RX 9070 XT vs RTX 5070 with FSR 4/DLSS 4 shows boring value but much faster performance for RDNA 4 GPU

Last week, Hardware Unboxed (HU) uploaded a gaming performance comparison between the Radeon RX 9070 and the GeForce RTX 5070, using the latest drivers and FSR 4/DLSS 4. The comparison showed that, due to driver and game updates, the RX 9070 is now even faster than at launch, making it harder to justify spending on the RTX 5070.

HU has now added the RX 9070 XT to this test to see the latest performance and value offered by the fastest RDNA 4 GPU. This comparison makes sense, as $599 RX 9070 XT is only intended to be around $50 more expensive than the RX 9070 and the RTX 5070.

As a refresher, the RX 9070 XT proved to be 12% ahead of the RX 9070 in games in our launch review. The performance delta compared to the RTX 5070 is approximately 19%.

Per HU’s 23-game average performance at 1440p, the RX 9070 XT is currently around 24% faster than the RTX 5070 and 10% faster than the RX 9070. So, while the performance difference between the RX 9070 XT and the RX 9070 is the same as at launch, the RTX 5070 has fallen even farther behind. This is reportedly also true when the RTX 5070 utilizes DLSS 4.

Using FSR 4 Quality, Balanced, and Performance modes, the RX 9070 XT is seemingly 22%, 21%, and 19% ahead of the RTX 5070, respectively, using the corresponding DLSS 4 profiles. The performance difference between the RX 9070 XT and the RX 9070 with FSR 4 enabled is 8% (Quality), 7% (Balanced), and 6% (Performance).

So, AMD drivers seem to be living up to their reputation of aging like fine wine, as the RX 9070 XT now performs noticeably better than at launch. However, the GPU is still not available at its official MSRP of $599.

RX 9070 XT price

In the US, the stock situation of the RDNA 4 cards has improved dramatically over the past months. The RX 9070 and the RX 9070 XT have also come down in price. For instance, you can get the RX 9070 at or close to the $549 MSRP. However, the RX 9070 XT is still retailing above its $599 MSRP, which starkly reduces the appeal of the card.

HU explains that the RX 9070 XT, which currently retails at $650 on Newegg, offers 24% better performance over the RTX 5070 for 18% more money. Coupled with 4 GB more VRAM, the 18% price premium could be justifiable for some gamers. However, the value of the $650 RX 9070 XT falls flat against the RX 9070, as the former offers only a 10% performance gain for 18% more money. Both GPUs also feature the same 16 GB VRAM buffer.

In other words, the RX 9070 is clearly the better buy at the moment if you want to spend as little as possible. We hope the RX 9070 XT comes down in price to its official MSRP, which would make the card an excellent buy over the RX 9070 and the RTX 5070 (Available on Amazon).