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AMD’s Radeon RX 9070 falls proper in line behind the Radeon RX 9070 XT in its Radeon RX 9000 collection of graphics cards. Although a reliable card in its personal proper, the $549 Radeon RX 9070 sits within the shadow of the widely better-value $599 Radeon RX 9070 XT, with the distinction in value not large enough to make the Radeon RX 9070 stand out. In testing a Sapphire Pulse AMD Radeon RX 9070 for this evaluation, we discovered which you could undoubtedly draw an fulfilling gaming expertise from the Radeon RX 9070 at high-detail 1440p and lower-detail 4K resolutions. Nevertheless, spending an additional $50 for the Radeon RX 9070 XT, an Editors’ Alternative award winner, is far more worthwhile, as long as that card stays in inventory and the value hole doesn’t develop.
The Navi 48 GPU: A Small Step Down From RX 9070 XT
The RX 9070 makes use of the RDNA 4 graphics architecture and the Navi 48 GPU die, identical to the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT, however AMD partially disabled parts of the RX 9070’s GPU within the binning course of. The RX 9070 hasn’t misplaced a lot from a part-by-part evaluation. The variety of stream processors contained in the RX 9070 is 3,584, a 14% discount from the RX 9070 XT’s depend of 4,096. This discount comes with a lower within the variety of texture mapping items (TMUs) from 256 on the RX 9070 XT to 224 on the RX 9070, and the variety of ray accelerators equally dropped from 64 to 56.
That’s about it by way of {hardware} adjustments. Technically, the variety of AI accelerators dropped from 128 to 112, however these don’t affect gaming efficiency beneath regular situations. The variety of raster operation items (ROPs) was unchanged; similar for the reminiscence interface. AMD’s 16GB pool of GDDR6 reminiscence operates at 20Gbps on each playing cards.
Arguably, probably the most notable variations between the RX 9070 XT and the RX 9070 come from their firmware. The RX 9070 XT is configured to function with a max increase clock of two,970MHz and is rated to principally hover round 2,400MHz whereas gaming. AMD set the RX 9070’s turbo clock 15% decrease at 2,520MHz, and the anticipated gaming clock velocity dropped by 14% to 2,070MHz. These reductions in {hardware} assets and clock velocity additionally pushed the anticipated peak energy draw of the RX 9070 all the way down to 220 watts from the RX 9070 XT’s peak of 304W.
These drops in efficiency create a sufficiently massive efficiency delta between the Radeon RX 9070 and the RX 9070 XT to maintain every card from instantly competing on efficiency, however pricing is one other matter. With the RX 9070 XT priced at $599 and the RX 9070 set at $549, that is a value distinction of simply 9%. Hold this in thoughts once I get to the benchmarks: If the RX 9070 XT can outpace the RX 9070 by greater than 9%, which these specs recommend it ought to simply do, then the RX 9070 XT is the higher worth.
Earlier than transferring on to the exams, it is price mentioning that the Radeon RX 9070 might have ample headroom for overclocking. The RX 9070 and the RX 9070 XT each use the Navi 48 graphics chip, however AMD clocked the RX 9070 XT a lot greater, suggesting that the RX 9070 might additionally go greater. Nevertheless, in case you are eager about overclocking, I wouldn’t trouble shopping for a better-cooled RX 9070 mannequin if it prices any additional. You will not discover sufficient room between the RX 9070 and the RX 9070 XT in value to assist doing that when you can simply purchase an RX 9070 XT.
Design: Two Followers, Two HDMI, Zero RGB
Sapphire manufactured the check card that AMD despatched us for evaluation with a dual-fan thermal resolution. The Sapphire Pulse AMD Radeon RX 9070 doesn’t have any RGB LEDs however makes up for this with an edgy black exterior lined in diagonal slits and crimson traces. A metallic backplate helps give the cardboard extra structural integrity whereas preserving the parts on the again of the cardboard’s PCB cooler.
This card requires solely two standard eight-pin PCIe energy connectors. Show output choices embrace two HDMI 2.1 ports and two DisplayPort 2.1a jacks.
