AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT vs RX 7900 XT: Which GPU Is Better?

AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT vs RX 7900 XT

Performance

AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT

  • Making a raster: Reaches performance levels similar to those of the RTX 3090 Ti, making it appropriate for high-end 1440p and 4K multimedia.
  • Using Ray Tracing: More advanced than earlier iterations, yet it still falls short of NVIDIA’s products in this regard.
  • AI Features: Allows for the enhancement of frame rates without a noticeable reduction in image quality by supporting FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) 2.
  • Efficiency: Provides low temperatures under load and exceptional energy efficiency.

AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT

  • Making a raster: Surpasses the RX 7900 XT in a number of benchmarks and provides better frame rates at both 1440p and 4K quality settings.
  • Using Ray Tracing: Excellent performance in ray-traced games with notable advancements with third-generation RT processors.
  • AI Features: Enables improved upscaling and frame creation by utilising AI accelerators to support FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) 4.
  • Efficiency: In comparison to its predecessor, it provides superior performance-per-watt, although having a slightly larger TDP.

You can also read AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX Vs 4090 Performance Benchmarks

Specifications & Architecture

AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT

  • Structure: RDNA 3
  • Units of computation: 84
  • Stream processors: 5,376.
  • The 84 (2nd Gen) Ray Accelerators
  • VRAM: 20 GB GDDR6
  • Memory Bus: 320-bit
  • 800 GB/s of memory bandwidth
  • Clock for Boost: Up to 2,394 MHz
  • TDP: 300 watts
  • Initial Cost: $900 USD

AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT

  • Structure: RDNA 4.
  • Number of Compute Units: 64
  • Processing Units: 4,096 Stream
  • 64 (3rd Gen) Ray Accelerators
  • 128 (2nd Gen) AI Accelerators
  • 16 GB GDDR6 VRAM
  • 256-bit Memory Bus
  • 640 GB/s of memory bandwidth
  • Clock for Boost: Up to 2,970 MHz
  • TDP: 304 W
  • The starting price is $599 USD.
AspectRX 7900 XT (RDNA 3)RX 9070 XT (RDNA 4)
Node ProcessTSMC 5nm + 6nm (chiplet design)TSMC 4nm monolithic die
DesignMCM (Multi-Chip Module)Single-die for lower latency
IPC (Instructions per Clock)~15% higher than RDNA 2Estimated ~20–25% higher than RDNA 3
Efficiency EnhancementsSeparate GCD & MCD for power controlUnified cache design, better AI task handling
AI/ML IntegrationLacks dedicated AI cores128 2nd-gen AI accelerators, FSR 4 support

Benefits

AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT

  • Large VRAM: Performance in memory-intensive applications is seamless with 20 GB of GDDR6.
  • Design Efficiency: Better scalability and performance per watt are made possible by chiplet architecture.
  • Assistance for Displays: screens with excellent resolution and refresh rate with DisplayPort 2.1 and HDMI 2.1.
  • Assistance for AV1: useful for streaming and content production, hardware encoding and decoding for AV1.

AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT

  • More Complex Architecture: RDNA 4 offers architectural enhancements that boost efficiency and performance overall.
  • Combining AI: Advanced features like as FSR 4 are made possible by dedicated AI accelerators, which enhance the performance and graphics of games.
  • Affordable Prices: It is quite reasonably priced for its performance level at $599.
  • Assistance for Displays: has DisplayPort 2.1a and HDMI 2.1b, which guarantee that it works with the newest screens.

Disadvantages

AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT

  • The Performance of Ray Tracing: The RTX series from NVIDIA is still ahead in ray-traced applications.
  • Point of Price: NVIDIA’s products and AMD’s own range provide fierce competition for its $900 price tag.
  • Power Usage: Power consumption for media playing and multiple monitors was high, which might be the result of driver problems.

AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT

The VRAM: In contrast to the RX 7900 XT’s 20 GB, 16 GB could be constraining for upcoming high-resolution, high-texture games.

FSR 4: Adoption: With fewer games using FSR 4 at launch, its support is still expanding as a more recent technology.

Power Usage: Higher clock rates are better than the RX 7900 XT, but they also use more power.

