On February 28, AMD finally pulled back the curtain on its newest RDNA 4 GPUs, showcasing impressive figures for both performance and price.
I’ve got to be honest. I harbored fears that AMD might drop the ball with this RDNA 4 reveal—perhaps with sky-high prices, underwhelming performance, or minor upgrades in FSR 4. But what really hit the spotlight for me was this: their RX 9070 XT delivers a performance on par with NVIDIA’s RTX 5070 Ti, lagging just 2% at ultra 4K settings. Just to be clear, that’s without employing FSR 4 or DLSS 4 for upscaling.
Now, you might wonder if AMD has set a trap for itself with an uncompetitive price tag. Quite the contrary. The RX 9070 XT comes with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $599. That’s a substantial $150 less than the RTX 5070 Ti’s MSRP, which is more of a wishlist price these days. With the RTX 5070 Ti nudging near $1,000 in the open market (and let’s not even talk about scalpers’ pricing), AMD is in a prime position to grab a bigger slice of the GPU pie.
Come March 6, AMD will roll out the RDNA 4 GPUs, including the RX 9070 XT and its budget-friendly brother, the $549 RX 9070. They promise “wide availability,” and if they deliver, I’ll be among the first in line to snag “the best graphics card under $600.” Here’s why you might want to join me.
Turning our focus to AMD’s RDNA 4 GPUs, they’re invigorating the mid-range gaming sector. Many of us are on the lookout for an affordable, mid-range GPU that can rise to today’s gaming challenges. Meanwhile, NVIDIA’s RTX 5000 “Blackwell” series, despite debuting with a mid-tier MSRP, hit a snag. Stock shortfalls, inflated third-party prices, and scalpers have pushed the RTX 5070 Ti’s price to almost $1,000, far from the $749 MSRP, making it a distant dream for many gamers. There’s also chatter about the $599 RTX 5070 launching right on the heels of AMD’s release. But whether it will be as easy to get one’s hands on is anyone’s guess. As for the RX 9070 XT and RX 9070, set for March 5 release, there’s been buzz since last December that retailers have been stocking up. AMD’s claims in the RDNA 4 presentation about “wide availability” certainly keep hopes high.
The introduction of two new next-gen GPUs to the mid-range market is a boon for PC aficionados, and NVIDIA has finally got some serious competition. The RX 9070 XT delivers performance comparable to NVIDIA’s RTX 5070 Ti, yet at a distinct $150 advantage. From what AMD suggests, that’s a 23% edge in performance per dollar. So, if you’ve been holding out for a solid mid-tier GPU for your gaming rig, the RX 9070 XT might just be the gem you’ve been waiting for.
Speaking of NVIDIA, they still hold the title when it comes to ray tracing, but AMD isn’t trailing as far behind as before. I’m not the type of player who needs ray tracing in every game, and I know plenty of others feel the same. So long as a GPU handles ray tracing when it’s mandatory, I’m satisfied. The RX 9070 XT could be that GPU for many. AMD’s lag in ray tracing compared to NVIDIA can’t be ignored, but they haven’t been sitting idle. Their presentation showed 4K RT figures, with the 9070 XT coming in just behind the 5070 Ti in all but two games—Spider-Man 2 and Far Cry 6. Compared to its predecessor, the RX 7900 GRE, the 9070 XT achieves up to a 66% better ray tracing performance at 4K. At 1440p, the games I dive into regularly, the improvements soar to 68% over the 7900 GRE. I’m eager to see how these RT figures pan out in reviews, though I doubt they’ll sway my buying plans.
Switching gears to FSR 4—that’s the generational leap I hoped would happen. AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution is their counter to NVIDIA’s DLSS, and this iteration marks its biggest leap yet. With FSR 4, AMD is turning to machine learning for upscaling, aligning it more closely with DLSS. Combined with RDNA 4’s upgraded hardware, FSR 4 delivers the generational upgrade I had anticipated. When enabling FSR 4 on the RX 9070 XT, AMD claims to push performance up to 4.4 times better at 4K. Consider this: in Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, frames leap from 43 FPS to 191 FPS. Spider-Man 2 sees a nearly quadruple boost from 48 to 192 FPS at 4K. Even Monster Hunter Wilds gets a boost from 42 to 147 FPS at 4K. As revealed by Hardware Unboxed following AMD’s now-retracted CES 2025 reveal, FSR 4 isn’t just about cranking up fps. FSR 3.1 struggled with maintaining quality for small pixel details, especially at high resolutions, but that’s reportedly ironed out with this upgrade. With both quality and quantity, FSR 4 has my vote—even if DLSS 4 remains the tech to beat.
And finally, it appears NVIDIA has met its match. AMD’s RX 9070 XT reveal couldn’t have come at a better time, despite being delayed for nearly two months. Meanwhile, I shifted from anticipating the RTX 5070 to being firmly in AMD’s corner for my next upgrade. Moving from an RX 6800 to an RX 9070 XT marks a significant leap, especially alongside my Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU. NVIDIA has seen its share of missteps with the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 launch on January 30. With issues like melting power cables and missing ROPs, plus sky-high prices and spotty availability, many gamers feel NVIDIA has tarnished its standing. Even if Team Green still holds the crown for the most potent GPUs, AMD’s RDNA 4 offers a compelling choice for those wanting to stay around the $600 mark.
So, what’s your call on the RX 9070 XT? Jump into the comment section and let me know!
