RX 9070 Vs RX 7800 XT: What We Think

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Uzair Qureshi

At Tech4Gamers, I proudly wear the title of Comparisons Specialist. Focused on CPUs and GPUs, I bring forth a wealth of hands-on experience and a keen eye for detail to provide our audience with the latest insights and analyses.

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Pros And Cons

Comparison Table

Architectural Differences

1. Architecture: The older RX 7800 XT is based on the RDNA 3.0 architecture, while the newer RX 9070 features RDNA 4.0, with advanced features. 
2. Process Nodes: Despite the year-long gap, the RX 9070 still comes with the same process node that the RX 7800 XT uses, which is TMSC’s 5nm.
3. Clock Speeds: While the RX 9070 comes with base and boost clock speeds of 1330 MHz and 2520 MHz, the RX 7800 XT isn’t far behind and comes with base and boost clock frequencies of 1295 MHz and 2430 MHz.
4. VRAM: Despite having variations in other specifications, both of these cards come with the same 16GB of GDDR6 memory with the same 256-bit bus width.   
5. TDP: There is a slight difference in their TDP rating, as the RX 9070 uses slightly less power because it has a 220W of TDP whereas the RX 7800 XT has a 263W of TDP.  
6. Supported Technologies: The newer RX 9070 does arrive with FSR 4, which greatly reduces artifacts and produces sharper images while boosting frames. This is more advanced than the RX 7800 XT’s FSR 3.1.

The 9070 is supposed to be AMD’s mid-tier card, while the older RX 7800 XT was also designed with the same intention. In this RX 9070 vs RX 7800 XT, we will see if the RX 9070 is a better choice or if you should stick to the older card. We’ll do this by comparing their benchmarked performance, efficiency, and pricing.  

Gaming Benchmarks – 1440p

Since gaming benchmarks reveal the real performance of graphic cards, we’ll be showing you their benchmarks at 1440p. We also decided to mix single-player games with a few multiplayer ones, all at the highest settings.

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

• From the start, the RX 9070 RX establishes its dominance over the 7800 XT by a 13.9% margin, as both GPUs obtain an average of 77 FPS and 67 FPS, respectively.  
• The 1% lows weren’t as high, and both GPUs were below the 60 FPS mark as the RX 9070 was only 4% better, averaging 51 FPS compared to the RX 7800 XT’s 49 FPS.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl

• Next, we saw a 15.7% boost that the RX 9070 had because of its 55 FPS. In contrast, the RX 7800 XT produced an average of 47 FPS in this game. 
• With a 14.3% margin, the RX 9070 outperformed the RX 7800 XT by achieving 45 FPS compared to the RX 7800 XT’s 39 FPS. 

Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2

• With a 29.6% lead, the RX 9070 showcased the highest margin as it acquired an average of 93 FPS, higher than the RX 7800 XT’s 69 FPS. 
• For the 1% lows, we observed that the RX 9070 maintained its lead with an average of 81 FPS. On the contrary, the RX 7800 XT was 33.1% behind with its average of 58 FPS. 

Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty

• On Phantom Liberty, the RX 9070 was 20.5% better, with an average of 113 FPS. Meanwhile, the RX 7800 XT performed with 92 FPS in this game.
• The RX 9070 achieved an average of 102 FPS, showcasing a 21.7% margin over the RX 7800 XT, which obtained 82 FPS on average. 

Call of Duty Black Ops 6

• Here, we saw a 25% edge that the RX 9070 had over the RX 7800 XT, as both cards obtained an average of 108 FPS and 84 FPS, respectively. 
• While the RX 7800 XT hit exactly 60 FPS as its minimum average frame rate, the RX 9070 was 24.8% ahead, with an average of 77 FPS.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard

• With a 19.4% lead, the RX 9070 achieved 79 FPS compared to the RX 7800 XT’s average of 65 FPS in this game. 
• Regarding the 1% lows, the RX 9070 displayed a 23% boost over the RX 7800 XT, being over 60 FPS, with an average of 68 FPS. Whereas the RX 7800 XT averaged 54 FPS. 

Hogwarts Legacy

• In Hogwarts Legacy, the difference was slight, but still, the RX 9070 achieved a 7.3% edge over the RX 7800 XT, as both cards obtained an average of 127 FPS and 118 FPS, respectively. 
• The RX 9070 achieved the smallest margin of 3.9% in terms of the 1% lows, as it averaged 79 FPS compared to the RX 7800 XT’s 76 FPS in this game.

