Well, it was indeed disappointing to see AMD not showcase specifics about its RDNA 4 offerings at the CES 2025 keynote, but the whole rumor buildup, followed by what some of Team Red's officials have said about the RX 9070 series shows that the upcoming SKUs will "change everything" for the mainstream markets.
AMD's Radeon RX 9070 XT Will Disrupt The Mainstream GPU Segment, Courtesy Of Phenomenal Price-To-Performance Figures
Before we dive into what to expect with the Radeon RX 9070 XT, it is important to take a look at how AMD is approaching RDNA 4.
A few months ago, Team Red announced that they would give up the pursuit of releasing the most powerful GPU in the market, and instead focus on the area of higher demand, which is unveiling a model that not only offers excellent performance, but dominating value. This is why we saw a radical change in AMD's RDNA 4 release schedule since the firm announced only two SKUs: the Radeon RX 9070 XT and the Radeon RX 9070.
While it won't be wrong to say that AMD leaving the "enthusiasts" segment makes NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 5090 the most powerful SKU out there, the main interest lies in the growing competition for the throne in the mainstream markets. Based on the rumors we have seen up until now, it is certainly safe to conclude that NVIDIA would face a lot more competition in pitching its 70-class and 80-class SKUs to consumers.
AMD's Radeon RX 9070 XT Specifications - Core Focus Towards Providing The Best Perf/$ To Consumers
Now that we have discussed AMD's RDNA 4 approach, let's look at Radeon RX 9070 XT specifications, including what has been official and the details yet to be disclosed. The GPU will be based on the higher-end Navi 48 die (4nm), coming in with 16 GB GDDR6 memory, which is a bit of a bummer considering that Team Green has switched to GDDR7, but that's something AMD has left for the future for now. Given that the RX 9070 XT is the top-end RDNA configuration, this marks a massive drop in VRAM from the previous-gen flagship, showing that AMD isn't focused on high-end markets for now.
In terms of other necessary specifications, we are looking at a 330W TBP for AMD's reference model, which is said to be bumped up from the initially planned 265W, likely to squeeze out more performance. The RX 9070 XT could feature a 3060 MHz boost, 2518 MHz base clocks, and 4096 Stream Processors (SPs). Interestingly, AMD won't include the 12V-2x6 power connector for the reference model, but AIB partners will have an option to feature the standard, given the respective power requirements.
AMD Radeon RX 9000 GPU Lineup (Preliminary):
| Graphics Card | GPU | Cores | Clock (Max) | Memory | TBP | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Radeon RX 9070 XTX? | Navi 48 @ 4nm | 4096 | TBD | 32 GB GDDR6 (256-bit) | TBD | TBD |
| Radeon RX 9070 XT | Navi 48 @ 4nm | 4096 | 2970 MHz | 16 GB GDDR6 (256-bit) | 304W | $599 |
| Radeon RX 9070 | Navi 48 @ 4nm | 3584 | 2520 MHz | 16 GB GDDR6 (256-bit) | 220W | $549 |
| Radeon RX 9060 XT | Navi 44 @ 4nm | TBD | TBD | 8 GB GDDR6 (128-bit?) | TBD | TBD |
| Radeon RX 9060 | Navi 44 @ 4nm | TBD | TBD | 8 GB GDDR6 (128-bit?) | TBD | TBD |
AMD has managed to keep details under the wraps for its RDNA 4 SKUs, which is why we are currently unaware of the extensive specifications of the Radeon RX 9070 XT. However, most of the important details have surfaced. The next big question lies in the expected performance; fortunately, we have key benchmarks.
AMD's Radeon RX 9070 XT - Expected Performance
Before we dive into this portion, it is important to note that the discussed benchmarks were not under ideal conditions since RDNA 4 drivers are currently in their beta stages, and many of these test benches may not have official drivers loaded up, so the final figures may vary.
Just recently, the Radeon RX 9070 XT was tested at 3DMark, and due to ease in examining the performance, we have created dedicated charts, stacking up the numbers of other counterparts in the markets.
3DMark Time Spy Extreme Graphics
3DMark Speed Way Graphics
Based on this alone, it's safe to say that the Radeon RX 9070 XT is the best option if you are looking at something between NVIDIA's 70-class and 80-class GPUs in terms of performance. Generationally, the GPU has managed to compete with the Radeon RX 7900 XTX impressively, and despite a lower VRAM count, the RDNA 4 counterpart manages to close down on the performance gap, showing the improvement AMD has brought in with the Navi 48 silicon.
Sadly, we don't have any gaming benchmarks for now, but based on what we have seen up until now, expect phenomenal performance out of the Radeon RX 9070 XT. It offers great value, and when you combine the power of technologies such as FSR 4, gaming with this particular GPU will be a delight. It is ample enough for 2K or even 4K gaming scenarios, but of course, this is assumed for now.
AMD's Radeon RX 9070 AIB Models - Exclusive Hands-On Preview
Well, fortunately, at our visit to CES 2025, we managed to take a look at some of the AIB models of the Radeon RX 9070 XT from partners such as XFX (White & Black variants), Sapphire (Pure White variant), ASUS (TUF Gaming), and PowerColor (Red Devil), and initial impression were undoubtedly great, hinting towards the massive interest AIB partners have on this particular GPU. While we won't go into individual models in depth (already done here), here are the respective images taken exclusively at the CES 2025 show floor.
All models were in triple-fan configuration, with different color schemes and new GPU lineups, so it's safe to say that the Radeon RX 9070 XT will debut with a diversified range of AIB models, too, with varied performance.
AMD's Radeon RX 9070 XT Expected Pricing - Will Team Red Nail This?
To make this release a success, AMD needs to come up with impressive pricing that competes with NVIDIA's 70-class and 80-class models.
For reference, the NVIDIA RTX 5070 and RTX 5080 are launched at $549 and $999, respectively, and judging by this, AMD needs to price the SKUs somewhere in between.
In an interview with AMD's Chief Architecture at Gaming Solutions Frank Azor, it was claimed that the SKU could launch at around $300-$1,000 price tag, and to shorten this up, we can assume that a $600-$800 range suits the SKU a lot better.
However, this depends on how AMD decides to proceed with RDNA 4 in general or whether it wants to offer a more improved perf/$ with the XT or the non-XT model. But it's safe to say that AMD will do wonders once the RDNA 4 GPUs drop into markets. Speaking of release, the Radeon RX 9070 XT and Radeon RX 9070 preorders start on 23rd January, a few weeks from now.