AMD's latest GPU delivers RTX 5070 Ti performance while being priced at $150 lower.

      After a lengthy anticipation, the future of AMD's top graphics cards has finally arrived. The company recently unveiled the RX 9000 series, which includes two new GPUs: the RX 9070 XT and the RX 9070. Both are scheduled to release on March 6, priced at $599 and $549, respectively. If AMD meets performance expectations, these GPUs could become a major hit in the mainstream market.

      During the presentation, AMD emphasized that gamers prefer purchasing mainstream GPUs over high-end models like the RTX 5090. The company referenced its own research, stating that 85% of gamers opt for GPUs under $700. Simultaneously, higher resolutions are becoming more standard, with an increasing number of users acquiring 1440p and 4K monitors. Gamer expectations have risen, now including solid ray tracing performance while maintaining affordability.

      At $599 and $549, the RX 9070 XT and its non-XT version are competitively priced against the RTX 5070. However, the RX 9070 XT is expected to offer performance similar to the RTX 5070 Ti, which is good news for AMD. The RTX 5070 Ti debuted at $750 but is currently mostly sold out and hard to find at its MSRP.

      The specifications for RDNA 4 had been leaked months prior, and it appears that the leakers were largely accurate. The leading RX 9070 XT features 64 compute units (CUs), 64 hardware ray tracing (HW RT) accelerators, and 128 AI accelerators. Its boost clock nearly reaches 3GHz, maxing out at 2.97GHz, suggesting that overclocked GPUs will surpass that limit. The card includes 16GB of VRAM on a 256-bit bus, and this memory setup is also present in the RX 9070 non-XT. The flagship has a total board power (TBP) of 304 watts.

      The RX 9070 makes compromises on various specifications, scaling down to 56 CUs and a maximum clock speed of 2.52GHz. In contrast, its power consumption is notably lower, now at 220 watts.

      Both GPUs will utilize GDDR6 memory. AMD opted for GDDR6, clocked at 20Gbps, as it strikes a favorable balance between performance and cost. Nvidia's RTX 50 series has transitioned to GDDR7 after using GDDR6X in the prior generation, but AMD compensates for reduced bandwidth by equipping its GPUs with ample VRAM.

      AMD provided some benchmarks for both GPUs, and they appear promising. However, in comparisons with Nvidia, it used an RTX 3090 rather than a current generation model. AMD noted that this choice was intended for individuals who purchased the RTX 30 series and are looking to upgrade now, though having scores from more recent models would have been beneficial.

      Fortunately, AMD indicated that it anticipates the RX 9070 XT to perform similarly to Nvidia's $750 RTX 5070 Ti or the previous-gen RTX 4080. AMD claims up to 21% better performance-per-dollar than the RTX 5070 Ti, which could be a strong offering if the two cards truly compete directly.

      The RX 9070 is reported to deliver up to 21% greater 4K performance than the RX 7900 GRE, representing a significant improvement. Conversely, the RX 9070 XT is projected to be up to 42% faster at 4K, also showing notable enhancements in ray tracing.

      With the introduction of new compute units (CUs) in RDNA 4, AMD has achieved advancements in efficiency, clock speeds, and register allocation. The new graphics cards will be equipped with third-generation ray tracing accelerators, promising 2x ray tracing throughput per CU. Historically, AMD lagged behind Nvidia in ray tracing capabilities, but it’s making notable strides in this area.

      The upcoming GPUs will also incorporate second-generation AI accelerators, which AMD claims will yield up to 8x faster AI performance compared to RDNA 3. The die size is approximately 350mm2, with a transistor count around 44 billion. AMD disclosed that the GPU was manufactured on a 4nm process. The RX 9000 series will transition to PCIe 5.0, and it will include support for DisplayPort 2.1a and HDMI 2.1b.

      The company will not produce its own versions of the cards, known as MBA (Made By AMD), but it plans to collaborate closely with partners to ensure availability, particularly at MSRP.

      In addition to the RX 9000 series, AMD also unveiled FSR 4, which will remain exclusive to RDNA 4 for the time being. While AMD has expressed intentions to potentially open FSR 4 to other cards, it is uncertain when or if that will occur.