AMD's RX 9070 XT outperforms Nvidia's GPU priced over $1,000, but there is a downside.

      Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

      AMD’s RX 9070 XT launched last week, and the reception has been mainly positive. This GPU was anticipated to perform similarly to Nvidia’s RTX 5070 Ti, which would allow it to outperform some top-tier graphics cards. However, a well-known overclocker has recently managed to enhance the GPU's capabilities, enabling it to surpass Nvidia’s RTX 5080, which is priced over $1,000.

      Der8auer took the RX 9070 XT for an extensive test and achieved noteworthy outcomes. Before its launch, many speculated that the RX 9070 XT would only compete with the RTX 5070, but it has demonstrated the ability to outperform not only the RTX 5070 Ti but also the RTX 5080 in current benchmarks. The twist? Der8auer utilized a high-end card, and he also overclocked and undervolted it.

      RX 9070 XT: Impressive Undervolting, but Overclocking is Exceptional

      Overclocking a GPU involves a comprehensive process, as does undervolting. While it can be very rewarding (as seen in this case), it can also be intimidating if one is inexperienced. Der8auer aimed to reach the advertised peak clock speed of 3,060MHz for the PowerColor RX 9070 XT Red Devil model. Merely overclocking was insufficient; he only attained a frequency of 3.1GHz after lifting the power limit to 110%. After undervolting the card by 200mV, it crashed. Ultimately, he found a stable overclock at -170mV, allowing the RX 9070 XT to achieve an impressive 3.4GHz, a frequency not commonly seen in many GPUs.

      The overclocking and undervolting significantly benefitted the RX 9070 XT, allowing it to top Der8auer’s benchmarks, even surpassing Nvidia’s RTX 5080 Founders Edition by a narrow margin.

      This result is notable considering the RTX 5080 retails for $999 in the Founders Edition. In contrast, the RX 9070 XT starts at $599, although this particular model adds an extra $200 to that cost, bringing its price to $790. Both cards are currently sold out, making it a moot point, but the price difference is less than one might expect.

      Der8auer also refrained from using ray tracing or path tracing during his Cyberpunk 2077 benchmark, which might have given the RX 9070 XT a slight advantage, as Nvidia has historically performed better with ray tracing tasks. Additionally, the RTX 5080 was not overclocked, which could have resulted in a different outcome. Nevertheless, this marks a solid win for AMD.

      Monica is a computing writer at Digital Trends, specializing in PC hardware. Since joining the team in 2021, Monica has contributed…

      AMD’s RX 9070 XT Could Potentially Compete with RTX 4080

      With only a few days left until the official unveiling of AMD's Radeon 9000 graphics cards, early performance benchmarks for the RX 9070 XT have seemingly leaked. According to VideoCardz, AMD hosted a closed media briefing where it shared architectural insights and performance metrics for the RX 9070 XT, suggesting it may provide a significant improvement over earlier models and represent serious competition for Nvidia's products.

      The purportedly leaked benchmarks suggest that the RX 9070 XT shows a considerable performance increase compared to the Radeon RX 7900 GRE, achieving speeds that are 42% to 168% faster at 4K resolution with 'ultra' settings across more than 30 games. On average, the RX 9070 XT surpasses the RX 7900 GRE by 38% at 1440p and 42% at 2160p. In titles that heavily leverage ray tracing—like Cyberpunk 2077 and Hitman 3—performance improvements range between 164% and 168%.

      I Wish Nvidia Had Delayed the RTX 50-Series

      As a passionate GPU enthusiast, each new launch feels like a celebration for me—a festivity that can last for months. With both Nvidia and AMD strategically rolling out their products, there's a lot to anticipate as fresh models consistently join our rankings of the best graphics cards every few weeks.

      However, this time, the excitement feels more theoretical. In fact, I'm starting to experience some disappointment. After eagerly awaiting Blackwell, it seems as if a longer wait might have been preferable.

      The GPU Shortage Has Returned

      Leakers Might Have Misjudged AMD’s Next-Gen GPU

      The RX 9000 series from AMD is nearly upon us, set to compete against some of the top graphics cards. New leaks about the performance and price of these cards arise almost daily. Recently, we received some insights from a credible leaker on X (formerly Twitter). While this information is somewhat