Gaming Performance

  • In rasterised games, the RX 7900 XT offers good performance at 1440p and respectable 4K gaming with excellent frame rates.
  • Better ray tracing and enhanced support for FSR 4 give the RX 9070 XT a 5–15% edge in most contemporary games.
Game / ResolutionRX 7900 XT (FPS)RX 9070 XT (FPS)
Cyberpunk 2077 (1440p, RT Ultra)56 FPS (FSR 2)63 FPS (FSR 4)
Starfield (4K Ultra)68 FPS75 FPS
Forza Horizon 5 (4K Extreme)110 FPS121 FPS
Call of Duty: MW3 (1440p, Ultra)152 FPS167 FPS
Baldur’s Gate 3 (1440p Ultra)135 FPS141 FPS

Ray Tracing

  • Although the RX 7900 XT features second-generation ray tracing cores, it has trouble with some demanding RT games that don’t support FSR.
  • In addition to having third-generation ray tracing cores, the RX 9070 XT works better with FSR 4 and manages intricate ray-traced scenes more well.
FeatureRX 7900 XTRX 9070 XT
RT Core Generation2nd Gen3rd Gen
Ray Box IntersectionEnhanced vs RDNA 2Faster and more efficient
RT + FSR ComboFSR 2 works, but with artifactsFSR 4 + AI acceleration reduces visual loss
Ray Tracing FPS (Cyberpunk 2077, 1440p RT Ultra)42 FPS55 FPS
DLSS/FSR EquivalentFSR 2 (less sharp than DLSS 3)FSR 4 (approaches DLSS 3 with frame gen)

You can also read RTX 4080 Super vs RX 7900 XTX Features, Performance

Content Creation and AI

  • With hardware AV1 encoding capability, the RX 7900 XT works well in creative applications like Blender, Premiere Pro, and DaVinci Resolve.
  • The RX 9070 XT offers quicker AI model inference and smoother multitasking with AI acceleration and more effective encoding pipelines, which also enhance export/render timings.

VRAM and Memory

  • With 80MB of Infinity Cache and 20 GB of GDDR6 on a 320-bit bus, the RX 7900 XT can handle 800 GB of bandwidth per second.
  • A 256-bit bus with 64MB of cache and 16 GB of GDDR6 gives the RX 9070 XT an effective bandwidth of around 640 GB/s.
AttributeRX 7900 XTRX 9070 XT
VRAM Size20 GB GDDR616 GB GDDR6
Memory Bus320-bit256-bit
Effective Bandwidth800 GB/s640 GB/s
Infinity Cache80 MB64 MB (next-gen faster cache)

Power Efficiency and Thermals

  • RX 7900 XT consumes about 300W, although it has a greater thermal output and a high idle power consumption.
  • When under stress, the RX 9070 XT uses 304W, although it is far more efficient when idle and playing media.
AttributeRX 7900 XTRX 9070 XT
Typical Board Power~300W~304W
Idle Power (Multi-monitor)High (buggy idle state)Improved power state management
Cooling SolutionsTriple-fan designs requiredDual/triple-fan works due to better thermal efficiency
Peak Temp (Full Load)72–75°C67–70°C

Software and Driver Ecosystem

  • Fully supported Adrenalin (Radeon Boost, Anti-Lag, FSR 2/3), the RX 7900 XT boasts mature drivers.
  • Although the RX 9070 XT supports FSR 4, AI frame creation, and more recent Adrenalin tools, driver maturity can take a few months.
CategoryRX 7900 XTRX 9070 XT
Driver MaturityMature, stableNewer, some updates expected
FSR SupportFSR 1/2/3FSR 1/2/3/4 + AI frame gen
Adrenalin FeaturesRadeon Boost, Anti-LagSame + AI Assist Tools
AV1 EncodingYesFaster, more stable

Price

Graphics CardLaunch Price (USD)Current Estimated Price (2025)
Radeon RX 7900 XT$899$649 – $699
Radeon RX 9070 XT$599$599 – $649

You can also read AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT: Performance, Price And Availability

AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT vs RX 7900 XT Specifications

CriteriaRX 7900 XTRX 9070 XT
ArchitectureRDNA 3 (chiplet)RDNA 4 (monolithic + AI)
Gaming (Raster)StrongFaster & more efficient
Ray TracingModerateGood (FSR 4 helps)
VRAM & Bandwidth20 GB / 800 GB/s16 GB / 640 GB/s
Creator WorkloadsGoodBetter AI & AV1 encode
Price to Performance$900 USD$599 USD
Thermal & Idle PowerHot & inefficient idleCooler & optimized idle
agarapuramesh
agarapurameshhttps://govindhtech.com
Agarapu Ramesh was founder of the Govindhtech and Computer Hardware enthusiast. He interested in writing Technews articles. Working as an Editor of Govindhtech for one Year and previously working as a Computer Assembling Technician in G Traders from 2018 in India. His Education Qualification MSc.
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