The lengthy wait is over. After kinda-sorta-teasing the Radeon RX 9070 and 9070 XT at CES 2025, AMD is lastly pulling again the curtain on its next-generation graphics playing cards at the moment, forward of a March 6 launch date. Meet the rival to Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 50-series.
AMD shuffled Radeon’s branding this technology to reflect Nvidia’s; the Radeon RX 9070 XT will thus compete with the RTX 5070 Ti, whereas the Radeon RX 9070 takes intention on the 9070.
Usually, I’d infuse this preview with evaluation and commentary, however AMD declined to share 9070 pricing with press in a pre-announcement briefing. It’ll be revealed within the firm’s Radeon RX 9070 stream this morning. Since pricing is so essential to the story of the Radeon RX 9070, I’ll skip most deeper evaluation under and as a substitute focus merely on sharing the {hardware} and software program info AMD supplied press.
Let’s begin with an summary of the enhancements present in AMD’s new RDNA 4 graphics structure, earlier than shifting onto particulars concerning the Radeon RX 9070 sequence particularly, and what’s coming with FSR 4 and Hypr-RX.
Meet AMD’s RDNA 4
AMD
One factor revealed in AMD’s CES teaser: The Radeon 9000-series is constructed from the bottom up for an AI future.
Till now, AMD principally used conventional GPU options for its FSR upscaling know-how, whereas Nvidia’s AI-powered DLSS stored advancing each efficiency and picture high quality. No extra. The Radeon RX 9070’s new RDNA 4 graphics structure was designed from the bottom as much as incorporate a heavier AI focus, which works hand-in-hand with AMD’s new FSR 4 know-how (extra on that later) to convey the warmth to Nvidia. You possibly can see the block diagram and high-level efficiency claims for RDNA 4’s second-gen AI accelerators above.
AMD
AMD additionally invested closely in bettering Radeon’s ray tracing efficiency, which has all the time lagged behind Nvidia (and lately, Intel). The corporate says RDNA 4’s compute models (the constructing blocks of Radeon GPUs) ship twice the ray tracing throughput of the RDNA 3 CUs inside at the moment’s graphics playing cards. AMD additionally modified the Radeon RX 9070 XT’s reminiscence subsystem to extra effectively course of ray tracing duties.
That doesn’t essentially imply Radeon RX 9000-series ray tracing might be twice as quick because the 7000-series — RT efficiency is extra sophisticated than that — however it ought to be considerably higher than earlier than.
AMD
You possibly can see above how the third-gen ray tracing cores and second-gen AI accelerators match into RDNA 4’s new compute models. AMD instructed reporters that RDNA 4’s compute models are 40 % sooner than RDNA 3’s. RDNA 4 additionally contains an enhanced media engine, promising as much as 20 % greater visible high quality for content material creators.
Meet the Radeon RX 9070 and 9070 XT
Now that concerning the RDNA 4 structure, it’s time to see how AMD is placing it to work. AMD says the Radeon RX 9070 and 9070 XT are constructed for 4K gaming at a 1440p worth.
AMD
As per AMD custom, the Radeon RX 9070 is a barely cut-down model of the top-end 9070 XT, operating at noticeably decrease clock speeds (and considerably much less energy). Each 9070 playing cards supply 16GB of GDDR6 reminiscence paired with a 256-bit bus, PCIe 5.0 help, commonplace 8-pin energy connectors, HDMI 2.1b, and DisplayPort 2.1a.
Now, let’s peek at efficiency.
AMD claims the Radeon RX 9070 XT will ship 51 % extra efficiency than the flagship Radeon GPU of final final technology, the Radeon 6900 XT. In a briefing with reporters, AMD representatives instructed the press that the 9070 XT is fairly much like Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 4080 in conventional “raster” gaming efficiency. That ought to put it roughly on par with the brand new GeForce RTX 5070 Ti.
The Radeon RX 9070, in the meantime, needs to be 38 % sooner than the Radeon RX 6800 XT, and 26 % sooner than the uber-popular RTX 3080. AMD instructed reporters it expects the 9070 to look “actually robust” in comparison with Nvidia’s $550 GeForce RTX 5070, which launches subsequent week.
FSR 4 FTW?
