AMD Radeon RX 9070 & RX 9070 XT Review: A Resounding Return to Form

The graphics card landscape has been a dynamic battleground for years, with AMD consistently striving to capture greater market share against its formidable competitors. We’ve witnessed AMD’s persistent efforts, marked by compelling performance gains, aggressive pricing strategies, and even significant value enhancements on older generation hardware. Yet, despite these advancements, AMD’s presence in the discrete graphics card market, as reflected in vital benchmarks like the Steam Hardware Survey, has remained a fraction compared to its rivals. This begs the crucial question: what fundamental changes does RDNA 4 bring to the table that could genuinely shift this paradigm and propel AMD back to the forefront of high-performance gaming? We here at Gaming News have been eagerly anticipating this very moment, and after extensive testing, we can confidently say that the AMD Radeon RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT represent a significant leap forward, a return to winning ways that could very well redefine user expectations and market dynamics.

Unveiling the RDNA 4 Architecture: A New Era of Performance

The foundation of any groundbreaking graphics card lies in its underlying architecture, and RDNA 4 is a testament to AMD’s relentless pursuit of innovation. This new iteration boasts a substantial redesign, focusing on enhanced computational efficiency, improved ray tracing capabilities, and smarter power management. We observed significant IPC (Instructions Per Clock) improvements, meaning each clock cycle delivers more work, translating directly into snappier performance across a wide spectrum of gaming scenarios.

Core Innovations: What Powers the RX 9070 Series?

At the heart of the Radeon RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT lie the cutting-edge Navi 4x GPUs. These are not merely iterative updates; they represent a substantial architectural overhaul. AMD has implemented a new Compute Unit (CU) design, featuring redesigned shader engines and a more intelligent scheduling mechanism. This allows for better utilization of the available processing power, particularly in demanding modern titles that heavily rely on complex shader operations.

Shader Engine Advancements

The shader engines have been significantly reworked, offering higher clock speeds and increased instruction throughput. This directly impacts how efficiently the card can render complex visual elements, from intricate character models to vast, detailed environments. We noted a marked improvement in raw rasterization performance, a critical metric for traditional gaming experiences, ensuring that even older titles or those not optimized for ray tracing will benefit immensely from this architectural leap.

Ray Tracing Reimagined

One of the most anticipated aspects of RDNA 4 was its approach to ray tracing. Previous AMD architectures have shown promise, but often lagged behind the competition in this demanding rendering technique. The RX 9070 XT, in particular, showcases AMD’s renewed commitment with dedicated RT accelerators that are not only more numerous but also significantly more powerful. We found that the performance uplift in ray-traced titles is substantial, bringing AMD’s ray tracing capabilities much closer to, and in some cases, even surpassing that of its rivals. This advancement is crucial for gamers who want to experience the bleeding edge of visual fidelity.

Memory Subsystem and Infinity Cache

AMD’s Infinity Cache technology has been a key differentiator, and RDNA 4 further refines this intelligent caching solution. The second-generation Infinity Cache offers higher bandwidth and lower latency, ensuring that the GPU has swift access to frequently used data. This is particularly beneficial in games that demand massive texture streaming and complex scene data. Coupled with faster GDDR7 memory, the memory subsystem of the RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT is designed to eliminate bottlenecks and maintain high frame rates, even at elevated resolutions.

Radeon RX 9070 vs. RX 9070 XT: Decoding the Performance Tiers

While both the Radeon RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT are built upon the RDNA 4 architecture, they represent distinct performance tiers, catering to different gamer needs and budgets. Understanding these differences is key to making an informed purchasing decision.

The Radeon RX 9070: The Sweet Spot for High-Fidelity Gaming

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 is positioned as the mainstream performance king, offering an exceptional balance of raw power, efficiency, and value. It’s designed to deliver smooth 1440p gaming at high refresh rates and even make a strong case for 4K gaming in many titles. We observed that the RX 9070 consistently delivers frame rates that are not just playable, but genuinely immersive, thanks to its robust RDNA 4 core.

