RTX 4070 Vs RX 6900 XT [Full Comparison 2023]

The RTX 40 series has not been well received because of its value proposition. Nvidia’s response to this was the RTX 4070 graphics card, giving you equal if not more performance to last generation’s flagship RTX 3080. On the other hand, AMD dropped the prices of its last-gen flagship, the RX 6900 XT, to be comparable to the RTX 4070. In this comparison, we will pin the RTX 4070 vs RX 6900 XT against each other to see if Nvidia can beat its long-time rival.

Key Takeaways

• The RX 6900 XT had about 17% more performance in terms of framerate throughout our testing.
• On average, the RX 6900 XT consumed almost 95 Watts more power than the RTX 4070.
• Temperatures were comparable between the two cards, though the RX 6900 XT ran about 1.7°C hotter than the RTX 4070.

RTX 4070 Vs RX 6900 XT

Comparison Table

Architecture

Regarding architecture, the RTX 4070 graphics card is based on NVIDIA’s Ada Lovelace architecture, launched at the end of the 3rd quarter of 2022. The specific GPU that the RTX 4070 uses is the AD104.

On the other hand, the RX 6900 XT comes packed with the RDNA 2.0 architecture, which launched in the last quarter of 2020. This card uses the Navi 21 GPU, specifically the XT variant of it.

The more up-to-date hardware of the RTX 4070 gives substantial benefits to gamers in real-world use. One noteworthy improvement is the decrease in transistor size, which allows Nvidia to get notably better efficiency with their cards. This, along with the decrease in die size, particularly on the RTX 4070, makes it the best performance-per-watt deal on the market.

Also Read: RTX 4070 Vs RX 6700 XT

Core Counts

The RX 6900 XT has 5120 Stream Processors, while the RTX 4070 has 5888 CUDA Cores.

The RTX 4070 also has 46 Ray Tracing RT cores, and 184 Tensor cores for DLSS, while the RX 6900 XT has 80 RT Cores and 90 Compute Units used for upscaling on AMD cards.

The increase in RT cores on the RX 7900 XT promises to bring up the ray-tracing performance, a weak point in particular for AMD. As for the AI cores, the performance for tasks done on these cores is more reliant on software rather than hardware, and in that regard, Nvidia reigns supreme.

Clock Speeds And Memory

When evaluating a graphics card’s performance, clock speeds and graphics memory are important factors.

The RTX 4070 has a slightly higher base and boost clock than the RX 6900 XT, but the raw number of cores on the RX 6900 XT makes up for this small improvement by Nvidia.

For memory, the RTX 4070 has 12 GB of GDDR6X memory with a 192-bit bus width and a bandwidth of about 760.3 GB/s, while the RX 6900 XT comes with 16 GB of GDDR6X memory, a 256-bit bus, and a maximum memory bandwidth of 512.0 GB/s.

With the increase in VRAM requirements of modern games, the larger VRAM on the RX 6900 XT makes it a more future-proof card, though the increase in VRAM of the 4070 over the 3070 is substantial and is a welcome improvement.

Power Draw

The RTX 4070 has a TDP of 200 W, significantly less than the RX 6900 XT’s TDP of 300W. The power draw of the RX 6900 XT is still impressive in its own right as it is relatively low for a top-of-the-line card, whereas the TDP of the RTX 4070 is an absolute game changer for the amount of performance that it gives.

AI And Ray Tracing

Current GPUs rely heavily on AI and Ray Tracing capabilities, predominantly found in Nvidia GPUs through Tensor and RT cores.

The RTX 4070 boasts 4th-generation Tensor cores, providing a significant boost in performance compared to the RTX 3080’s 3rd-generation cores. The 4th-gen Tensor cores can compute 1400 Tensor TFLOPs, a substantial increase from the 320 Tensor TFLOPs achieved by the previous generation.

This enhanced performance enables the all-new DLSS  3.0 technology in the RTX 4070. With Nvidia’s Deep Learning Super Sampling, the GPU can interpolate new frames between rendered frames, potentially doubling the frame rate.

The RTX 4070 has significantly improved Shader Execution Reordering (SER) compared to last year’s cards, enabling full path-tracing of light rays and multiple ray tracing effects on the screen for improved visual fidelity.

The RDNA2 architecture fits in 80 ray accelerators in the RX 6900 XT. These accelerators work with Microsoft’s DXR for ray-traced lighting in current and future DXR-based games, but they deliver sub-par performance compared to AMD’s other offerings.

The 6900 XT also uses FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) to do the same thing the Nvidia does with DLSS. However, it has been criticized for having a more noticeable drop in visual fidelity. Nevertheless, using a lesser degree of super sampling in the game of your choice can still give your games a significant performance boost.

Design

The RTX 4070 is about 9.4 inches long, while the RX 6900 XT is about 10.5 inches and takes up three slots, whereas the RTX 4070 takes up only two. The smaller size of the RTX 4070 frees up space for other PCIe devices and provides better airflow to components in your PC.