The Last of Us Part I

• With a 2.2% margin, we saw that the RX 9070 showcased the smallest difference in terms of average framerates as it procured 90 FPS compared to the RX 7800 XT’s 88 FPS. 
• In terms of the 1% lows, the RX 9070 had frames dropping to 83 FPS in this game. On the contrary, the RX 7800 XT’s frames only reached 78 FPS, resulting in a 6.2% difference. 

Productivity Benchmarks

After reviewing the gaming benchmarks, let’s move on to their productivity benchmarks. Here, we’ll judge these cards based on tasks such as video editing, rendering, and AI image generation, which will reveal their computing, image processing, and AI capabilities.

Adobe Premiere Pro

• The newer RX 9070 took only 5 minutes and 13 seconds to complete the task on Adobe Premier Pro. Whereas the RX 7800 XT was 8.6% behind as it took 5 minutes and 41 seconds to finish the same task. 

Blender

• While rendering on Blender, the RX 9070 was 17.7% quick to complete the render in 1 minute 38 seconds. Meanwhile, the RX 7800 XT took 19 extra seconds by rendering it in 1 minute and 57 seconds. 

Stable Diffusion (AI Image Generation)

• In Stable Diffusion, the RX 9070 generated AI images in only 18 seconds, whereas the RX 7800 XT took 43 seconds. This makes the RX 9070 astonishingly 82% faster than the RX 7800 XT in this AI-driven task. 

Overall Gaming Performance

Average Framerate

In the gaming benchmarks, the RX 9070 dominated in every single game. From what we calculated, the RX 9070 outperformed the RX 7800 XT by a 16.3% margin in all of the tested games. While the RX 7800 XT was behind, both cards still performed over 60 FPS in all games except Stalker 2. 

1% Lows

The 1% low results were also similar to the average framerates. Here, the RX 9070 was precisely 16.6% better performing than the RX 7800 XT in all of the games. Although the RX 9070 had an edge over its rival, the RX 7800 XT still performed the closest in Hogwarts Legacy. 

Productivity

When it comes to productivity, the RX 9070 won by a noticeable lead. We saw that the RX 9070 was 15.5% more efficient in all of the three productivity software. Not only was it faster in video editing and rendering, but it was also particularly the fastest while generating AI images, showing its AI prowess.  

Power Consumption

After dominating all of the previous sectors, you can guess which card reigned supreme regarding power consumption. Surely, the RX 9070 also surpassed this section, having 13.1% better power efficiency than the RX 7800 XT in terms of gaming. This shows how the newer RDNA 4.0 is designed to be more power-efficient.  

Price And Availability

The RX 9070 is 28.8% cheaper than the RX 7800 XT. However, we’ve calculated this average from many variants, so you can add or subtract around $200 to get the prices of its other variants. Compared to other newly released cards, the RX 9070 didn’t have a huge price discrepancy with its MSRP, but it might change.

Final Verdict—What We Recommend?

RX 7800 XT: Apart from a few games, the RX 7800 XT performs quite well in 1440p gaming. Its FSR 3.1 also allows it to run games at 4K as well. However, its performance doesn’t justify its high price, which is our biggest concern. From what it offers, it should’ve been priced around its MSRP. 

RX 9070: This is a great addition from AMD and now serves as the perfect mid-price card. It exceeds well over 60 FPS in most games at 1440p, and it is priced extremely well. It even outperforms the RTX 4070 Super, which offers similar performance but is almost double the price of the RX 9070. 

The RX 9070 ticks all the boxes, making the RX 7800 XT look outdated. Sure, the RX 7800 XT has previously been of great use, but now the RX 9070 seems to be its perfect replacement, which is why we recommend it. Yes, the RX 9070’s price could increase, and if it rises beyond its value, you should opt for the RX 7800 XT. 

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Uzair Qureshi

[Comparisons Specialist]

I’m a passionate computer hardware expert specializing in CPUs and GPUs. With a lifelong curiosity for hardware and extensive hands-on experience, I provide valuable insights, practical advice, and in-depth analysis on these components. Engaging with the hardware community, I exchange knowledge and stay at the forefront of technological advancements.

Get In Touch: uzair@tech4gamers.com