The AMD Radeon RX 9070 enters the market at an intriguing time for graphics cards. Following the recent launch of Nvidia’s latest generation, the Radeon RX 9070, priced at $549, directly challenges the underwhelming GeForce RTX 5070. AMD's new offering comfortably outperforms Nvidia's counterpart, making it a top contender for gamers seeking the best 1440p gaming experience.
Yet, the decision becomes more nuanced when considering AMD's own product lineup. The Radeon RX 9070 is just $50 less than the superior Radeon RX 9070 XT. While the 9070 is approximately 8% slower and 9% cheaper than the 9070 XT, the marginal savings might not justify the performance difference for many. Nevertheless, AMD's competitive positioning against its own higher-end model and Nvidia’s offerings paints a promising picture for Team Red.
Purchasing Guide
The AMD Radeon RX 9070 is set to launch on March 6, starting at $549. However, expect variations that may be priced higher. For the best value, it's advisable to opt for a model as close to the starting price as possible, especially given its proximity in pricing to the Radeon RX 9070 XT.
AMD Radeon RX 9070 – Photos
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Specs and Features
Built on the cutting-edge RDNA 4 architecture, the Radeon RX 9070 mirrors the RX 9070 XT in core technology, delivering significant performance enhancements. Despite having 30% fewer compute units than the Radeon RX 7900 GRE, the 9070 impressively outpaces its predecessor. It features 56 Compute Units, each equipped with 64 Streaming Multiprocessors (SMs), totaling 3,584 shaders. Additionally, each unit includes one Ray Accelerator and two AI Accelerators, summing up to 56 and 112 respectively. These enhancements not only bolster ray tracing capabilities but also introduce AMD's FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) 4, marking the first time AI upscaling is available on AMD GPUs.
The RX 9070 comes with 16GB of GDDR6 VRAM on a 256-bit bus, mirroring the 7900 GRE’s memory configuration. This setup should support 1440p gaming for years to come. Although GDDR7, as used by Nvidia, would have been a welcome upgrade, its inclusion might have driven up the cost.
AMD recommends a minimum 550W power supply for the RX 9070, which has a power budget of 220W. My testing showed a peak consumption of 249W, suggesting a 600W PSU would be a safer choice. Regarding cooling, AMD does not offer a reference design for the RX 9070; all models are crafted by third-party manufacturers. The Gigabyte Radeon RX 9070 Gaming OC 16G, with its triple-slot design and slight factory overclock, was provided for review.
FSR 4
Since the advent of DLSS in 2018, AI upscaling has transformed gaming performance while maintaining image quality. With FSR 4, AMD joins the fray, bringing AI upscaling to its GPUs for the first time. This technology utilizes previous frames and in-game data to upscale lower resolution images to your native resolution, reducing artifacts seen in earlier versions of FSR.
However, FSR 4 does come with a slight performance hit compared to FSR 3. For example, in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 at 1440p on the Extreme preset, FSR 3 delivered 165 fps, while FSR 4 dropped this to 159 fps. Similarly, in Monster Hunter Wilds at 4K with ray tracing, the Radeon RX 9070 achieved 81 fps with FSR 3, but 76 fps with FSR 4.
Fortunately, the Adrenalin software allows toggling between FSR 3 and FSR 4, giving users the flexibility to choose between better image quality or slightly higher performance. This feature is particularly useful, as preferences may vary depending on the game genre and individual play style.
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 by an average of 12% at 1440p, and significantly improves upon its predecessor, the RX 7900 GRE, by 22%. This impressive performance comes despite the 9070 having 30% fewer cores. It's worth noting that the reviewed model was a factory overclocked version, the Gigabyte Radeon RX 9070 Gaming OC, which boosts performance by about 4-5% due to its higher clock speed.
All testing was conducted using the latest public drivers available at the time, with AMD and Nvidia review drivers for the newer cards. In synthetic benchmarks like 3DMark, the 9070 ties with the RTX 5070 in ray tracing tests but pulls ahead by 20% without ray tracing, showcasing its potential.
In real-world gaming scenarios, the Radeon RX 9070 consistently delivers strong results. In Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 at 1440p, it achieves 165 fps, significantly outperforming both the RTX 5070 and the RX 7900 GRE. Even in Cyberpunk 2077, traditionally an Nvidia stronghold, the RX 9070 manages a 3% lead at the Ray Tracing Ultra preset.
The RX 9070 also excels in Metro Exodus and Red Dead Redemption 2, with 11% and 23% leads over the RTX 5070, respectively. In other games like Assassin's Creed Mirage and Forza Horizon 5, the AMD card maintains a clear advantage, underscoring its value at the $549 price point.
The AMD Radeon RX 9070's launch timing and competitive performance against the GeForce RTX 5070 solidify its position as a compelling choice for gamers. With 16GB of VRAM and superior performance in key titles, the RX 9070 is not just a good buy; it's a smart investment for future-proofing your gaming setup.