Testing the Sapphire Pulse AMD Radeon RX 9070: Setup and Competitors
Our 2025 graphics card testbed includes a Gigabyte X870E Aorus Master motherboard and an AMD Ryzen 9 9950X processor with a big 360mm water cooler to check the Sapphire Pulse AMD Radeon RX 9070. We put in two 16GB sticks of DDR5 on the motherboard and configured them to function beneath a 6,000MHz AMD EXPO reminiscence profile. We additionally added two Essential 2TB PCIe 4.0 SSDs to the system, one devoted to video games and the opposite holding Windows 11 and all different software program. To make sure plentiful energy supply headroom, we used a 1,500-watt Corsair energy provide.
AMD’s predominant Radeon RX 9070 competitors is the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070, which can be priced at $549. On account of related pricing, the RX 9070 may also need to compete with the RX 9070 XT, the last-gen Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Super, and the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE.
Artificial Benchmarks
The Radeon RX 9070 began sturdy within the 3DMark exams we performed. It basically tied with the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Tremendous whereas surpassing the RTX 5070 and the RX 7900 GRE within the Port Royal check. The RX 970 additionally carried out this fashion within the Metal Nomad and Time Spy Excessive benchmarks.
In 3DMark’s Photo voltaic Bay and Pace Method exams, the RTX 5070 pulled into an in depth tie with the RX 9070. Unigine Superposition confirmed each situations, with the RTX 5070 tying with the RX 9070 in DirectX however falling behind in OpenGL.
AI Textual content Technology Benchmarks
AI efficiency may very well be a key measurement for graphics playing cards sometime, however that is still considerably questionable for the second as software program that may make the most of this {hardware} remains to be in growth. In these specific exams, Nvidia unquestionably has the benefit over AMD.
No less than the AMD Radeon RX 9070 carried out nicely sufficient for an AMD card, holding an edge over the RX 7900 GRE.
Content material Creation Benchmarks
The AMD Radeon RX 9070 additionally carried out moderately nicely in content material creation duties. It basically tied with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 and outpaced the remainder of the AMD competitors.
The Blender benchmark refused to work with the AMD Radeon RX 9070, however this may possible be a short lived concern that may disappear after the drivers or Blender software program are up to date.
Display Optimization Benchmarks
We restrict our DLSS, FSR, and XeSS testing to Black Fantasy: Wukong because of the problems surrounding testing these applied sciences in opposition to one another. All of them end in differing picture high quality, which makes evaluating them solely on efficiency imprecise.
Black Fantasy Wukong helps DLSS 3 and FSR 3, which we check on Nvidia and AMD playing cards, respectively, with the super-resolution sampling set to 100%. We then rerun these exams with body technology on for all playing cards to gauge how this alters efficiency.
This check notably doesn’t present DLSS 4 or FSR 4 multi-frame-generation efficiency. With DLSS 4, Nvidia adopted a brand new AI mannequin for DLSS work and AMD additionally made a number of adjustments to its fourth model of FSR know-how. Of specific word is that these applied sciences can create multiple middleman body between every conventionally generated body, although this has some trade-offs. To study extra about DLSS 4, verify my article that closely examines DLSS 4 performance on the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090.
On this check, the RX 9070 carried out about the identical because the RTX 5070 with body technology off however pulled forward of the RTX 5070 with body technology on. The RX 9070 was quicker than the RX 7900 GRE in each exams, although.
Ray-Traced Gaming Benchmarks
The Radeon RX 9070’s efficiency in trendy video games that assist ray tracing produced ups and downs. In Cyberpunk 2077, the RX 9070 was barely slower than the GeForce RTX 5070 and lagged behind the RTX 5070 in Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora and Returnal. Nevertheless, the RTX 5070 by no means beat the RX 9070 by greater than 10% in these titles, with its benefit usually within the single digits.
