The AMD Radeon RX 9070 has entered the market at a peculiar time for graphics cards. It comes right after the launch of Nvidia’s latest generation, placing the $549 Radeon RX 9070 in direct competition with the underwhelming GeForce RTX 5070. In this head-to-head, AMD emerges victorious, making the Radeon RX 9070 an excellent choice for 1440p gaming enthusiasts.
However, the decision isn't as straightforward as it seems, and AMD has only itself to blame. The Radeon RX 9070 is just $50 less expensive than the superior Radeon RX 9070 XT. While the price difference is mathematically justified—the RX 9070 is approximately 8% slower and 9% cheaper than the RX 9070 XT—it's challenging to justify not spending the additional $50 for enhanced performance. Yet, when choosing between these two AMD offerings, Team Red's options look promising.
Purchasing Guide
----------------The AMD Radeon RX 9070 launches on March 6, starting at $549. However, expect various models to be priced higher. To get the best value, consider purchasing a model as close to the starting price as possible, especially given its proximity to the Radeon RX 9070 XT's price point.
AMD Radeon RX 9070 – Photos
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Specs and Features
------------------Like the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT, the RX 9070 is built on the new RDNA 4 graphics architecture. This cutting-edge technology significantly boosts performance, allowing the RX 9070 to outperform the previous generation's Radeon RX 7900 GRE by a wide margin, despite having 30% fewer compute units.
The Radeon RX 9070 boasts 56 Compute Units, each equipped with 64 Streaming Multiprocessors (SMs), totaling 3,584 shaders. Each compute unit also includes one Ray Accelerator and two AI Accelerators, resulting in 56 and 112 total, respectively. The enhancements to the Ray and AI Accelerators enable the RX 9070 to excel in games with ray tracing. Additionally, the improved AI Accelerators have facilitated the introduction of FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) 4, marking the first time AMD graphics cards feature AI upscaling.
Similar to the RX 9070 XT, the RX 9070 comes with 16GB of GDDR6 VRAM on a 256-bit bus, mirroring the memory configuration of the 7900 GRE. This setup should suffice for 1440p gaming for years to come. Although it would have been advantageous for AMD to adopt GDDR7 like Nvidia, doing so might have increased the price.
AMD recommends a minimum 550W power supply for the RX 9070, which has a power budget of 220W. My testing showed peak consumption at 249W, slightly above the budget. While this doesn't necessitate better cooling, I suggest opting for at least a 600W PSU for safety.
It's worth noting that AMD isn't releasing a reference design for the RX 9070, a departure from recent generations. Consequently, all versions will be produced by third-party board manufacturers. I tested the Gigabyte Radeon RX 9070 Gaming OC 16G, a robust triple-slot card with a slight factory overclock.
FSR4
----Since the advent of DLSS in 2018, AI upscaling has become a top method for enhancing performance without significantly compromising image quality. Previously exclusive to Nvidia, AI upscaling is now available on AMD GPUs with the introduction of FSR 4.
FSR 4 utilizes previous frames and in-game data, processing them through an AI model to upscale lower resolution images to your native resolution. This differs from the Temporal upscaling in FSR 3, which lacked an AI algorithm and could result in artifacts like ghosting.
However, the AI model in FSR 4 incurs a slight performance cost. For example, in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 at 1440p on the Extreme preset, FSR 3 achieves 165 fps, while FSR 4 drops to 159 fps. Similarly, in Monster Hunter Wilds at 4K with ray tracing enabled, the RX 9070 gets 81 fps with FSR 3, but 76 fps with FSR 4.
Fortunately, the Adrenalin software includes a toggle to switch between FSR 3 and FSR 4, allowing you to choose between better image quality or slightly better performance. As a fan of single-player games, I prefer FSR 4, but for fast-paced online games like Marvel Rivals, you might opt for FSR 3.
AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT & 9070 – Benchmarks
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Performance
-----------Priced at $549, the AMD Radeon RX 9070 directly competes with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070, often outperforming it. At 1440p, this mid-range GPU averages 12% faster than the RTX 5070 and boasts a 22% lead over its predecessor, the RX 7900 GRE, which also launched at $549 in 2024. This represents a significant leap forward, especially considering the RX 9070 has 30% fewer cores.
It's important to note that I tested a factory overclocked version of the RX 9070, the Gigabyte Radeon RX 9070 Gaming OC. While the exact specs weren't available at the time of writing, GPU-Z reported a boost clock of 2,700Mhz, a 7% increase. This should translate to a 4-5% performance boost.
All graphics cards were tested using their latest public drivers at the time of writing. Nvidia cards used Game Ready driver 572.60, while AMD cards used Adrenalin 24.12.1. The RX 9070 and 9070 XT were tested on review drivers provided by AMD, as was the RTX 5070 with Nvidia’s review drivers.
In 3DMark, which measures potential performance, the RX 9070 scores 5,828 points in the Speed Way test with ray tracing enabled, nearly matching the RTX 5070's 5,845 points. However, in the Steel Nomad test without ray tracing, the RX 9070 significantly outperforms the RTX 5070, scoring 6,050 to 5,034—a 20% difference at the same price.
Test System
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D Motherboard: Asus ROG Crosshair X870E Hero RAM: 32GB G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo @ 6,000MHz SSD: 4TB Samsung 990 Pro CPU Cooler: Asus ROG Ryujin III 360Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, showcased by AMD at CES 2025, sees the RX 9070 excel. At 1440p with FSR 3 set to Balanced, it achieves 165 fps, compared to 131 fps from the RTX 5070 and 143 fps from the RX 7900 GRE—a 26% and 15% lead, respectively.
In Cyberpunk 2077, traditionally favoring Nvidia, the RX 9070 still manages a 3% lead over the RTX 5070 at 1440p with the Ray Tracing Ultra preset—a notable achievement for AMD.
Testing Metro Exodus without upscaling, the RX 9070 averages 71 fps, compared to 64 fps from the RTX 5070—an 11% lead in another Nvidia-favored game.
Red Dead Redemption 2 using Vulkan sees the RX 9070 achieve 142 fps at 1440p, significantly outperforming the RTX 5070's 115 fps—a 23% lead.
In Total War: Warhammer 3, the RX 9070 leads at 4K but is neck-and-neck with the RTX 5070 at 1440p, with scores of 135 fps and 134 fps, respectively.
Assassin's Creed Mirage sees the RX 9070 achieve 193 fps at 1440p with the Ultra preset and FSR set to Balanced, an 18% lead over the RTX 5070's 163 fps.
Black Myth Wukong, another Nvidia-favored game, results in a close contest, with the RX 9070 achieving 67 fps compared to the RTX 5070's 66 fps at 1440p.
Forza Horizon 5, despite its age, benefits from high frame rates. At 1440p, the RX 9070 averages 185 fps, compared to 168 fps from the RTX 5070 and 152 fps from the RX 7900 GRE—a 12% and 25% difference, respectively.
Launching shortly after the GeForce RTX 5070 has proven advantageous for AMD. Both cards are priced at $549, but the Radeon RX 9070 consistently outperforms the RTX 5070 across various tests. Moreover, with 16GB of VRAM, the RX 9070 is better equipped for future-proofing, despite using slightly slower GDDR6 compared to the RTX 5070's GDDR7. Even if performance were equal, the RX 9070's 33% more VRAM makes it the superior value. Combined with its better performance, the Radeon RX 9070 is a clear winner.
