AMD Radeon RX 9070 Rated: 8.6/10 AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT Rated: 8.5/10
Pros And Cons
| GPU | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| RX 9070 | ✅ Better value for money ✅ FSR 4 is significantly better than FSR 3 | ❌ Lower Shading units & bus width |
| RX 7900 XT | ✅ Slightly higher gaming performance ✅ Higher VRAM than most cards | ❌ Doesn't support PCIe 5.0 |
Comparison Table
| Features | RX 9070 | RX 7900 XT |
|---|---|---|
| Slot Width | Dual-slot | Dual-slot |
| Release Date | Mar 6th, 2025 | Nov 3rd, 2022 |
| Power Connectors | 2x 8-pin | 2x 8-pin |
| Shader Cores (CUDA) | 3584 | 5376 |
| TMUs | 224 | 336 |
| ROPs | 128 | 192 |
| Tensor Cores | 112 (AI Accelerators) | N/A |
| RT Cores | 56 | 84 |
| Suggested PSU | 550W | 700W |
| Best Variants | - | Best RX 7900 XT |
| Best CPU | Best CPUs For RX 9070 | Best CPUs For RX 7900 XT |
| Best PSU | Best PSU For RX 9070 | - |
| GPU Review | RX 9070 Review | - |
Architectural Differences
- Process Nodes: While the RX 9070 is based on the newer RDNA 4 architecture, it still shares the same process node as the RDNA 3-based RX 7900 XT of size 5nm.
- Clock Speeds: The newer RX 9070 also has higher base and boost clock speeds of 1330 MHz and 2520 MHz, whereas the RX 7900 XT has a base and boost clock frequency of 1387 MHz and 2394 MHz.
- VRAM: With a hefty VRAM of 20GB and a 320-bit bus width, the RX 7900 XT boasts higher specs than most cards. In contrast, the RX 9070 uses 256-bit bus width with a 16GB memory, where both cards have GDDR6.
- TDP: Both cards have only a slight variation in their TDP rating, where the RX 7900 XT has a higher TDP of 300W compared to the RX 9070’s 220W of TDP.
- Supported Technologies: The newer RX 9070 has an edge in upscaling, as it features the newer FSR 4, which reduces artifacts and improves image quality. In contrast, the RX 7900 XT’s FSR 3 is behind in these advanced features.
The RX 9070 has been released and has become one of AMD’s finest releases. Today, we’ll be comparing it with another one of AMD’s cards that has held its legacy for a long time, still to this day. In this RX 9070 vs RX 7900 XT comparison, you’ll see if the RX 9070 can take RX 7900 XT’s place or if the latter still holds its value.
Gaming Benchmarks – 1440p
Unlike Nvidia’s, AMD’s cards excel in rasterized performance, so we’ll see exactly that in this benchmark. We’ll be comparing these two cards at 1440p without any ray tracing and at the highest possible settings for each game.
Recommended Test Bench
- CPU – AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D
- Mobo – MSI MAG X870 Tomahawk WiFi
- RAM – G. Skill Trident Z5 Neo RGB DDR5-6400 CL30
- CPU Cooler – Xigmatek Aurora 360mm Cooler
- Storage – XPG GAMMIX S70 BLADE 2TB NVMe SSD
- Power Supply – Enermax Revolution D.F.2 1200W 80+ Gold
- Operating System – Windows 11
Marvel Rivals
- With a 7.5% edge, the RX 7900 XT has set the expectations for this benchmark, producing an average of 83 FPS. In contrast, the RX 9070 performed with an average of 77 FPS.
- As for the 1% lows, they were below 60 FPS for both games. Still, the RX 7900 XT performed with 59 FPS, compared to the RX 9070’s 51 FPS, which results in a 14.5% margin.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl
- Next, we saw exactly a 7% difference where the RX 7900 XT lead with its 59 FPS. Simultaneously, the RX 9070 performed with an average of 55 FPS in this game.
- The 1% lows were 6.5% higher on the RX 7900 XT as it averaged 48 FPS. Meanwhile, the RX 9070 obtained an average of 45 FPS.
Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2
- Here, the margins were led by the RX 9070 as it averaged 93 FPS compared to the RX 7900 XT’s 92 FPS, resulting in a 1.1% difference.
- In terms of the 1% lows, the RX 9070 pushed in a way which tied the results and both of these cards obtained an average of 81 FPS.
Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty
- On Cyberpunk 2077’s expansion, we saw that both cards performed similarly and achieved the same average of 113 FPS.
- However, the 1% lows were 4% higher on the RX 9070 as it obtained 102 FPS compared to the 98 FPS obtained by the RX 7900 XT.
Call of Duty Black Ops 6
- On this latest Call Of Duty title, the RX 9070 was the better performer as it acquired an average of 108 FPS. In contrast, the RX 7900 XT was 4.7% behind with its average of 103 FPS.
- The minimum frame rates reached 77 FPS by the RX 9070, making it 2.6% better than the RX 7900 XT, which averaged 75 FPS.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard
- Here, the RX 7900 XT took the lead by a 3.7% margin as it averaged 82 FPS compared to the RX 9070 which performed with an average of 79 FPS.
- Speaking of the 1% lows, we saw a 2.9% margin led by the RX 7900 XT as it acquired 70 FPS compared to the RX 9070’s 68 FPS.
Hogwarts Legacy
- In Hogwarts Legacy, we saw that the RX 7900 XT outperformed the RX 9070 by 14.6%, as both cards averaged 147 FPS and 127 FPS, respectively.
