AMD Radeon RX 9070 Assessment

AMD seems to have hit it out of the park with the Radeon 9070 XT. Opinions have been universally positive, and reception from avid gamers has been even higher. Now, AMD simply must observe by way of with the subsequent step: getting these GPUs into the fingers of avid gamers on the anticipated MSRP. Hopefully, we’ll see this occur over the subsequent few days.

Earlier than that, we have to take a more in-depth take a look at the cheaper possibility – the Radeon RX 9070 (the non-XT mannequin). Apparently, AMD has priced it at $550, the identical alleged MSRP because the RTX 5070.

The brand new vanilla Radeon RX 9070 ought to typically be sooner than Nvidia’s RTX 5070, no less than primarily based on what we saw from the XT earlier than. As an added bonus, AMD’s GPU comes with extra VRAM – 16GB vs. 12GB for the GeForce, which is lower than very best for these seeking to take full benefit of RTX options like body era and ray tracing.

Nevertheless, in our opinion, the RTX 5070 competitors is not the largest difficulty for the RX 9070 – that might be its massive brother, the 9070 XT, which is fetching a mere further $50.

This implies the usual RX 9070 is providing a small 8% low cost, which by itself might not appear to be a lot. Nevertheless, wanting on the specs, it has 13% fewer cores and texture mapping items, suggesting that the efficiency downgrade will probably be larger than the value distinction suggests.

We’ve got a whole lot of information to go over, however earlier than diving into efficiency benchmarks, let’s check out a few of the graphics playing cards now we have readily available to check.

The Playing cards

For testing, we used the Sapphire Pure RX 9070, together with the PowerColor Hellhound and XFX Quicksilver. Let’s have a look at how they evaluate.

The Hellhound had a GPU junction temperature of 59°C, whereas the Quicksilver was barely cooler at 58°C. The Pure was the good of the three, reaching simply 53°C.

Taking a look at hotspot temperatures, the Quicksilver was the good at 69°C, adopted by the Pure at 71°C, and the Hellhound at 76°C, which continues to be a really affordable hotspot temperature.

All three fashions had a peak reminiscence temperature of 86°C, with VRM temperatures staying beneath 70°C, so there have been no considerations in that space.

By way of fan pace, the Hellhound operated the quietest, working at simply 930 RPM. The Pure and Quicksilver had been additionally quiet, with fan speeds ranging between 1,000 and 1,100 RPM.

Concerning clock speeds, the Hellhound had the bottom, averaging 2,745 MHz. The Pure clocked 4% larger, averaging 2,840 MHz, whereas the Quicksilver was shut behind at 2,810 MHz.

Total, all three fashions delivered glorious outcomes.

Now, let’s dive into the FPS information…

Check System Specs

Benchmarks

Marvel Rivals

First, let’s check out Marvel Rivals efficiency. The 9070 is basically on par with the 5070 at 1440p, rendering 77 fps on common. This makes it 13% slower than the 9070 XT and seven% slower than the 7900 XT.

When growing the decision to 4K, the 9070 falls behind the 5070 by a 7% margin, rendering simply 41 fps on common – just like the outdated RTX 3080 and solely 5% sooner than the 7900 GRE.

Stalker 2: Coronary heart of Chornobyl

Subsequent, now we have Stalker 2, the place the 9070 is simply 5% slower than the 9070 XT at 1440p, which permits it to edge out the RTX 5070 by a slim 6% margin.

Nevertheless, transferring as much as 4K considerably impacts efficiency, making the 9070 18% slower than the XT model. It renders simply 32 fps on common, placing it roughly on par with the RTX 5070.

Counter-Strike 2

For Counter-Strike 2, the 9070 would not stand out at 1440p. Though it’s only 6% slower than the XT model, it additionally lags 7% behind the RTX 5070.

Rising the decision to 4K would not enhance the scenario. Right here, the 9070 is 10% slower than the 5070 and eight% slower than the 9070 XT.

Warhammer 40,000: House Marine 2

The Space Marine 2 efficiency is kind of sturdy. The 9070 is simply 5% slower than the XT model, placing it on par with the RTX 4070 Tremendous, 7900 XT, and, surprisingly, the RTX 5080. For some purpose, the brand new Blackwell GPUs battle on this title, which explains why the 9070 seems 24% sooner than the RTX 5070.

Issues get even worse for Blackwell GPUs at 4K, the place the 9070 is 57% sooner than the 5070. One thing is clearly off right here, and Nvidia will probably want to deal with this on the driver degree.

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty

Subsequent, now we have Cyberpunk 2077, a title the place Radeon GPUs have at all times carried out properly – offered ray tracing is disabled. At 1440p, the 9070 is 10% slower than the XT model however 15% sooner than the RTX 5070, making for a robust win.

