AMD 9070 XT vs NVIDIA RTX 4070 vs 5070: Complete Guide

• 7/3/2025
• 6-minute read

AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT vs NVIDIA RTX 4070 vs RTX 5070: The Ultimate Comparison

Choosing the right graphics card is one of the most crucial decisions when building or upgrading a gaming PC. With AMD and NVIDIA constantly pushing technological boundaries, the mid to high-end GPU market has become increasingly competitive. This comprehensive comparison examines the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT, NVIDIA RTX 4070, and RTX 5070 to help you determine which GPU delivers the best performance and value for your specific needs.

Core Specifications Comparison

The specifications reveal important distinctions: the 9070 XT offers more memory than the RTX 4070 at a slightly higher price point, while the RTX 5070 introduces next-generation memory technology at a premium cost.

Real-World Gaming Performance

1080p Performance

At 1080p resolution, all three cards deliver exceptional frame rates in most titles, often exceeding what most monitors can display:

• Competitive Games: All cards easily deliver 240+ FPS in esports titles like CS:GO and Valorant
• AAA Titles: The RTX 5070 leads by 12-15% on average, with the 9070 XT and 4070 trading places depending on the game engine and optimization

1440p Performance - The Sweet Spot

At 1440p, where these GPUs are most commonly used, performance differences become more meaningful:

Ray Tracing Performance

NVIDIA maintains its leadership in ray tracing, with significant performance advantages:

4K Gaming Capabilities

At 4K resolution, the differences become even more pronounced:

• The RTX 5070 maintains 60+ FPS in most titles with high settings
• Both the 9070 XT and RTX 4070 require upscaling technologies or settings adjustments for smooth gameplay
• The extra VRAM of the 9070 XT and 5070 provides advantages in texture-heavy games

Content Creation and Professional Workloads

For professionals and content creators, these GPUs offer varying advantages:

Video Editing Performance

In Adobe Premiere Pro, the RTX 5070 renders a 10-minute 4K timeline approximately 25% faster than the 4070 and 30% faster than the 9070 XT, according to benchmarks from Puget Systems.

3D Rendering Capabilities

In Blender’s Cycles renderer, NVIDIA’s OptiX acceleration gives both RTX cards significant advantages:

AI and Machine Learning Tasks

For machine learning applications, NVIDIA’s superior Tensor cores give both RTX cards a significant advantage, with the 5070’s architecture enabling approximately 2x faster performance than the 4070 in standard AI workloads, according to testing from Lambda Labs.

Power Efficiency, Thermals, and Noise

Efficiency has become increasingly important as energy costs rise:

• The RTX 4070 is the efficiency champion at 200W TDP
• Both the 9070 XT and RTX 5070 operate at 220W
• Under sustained workloads, the 9070 XT typically runs 3-5°C cooler than the RTX cards
• All three cards maintain temperatures below 75°C under load with their reference designs

According to TechPowerUp testing, the 9070 XT produces approximately 36 dBA under load, compared to 35 dBA for the RTX 4070 and 38 dBA for the RTX 5070, making all three cards relatively quiet options.

Feature Comparison and Ecosystem

NVIDIA Advantages

• Superior ray tracing performance across both generations
• DLSS 3 Frame Generation provides significant performance boosts in supported titles
• Better encoder technology for streamers via NVENC
• Superior CUDA acceleration for professional applications
• Better driver support for day-one game releases
• Longer history with the RTX 4070 having more mature drivers (released April 2023)

AMD Advantages

• Generally better price-to-performance in rasterized games
• Higher VRAM in the 9070 XT compared to the RTX 4070
• FSR 3 works across a broader range of GPUs
• AMD Smart Access Memory provides additional performance for all-AMD systems
• Often more readily available at retail
• The June 2023 release means more recent optimizations in its architecture

Product Maturity and Driver Support

An important consideration when choosing between these cards is their software maturity:

• The RTX 4070 has been on the market longest resulting in the most refined driver support.
• The RX 9070 XT has had several months for AMD to optimize drivers, but may still see performance improvements through future updates.
• The RTX 5070 features the newest technology but has the least mature driver stack.

Early adopters of the RTX 5070 may experience occasional driver issues that will likely be resolved in the coming months, while RTX 4070 owners benefit from a more stable software experience.

Making Your Decision: Real-World Use Cases

For the Competitive Esports Gamer

If you play mostly esports titles at high refresh rates, the RTX 4070 offers the best value, providing frame rates well above 240 FPS in games like Valorant, CS:GO, and Overwatch 2.

For AAA Gaming at 1440p

If you want to play the latest demanding titles at 1440p:

• Budget-conscious choice: The RTX 4070 at $549
• Balanced option: The 9070 XT at $599 with extra VRAM for future-proofing
• Premium experience: The RTX 5070 at $699 for maximum performance and ray tracing

For Content Creators

If you use applications like Adobe Premiere, DaVinci Resolve, or Blender:

• The RTX 5070 provides the best performance in most creative applications
• The RTX 4070 offers excellent value for occasional creative work
• The 9070 XT’s extra VRAM is beneficial for complex 3D scenes and large video projects

For more detailed workstation benchmarks, check Puget Systems’ specialized testing.

Conclusion

The mid-to-high-end GPU market in early 2025 offers compelling options at different price points. The AMD RX 9070 XT delivers excellent value with 16GB of VRAM and strong rasterization performance. The RTX 4070 offers NVIDIA’s mature ecosystem at the lowest price. Meanwhile, the RTX 5070 showcases next-generation architecture with significant improvements in ray tracing and AI performance.

Your ideal choice depends on your specific use case, budget constraints, and whether you prioritize current value or future-proofing. For most gamers focused on 1440p gaming without ray tracing, the 9070 XT offers the best balance of performance and value. For those interested in ray tracing or content creation, the NVIDIA options provide better feature sets and acceleration capabilities.

Further Reading

• TechPowerUp’s GPU Database
• Gamers Nexus Hardware Reviews
• Digital Foundry’s Ray Tracing Deep Dive
• Puget Systems Workstation Benchmarks
• Tom’s Hardware GPU Hierarchy