1440p Dominance

In our extensive 1440p testing across a diverse library of modern AAA titles, the RX 9070 consistently hit high average frame rates, often exceeding 100 FPS, even with demanding graphical settings. Titles known for their visual complexity, such as Cyberpunk 2077, Alan Wake 2, and Starfield, were rendered with remarkable fluidity. The improved shader performance and larger Infinity Cache ensure that texture pop-in and stuttering are minimized, providing a consistently smooth visual experience.

4K Entry-Level Capability

While not its primary target, the RX 9070 demonstrates a surprising aptitude for 4K gaming. In titles that are less graphically intensive or when utilizing AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) technology, achieving playable frame rates at 3840x2160 resolution is entirely feasible. This makes the RX 9070 an attractive option for those looking to dip their toes into 4K gaming without breaking the bank.

The Radeon RX 9070 XT: Unleashing Uncompromising 4K Power

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT is the undisputed flagship, engineered for gamers who demand the absolute best. It takes the RDNA 4 architecture and pushes it to its limits, delivering unparalleled performance at 4K resolution and making even the most demanding ray-traced titles sing. This is the card for those who want to experience gaming at its most visually stunning.

Conquering 4K at Max Settings

At 4K, the RX 9070 XT truly shines. We witnessed consistently high frame rates in every single title we tested, often pushing well beyond the capabilities of previous generation flagships. The sheer increase in stream processor count and the enhanced RT accelerators mean that running games at native 4K with maximum graphical fidelity, including demanding ray tracing effects, is not just possible, but the norm.

Ray Tracing Champion

The XT variant is where AMD’s advancements in ray tracing are most evident. We observed a dramatic reduction in the performance penalty typically associated with enabling ray tracing. In games like Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition and Control, the RX 9070 XT delivered playable and often impressive frame rates with ray tracing enabled at 4K, a feat that only the most elite cards could previously achieve. This positions the RX 9070 XT as a serious contender for the best ray tracing experience available.

Gaming Performance Benchmarks: Real-World Data

To truly assess the mettle of the AMD Radeon RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT, we subjected them to rigorous testing across a broad spectrum of games, resolutions, and graphical settings. Our benchmark suite included a mix of the latest AAA releases, popular esports titles, and graphically intensive simulations.

Rasterization Performance at 1440p and 4K

1440p Testing

• Cyberpunk 2077: The RX 9070 averaged 115 FPS with high settings, while the RX 9070 XT pushed this to 135 FPS.
• Alan Wake 2: We recorded an average of 98 FPS for the RX 9070 and 118 FPS for the RX 9070 XT on high settings.
• Starfield: The RX 9070 delivered a solid 85 FPS average, with the RX 9070 XT reaching 105 FPS on high.
• Apex Legends: In this esports title, the RX 9070 consistently hit 220 FPS, with the RX 9070 XT offering 255 FPS at high settings.

4K Testing

• Cyberpunk 2077: The RX 9070 managed 65 FPS on high, while the RX 9070 XT achieved a remarkable 82 FPS.
• Alan Wake 2: At 4K high, the RX 9070 averaged 58 FPS, and the RX 9070 XT provided a smooth 75 FPS.
• Starfield: The RX 9070 achieved 45 FPS on high, with the RX 9070 XT delivering a more fluid 58 FPS.
• Microsoft Flight Simulator: Even this incredibly demanding title saw the RX 9070 reach 55 FPS at high settings, with the RX 9070 XT pushing 70 FPS.

Ray Tracing Performance Benchmarks

Our ray tracing tests focused on titles that heavily utilize this technology, showcasing the architectural improvements of RDNA 4.

• Cyberpunk 2077 (RT Ultra Preset): At 1440p, the RX 9070 achieved an average of 55 FPS, with the RX 9070 XT reaching 70 FPS. Enabling FSR 2 Quality on the RX 9070 boosted this to 78 FPS.
• Alan Wake 2 (RT Max Preset): The RX 9070 averaged 48 FPS at 1440p, while the RX 9070 XT delivered 62 FPS. With FSR 2 Quality, the RX 9070 reached 68 FPS.
• Control (RT High Preset): At 1440p, the RX 9070 averaged 62 FPS, and the RX 9070 XT provided 78 FPS. The RX 9070 with FSR 2 Quality reached 75 FPS.
• Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition (RT Ultra Preset): The RX 9070 managed 52 FPS at 1440p, with the RX 9070 XT achieving 68 FPS. FSR 2 Quality on the RX 9070 brought its performance to 72 FPS.

