Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti vs. AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT

For gamers looking to dive into 4K gaming without breaking the bank, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090, priced at over $1,999, might be out of reach. Fortunately, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti and the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT offer a more budget-friendly yet powerful alternative for achieving a top-tier 4K gaming experience. Despite their elevated prices due to high demand and limited supply post-launch, these graphics cards are ideal for those seeking high-end gaming performance.

AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT – Photos

4 ImagesRTX 5070 Ti vs. RX 9070 XT: Specs

Comparing the specs of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti and the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT can be tricky due to their different architectures. While Nvidia's CUDA cores and AMD's Shading Units serve similar functions, their direct comparison based on quantity alone isn't very telling.

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT features 64 RDNA 4 compute units, totaling 4,096 shader units, along with 128 AI Accelerators and 64 RT Accelerators. It's equipped with 16GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, which is more than adequate for current games, though it may be pushed to its limits in future 4K titles.

On the other hand, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti also boasts 16GB of memory, but it uses the faster GDDR7 on a 256-bit bus, resulting in higher bandwidth. With 70 Streaming Multiprocessors, it contains 8,960 CUDA Cores, which is double the shader units per compute unit compared to AMD. However, this doesn't necessarily translate to double the performance.

Winner: Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti

AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT & 9070 – Benchmarks

11 ImagesRTX 5070 Ti vs. RX 9070 XT: Performance

Despite the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti's superior specs on paper, real-world performance shows both cards are excellent for 4K gaming and top contenders for 1440p gaming. My review of the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT revealed it closely competes with the RTX 5070 Ti, even in ray tracing-intensive games like Cyberpunk 2077.

While the RTX 5070 Ti does lead in some titles, such as Total War: Warhammer 3, where it achieves 87fps at 4K compared to the RX 9070 XT's 76fps, the AMD card surprisingly averaged 2% faster overall. This slight edge is significant, especially considering the RX 9070 XT's lower price point.

Winner: AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT

Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti – Photos

6 ImagesRTX 5070 Ti vs. RX 9070 XT: Software and Features

Choosing a graphics card today involves more than just hardware specs; software features play a crucial role. Nvidia's RTX 5070 Ti shines with its DLSS suite, including AI upscaling and Frame Generation. The latest DLSS 4 introduces multi-frame generation, capable of producing three AI-generated frames for each rendered frame, significantly boosting frame rates with minimal latency thanks to Nvidia Reflex.

AMD's Radeon RX 9070 XT supports Frame Generation as well, but only one interpolated frame per rendered frame. The major advancement for AMD this generation is FSR 4, which introduces AI upscaling to their GPUs for the first time. While FSR 4's machine learning algorithm improves image quality, it's not as fast as its predecessor. It's worth noting that this is AMD's first foray into AI upscaling, while Nvidia has refined DLSS over seven years.

Winner: Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti

RTX 5070 Ti vs. RX 9070 XT: Price

The current GPU market is fraught with high prices due to supply and demand issues. Both Nvidia and AMD set suggested retail prices, but actual prices can vary widely due to retailer and third-party manufacturer markups. Hopefully, as supply improves, prices will approach the MSRP.

At launch, the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT, priced at $599, is a stellar choice for 4K gaming, especially with the new FSR 4 AI upscaler. This pricing reflects a return to more reasonable flagship GPU prices, unlike Nvidia's gradual price increases starting with the RTX 2080 Ti.

In contrast, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, with a base price of $749, is $150 more expensive despite similar performance to the RX 9070 XT. The additional cost might be justified by features like Multi-Frame Generation, but it depends on individual gaming needs and preferences.

Winner: AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT

The Winner Is… the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT

Both the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT and Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti are exceptional for high-end 1440p and 4K gaming. However, the RX 9070 XT's ability to deliver comparable performance at a significantly lower price makes it the clear winner. As prices hopefully normalize, the value proposition of the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT becomes even more compelling for gamers looking to build a powerful gaming PC without the need for multi-frame generation, which is less relevant for those without high-refresh 4K monitors.