AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT Review

Over the past few generations, AMD has been striving to keep pace with Nvidia in the high-end graphics card market. However, with the release of the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT, AMD has shifted its focus from the ultra-high-end segment, dominated by the RTX 5090, to delivering the best graphics card experience for the majority of gamers. Priced at $599, the RX 9070 XT not only competes effectively with the $749 GeForce RTX 5070 Ti but also offers superior value, making it one of the top GPUs on the market. The inclusion of FSR 4, AMD's first foray into AI upscaling, further enhances its appeal, making it the ideal choice for 4K gaming without breaking the bank.

Purchasing Guide

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT will be available starting March 6, with a starting price of $599. Be mindful that prices may vary due to third-party cards, which might be priced higher. 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

Built on the RDNA 4 architecture, the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT introduces significant enhancements, particularly in its RT and AI Accelerators. The AI Accelerators drive the new FidelityFX Super Resolution 4 (FSR 4), marking AMD's entry into AI-based upscaling. While FSR 4 may not boost frame rates as much as its predecessor, FSR 3.1, it offers superior image quality, which can be toggled off via the Adrenalin software for those prioritizing performance.

AMD's advancements in shader cores also contribute to improved per-core performance. Despite having fewer Compute Units (64) than its predecessor, the RX 7900 XT (84), the RX 9070 XT achieves a notable generational performance leap at a more accessible price point. Each Compute Unit is equipped with 64 Streaming Multiprocessors, totaling 4,096, alongside 64 ray accelerators and 128 AI accelerators.

The RX 9070 XT features 16GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, a slight reduction from the RX 7900 XT's 20GB on a 320-bit bus. While this represents a decrease in both capacity and bandwidth, it remains sufficient for most 4K gaming needs. The card's power consumption is rated at 304W, slightly higher than the RX 7900 XT's 300W, yet my tests showed the older model consuming more power at peak loads.

With no reference design from AMD, buyers will need to choose from third-party manufacturers. My review unit, the Powercolor Radeon RX 9070 XT Reaper, features a compact triple-fan design that effectively maintained temperatures at 72°C during testing. The card uses standard power connectors, requiring two 8-pin PCI-E connectors, making it an easy upgrade for most systems with a recommended 700W power supply. It offers three DisplayPort 2.1a and one HDMI 2.1b, though the absence of a USB-C port is a missed opportunity for added versatility.

FSR 4

AMD has long needed a competitive AI upscaling solution to rival Nvidia's DLSS. With the Radeon RX 9070 XT, FSR 4 addresses the ghosting and fuzziness issues of previous versions. By leveraging AI accelerators within the Compute Units, FSR 4 analyzes previous frames and game engine data to upscale lower-resolution images to native resolution, delivering improved image quality at the cost of a slight performance hit.

Testing showed that in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 at 4K with FSR 3.1, the RX 9070 XT achieved 134 fps, dropping to 121 fps with FSR 4—a 10% performance loss but with enhanced image clarity. Similarly, in Monster Hunter Wilds, the card delivered 94 fps with FSR 3 and ray tracing, falling to 78 fps with FSR 4. This trade-off is expected due to the computational demands of AI upscaling, yet the improved visuals may be worth it for players focused on single-player experiences.

AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT & 9070 – Benchmarks

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Performance

At $599, the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT delivers exceptional value, outperforming the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, priced at $749, by an average of 2%. While some games favor the RTX 5070 Ti, the RX 9070 XT's competitive performance across the board is a significant achievement for AMD.

My comprehensive testing revealed that the RX 9070 XT is about 17% faster than the RX 7900 XT, which launched at $899 two years ago, and 2% faster than the RTX 5070 Ti. This performance advantage holds at 4K, making the RX 9070 XT an excellent choice for high-resolution gaming, even with ray tracing enabled.

All testing was conducted using the latest available drivers. Nvidia cards used Game Ready Driver 572.60, except for the RTX 5070, which was on review drivers. AMD cards were tested on Adrenalin 24.12.1, with the RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 using pre-release drivers.

3DMark benchmarks provided insights into potential performance, with the RX 9070 XT showing an 18% improvement over the RX 7900 XT in Speed Way, though trailing the RTX 5070 Ti by the same margin. However, in the Steel Nomad benchmark, the RX 9070 XT's performance advantage increased to 26% over the RX 7900 XT and even surpassed the RTX 5070 Ti by 7%.

Test System

In Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, the RX 9070 XT outperformed the RTX 5070 Ti by 15%, demonstrating AMD's strength in this title. Cyberpunk 2077, traditionally favoring Nvidia, saw the RTX 5070 Ti lead by only 5% at 4K with ray tracing, a narrow margin considering the price difference.

In Metro Exodus, without upscaling, the RX 9070 XT achieved 47 fps at 4K, nearly matching the RTX 5070 Ti's 48 fps. Red Dead Redemption 2 showcased the RX 9070 XT's Vulkan performance, achieving 125 fps compared to the RTX 5070 Ti's 110 fps.

Total War: Warhammer 3 saw the RX 9070 XT fall 13% behind the RTX 5070 Ti, while in Assassin's Creed Mirage, it reclaimed a 12% lead. Black Myth Wukong highlighted the RX 9070 XT's ray tracing capabilities, achieving 70 fps compared to the RTX 5070 Ti's 65 fps.

Forza Horizon 5 further demonstrated the RX 9070 XT's prowess, achieving 158 fps compared to the RTX 5070 Ti's 151 fps. The RX 9070 XT's performance across various titles positions it as a formidable contender in the graphics card market, offering exceptional value and performance for gamers.

Announced quietly at CES 2025, the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT feels like a strategic move against Nvidia's Blackwell graphics cards. At $599, it represents a return to more reasonable pricing for high-performance GPUs. While it may not match the RTX 5080 or RTX 5090 in raw power, it offers more than enough performance for most users at a significantly lower cost. The RX 9070 XT feels like the first true flagship GPU since the GTX 1080 Ti, providing a compelling option for gamers seeking high-end performance without the premium price tag.