AMD Radeon RX 9070: In-Depth Review

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 enters the market at an intriguing time for graphics cards. Launched shortly after Nvidia's latest generation, this $549 card directly challenges the underwhelming GeForce RTX 5070, and AMD emerges as the clear winner in this matchup, making the Radeon RX 9070 a top choice for 1440p gaming.

However, the decision is not as straightforward as it seems, largely due to AMD's own product lineup. The Radeon RX 9070 is only $50 less than the superior Radeon RX 9070 XT. Mathematically, the 9070 is about 8% slower and 9% cheaper than the 9070 XT, but it's challenging to justify not spending the additional $50 for the enhanced performance of the XT model. Nonetheless, when choosing between these two AMD options, it's a promising scenario for Team Red.

Purchasing Guide

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 is set to launch on March 6, starting at $549. Keep in mind that higher-priced models will also be available. To get the best value, aim for a model as close to the starting price as possible, especially considering its proximity in price to the Radeon RX 9070 XT.

AMD Radeon RX 9070 – Photos

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Specs and Features

Like the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT, the RX 9070 utilizes the new RDNA 4 graphics architecture, which significantly enhances performance. Despite having 30% fewer compute units than the Radeon RX 7900 GRE, the 9070 offers a dramatic performance boost over its predecessor.

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, totaling 56 and 112, respectively. These enhancements make the card competitive in games with ray tracing, while the improved AI Accelerators enable the introduction of FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) 4, marking the first time AMD graphics cards feature AI upscaling.

Similar to the 9070 XT, the RX 9070 comes with 16GB of GDDR6 VRAM on a 256-bit bus, mirroring the memory configuration of the 7900 GRE, which should suffice for 1440p gaming for years to come. However, the adoption of GDDR7, as seen in Nvidia's offerings, would have been a welcome addition, albeit likely increasing the cost.

AMD recommends a minimum 550W power supply for the RX 9070, given its 220W power budget. My testing showed peak consumption at 249W, suggesting a 600W PSU for safety. Importantly, AMD is not releasing a reference design for the RX 9070, meaning all models will be from third-party board partners. I tested the Gigabyte Radeon RX 9070 Gaming OC 16G, a triple-slot card with a slight factory overclock.

FSR4

Since the rise of DLSS in 2018, AI upscaling has become a key method for boosting performance while maintaining image quality, a feature previously exclusive to Nvidia cards. FSR 4 introduces AI upscaling to AMD GPUs, using previous frames and in-game data to enhance lower resolution images to native resolution. Unlike the Temporal upscaling in FSR 3, FSR 4 employs an AI algorithm to minimize artifacts like ghosting.

However, the AI model in FSR 4 incurs 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 reduced this to 159 fps. Similarly, in Monster Hunter Wilds at 4K with ray tracing, the Radeon RX 9070 achieved 81 fps with FSR 3, dropping to 76 fps with FSR 4.

The Adrenalin software allows users to toggle between FSR 3 and FSR 4, choosing between better image quality or slightly better performance. For single-player games, I'd opt for FSR 4, but for fast-paced online games like Marvel Rivals, sticking with FSR 3 might be preferable.

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, and frequently outperforms it. At 1440p, the RX 9070 is 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 has 30% fewer cores.

The Gigabyte Radeon RX 9070 Gaming OC I tested features a factory overclock, with a reported boost clock of 2,700Mhz, roughly a 7% increase in clock speed, which should translate to a 4-5% performance boost.

All graphics cards were tested with the latest public drivers available at the time of writing: Nvidia cards on Game Ready driver 572.60, and AMD cards on Adrenalin 24.12.1. The RX 9070 and 9070 XT were tested with review drivers provided by AMD, as was the RTX 5070 with Nvidia’s review drivers.

In 3DMark, which measures potential rather than real-world gaming 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. In Steel Nomad without ray tracing, the RX 9070 outperforms the RTX 5070 with 6,050 points to 5,034, a 20% difference at the same price point.

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 360

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, showcased by AMD at CES 2025, demonstrates the RX 9070's prowess. At 1440p with FSR 3 set to Balanced, the RX 9070 achieves 165 fps, compared to 131 fps for the RTX 5070 and 143 fps for the 7900 GRE, marking a 26% and 15% lead, respectively.

In Cyberpunk 2077, a game typically favoring Nvidia hardware, the Radeon RX 9070 outperforms the RTX 5070 by 3% at 1440p with the Ray Tracing Ultra preset, a significant achievement for AMD.

Metro Exodus, tested without upscaling, showcases the RX 9070's raw ray tracing performance, averaging 71 fps compared to 64 fps for the RTX 5070, an 11% lead.

Red Dead Redemption 2 using Vulkan further cements the RX 9070's lead, achieving 142 fps at 1440p with max settings, compared to 115 fps for the RTX 5070, a 23% performance advantage.

In Total War: Warhammer 3, the RX 9070's lead is most pronounced at 4K, but at 1440p, it's nearly tied with the RTX 5070, with 135 fps versus 134 fps.

Assassin's Creed Mirage sees the RX 9070 achieving 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 game that typically favors Nvidia, results in a close race, with the RX 9070 at 67 fps and the RTX 5070 at 66 fps at 1440p with the Cinematic preset.

Forza Horizon 5, despite its age, benefits from high frame rates, with the Radeon RX 9070 averaging 185 fps at 1440p, compared to 168 fps for the RTX 5070 and 152 fps for the RX 7900 GRE, a 12% and 25% difference, respectively.

The Radeon RX 9070's timing against the RTX 5070 is advantageous for AMD. Both cards are priced at $549, but the RX 9070's superior performance and 16GB of VRAM position it as a better long-term investment, despite the RTX 5070's faster GDDR7 memory. Even if performance were equal, the RX 9070's greater VRAM capacity would make it the better value. Combined with its performance edge, the Radeon RX 9070 is the clear choice for gamers seeking a 1440p solution.