At 4K, this margin will increase to twenty%, protecting the 9070 comfortably forward of the RTX 5070.

Name of Responsibility: Black Ops 6

Name of Responsibility: Black Ops 6 tends to favor AMD {hardware}, and the outcomes replicate that. At 1440p, the 9070 is 8% slower than the 9070 XT however, extra importantly, 40% sooner than the RTX 5070. These outcomes may appear shocking, however the information is correct.

At 4K, the 9070 trails the XT model by 10%, but nonetheless outperforms the 5070 by a powerful 44% margin.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard

In Dragon Age: The Veilguard, the 9070 is 7% slower than the XT model, which places it neck and neck with the RTX 5070 at 1440p, each averaging 79 fps.

At 4K, the scenario stays the identical, with each the 5070 and 9070 averaging 53 fps, making them 7% slower than the 9070 XT.

Hogwarts Legacy

Testing Hogwarts Legacy at 1440p exhibits the 9070 coming in simply 2% slower than the 9070 XT, permitting it to surpass the RTX 5070 by 7%.

At 4K, the hole widens barely, with the 9070 trailing the XT by 8%, but nonetheless outperforming the 5070 by a stable 21% margin.

The Final of Us Half I

The ultimate particular person recreation we’ll study is The Last of Us Part I, although we’ll additionally focus on ray tracing efficiency shortly.

At 1440p, the 9070 is 15% slower than the 9070 XT, placing it precisely on par with the RTX 5070.

At 4K, the 9070 stays 23% slower than the XT model, as soon as once more matching the 5070, each averaging 48 fps.

Efficiency Abstract

1440p

Throughout the 18 video games examined, the Radeon 9070 was on common 8% slower than the 9070 XT – not a horrible outcome. Nevertheless, it was additionally simply 4% sooner than the RTX 5070 in principally raster-based gaming, which might not be a large enough benefit.

4K

At 4K, the Radeon 9070 finally ends up 12% slower than the 9070 XT, which is disappointing provided that it’s only 8% cheaper primarily based on MSRP. It was additionally 8% sooner than the RTX 5070, which is a slight enchancment, however not a significant win contemplating each ought to be priced at $550.

Energy Consumption

Relating to energy consumption, the Radeon 9070 attracts anyplace from 15% to 23% much less energy than the 9070 XT in our testing, making it the extra environment friendly possibility.

In comparison with the RTX 5070, energy consumption varies from just some further watts to as a lot as 20% larger. A worst-case situation was Starfield, the place the 9070 consumed 20% extra energy than the 5070 for under a 6% efficiency achieve.

Ray Tracing Benchmarks

RT – Metro Exodus Enhanced

Now for some ray tracing efficiency, beginning with Metro Exodus Enhanced at 1440p. Right here, the 9070 was 15% slower than the XT model, inserting it proper alongside the RTX 5070 – not a nasty outcome.

At 4K, it remained 15% slower than the XT mannequin and 6% slower than the 5070. Whereas not spectacular, this can be a far more aggressive displaying in comparison with the earlier era.

RT – Alan Wake II

In our 9070 XT evaluation, we discovered that RDNA4 GPUs battle with Alan Wake II on the Excessive RT preset. Unsurprisingly, the 9070 would not fare properly, averaging simply 31 fps. Whereas that makes it 21% slower than the RTX 5070, it is value noting that the 5070 additionally struggles, delivering simply 39 fps.

At 4K, efficiency is totally unplayable, however since now we have the info, we’re together with it for these .

RT – Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty

Subsequent is Cyberpunk 2077, utilizing the Extremely RT preset with high quality upscaling at 1440p. Right here, the 9070 is 16% slower than the XT model, roughly matching the RTX 5070 at 57 fps.

At 4K, the 9070 averages 31 fps, making it 14% slower than the 9070 XT, as soon as once more matching the RTX 5070.

RT – Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered

In Spider-Man Remastered, the 1440p outcomes are principally CPU-limited, that means the 9070 performs identically to the 9070 XT and RTX 5070.

At 4K, the place the CPU bottleneck is lowered, the 9070 is 7% slower than the XT mannequin however manages to be 10% sooner than the RTX 5070 – a superb outcome for AMD.

RT – Dying Mild 2 Keep Human

The 9070 trails the 5070 in Dying Mild 2 at 1440p, coming in 6% slower, and it is usually 11% slower than the 9070 XT. Nevertheless, it does handle to be 10% sooner than the 7900 XT.

At 4K, it falls 13% behind the XT mannequin and can be 11% slower than the RTX 5070.

RT – Black Fable: Wukong

Sadly, the RDNA4 GPUs battle in Black Myth: Wukong with Very Excessive RT enabled. Whereas the RTX 5070 delivers an unimpressive 46 fps at 1440p with upscaling, it’s nonetheless considerably higher than the 25 fps the 9070 manages.

