AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT & RX 9070 “RDNA 4” GPU Performance Review: Rasterization & Ray Tracing for Enhanced 4K & 1440P Gaming

AMD has recently unveiled its Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 GPUs built on the RDNA 4 architecture, targeting gamers seeking performance in 4K and 1440p gaming without breaking the bank.

AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT & RX 9070 Performance Insights: Competing with NVIDIA’s Blackwell

This article explores various reviews highlighting the performance metrics of the new AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 graphics cards. Although our own detailed analysis is forthcoming—delayed due to shipment issues—rest assured that these GPUs are now in our test environment, and we will share our insights soon.

AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT & RX 9070 GPU Performance Preview

The specifications and pricing of the RX 9070 models have already been announced. We will review the first-party metrics provided by AMD, derived from performance tests using a system equipped with an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D. Comparisons include the Radeon RX 7900 GRE, NVIDIA’s RTX 4070 Ti SUPER, and RTX 4070 SUPER.

Rasterization Performance: A Closer Look

Initially, let’s examine the native 4K performance. The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT exhibits a remarkable 36% improvement over the Radeon RX 7900 GRE, while showing a 12% edge against the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER. Conversely, the non-XT RX 9070 shows a 15% performance uplift over the 7900 GRE and outpaces the RTX 4070 SUPER by 17%.

4K Native Performance: Radeon RX 9070 XT

Game	Radeon RX 9070 XT	Radeon RX 7900 GRE	RTX 4070 Ti SUPER	% Faster Than RX 7900 GRE	% Faster Than RTX 4070 Ti
Alan Wake 2 (DX12, High)	46 FPS	34 FPS	39 FPS	+36%	+17%
Average	87 FPS	64 FPS	78 FPS	+36%	+12%

4K Native Performance: Radeon RX 9070

Game	Radeon RX 9070	Radeon RX 7900 GRE	RTX 4070 SUPER	% Faster Than RX 7900 GRE	% Faster Than RTX 4070 SUPER
Alan Wake 2 (DX12, High)	40 FPS	34 FPS	33 FPS	+17%	+22%
Average	75 FPS	65 FPS	64 FPS	+15%	+17%

1440P Gaming Performance Metrics

In 1440p gaming scenarios, the RX 9070 XT delivers an average of 31% more performance than the Radeon RX 7900 GRE and surpasses the RTX 4070 Ti by 10%.Meanwhile, the non-XT RX 9070 offers a 15% lead over the 7900 GRE and a 13% advantage over the RTX 4070 SUPER.

1440p Performance: Radeon RX 9070 XT

Game	Radeon RX 9070 XT	Radeon RX 7900 GRE	RTX 4070 Ti SUPER	% Faster Than RX 7900 GRE	% Faster Than RTX 4070 Ti
Alan Wake 2 (DX12, High)	81 FPS	61 FPS	70 FPS	+33%	+15%
Average	149 FPS	114 FPS	136 FPS	+31%	+10%

1440p Performance: Radeon RX 9070

Game	Radeon RX 9070	Radeon RX 7900 GRE	RTX 4070 SUPER	% Faster Than RX 7900 GRE	% Faster Than RTX 4070 SUPER
Alan Wake 2 (DX12, High)	71 FPS	61 FPS	59 FPS	+17%	+20%
Average	131 FPS	114 FPS	116 FPS	+15%	+13%

Ray Tracing Performance Improvements

The RX 9070 XT shows a significant enhancement in ray tracing capabilities, achieving a 49% boost over the RX 7900 GRE and a 6% edge against the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER. The RX 9070, on average, is 24% faster than the 7900 GRE and 10% faster compared to the RTX 4070 SUPER.

Ray Tracing Performance: Radeon RX 9070 XT

Game	Radeon RX 9070 XT	Radeon RX 7900 GRE	RTX 4070 Ti SUPER	% Faster Than RX 7900 GRE	% Faster Than RTX 4070 Ti
Alan Wake 2 (DX12, High with Medium RT)	20 FPS	13 FPS	21 FPS	+49%	-6%
Average	55 FPS	37 FPS	52 FPS	+49%	+6%

FSR 4 Performance Metrics

AMD has provided some compelling FSR 4 performance metrics. Users can experience improvements ranging from 2x to 2.8x using the quality preset, while the performance preset can boost FPS by as much as 3.7x.

FSR 4 Performance: Radeon RX 9070 XT

Game / AVG. FPS	Radeon RX 9070 XT	+ AI-Upscaling	+ Frame Gen	Performance Uplift
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (Extreme)	73 (Native 4K)	106 (FSR 4 – Quality)	176 (In-Game Frame Gen)	2.4x

Synthetic Benchmark Scores

Preliminary benchmarks indicate notable ray tracing scores in the 3DMark Port Royal and Speedway tests, showcasing the performance efficiency of the RX 9070 series. Specific scores highlight competitive positioning within the GPU market.

Conclusion: Competitive Market Landscape

With compelling performance metrics, the Radeon RX 9070 series is designed to compete effectively against NVIDIA’s RTX 5070 lineup. The RX 9070 XT is priced just $50 higher than the anticipated MSRP of the RTX 5070, offering superior rasterization and ray-tracing capabilities. Additionally, its non-XT variant boasts greater VRAM than the RTX 5070, making it an attractive option for gamers.

However, AMD’s ability to meet demand may vary compared to NVIDIA, which has faced challenges with supply and pricing. As we await further developments, the gaming community remains eager to see how these new cards will perform in real-world scenarios.

Technical Overview: The RDNA 4 Architecture

The RX 9070 GPU incorporates a cut-down Navi 48 (XL) WeU configured with 56 compute units, translating to 4096 cores. It is supported by 128 ROPS and features ray tracing functionality alongside AI acceleration. With a reference clock speed of up to 2970 MHz, factory overclocks exceeding 3 GHz are anticipated, all while maintaining a Total Board Power (TBP) of 220W, notably lower than the RX 7700 XT by 25W.

Pricing & Availability

The RX 9070 XT is set to retail at $599, strategically positioned between the RTX 5070 and 5070 Ti, while the RX 9070 is priced at $549. Notably, the RX 9070 offers more VRAM—16GB to the 12GB present in its competitors—enhancing its competitiveness. Both GPUs are anticipated to be available on March 6, with various AIB models from manufacturers such as ASUS, ASRock, Gigabyte, and more.

Specifications of AMD Radeon RX 9000 “RDNA 4″GPUs

GPU	Radeon RX 9070 XT	Radeon RX 9070	Radeon RX 9060 XT	Radeon RX 9060
Architecture	RDNA 4	RDNA 4	RDNA 4	RDNA 4

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