AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT Priced at $599 & RX 9070 at $549 Released: RDNA 4 GPU Up to 2.97 GHz, 16 GB RAM, Up to 68% Performance Boost Over 7900 GRE

AMD has made a significant entry into the gaming graphics market with the launch of its latest Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 GPUs, priced at $599 and $549 USD, respectively. These new releases herald a robust option for gamers seeking high performance without breaking the bank.

Introducing the Next Level of Gaming: Radeon RX 9070 XT & RX 9070

Today marks an exciting moment for gamers as AMD unveils the carefully crafted Radeon RX 9000 series, featuring cutting-edge RDNA 4 architecture. The spotlight shines on the Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070, each designed to deliver impressive gaming performance at competitive pricing.

AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 Launch

Notably absent from the launch lineup are the anticipated high-end WeUs like the RX 9080. AMD has strategically chosen to concentrate on capturing the high-end and mainstream gaming market segments rather than spreading resources thin across various GPU classes. This bold approach aims to enhance their market share and set RDNA 4 for a successful run.

With the stage set, let’s delve deeper into what the specifications for the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 entail before we explore their performance metrics.

Specifications Breakdown: AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT

The Radeon RX 9070 XT is engineered with the full Navi 48 (XT) configuration, featuring 64 compute units and a total of 3584 cores. It boasts 128 render output units (ROPs), 56 ray tracing accelerators, and 112 AI accelerators. The GPU operates at a base clock speed of up to 2520 MHz, maintaining a total board power (TBP) of 220W, representing a slight increase of around 17% compared to previous models like the RX 7900 GRE and RX 7800 XT.

Memory-wise, the RX 9070 XT is equipped with 16 GB of GDDR6 RAM operating at 20 Gbps on a 256-bit bus, delivering a substantial bandwidth of 640 GB/s. The inclusion of 64 MB of 3rd Gen Infinity Cache adds to its efficiency while utilizing PCIe 5.0 x16 compatibility. However, the reference design will not be sold to consumers.

AMD Radeon RX 9070: A Balanced Performer

Turning to the RX 9070, this model features a cut-down version of the Navi 48 (XL) with 56 compute units, amounting to 4096 cores. It shares similar attributes with its sibling, including 128 ROPs and 56 ray tracing accelerators, but benefits from a clock speed that peaks at 2970 MHz, potentially surpassing 3 GHz with factory overclocks. Its TBP stands at 220W, representing a 25W reduction compared to the RX 7700 XT.

Like the RX 9070 XT, this model comes with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory at a 20 Gbps bandwidth on a 256-bit interface, achieving the same bandwidth of 640 GB/s alongside the 64 MB of Infinity Cache and PCIe 5.0 x16 support.

The AMD Radeon RX 9000 Series: A Quick Overview

Graphics Card	GPU	Cores	Max Clock	Memory	Total Board Power
Radeon RX 9070 XTX?	Ship 48 @ 4nm	4096	TBD	32 GB GDDR6 (256-bit)	TBD
Radeon RX 9070 XT	Ship 48 @ 4nm	4096	TBD	16 GB GDDR6 (256-bit)	304W
Radeon RX 9070	Ship 48 @ 4nm	3584	TBD	16 GB GDDR6 (256-bit)	220W
Radeon RX 9060 XT	Ship 44 @ 4nm	TBD	TBD	8 GB GDDR6 (128-bit?)	TBD
Radeon RX 9060	Ship 44 @ 4nm	TBD	TBD	8 GB GDDR6 (128-bit?)	TBD

Performance Insights for RDNA 4

As part of the launch, AMD provided initial performance benchmarks for the Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070. The results are promising:

Radeon RX 9070 XT outperforms RX 6900 XT by an average of +51% at 4K Max settings.
Compared to RX 7900 GRE, it shows a notable +42% increase at 4K Max.
Versus the RTX 3090, it delivers an impressive +26% gain at 4K Max.
In 1440P Max settings, the RX 9070 XT shows a +38% improvement over RX 7900 GRE.

The RX 9070 XT achieves an average improvement of 42% at 4K and 38% at 1440P compared to the RX 7900 GRE, with specific gains reaching up to 44% in native rasterized titles and as high as 68% in ray tracing scenarios. AMD has yet to provide comparative results against newer models like the RTX 4090, which could have provided a more relevant benchmark.

The Radeon RX 9070 shows a +38% faster performance over RX 6800 XT at 4K.
It registers a +21% improvement against the RX 7900 GRE at 4K Max settings.
Against the RTX 3080, it boasts a +26% average speed increase at 4K.
At 1440P Max settings, the RX 9070 demonstrates a +20% performance boost over the RX 7900 GRE.

In the case of the RX 9070, AMD asserts an average increase of 21% over the RX 7900 GRE at 4K and a 20% boost at 1440P, with maximum gains reaching 28% in rasterized and up to 34% in ray tracing performances. Comparisons against previous generation models like the RX 6800 XT and RTX 3080 are present, but a more relevant analysis against current contenders, such as the RTX 4070 Ti and RX 7900 XT, would be beneficial given their competitive pricing.

Enhanced Gaming Experience with FSR 4 & HYPR-RX

AMD unveils HYPR-RX performance metrics that illustrate nearly threefold gains compared to native rendering through advanced upscaling and frame generation technologies in titles like Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 and Kingdom Come Deliverance 2.

In the enthusiastic test of Space Marine 2 at 4K resolution, the application of FSR 4 resulted in frame rate increases from an average of 53 FPS rendered natively to an astonishing 182 FPS in performance mode.

AMD’s key emphasis on FSR 4 and HYPR-RX performance illustrates the potential for average frame rates exceeding 150-200 FPS in various games, compared to a standard 60–90 FPS at native resolution.

For those invested in artificial intelligence applications, AMD’s Radeon RX 9000 GPUs also signify a substantial improvement over the previous RDNA 3 series, promising an uplift of 55% in AI tasks and a boost of 16.25% for content creation workflows. General AI performance is enhanced up to 4.1x with ONNX runtime optimizations, alongside significant reductions in memory usage.

AI Performance Metrics for Radeon RX3000

Pricing and Availability Insights

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT is set to retail at $599 USD, strategically positioned within the competitive landscape against the RTX 5070 and RTX 5070 Ti. Priced $100 higher than the current $499 of the RX 7900 GRE, the RX 9070 sits at $549 USD, offering more VRAM than the RTX 5070’s 12 GB, presenting an attractive choice for gamers looking for high performance.

Availability of these new graphics cards is anticipated on the 6th of March, with various models from leading partners including Acer, ASUS, ASRock, Gigabyte, PowerColor, Sapphire, XFX, Yeston, and Vastarmor to hit the shelves.