RX 6900 XT Vs RTX 4070: Gaming Tests

In this comparison section, we will pin the RTX 4070 vs RX 6900 XT against each other in various real-world gaming tests. All of these tests were done at the resolution of 1440p, at the highest settings available for each game. We also tested a few games using ray tracing, which we will discuss further in this section.

All of these tests were conducted in a controlled environment using a test bench, the specifications of which are listed below:

• OS – Windows 10
• CPU – Ryzen 7 5800X3D
• Motherboard – NZXT N7 B550
• RAM – 32GB DDR4, 4000 MT/s CL18

Apex Legends

• In the first game of our tests, the RTX 4070 had an average of 165 FPS, while the RX 6900 XT was much ahead with an average of 213 FPS.
• The 1% lows followed the same line, with the RTX 4070 having 1% lows of about 98 FPS compared to the 118 FPS of the RX 6900 XT.
• Power draw also differed substantially between these two cards, with the RTX 4070 only drawing 184 Watts of power, whereas the RX 6900 XT drew a hundred watts more at 284 Watts.
• The RTX 4070 had a cool temperature of 47°C, whereas the larger cooler of the 6900 XT allowed it to keep a temperature of 44°C.

Also Check: RTX 4070 Vs RTX 4080

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

• In AC Valhalla, the RTX 4070 had an average of 108 FPS, while the RX 6900 XT had an average of 133 FPS.
• Regarding 1% lows, the RTX 4070 had 1% lows of about 80 FPS compared to the 96 FPS of the RX 6900 XT.
• The RTX 4070 only drew 168 Watts of power, whereas the RX 6900 XT drew much more at 261 Watts.
• In this test, both the cards had the same numbers in thermals, 45°C.

Also Read: RTX 4090 Vs RX 6900 XT

Borderlands 3

• In Borderlands 3, the RTX 4070 had an average of 100 FPS, while the RX 6900 XT had an average of 142 FPS.
• Switching gears to 1% lows, the RTX 4070 had 1% lows of about 80 FPS again, compared to the 118 FPS of the RX 6900 XT.
• The RTX 4070 only drew 186 Watts of power, whereas the RX 6900 XT drew much more at 283 Watts.
• In this test, the RTX 4070 was cooler than the RX 6900 XT, with a peak temperature of 68°C against the 6900 XT’s 70°C.

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare II

• In Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare II, the RTX 4070 had an average of 135 FPS, while the RX 6900 XT had an average of 172 FPS.
• Regarding 1% lows, the RTX 4070 had 1% lows of about 86 FPS compared to the 111 FPS of the RX 6900 XT.
• The RTX 4070 only drew 177 Watts of power, whereas the RX 6900 XT crossed a delta of a hundred watts by drawing about 283 Watts.
• Temperatures differed substantially in this test, with the RTX 4070 rising to about 61°C while the RX 6900 XT came in much hotter with a temperature of 71°C.

Also Read: RX 7900 XTX Vs RX 6900 XT [Gaming Benchmarks 2023]

Fortnite

• In Fortnite, the RTX 4070 had an average of 142 FPS, while the RX 6900 XT had an average of 150 FPS.
• Regarding 1% lows, the RTX 4070 had 1% lows of about 65 FPS compared to the 77 FPS of the RX 6900 XT.
• The RTX 4070 only drew 182 Watts of power, whereas the RX 6900 XT drew much more at 284 Watts.
• Thermals were much closer in this test, with the RX 6900 XT peaking at about 69°C while the RTX 4070 stayed slightly cooler at 68°C.

Far Cry 6

• In Far Cry 6, the RTX 4070 had an average of 127 FPS, while the RX 6900 XT had an average of 140 FPS.
• Regarding 1% lows, the RTX 4070 had 1% lows of about 102 FPS compared to the 104 FPS of the RX 6900 XT.
• The RTX 4070 only drew 156 Watts of power, whereas the RX 6900 XT drew much more at 199 Watts.
• Thermal performance was again close in this test, with the RX 6900 XT peaking at about 59°C while the RTX 4070 was slightly warmer at 62°C.

Cyberpunk 2077 (RT OFF)

• In Cyberpunk 2077 with RT off, the RTX 4070 got 72 FPS, whereas the RX 6900 XT outperformed it with an average of 96 FPS.
• The 4070 had 1% lows of 52 FPS, whereas the RX 6900 XT stayed above the 60 FPS mark at 67 FPS.
• The RTX 4070 pulled about 187 Watts of power while playing Cyberpunk, while the RX 6900 XT had a power draw of 284 Watts.
• The 6900 XT stayed cooler during this test, with a temperature of 65°C compared to the RTX 4070 at a temperature of 67°C.

