two years ago, and 2% faster than the new $749 RTX 5070 Ti. Its prowess is especially evident at 4K resolution, where it maintains the same lead, making it an excellent entry-level choice for 4K gaming, even with ray tracing enabled.

All graphics cards were tested using the latest available drivers: Nvidia cards on Game Ready Driver 572.60, with the RTX 5070 on review drivers, and AMD cards on Adrenalin 24.12.1, with the RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 using pre-release drivers from AMD.

Although 3DMark isn't a playable game, it provides a useful comparison of graphics card potential. The RX 9070 XT outperformed the RX 7900 XT by 18% in Speed Way but trailed the RTX 5070 Ti by the same margin. However, in the Steel Nomad benchmark, the RX 9070 XT's performance surged 26% above the RX 7900 XT and even surpassed the RTX 5070 Ti by 7%.

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

In Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, the RX 9070 XT outpaced the RTX 5070 Ti by 15%, although the RX 7900 XT was only 6% behind. Cyberpunk 2077, traditionally favoring Nvidia, saw the RTX 5070 Ti lead by just 5% over the RX 9070 XT at 4K with Ray Tracing Ultra and FSR 3 in performance mode. In Metro Exodus, tested without upscaling at 4K, the RX 9070 XT achieved 47 fps, closely matching the RTX 5070 Ti's 48 fps, while the RX 7900 XT lagged at 38 fps.

Red Dead Redemption 2, showcasing Vulkan performance, saw the RX 9070 XT reach 125 fps at max settings, outpacing the RTX 5070 Ti's 110 fps and the RX 7900 XT's 106 fps. In Total War: Warhammer 3, the RX 9070 XT fell 13% behind the RTX 5070 Ti, with 76 fps compared to the RX 7900 XT's 71 fps.

Assassin's Creed Mirage saw the RX 9070 XT achieve 163 fps, surpassing the RTX 5070 Ti's 146 fps by 12% and the RX 7900 XT's 150 fps by 9%. In Black Myth Wukong, the RX 9070 XT reached 70 fps at 4K with the Cinematic Preset and FSR at 40%, outperforming the RTX 5070 Ti's 65 fps by 8%. Forza Horizon 5 saw the RX 9070 XT hit 158 fps, slightly ahead of the RTX 5070 Ti's 151 fps.

Announced quietly at CES 2025, the Radeon RX 9070 XT feels like AMD's strategic move against Nvidia's Blackwell series. At $599, it brings a sense of balance back to the graphics card market. While not as fast as the RTX 5080 or RTX 5090, it's a compelling choice for those not needing the extreme performance those cards offer, which come at a significant premium. The RX 9070 XT harkens back to the days of the GTX 1080 Ti, offering a flagship experience at a more reasonable price point.