AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT Review

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT: A High-Performance GPU for the Masses

For generations, AMD has strived to compete with Nvidia's high-end offerings. The Radeon RX 9070 XT marks a strategic shift. Instead of directly challenging the ultra-high-end RTX 5090, AMD focuses on delivering a superior graphics card for the majority of gamers – a goal it successfully achieves.

Priced at $599, the RX 9070 XT rivals the $749 GeForce RTX 5070 Ti in performance. This alone positions it as a top contender, further enhanced by the inclusion of FSR 4, AMD's first foray into AI upscaling. This makes it an ideal choice for 4K gaming, particularly for those unwilling to spend the exorbitant price of the RTX 5090.

Purchasing Guide

The RX 9070 XT launched March 6th, starting at $599. However, expect price variations from third-party vendors. Aim for a price under $699.

AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT – Images

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Specs and Features

Built on the RDNA 4 architecture, the RX 9070 XT boasts improved shader cores, but the standout features are its new RT and AI Accelerators. These accelerators power FSR 4, delivering AI upscaling to AMD cards for the first time. While FSR 4 doesn't always surpass FSR 3.1 in frame rates, it significantly enhances image accuracy and quality. Conveniently, Adrenalin software allows users to disable FSR 4 if frame rate prioritization is preferred.

Despite having fewer Compute Units (64) than its predecessor (7900 XT's 84), the RX 9070 XT achieves a substantial performance increase due to enhanced per-core performance. Each Compute Unit features 64 Streaming Multiprocessors (SMs), totaling 4,096, along with 64 ray accelerators and 128 AI accelerators.

The RX 9070 XT utilizes 16GB GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, a reduction from the RX 7900 XT's 20GB and 320-bit bus. While this impacts capacity and bandwidth, it remains sufficient for most 4K gaming scenarios. The use of GDDR6, instead of a newer standard, is a minor drawback.

While more efficient, the RX 9070 XT has a slightly higher power budget (304W) than the 7900 XT (300W). However, testing revealed lower peak power consumption (306W) compared to the 7900 XT (314W). Cooling should not pose significant challenges. AMD opted against a reference design, leaving third-party manufacturers to handle cooling solutions. The review unit (Powercolor RX 9070 XT Reaper) maintained a temperature of 72°C during testing.

The RX 9070 XT uses two 8-pin PCI-E power connectors, simplifying upgrades for most users with a 700W power supply. 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

FSR 4, AMD's AI upscaling solution, finally provides a competitive alternative to DLSS. Utilizing AI accelerators, it analyzes previous frames and game engine data to upscale lower-resolution images. While resulting in a performance decrease compared to FSR 3.1, the improved image quality, particularly in details like grass and text, is noticeable. The performance impact varies across games (10% in COD: Black Ops 6, 20% in Monster Hunter). FSR 4 is optional, easily disabled via Adrenalin software.

AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT & 9070 – Benchmarks

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Performance

The RX 9070 XT delivers exceptional performance for its price. It's significantly faster than the RX 7900 XT and, on average, slightly faster than the RTX 5070 Ti, despite a lower price point. Its 4K performance is particularly impressive, even with ray tracing enabled. Benchmark results varied across games, showcasing both strengths and weaknesses against competitors. Testing was conducted using the latest drivers available at the time.

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 RX 9070 XT's performance in various games highlighted its strengths and weaknesses against competitors. Games like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Red Dead Redemption 2, and Assassin's Creed Mirage showed significant performance advantages, while titles like Total War: Warhammer 3 presented a less favorable comparison. The surprising performance in Black Myth: Wukong, a ray tracing-intensive game, demonstrates the improvements in AMD's Ray Accelerators.

Conclusion

The Radeon RX 9070 XT represents a significant achievement for AMD. At $599, it offers high-end performance without the premium price tag of top-tier cards. While not surpassing the RTX 5080 or 5090, it provides exceptional value for most gamers, particularly those targeting 4K gaming. It feels like a return to the value-oriented flagship graphics cards of the past.