AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX: Performance Benchmarks Unveiled

For the past few generations, AMD has relentlessly pursued Nvidia at the high-end. However, with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT, Team Red strategically shifts focus, yielding the ultra-high-end to the RTX 5090 and instead targets the creation of the best 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 contender. AMD further enhances its appeal with the introduction of FSR 4, marking the first time AI upscaling graces an AMD graphics card. This makes it the ideal choice for 4K gaming, particularly for those unwilling to spend $1999 on the RTX 5090.

Purchasing Guide

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT launched March 6th, starting at $599. However, expect price variations among 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 the true stars are its new RT and AI Accelerators. These AI Accelerators power FidelityFX Super Resolution 4 (FSR 4), AMD's first foray into AI upscaling. While not always increasing frame rates over FSR 3.1, FSR 4 significantly boosts image accuracy. Conveniently, Adrenalin software allows disabling FSR 4 for those prioritizing frame rates.

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

However, the RX 9070 XT features less memory than its predecessor (16GB GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, versus 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 consumes slightly more power (304W) than the 7900 XT (300W). This is a typical power budget for modern graphics cards, simplifying cooling solutions. Unlike previous generations, AMD doesn't offer a reference design, relying 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 standard power connectors (two 8-pin PCI-E), simplifying upgrades. A 700W power supply is recommended. Connectivity includes three DisplayPort 2.1a and one HDMI 2.1b ports; a USB-C port would be a welcome addition.

FSR 4

AMD's FSR has lacked an AI upscaling solution comparable to DLSS. While performance was adequate, previous FSR versions suffered from ghosting and fuzziness. The Radeon RX 9070 XT rectifies this with AI-powered FSR 4.

Similar to DLSS, FSR 4 uses AI accelerators to analyze previous frames and game engine data to upscale lower-resolution images. Image quality surpasses FSR 3 (which used temporal upscaling), but at a performance cost. In *Call of Duty: Black Ops 6* (4K Extreme, FSR 3.1 Performance), frame rates dropped from 134 fps to 121 fps (10% loss) with FSR 4, though image quality improved. *Monster Hunter World* showed a 20% performance drop.

This performance hit is expected due to the increased computational demands of AI upscaling. The improved image quality may outweigh the performance loss for single-player games. FSR 4 is optional; it can be disabled in Adrenalin software.

AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT & 9070 – Benchmarks

Performance

The Radeon RX 9070 XT significantly outperforms the competition. At $599, it's 21% cheaper than the RTX 5070 Ti while delivering comparable performance (2% faster on average). The RX 9070 XT is 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, AMD Adrenalin 24.12.1, except for the RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 which used pre-release drivers). 3DMark benchmarks showed an 18% improvement over the 7900 XT in Speed Way, and a 26% improvement in Steel Nomad, even surpassing the RTX 5070 Ti by 7%.

Game benchmarks showed varying results. *Call of Duty: Black Ops 6* favored the RX 9070 XT (15% faster than the RTX 5070 Ti). *Cyberpunk 2077* showed a smaller advantage for the RTX 5070 Ti (5% faster). *Metro Exodus* (4K, ray tracing, no upscaling) showed near parity. *Red Dead Redemption 2* favored the RX 9070 XT (125 fps vs. 110 fps for the RTX 5070 Ti). *Total War: Warhammer 3* favored the RTX 5070 Ti. *Assassin's Creed Mirage* favored the RX 9070 XT (163 fps vs 146 fps). *Black Myth: Wukong* surprisingly favored the RX 9070 XT (70 fps vs 65 fps). *Forza Horizon 5* showed a slight advantage for the RX 9070 XT.

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 welcome return to value in the graphics card market. While not matching the RTX 5080 or 5090, it offers superior performance at a significantly lower price, making it a compelling choice for most gamers.