On February 28, AMD finally took the wraps off its new RDNA 4 GPUs during a highly anticipated presentation, loaded with data on performance and pricing.
I have to admit, I approached the RDNA 4 announcement with a bit of trepidation. Concerns about unrealistic pricing, subpar performance, or unimpressive FSR 4 enhancements lingered in my mind.
However, the standout revelation from AMD—at least from my perspective—is the RX 9070 XT’s performance, which holds its own with the RTX 5070 Ti, only trailing behind by about 2% at 4K ultra settings without engaging FSR 4 or DLSS 4 upscaling techniques.
Now you might wonder, did AMD drop the ball on pricing again? Surprisingly, no.
The RX 9070 XT is tagged with a $599 MSRP, hitting the shelves $150 cheaper than the RTX 5070 Ti’s official price, which is often more fantasy than fact.
Given that NVIDIA’s RTX 5070 Ti is nearly hitting the $1,000 mark in the bustling market—and that’s before the scalpers have their say—AMD seems to have an open shot at grabbing a larger slice of the GPU pie.
AMD is rolling out its RDNA 4 lineup, including the RX 9070 XT and the more budget-friendly $549 RX 9070, with a promised wide availability starting March 6.
If AMD’s claim holds, I’ll be among the first in line to grab what they tout as “the world’s best graphics card under $600.” Here’s why I’m optimistic.
AMD’s RDNA 4 GPUs are breathing new life into the mid-range market.
As someone who’s in the hunt for a reasonably priced mid-range GPU that can tackle the latest gaming challenges, finding options has been tough.
NVIDIA’s RTX 5000 “Blackwell” series, although promising a mid-range entry-level price, quickly became out of reach due to limited availability, inflated third-party pricing, and opportunistic scalping, with the RTX 5070 Ti inching towards $1,000 despite a $749 MSRP.
There’s the looming $599 RTX 5070, rumored to follow on March 6 after delays. But how accessible it will be is still a big question mark, much like its RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 competitors set to debut on March 5.
There are whispers suggesting that retailers have stocked up on RDNA 4 GPUs since December, bolstered by AMD’s “wide availability” claim during the launch event—adding more hope to an already optimistic scenario.
The emergence of two additional next-gen GPUs in the mid-range arena promises good things for avid PC gamers, marking significant competition that NVIDIA has long needed.
The RX 9070 XT matches the performance of NVIDIA’s RTX 5070 Ti closely but does so for $150 less. AMD proudly claims a 23% better performance-per-dollar ratio.
For those waiting for a solid mid-range GPU to fit into their gaming rigs, the RX 9070 XT might just be the shining star you’ve been looking for.
When it comes to ray tracing, NVIDIA still holds the crown, but AMD is catching up fast.
Personally, I’m not obsessed with enabling ray tracing in all my games, and I know I’m not alone.
The RX 9070 XT seems more than capable of meeting the ray tracing requirements in the select titles that demand it.
While AMD may have lagged in ray tracing compared to NVIDIA, they haven’t been idle since RDNA 3, as evident in the improvements from RDNA 4.
During the presentation, AMD revealed some 4K RT performance numbers, showing the 9070 XT trailing the 5070 Ti but only in two games—Spider-Man 2 and Far Cry 6.
Still, compared to the previous generation RX 7900 GRE, the RX 9070 XT shows up to a 66% ray tracing performance increase at 4K ultra settings.
The numbers look even rosier at 1440p, my gaming preference, with the 9070 XT offering up to a 68% boost over the 7900 GRE.
I’m eager to see how these results hold up in real-world testing once the RDNA 4 reviews roll out, but I suspect I won’t be revising my purchase plans.
FSR 4 is just the leap I was hoping for.
FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) has always been AMD’s response to NVIDIA’s DLSS, and this time, it’s getting its biggest revamp to date.
By switching to machine learning for FSR 4—shedding the older spatial algorithms—AMD aligns more closely with NVIDIA’s DLSS, which has used AI upscaling from the get-go.
Paired with RDNA 4’s new hardware, FSR 4 seems to be the generational upgrade I was waiting for.
AMD claims that with FSR 4 on the RX 9070 XT, performance can skyrocket up to 4.4 times at a 4K resolution.
Take, for instance, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, where frame rates leap from 43 FPS to 191 FPS with FSR 4. Similar stories unfold with Spider-Man 2, seeing a fourfold increase from 48 FPS to 192 FPS at 4K.
Even Monster Hunter Wilds, a fresh release, experiences a 3.5x uptick with FSR 4, going from 42 FPS to 147 FPS at 4K.
FSR 4’s scope isn’t limited to just boosting frame rates, as pointed out by Hardware Unboxed. It smooths out high-quality detail rendering issues found in FSR 3.1, especially at higher resolutions.
Couple quality frames with quantity, and you’ve got my attention—even if DLSS 4 remains the benchmark for upscaling tech.
Finally, NVIDIA faces some genuine competition.
Although AMD was fashionably late with the RX 9070 XT, arriving nearly two months after the anticipated release, it couldn’t have come at a better time.
Back then, I was all in on the RTX 5070 hype, but now I’m leaning towards AMD for my next PC upgrade. The shift from my RX 6800 to the RX 9070 XT promises a significant performance redesign, complementing my Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU perfectly.
In the meantime, NVIDIA has stumbled over its own feet since the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 hit the shelves on January 30. Numerous blunders, from melting RTX 5090 cables to the absence of ROPs in the entire line-up, coupled with sky-high prices for elusive hardware, have left many PC enthusiasts disenchanted with NVIDIA.
While NVIDIA still offers the market’s most powerful GPUs, AMD’s RDNA 4 foray seems poised to capture anyone looking to spend in the $600 ballpark.
Are you ready to make room for the RX 9070 XT in your gaming setup? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