With efficiency this low, there’s little purpose to debate 4K upscaled outcomes, however we have included the info for these .

RT – Indiana Jones and the Nice Circle

Lastly, in Indiana Jones and the Nice Circle, the Full RT setting is important for one of the best expertise. Nevertheless, on this case, ray tracing is not viable on both the 9070 or the 5070. For this recreation, a 5080 or 5090 is important, which is able to undoubtedly make Nvidia very completely satisfied.

Ray Tracing Efficiency Abstract

1440p

Throughout the six video games examined for ray tracing efficiency, the Radeon 9070 was on common 13% slower than the 9070 XT and 16% slower than the RTX 5070. Not a nasty outcome for a Radeon GPU, and it additionally means the 9070 is a whopping 26% sooner than the 7900 XTX previous-gen flagship.

4K

The 4K upscaled information is much less related since each the 9070 and 5070 usually fail to ship acceptable ray tracing efficiency at this larger decision. Nevertheless, for these , the 9070 was 28% slower than the 5070 on this situation.

Value per Body

MSRP

Now, let’s take a look at the price per body information. This evaluation now consists of outcomes from House Marine 2 and Black Ops 6, that means the info relies on an 18-game common. Each titles favor AMD, although we anticipate Nvidia to deal with its points in House Marine 2 in some unspecified time in the future. Nevertheless, thus far, there have been no updates on that entrance.

The info exhibits the 9070 XT providing one of the best worth per body, with the non-XT model offering 4% worse worth per body. Whereas the Radeon 9070 affords higher total worth in comparison with the very poor RTX 5070, it nonetheless would not make full sense in our opinion, and ought to be priced at $500.

Retail Pricing

In comparison with retail pricing from final 12 months, the Radeon 9070 sequence nonetheless slots in fairly favorably, providing one of the best worth. Nevertheless, the 9070’s $550 MSRP nonetheless would not make a lot sense relative to the 9070 XT, that means the XT model is the plain selection at these value factors.

What We Realized

The obvious conclusion we are able to make concerning the Radeon RX 9070 is that if accessible on the MSRP, this mannequin ought to be ignored in favor of the 9070 XT. For an additional $50 (a 9% value enhance), you get ~14% higher efficiency. The whole lot else is similar: similar VRAM, similar structure, and so on. so the XT is solely the higher purchase.

Not surprisingly although, within the present turbulent GPU market, pricing and availability will finally decide the Radeon 9070’s worth. Whereas provide of the RX 9070 sequence GPUs seems sturdy, there are considerations concerning the availability of MSRP fashions. We’ll revisit this matter subsequent week with an in depth replace on GPU pricing, and we’ll proceed to observe the scenario carefully.

Because it stands, the Radeon 9070 is an uncommon product, although not out of character for AMD. Final era, AMD priced the 7900 XT simply $100 beneath the 7900 XTX – a ten% low cost, regardless of having 17% much less VRAM and 17% decrease efficiency. This pricing technique did not make sense and was largely met with damaging critiques.

However that did not cease AMD. They repeated the identical pricing technique with the 7800 XT and 7700 XT, making the 7700 XT solely 10% cheaper, despite the fact that it had 25% much less VRAM and was 16% slower. As soon as once more, this resulted in principally damaging critiques for the 7700 XT. So, this can be a repeat technique from AMD – a daring transfer, to say the least. Nevertheless, no one outside of AMD seems to understand this method, and even some inside AMD seem equally confused.

Now, setting apart the truth that the Radeon 9070 XT is the plain selection, let’s faux that possibility would not exist and make this a straight RX 9070 vs. RTX 5070 battle, who wins there?

By way of worth, the Radeon RX 9070 affords 8% higher price per body for raster efficiency. Nevertheless, for ray tracing-heavy workloads, the RTX 5070 is on common 16% sooner – assuming you do not exceed its 12GB VRAM buffer (as occurred in Indiana Jones and the Nice Circle). The reminiscence limitations of the RTX 5070 will probably change into an even bigger difficulty sooner or later, elevating considerations about its long-term viability.

You may definitely argue that, proper now, RT efficiency is a win for the RTX 5070, with DLSS 4 upscaling being one other benefit. Nevertheless, early impressions of FSR 4 recommend it’s aggressive, making it a viable various.

In our opinion, the Radeon RX 9070 seems to be the higher product total. It’s typically sooner and has 16GB of VRAM, which ought to age higher over the subsequent 3 – 4 years. Although finally, it would not matter as you would not purchase both product on the proposed MSRP, you’d merely purchase the sooner 9070 XT and name it a day.

Buying Shortcuts:

• AMD Radeon RX 9070 on Amazon
• AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT on Amazon
• Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 on Amazon
• Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti on Amazon
• AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT on Amazon
• Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Tremendous on Amazon
• AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT on Amazon