AMD Radeon RX 9070: In-Depth Review

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 arrives at a pivotal moment for graphics cards, just as Nvidia has unveiled its latest generation. Priced at $549, it directly competes with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070, a card that has left many gamers wanting more. In this head-to-head, the Radeon RX 9070 emerges as the clear winner, making it an excellent choice for those looking to enhance their 1440p gaming experience.

However, the decision becomes more nuanced when considering AMD's own lineup. The Radeon RX 9070 is only $50 less than the superior Radeon RX 9070 XT. While the RX 9070 is approximately 8% slower and 9% cheaper, the small price difference makes the XT model a compelling choice for those willing to spend a bit more for enhanced performance. Nevertheless, for gamers choosing between these two AMD options, the outlook remains promising.

Purchasing Guide

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 is set to launch on March 6, starting at $549. Keep in mind that this is the base price, and higher-end models may be pricier. For the best value, aim to purchase a model as close to the starting price as possible, especially given its close pricing to the Radeon RX 9070 XT.

AMD Radeon RX 9070 – Photos

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Specs and Features

Like its counterpart, the Radeon RX 9070 XT, the RX 9070 is powered by the new RDNA 4 graphics architecture. This technology significantly boosts performance, allowing the 9070 to surpass the last-gen 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, summing up to 56 and 112 respectively. These enhancements not only improve the card's ability to handle games with ray tracing but also enable the introduction of FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) 4, AMD's first foray into AI upscaling.

The RX 9070 comes with 16GB of GDDR6 VRAM on a 256-bit bus, matching the memory configuration of the 7900 GRE, which should suffice for 1440p gaming for years to come. Although Nvidia opted for GDDR7, AMD's choice of GDDR6 helps keep the price competitive.

AMD recommends a 550W power supply for the RX 9070, which has a 220W power budget. My tests showed a peak consumption of 249W, suggesting a 600W PSU for safety. Notably, AMD is not releasing a reference design for the RX 9070; all versions will be from third-party manufacturers. I tested the Gigabyte Radeon RX 9070 Gaming OC 16G, a triple-slot card with a slight factory overclock.

FSR4

Since the advent of DLSS in 2018, AI upscaling has become a key method for boosting performance while maintaining image quality. Previously an Nvidia-exclusive feature, FSR 4 now extends this capability to AMD GPUs. By processing previous frames and in-game data through an AI model, FSR 4 upscales lower resolution images to your native resolution, offering improved detail and fewer artifacts compared to FSR 3's temporal upscaling.

However, running the AI model comes with a slight performance cost. In Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 at 1440p on the Extreme preset, FSR 3 achieved 165 fps, while FSR 4 dropped to 159 fps. Similarly, in Monster Hunter Wilds at 4K with ray tracing, the RX 9070 managed 81 fps with FSR 3, but only 76 fps with FSR 4. The Adrenalin software allows users to toggle between FSR 3 and FSR 4, letting you choose between better image quality or slightly higher performance based on your gaming needs.

AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT & 9070 – Benchmarks

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Performance

Priced at $549, the AMD Radeon RX 9070 outperforms the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 in most scenarios. At 1440p, it's on average 12% faster than the RTX 5070 and 22% faster than its predecessor, the RX 7900 GRE, which also launched at $549 in 2024. This performance leap is remarkable, especially considering the 9070's reduced core count.

It's worth noting that I tested a factory overclocked version of the RX 9070, the Gigabyte Radeon RX 9070 Gaming OC, with a reported boost clock of 2,700Mhz, which should increase frame rates by about 4-5%. All tests were conducted using the latest public drivers available at the time of writing.

In 3DMark, the RX 9070 shows its potential, scoring 5,828 points in the Speed Way test with ray tracing, nearly matching the RTX 5070's 5,845 points. Without ray tracing in Steel Nomad, the RX 9070 significantly outperforms the RTX 5070, scoring 6,050 to 5,034 points.

In real-world gaming, the RX 9070 excels. In Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 at 1440p with FSR 3 set to Balanced, it achieves 165 fps, compared to 131 fps for the RTX 5070 and 143 fps for the RX 7900 GRE. Even in Cyberpunk 2077, traditionally an Nvidia stronghold, the RX 9070 edges out the RTX 5070 by 3% at 1440p with Ray Tracing Ultra.

In Metro Exodus, without any upscaling, the RX 9070 averages 71 fps, compared to 64 fps for the RTX 5070. Red Dead Redemption 2 sees the RX 9070 leading by 23%, achieving 142 fps at 1440p with max settings. In Total War: Warhammer 3, the RX 9070 and RTX 5070 are neck and neck at 1440p, but the RX 9070 pulls ahead at 4K.

Assassin's Creed Mirage and Forza Horizon 5 further showcase the RX 9070's prowess, with significant leads over the RTX 5070. In Black Myth Wukong, the performance is nearly identical between the two cards, highlighting the RX 9070's competitive edge across various titles.

The Radeon RX 9070's launch timing against the RTX 5070 plays to AMD's advantage. With both cards priced at $549, the RX 9070's superior performance and 16GB of VRAM make it a more future-proof and valuable option. Even if performance were equal, the RX 9070's larger VRAM capacity would tip the scales in its favor, making it a no-brainer for gamers seeking the best value and performance at this price point.