AMD's Radeon RX 9070 series positions itself as a formidable option against NVIDIA's RTX 5070 Ti, offering solid performance and competitive pricing.
The unveiling of the Radeon RX 9070 series marks a critical resurgence for AMD in the graphics card arena. After the less-than-stellar reception of the RDNA 3 lineup, the new RDNA 4 architecture is expected to capture the attention of mainstream gamers. With NVIDIA's RTX 40 and 50 series commanding significant market share, AMD's competitive stance is vital as it grapples with dwindling ownership of the GPU segment over the last five years. The RX 9070 series could be pivotal in helping AMD reclaim some of that lost ground.
| Specs | AMD RX 9070 XT | AMD RX 9070 | NVIDIA RTX 4070 Super | NVIDIA RTX 4070 Ti | NVIDIA RTX 5070 Ti |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Architecture | RDNA 4 | RDNA 4 | Ada Lovelace | Ada Lovelace | Blackwell |
| CUs/SMs | 64 | 56 | 56 | 60 | 70 |
| Shaders/Cores | 4,096 | 3,584 | 7,168 | 7,680 | 8,960 |
| RT Cores | 64 | 56 | 56 | 60 | 70 |
| AI/Tensor Cores | 128 | 112 | 224 | 240 | 280 |
| Base Clock | 2,400 MHz | 2,070 MHz | 1,980 MHz | 2,310 MHz | 2,300 MHz |
| Boost Clock | Up to 2,970 MHz | Up to 2,520 MHz | Up to 2,475 MHz | Up to 2,610 MHz | Up to 2,452 MHz |
| Peak FP32 TP | Up to 48.7 TFLOPS | Up to 36.1 TFLOPS | 35.5 TFLOPS | 40.1 TFLOPS | 43.9 TFLOPS |
| Memory Size | 16 GB | 16 GB | 16 GB | 12 GB | 16 GB |
| LLC Cache | 64 MB L3 | 64MB L3 | 48 MB L2 | 48 MB L2 | 64 MB L2 |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR6 | GDDR6X | GDDR6X | GDDR7 |
| Memory Clock | 20 Gbps | 20 Gbps | 21 Gbps | 21 Gbps | 28 Gbps |
| Memory Bus | 256-bit | 256-bit | 256-bit | 192-bit | 256-bit |
| Memory Bandwidth | 640 GB/s | 640 GB/s | 672 GB/s | 504 GB/s | 896 GB/s |
| Total Board Power (TBP) | 304W | 220W | 220W | 285W | 300W |
| Launch Price | $599 | $549 | $599 | $799 | $749 |
In comparison with NVIDIA's offerings, the Radeon RX 9070 series features comparable shader performance. Yet, memory bandwidth remains a strong point for NVIDIA. For instance, the RTX 5070 Ti leverages faster GDDR7 memory, while the RX 9070 continues to rely on GDDR6. Both models share a 256-bit memory bus, but the RTX 5070 Ti’s bandwidth of 896 GB/s dwarfs the RX 9070’s 640 GB/s.
Power consumption is another area where the Radeon RX 9070 shines, with a TBP of 220W for the base model and 304W for the XT version. Prices are aggressively set at $549 for the RX 9070 and $599 for the RX 9070 XT, making them attractive options against the RTX 5070 Ti’s starting price of $749.
Comparative Performance: 1440p Gaming
When pushed to performance benchmarks at 1440p, the RX 9070 emerges victorious in 4 out of 9 titles tested against the RTX 5070 Ti. That said, NVIDIA's offering wins 5 of these tests, including a few with significant margins, showing a lead of 15% or more in certain cases.
The RX 9070 shines particularly in titles like Avowed, Hogwarts Legacy, and Spider-Man 2, outperforming the RTX 5070 Ti by margins of 5-10%. However, in games such as Space Marine 2, Black Myth: Wukong, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance, the RX 9070 struggles, suffering defeats by upwards of 20%.
Performance at 4K
As for 4K performance, the RX 9070 generally performs favorably against the RTX 5070 Ti across most titles. Yet, the NVIDIA card’s superior memory bandwidth complicates the matter, tightening the performance gap to under 10% in Radeon-preferred games like Hogwarts Legacy and Avowed.
Ray Tracing and Path Tracing Performance
Ray tracing performance, historically a weak spot for AMD, shows significant improvement with the RX 9070. The graphics card competes effectively against premium NVIDIA counterparts in titles like Hogwarts Legacy and Spider-Man 2, often gaining the upper hand.
Yet, the memory bandwidth gap again becomes apparent at 4K, where the RTX 5070 Ti frequently outperforms the RX 9070, especially in demanding titles like Cyberpunk 2077 and Alan Wake 2.
In terms of path tracing, the RX 9070 showed mixed results, performing significantly worse in Cyberpunk 2077, where the RTX 5070 Ti's dynamic lighting capabilities better leverage NVIDIA's technology.
Power Consumption and Thermal Management
The RX 9070 consumed an average of 230-240W during tests, slightly exceeding its 220W rating. The ASUS TUF variant maintained impressive thermal performance, with temperatures regularly below 55C, peaking just under 60C thanks to its efficient cooling system.
Conclusion: A Competitively Priced Midrange Choice
The Radeon RX 9070's pricing and performance positions it as a compelling choice in the midrange market. Its notable productivity at $549, paired with competitive ray tracing capabilities and effective power consumption, makes it a formidable alternative to the RTX 5070 Ti, which retails at $749.
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