AMD's Radeon RX 9070 is a strong contender for 1440p gaming, though its ray tracing abilities fall behind those of the XT model. It should generally cost $50 less than the XT version, making it a better choice for budget-conscious shoppers.
AMD's RX 9070 XT is the better option for 4K gaming and ray tracing, though it will cost at least $50 more than its RX 9070 counterpart. If you want the best mid-range GPU on the market, this is it.
AMD launched its RX 9000 GPUs on March 6, 2025, and despite a promise of wide availability, the RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT sold out within an hour of release.
That doesn't mean you won't be able to land the new AMD GPUs sometime in the future. And when that time comes, I want you to have picked the right Radeon card.
I'm taking a look at pricing, availability, and performance at 1440p and 4K to help you make the right decision for your gaming PC.
AMD Radeon RX 9070 vs. RX 9070 XT: Specs
Before jumping into pricing, availability, and performance, it's worth checking out the raw specs of the RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT.
Note that some numbers will change based on the GPU. AMD didn't launch any reference cards for this generation, leaving it up to third-party partners to create their own GPUs around the chip.
That means you'll see some discrepancies between cards, but rest assured that you can expect at least the same level of performance that AMD shared in its official reveal presentation.
Spec | AMD Radeon RX 9070 | AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT |
Compute units | 56 | 64 |
Ray accelerators | 56 | 64 |
AI accelerators | 112 | 128 |
Stream processors | 3,584 | 4,096 |
INT4 performance | 1,165 TOPS | 1,557 TOPS |
INT8 performance | 583 TOPS | 779 TOPS |
ROPs | 128 | 128 |
Transistors | 53.9 billion | 53.9 billion |
Game freq. | 2,070MHz | 2,400MHz |
Boost freq. | 2,520MHz | 2,970MHz |
VRAM | 16GB GDDR6 | 16GB GDDR6 |
Memory interface | 256-bit | 256-bit |
TBP | 220W | 304W |
Minimum PSU | 650W | 750W |
MSRP | $550 | $600 |
AMD Radeon RX 9070 vs. RX 9070 XT: Price and availability
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The RX 9070 XT is the new flagship hardware for the RDNA 4 generation. It launched at a higher $600 MSRP than its $550 RX 9070 sibling.
As is the case with NVIDIA's RTX 5000 cards, not all RDNA 4 GPUs follow the MSRP.
Because AMD left it up to third-party hardware partners to manufacture the cards around the GPU, there's a range of prices available.
Launch day saw a few options hit the MSRP, but the bulk are above the suggested pricing. What's worse, the original MSRP might not stick around too long.
As reported by Videocardz, there are rumors that RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT prices will go up now that the first waves delivered to retailers ahead of launch have sold out.
Considering that NVIDIA hasn't stuck to MSRP either, AMD should remain the more budget-friendly option.
The RX 9070 XT's MSRP is $150 lower than the RTX 5070 Ti, for example, and that margin should remain roughly the same.
As for availability, the usual big online retailers like Best Buy, Newegg, B&H, and Amazon are your best bet to find an RX 9000 GPU for sale.
Stock is expected to be replenished regularly, and I recommend checking out my guide on where to buy Radeon RX 9000 GPUs for easy links and extra information.
Those in need of a full system refresh might want to check out pre-built PCs with the RX 9000 GPUs inside.
AMD Radeon RX 9070 vs. RX 9070 XT: 1440p and 4K performance
It's no secret that the RX 9070 XT is the more powerful card, but how big of a difference is there compared to the RX 9070?
Numbers will change slightly depending on the model of GPU you desire (or can find for sale at a reasonable price), but AMD's official graphs give a good idea of the expected performance.
At 1440p Ultra, the RX 9070 is anywhere from 6% to 27% better than the RX 7900 GRE (from the RDNA 3 generation) in a variety of modern games.
The RX 9070 XT, on the other hand, ranges from 23% to 44% better than the RX 7900 GRE under the same settings.
Our friends at Tom's Hardware reviewed the RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 at the same time, offering a better look at how the cards compare.
Rasterization performance at 1440p Ultra unsurprisingly favors the RX 9070 XT with an average of 97.5 FPS across 16 games. However, the RX 9070 only drops to an 86.6 FPS average.
At 4K Ultra, the margin is even smaller. The RX 9070 XT averages 60 FPS, while the RX 9070 averages 52.2 FPS. If you're someone who can't dip below a 4K resolution, the RX 9070 XT is the better buy.
Rasterization is only half the equation. AMD made some massive improvements to ray tracing in RDNA 4, pulling itself closer to what NVIDIA can offer.
AMD says its RX 9070 is anywhere from 11% to 34% better than the RX 7900 GRE at 4K Ultra with ray tracing enabled. The RX 9070 XT sits between 36% and 66% better compared to the same card.
At 1440p Ultra, the RX 9070 sits between a 13% and 39% improvement in ray tracing compared to the RX 7900 GRE. The RX 9070 XT sits between 34% and 68% better than the 7900 GRE.
Turning to ray tracing performance results provided by Tom's Hardware, the RX 9070 XT averages 42.7 FPS at 4K Ultra. The RX 9070 averages 35.9 FPS.
At 1440p, the RX 9070 XT climbs to 80.9 FPS, while the RX 9070 hits a 69.3 FPS average with ray tracing enabled.
If you're keen on using ray tracing, the RX 9070 XT is clearly the better buy, especially if you're using a 4K monitor. At 1440p, the RX 9070 puts up a stronger fight with ray tracing enabled.
What is FSR 4?
FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) is AMD's upscaling answer to NVIDIA DLSS.
Arriving alongside both of the RX 9000 GPUs is FSR 4. While previous versions relied on spatial algorithms, the updated version has made the switch to machine learning.
The major takeaways here involve performance and quality. FSR has always been about boosting frame rates in compatible games, but FSR 4 is the biggest leap forward yet.
Not only does FSR 4 more than quadruple frame rates in some games at 4K, but it's also now much better at providing small but high-quality details.
Because of the superior AI performance from the RX 9070 XT, it should be the better option for FSR 4.
FSR 4 adoption in games is still limited, with just more than 30 games supporting it at launch. More than 75 more games are expected to jump on board in 2025.
AMD Radeon RX 9070 vs. RX 9070 XT: Which should you buy?
The $50 MSRP difference between the RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 might not stick around for long, making this comparison more difficult.
However, if I assume that the two RDNA 4 GPU prices climb at roughly the same rate, I can offer the same informed buying advice.
AMD's performance claims aren't far off the mark, which has led RX 9000 reviews to be largely positive.
If you're a 4K gamer, I strongly recommend splurging for the RX 9070 XT, especially if you're a fan of ray tracing.
Even if you're content with 1440p, the RX 9070 XT offers considerably better performance than its RX 9070 counterpart. Note that you will need at least a 750W PSU, potentially adding to the total upgrade cost.
That's not to say the RX 9070 isn't a strong contender for QHD monitors. It also requires a lower 650W PSU, potentially negating one of the extra upgrade costs.
The RX 9070 should be the right choice for anyone gaming at 1440p on a tighter budget. It can't match the XT model in rasterization or ray tracing power, but it'll save you some money to put elsewhere in your build.
The RX 9070 XT is easily the best mid-range GPU on the market today, even compared to NVIDIA's RTX 5070 Ti. If you want to game at 4K with ray tracing enabled, this is a much better choice than the non-XT version.
