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
agarapurameshhttp://52.7.79.76
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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