- With a 15.2% edge, the RX 7900 XT had minimums dipping to 92 FPS on average. On the contrary, the RX 9070 was behind with its 79 FPS.
The Last of Us Part I
- In this last game, the margins rose to the highest, 18.2% obtained by the RX 7900 XT, which averaged 108 FPS. Whereas the RX 9070 performed with 90 FPS, on average.
- The 1% lows were also the highest, 17.6% achieved by the RX 7900 XT, which produced an average of 99 FPS compared to the RX 9070’s 83 FPS.
Productivity Benchmarks
So far, both cards have had their ups and downs, but the RX 7900 XT is in the lead. Let’s see if the RX 7900 XT holds the leading position in terms of productivity as well.
Adobe Premiere Pro
- Although small, the RX 9070 took the lead and obtained 12,226 points compared to the RX 7900 XT’s 12,166 points, resulting in only a 0.5% margin on Adobe Premiere Pro.
DaVinci Resolve
- On DaVinci Resolve, the RX 7900 XT secured its leading position as it scored 9,932 points. At the same time, the RX 9070 obtained 9,189 points.
Stable Diffusion (AI Image Generation)
- In this AI-intensive task, the RX 9070 scored 2,216 points, showcasing its AI capabilities by having a staggering 23.7% margin over the RX 7900 XT, which scored 1,747 points.
Overall Gaming Performance
| Graphic Cards | RX 9070 | RX 7900 XT |
|---|---|---|
| Average FPS | 📈92.8 | 📈98.4 |
| 1% Lows | 📉73.3 | 📉77.8 |
| Productivity (Rating) | ✏️6.9/10 | ✏️7/10 |
| Winner: RX 7900 XT | ||
Average Framerate
Looking at the bigger picture, there was only a slight difference between the two cards. We saw that the RX 7900 XT displayed 5.9% better performance than the RX 9070. This difference is ever so slight because the RX 9070 performed better in two games and it tied the frames in one game.
1% Lows
In terms of the 1% lows, the RX 7900 XT was again the higher performer. We observed that it was exactly 6% better in minimum frame rates compared to the RX 9070. Similar to the average frame rates, the RX 9070 pushed better in two games and had equal results in a single game.
Productivity
The margins regarding productivity were extremely thin. In three of the tested software, the RX 9070 was only 0.9% better than the RX 7900 XT. This is because the RX 9070 showcased better performance under the AI workload, whereas the RX 7900 XT excelled in video editing for the most part.
Power Consumption
| Power Consumption | RX 9070 | RX 7900 XT |
|---|---|---|
| Idle | 9⚡ | 11⚡ |
| Gaming | 242⚡ | 320⚡ |
| Ray Tracing | 242⚡ | 321⚡ |
| Maximum | 241⚡ | 320⚡ |
| Winner: RX 9070 | ||
As for power consumption, the card with the lowest TDP won. In gaming, we saw that the RX 9070 was 27.8% more power-efficient than the RX 7900 XT. Still, it is impressive to see the RX 9070 having better efficiency, given that it had similar productivity performance and only slightly varying gaming performance.
Price And Availability
| GPU | RX 9070 | RX 7900 XT | Price Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Launch MSRP | 💲599 | 💲899 | 40.1% |
| Current Price | 💲636 | 💲1140 | 56.8% |
As for pricing, the RX 9070 is currently (mid-March 2025) 56.8% cheaper than the RX 7900 XT. However, the RX 9070 is a recent release, so its price might increase even further. If it increases with the same margin that it had for the RX 7900 XT in the past, there’s a high chance it’ll remain below the RX 7900 XT’s price.
Final Verdict—What We Recommend?
RX 7900 XT: This card is among AMD’s top contentors and still holds its value even after over two years. Not only does it still offer great gaming performance, but it also offers high-performance in productivity. Yes, it lags behind in AI tasks. However, its price has greatly impressed us because it isn’t sky-high.
RX 9070: This is one of AMD’s best releases. It has high gaming and productivity performance, comes with a new architecture, better AI features, and advanced FSR 4, and all of it is packed at a relatively lower price, making it a great card with a high price-to-performance ratio.
We recommend the RX 9070 as it is a complete replacement for the RX 7900 XT. You might argue that it has lower performance comparatively, but if you put its price into perspective, it becomes an incredibly valuable card. Yes, if its price increases to a point where it loses its value, you can go with the RX 7900 XT.
With a 20GB VRAM and great rasterized performance, the RX 7900 XT is the better choice when it comes to VR gaming. The RX 9070’s FSR 4 allows it to compete and even outperform the RX 7900 XT, which has slightly higher raw performance. Despite the RX 7900 XT having higher RT cores, the newer RX 9070 is better when it comes to ray tracing. But the difference is slight, especially at 4K. Although the RX 7900 XT has a higher VRAM and higher performance, the RX 9070 is still a better option for future proofing because of its newer architecture, AI prowess, and FSR 4. Both cards are great at 1440p and are decent for 4K gaming. However, with their respective upscaling enabled, both can easily push 4K with over 60 FPS.FAQs
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[Comparisons Expert]
Shehryar Khan, a seasoned PC hardware expert, brings over three years of extensive experience and a deep passion for the world of technology. With a love for building PCs and a genuine enthusiasm for exploring the latest advancements in components, his expertise shines through his work and dedication towards this field. Currently, Shehryar is rocking a custom loop setup for his built.
Get In Touch: shehryar@tech4gamers.com