Ray-Tracing: Cyberpunk 2077 (RT Ultra) 

• Turing on Ultra Ray Tracing in Cyberpunk, we see that for the first time in our testing, the RTX 4070 beats the 6900 XT in average framerates. The RTX 4070 had an average of 34 FPS, whereas the RX 6900 XT had an average of 26 FPS.
• Once again, in 1% lows, the RTX 4070 beat the RX 6900 XT, with 1% lows of about 28 FPS, compared to 20 FPS.
• The RTX 4070 pulled about 179 Watts of power while playing Cyberpunk with Ray Tracing enabled, while the RX 6900 XT had a power draw of 285 Watts.
• Turning on Ray Tracing equalized the temperatures somewhat, with both cards peaking at 69°C.

Also Read: RTX 4080 Vs RX 6900 XT

Spiderman Miles Morales (RT OFF)

• With Ray Tracing off in Spiderman Miles Morales, the RTX 4070 had an average of 119 FPS, whereas the RX 6900 XT had an average of 121 FPS.
• In 1% lows, the RTX 4070 beat the RX 6900 XT, with 1% lows of about 77 FPS, compared to 75 FPS.
• The RTX 4070 pulled about 169 Watts of power while playing Miles Morales without Ray Tracing enabled, while the RX 6900 XT had a power draw of 248 Watts.
• In this test, both cards peaked at 66°C.

Ray-Tracing: Spiderman Miles Morales (RT Ultra)

• Turing on Ultra Ray Tracing in Spiderman: Miles Morales, we see that the RTX 4070 beats the 6900 XT in average framerates for the first time in our testing. The RTX 4070 had an average of 59 FPS, whereas the RX 6900 XT had an average of 40 FPS.
• Once again, in 1% lows, the RTX 4070 beat the RX 6900 XT, with 1% lows of about 41 FPS, compared to 18 FPS.
• The RTX 4070 pulled about 176 Watts of power while playing Spiderman: Miles Morales with Ray Tracing enabled, while the RX 6900 XT had a power draw of 286 Watts.
• In this test, Ray Tracing turned up the heat for both cards, with the RX 6900 XT reaching 71°C while the RTX 4070 was slightly cooler at 67°C.

Overall Gaming Analysis

In this comparison section, we will examine every aspect of our RTX 4070 vs RX 6900 XT gaming tests in more detail.

Frame Rates

In our testing, the RX 6900 XT outperformed the RTX 4070 by 17% with an average framerate of 123.6 FPS, compared to 105.6 FPS on the RTX 4070. The AMD card outperforms the RTX in every benchmark except in ray-tracing tests, where the RTX 4070 performed better due to its AI capabilities. The 1% low performance was much closer, with the RTX 4070 at 74.8 FPS and the RX 6900 XT at 84.8 FPS.

Also Read: RTX 3080 Vs RX 6900 XT

DLSS 3.0 was not utilized in these tests due to its unavailability on AMD, but using it on the RTX 4070 can result in a 30-40% performance boost.

Power Consumption

The RTX 4070 and ADA Lovelace GPUs have exceptional performance per watt due to using smaller processing nodes. Compared to the RTX 30 series, the RTX 40 series achieves the same performance level with significantly lower power consumption, improving it significantly over the previous generation.

On average, the RTX 4070 drew about 177.3 Watts of power, whereas the RX 6900 XT had an average power draw of about 271.3 Watts. This result gave the RTX 4070 a clear win in the power efficiency department.

Thermals

Switching gears to thermals, the RTX 4070 keeps itself exceptionally cool for the space it occupies. On the other hand, the RX 6900 XT is a monster of a card that draws a lot of power and tries its best to dissipate it.

In our tests, the RTX 4070 had an average temperature of 62.8°C compared to the RX 6900 XT, which had an average temperature of 64.5°C. Both of these temperatures are acceptable for the performance each provides. Still, the lower temperatures on the RTX 4070 give way to better longevity and easier overclocking.

To ensure your graphics card doesn’t overheat, read our article on safe idle GPU temperatures.

Price And Availability

The RTX 4070 has a launch MSRP of $600, whereas the RX 6900 XT has a launch MSRP of about $999. AMD has cut down the official price of the RX 6900 XT to $599, making it the perfect competitor to the RTX 4070.

Also Check: RTX 4070 Vs RTX 3070 Ti

The RX 6900 XT is a widely available card, and you should be able to find it at any computer store of your liking. The RTX 4070, while not as popular as the xx60 or xx80 series of GPUs, should still be available at any brick-and-mortar/online store of your choosing.

Which One Should You Go For?

Going through our RTX 4070 vs RX 6900 XT comparison, you might think that the winner is as clear as day, but the result of this comparison depends on the criteria you have set for your new graphics card.

If you have some constraints on the power draw, longevity, or the volume of your graphics card, it might be better to get the RTX 4070 because of its low power consumption, recent launch, and tiny form factor.

For everyone else who wants to get the most performance for your dollar, the RX 6900 XT is a no-brainer.

Pros And Cons