That contrasts with the RX 9070’s wins in opposition to the RTX 5070. The RX 9070 could not have crushed the RTX 5070 in each recreation, however when the RX 9070 was quicker, it was usually forward by double-digit percentages. The RX 9070’s benefit assorted from as little as 6% in F1 2024 to as excessive as 27% in Name of Responsibility: Fashionable Warfare III. It was additionally quicker in Far Cry 6.
As for competing with different AMD playing cards, the last-generation Radeon RX 7900 XT and RX 7900 GRE had been usually behind the RX 9070. And the RX 9070 XT was usually quicker than the RX 9070, which is smart. I didn’t calculate the share variations between the RX 9070 and the RX 9070 XT throughout the board, however the RX 9070 XT was forward by at the least 18% in Name of Responsibility: Fashionable Warfare III at 4K and by 16% in the identical recreation at 1080p.
The RX 9070 XT’s lead over the RX 9070 in different video games appears roughly round these figures throughout the board. As these leads are higher than the 9% distinction in value between these two GPUs, there is no query: The Radeon RX 9070 XT presents a greater worth and extra frames per greenback than the RX 9070, assuming the pricing holds.
Raster Gaming Benchmarks
Final technology, AMD’s biggest power was in video games that didn’t assist ray tracing as its ray-tracing {hardware} was much less potent than Nvidia’s. As a substitute, the common AMD GPU appeared to have a bit extra muscle when it got here to extra conventional gaming workloads like people who don’t assist ray tracing.
This technology’s state of affairs seems to have been reversed, with the GeForce RTX 5070 performing higher in Whole Warfare: Three Kingdoms than the Radeon RX 9070.
The Radeon RX 9070 pulled forward in Shadow of the Tomb Raider on the 4K decision, which exhibits that it might nonetheless be quicker in older video games. The RTX 5070 appeared barely quicker on this recreation at 1440p and 1080p, however the scores had been realistically shut sufficient to be a tie at these resolutions.
Energy and Thermal Benchmarks
Utilizing a Kill-A-Watt energy meter, we measured the ability consumption of our graphics card check mattress as a complete whereas working some key benchmarks on every of the graphics playing cards proven within the desk. The Radeon RX 9070 consumed a bit extra energy within the Adobe Premiere Professional check than the RTX 5070, however that is made up for by the RX 9070’s greater efficiency in that check.
Gaming energy consumption was additionally notably decrease on the RX 9070 than the RTX 5070. Given the RX 9070 usually tied with or carried out higher than the RTX 5070, this implies the RX 9070 is the extra power environment friendly of the 2. The RX 9070’s energy consumption was additionally significantly higher than the RX 9070 XT’s, which is probably going due largely to its decreased clock speeds and barely decreased shader depend.
The RX 9070 additionally stayed a lot cooler than the RTX 5070 in the course of the testing course of; the Sapphire’s thermal resolution carried out higher than Nvidia’s Founders Version cooler.
Verdict: Caught within the Pack Chief’s Shadow
For its $549 asking value, the AMD Radeon RX 9070 provides you plenty of efficiency and realistically little to complain about. Certain, its AI efficiency lags behind Nvidia, however severely, is that why you might be shopping for a midrange graphics card? In relation to gaming, the RX 9070 is often simply as quick because the RTX 5070 or a good bit quicker. It’s barely slower in a number of video games, however not by a significant quantity, whereas the RX 9070’s efficiency lead is extra significant and noticeable when current.
The Radeon RX 9070 goes a protracted option to exchange AMD’s growing older Radeon RX 7900 GRE and Radeon RX 7900 XT, because it usually outpaces these playing cards. AMD solely has one actual concern so far as the RX 9070 goes: You should buy a Radeon RX 9070 XT for simply $50 extra.
AMD’s Radeon RX 9070 XT is mostly higher and nicely definitely worth the added price if the 2 playing cards stay $50 aside or much less. The RX 9070 is a strong purchase, however it could be simpler to advocate if it had been priced a contact decrease, like $499. At $549, the Radeon RX 9070 is a effective graphics card that’s price its asking value, however suppose lengthy and onerous and be sure you can’t scrape collectively that additional $50 for the Editors’ Alternative-award-winning Radeon RX 9070 XT.
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