RDNA 4 was constructed to work hand-in-hand with FSR 4, the primary iteration of AMD’s performance-boosting upscaling and body technology software program designed to leverage AI. Beforehand, nearly all FSR duties ran on conventional GPU {hardware}.
Doing so lets AMD mirror Nvidia’s DLSS claims: AMD says FSR 4 delivers giant efficiency boosts with picture high quality that may match and even surpass native visuals (relying in your High quality settings, in fact). Whereas the proof lies in how FSR 4 runs in movement, AMD launched some screenshots displaying its visible high quality in particular zoomed-in particulars…
…in addition to some efficiency outcomes FSR 4 Upscaling and Upscaling + Body Technology in comparison with native 4K.
Whereas Nvidia pushed DLSS 4’s Body Technology characteristic to insert as much as three AI-generated photos between conventional frames, AMD’s FSR sticks to inserting a single generated body between commonplace frames. It nonetheless offers a giant enhance in visible smoothness.
Higher but, you’ll be capable of use FSR 4 in a pretty big variety of video games proper out of the gate. Integrating new options like this normally takes months and months of effort, with only some key accomplice titles obtainable at launch to showcase the know-how. Not FSR 4.
AMD
FSR 4 builds atop AMD’s current FSR 3.1 framework, which permits builders to in a short time combine the brand new know-how. (Nvidia’s DLSS 4 was equally designed.) Meaning not one, not two, however 30+ video games will help FSR 4 proper at launch, with the variety of supported video games anticipated to develop to 75+ by the top of the 12 months. That’s one of many largest, quickest know-how adoptions in historical past.
And there are some heavy hitters in there, too. AMD makes the chip powering the PlayStation 5, and several other Sony video games crack FSR 4’s debut lineup, together with God of Warfare: Ragnarok, The Final of Us Half I, Horizon: Forbidden West, and the Spider-Man sequence. Past that, blockbusters like Name of Obligation: Black Ops 6/Warzone, Marvel Rivals, Warhammer 40K: Area Marine II, and Kingdom Come Deliverance II make the reduce.
FSR 4 is unique to RDNA 4-based graphics playing cards, beginning with these Radeon RX 9070 choices; older GPUs might want to use FSR 2 or 3 as a substitute, that are supported over 400 video games.
Hypr-RX and AMD Fluid Movement Frames 2.1
AMD can also be introducing a brand new replace for its driver-based body technology know-how, AMD Fluid Movement Frames, which might add body gen to nearly any recreation. AFMF model 2.1 gives “improved body technology picture high quality with diminished ghosting and higher temporal monitoring” on Radeon RX 6000-series GPUs or later.
AFMF is a part of AMD’s Hypr-RX suite of options. Hypr-RX combines and prompts a number of Radeon options in a single fell swoop, together with driver-based body technology and upscaling, Radeon Anti-Lag, and Radeon Increase. In unison, these applied sciences can drastically elevate body charges whereas decreasing latency for ultra-fast efficiency.
Picture high quality can typically degrade a bit utilizing driver-based upscaling, particularly round UI parts, however Hypr-RX can ship gorgeous pace enhancements in hundreds of video games. AMD appears to be positioning it in opposition to Nvidia’s much-improved DLSS 4 know-how with A number of Body Technology; MFG seems higher, however Hypr-RX works on hundreds of video games and several other generations of Radeon graphics playing cards.
My take? I’m glad they’re each round. Every is great in its personal means.
The subsequent-gen battle begins quickly
AMD is not going to supply an AMD-made model of the Radeon RX 9070 sequence, letting companions like Sapphire, Asus, and XFX deal with graphics card designs as a substitute.
AMD
So there you might have it: The Radeon RX 9070 sequence, the RDNA 4 know-how behind it, and the FSR 4 options the {hardware} helps allow.
Will AMD’s next-gen GPU handle to upset Nvidia? A number of PC players are fairly irritated concerning the RTX 50-series’ sky-high costs and lackluster efficiency positive factors, so AMD positively has a gap right here — however it must nail each efficiency and worth to grab the benefit. The Radeon RX 9070 and 9070 XT launch March 6, so we’ll know the place the chips fall prior to later.
