The AMD Radeon RX 9070 arrives at a pivotal moment for graphics cards, directly competing with Nvidia's recently launched GeForce RTX 5070. Priced at $549, the Radeon RX 9070 stands out as the go-to choice for 1440p gaming, outperforming its Nvidia counterpart. However, the decision-making process is complicated by AMD's own Radeon RX 9070 XT, which is just $50 more yet offers about 8% better performance. This small price gap makes it tempting to opt for the superior RX 9070 XT. Still, for those choosing between AMD's offerings, the Radeon RX 9070 remains a compelling option within Team Red's lineup.
Purchasing Guide
The AMD Radeon RX 9070 hits the market on March 6, starting at $549. Given its close pricing to the Radeon RX 9070 XT, it's advisable to seek models as close to the starting price as possible to maximize value.
AMD Radeon RX 9070 – Photos
4 Images
Specs and Features
Built on the new RDNA 4 architecture, the Radeon RX 9070 brings significant performance enhancements, surpassing the last-gen Radeon RX 7900 GRE by a wide margin despite having 30% fewer compute units. With 56 Compute Units, each equipped with 64 Streaming Multiprocessors (SMs), the card boasts 3,584 shaders. Additionally, it features 56 Ray Accelerators and 112 AI Accelerators, enhancing its prowess in ray tracing and AI-driven upscaling with the introduction of FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) 4.
The RX 9070 comes with 16GB of GDDR6 VRAM on a 256-bit bus, ideal for 1440p gaming and future-proofing. While Nvidia's adoption of GDDR7 is notable, the RX 9070's memory configuration remains competitive. AMD suggests a 550W power supply, though my tests peaked at 249W, suggesting a 600W PSU for safety. Notably, AMD won't release a reference design for the RX 9070, meaning all versions will be from third-party manufacturers. I tested the Gigabyte Radeon RX 9070 Gaming OC 16G, a triple-slot card with a slight factory overclock.
FSR4
Since the rise of DLSS in 2018, AI upscaling has become a key performance booster. With FSR 4, AMD introduces AI upscaling to its GPUs for the first time, enhancing image quality over previous FSR versions. While FSR 4 may result in a slight performance drop compared to FSR 3, the trade-off is better visuals. For example, in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 at 1440p on the Extreme preset, FSR 3 achieves 165 fps, whereas FSR 4 drops to 159 fps. Similarly, in Monster Hunter Wilds at 4K with ray tracing, the drop is from 81 fps to 76 fps. The Adrenalin software allows toggling between FSR 3 and FSR 4, offering flexibility based on preference for image quality or performance.
AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT & 9070 – Benchmarks
11 Images
Performance
Priced at $549, the AMD Radeon RX 9070 outperforms the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 in most scenarios, with a 12% average lead at 1440p and a 22% improvement over the RX 7900 GRE. My test unit was a factory overclocked Gigabyte Radeon RX 9070 Gaming OC, which boosts performance by about 4-5%.
All tests were conducted with the latest public drivers at the time of writing, ensuring fair comparisons. In 3DMark tests, the RX 9070 ties with the RTX 5070 in Speed Way with ray tracing enabled but outshines it by 20% in Steel Nomad without ray tracing.
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 at 1440p with FSR 3 set to Balanced, the RX 9070 delivers 165 fps, outpacing the RTX 5070 by 26%. In Cyberpunk 2077 at 1440p with Ray Tracing Ultra, the RX 9070 edges out the RTX 5070 by 3%. Metro Exodus at 1440p without upscaling sees the RX 9070 leading by 11%, while Red Dead Redemption 2 showcases a 23% performance advantage at 1440p with Vulkan.
Total War: Warhammer 3 at 4K shows the RX 9070's strength, though at 1440p, it's neck-and-neck with the RTX 5070. Assassin's Creed Mirage at 1440p gives the RX 9070 an 18% lead, while Black Myth Wukong at 1440p results in a close call. Forza Horizon 5 at 1440p sees the RX 9070 achieving 185 fps, surpassing the RTX 5070 and RX 7900 GRE.
The AMD Radeon RX 9070's launch timing against the RTX 5070 underscores its competitive edge. With superior performance and 16GB of VRAM, it offers excellent value, making it a standout choice for gamers looking to invest in a future-proof graphics card.