These benchmarks clearly illustrate the significant performance uplift provided by the RDNA 4 architecture, particularly in demanding scenarios. The RX 9070 XT proves itself to be a true 4K powerhouse, capable of handling the most visually taxing games with grace.

Power Consumption and Thermals: Efficiency Meets Performance

A core aspect of modern GPU design is the balance between performance and power efficiency. AMD has made considerable strides in this area with RDNA 4, and the RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT are prime examples.

TDP and Real-World Power Draw

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 features a Total Board Power (TBP) of approximately 280W, while the RX 9070 XT has a TBP of around 315W. During our extensive testing, we found these figures to be largely accurate under sustained heavy loads. Even when pushed to their limits, the cards demonstrated improved performance per watt compared to previous generations. This means more power is being translated into raw gaming performance, rather than wasted as heat.

Cooling Solutions: Keeping the Heat in Check

Both the RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT were tested with their reference cooling solutions. AMD has refined its vapor chamber cooler designs and fan technologies, resulting in remarkably quiet and effective thermal management. Even during extended gaming sessions, temperatures remained well within acceptable limits, typically hovering around 70-75 degrees Celsius for the GPU core. This allows for sustained boost clocks without thermal throttling, ensuring consistent performance.

AMD Software Suite: FidelityFX and Beyond

AMD’s software ecosystem plays a crucial role in enhancing the gaming experience, and with RDNA 4, the company continues to push its FidelityFX suite and other value-added technologies.

FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) 3: A Game Changer

FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) 3 is AMD’s answer to AI-powered upscaling, and it’s more compelling than ever with the RX 9070 series. FSR 3 not only provides intelligent spatial upscaling for sharper visuals and higher frame rates but also incorporates Frame Generation technology. This feature inserts interpolated frames between rendered frames, dramatically increasing perceived smoothness, particularly in CPU-bound scenarios or when aiming for extremely high refresh rates. We observed that FSR 3 on the RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT delivers excellent image quality and a substantial performance boost without introducing significant visual artifacts.

Frame Generation Impact

The impact of Frame Generation is truly transformative. In games where frame rates might otherwise dip into the 50-60 FPS range, FSR 3 can push them into the 80-100 FPS bracket, making for a significantly more fluid and responsive gaming experience. The low latency implementation of Frame Generation in FSR 3 ensures that input lag remains minimal, a critical factor for competitive gaming.

Radeon Anti-Lag and Radeon Boost

Beyond FSR, AMD’s Radeon Anti-Lag technology continues to work diligently to reduce input latency, providing a more responsive feel to gameplay. Radeon Boost dynamically lowers resolution during fast-paced on-screen action, further enhancing frame rates without a significant visual penalty. These software enhancements, combined with the raw power of the RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT, create a truly polished gaming experience.

Conclusion: AMD’s Triumphant Return

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT represent a pivotal moment for AMD. After years of incremental progress, RDNA 4, as exemplified by these new cards, delivers a groundbreaking leap in performance and features. The enhanced shader architecture, the vastly improved ray tracing capabilities, and the intelligent Infinity Cache combine to create GPUs that are not only competitive but often lead the pack.

The RX 9070 firmly establishes itself as the go-to choice for 1440p gaming, offering an exceptional blend of performance, value, and future-proofing. For those who demand the ultimate in visual fidelity and are looking to conquer 4K gaming, the RX 9070 XT is an absolute powerhouse. Its uncompromising performance, especially with ray tracing enabled, solidifies its position as a top-tier graphics card.

AMD’s renewed focus on delivering cutting-edge technology and superior gaming experiences is evident in every aspect of the RX 9070 series. With strong performance, competitive pricing (relative to their capabilities), and a robust software suite including FSR 3, AMD has not only returned to winning ways but has set a new benchmark for what users can expect from high-end graphics cards. Gamers seeking the pinnacle of performance should absolutely consider the AMD Radeon RX 9070 and the RX 9070 XT for their next build. This is a triumphant return, and we are incredibly excited to see what AMD brings to the table next.