RX 7800 XT vs RTX 4070: Gaming Performance & Bottleneck (2026)

Expect a small but real lead for the RX 7800 XT: 88 FPS at 1440p High against 84 for the RTX 4070 with a Ryzen 7 9800X3D, a 6% gap that is about the same at 4K. Both launched in 2023, so this is a straight AMD vs NVIDIA fight for the same buyers. The order holds at 1080p (6% apart), so the RX 7800 XT is the quicker card at every resolution. Turn on ray tracing and the order flips: the RTX 4070 leads 48 to 36 FPS at 1440p, because the RX 7800 XT's RT hardware is less efficient. In esports games like CS2 or Valorant at 1080p they reach 398 and 379 FPS, so either can feed a 360 Hz monitor. The RX 7800 XT also has more memory (16 GB vs 12 GB), though both have enough for 4K High today. To stay under a 10% CPU bottleneck at 1440p, both need only a Ryzen 5 3600-class CPU.

Relative performance

Faster card = 100%. Average FPS at High settings with a Ryzen 7 9800X3D.

1440p, AAA games

RX 7800 XT100%

RTX 407095%

88 vs 84 FPS · RX 7800 XT +6%

4K, AAA games

RX 7800 XT100%

RTX 407095%

54 vs 51 FPS · RX 7800 XT +6%

1440p, ray tracing

RX 7800 XT74%

RTX 4070100%

36 vs 48 FPS · RTX 4070 +35%

FPS with a Ryzen 7 9800X3D

Average FPS in AAA games, no upscaling. A fast CPU, so the graphics card sets the pace.

Setting	RX 7800 XT	RTX 4070	Lead
1080p High	126	119	7800 XT +6%
1440p High	88	84	7800 XT +6%
4K High	54	51	7800 XT +6%
1440p ray tracing	36	48	4070 +35%

Specifications

Raster index: RTX 4090 = 100.

Spec	RX 7800 XT	RTX 4070
VRAM	16 GB	12 GB
Ray tracing	Yes, 70% efficiency	Yes, full speed
Released	2023	2023
Raster index	55	52

Which CPU do you need?

Slowest common CPU that keeps each card under a 10% bottleneck at 1440p High.

Graphics card	Slowest CPU	FPS
RX 7800 XT	Ryzen 5 3600 or faster	76
RTX 4070	Ryzen 5 3600 or faster	75

Which should you buy?

Buy the RX 7800 XT if you want the faster card: it's 6% ahead at 4K. The RTX 4070 is the better buy only if it costs at least 6% less, the gap at 1440p, because then it delivers more frames per dollar. Ray tracing is the exception: there the RTX 4070 leads by 35%.

Buy the RX 7800 XT if…

you want the most FPS: it's 6% faster at 4K and 6% at 1440p.
you play at 4K or use high-resolution texture packs: 16 GB of VRAM vs 12 GB.

Buy the RTX 4070 if…

you play with ray tracing: 48 vs 36 FPS at 1440p.
it costs at least 6% less than the RX 7800 XT, which makes it the better value per frame.

Check your build

These numbers use a Ryzen 7 9800X3D to isolate the graphics card. Your own CPU, resolution and settings change the result, so run your exact parts through the calculator.

Check Ryzen 5 3600 + RX 7800 XT Check Ryzen 5 3600 + RTX 4070

Popular builds with these cards

Ryzen 7 9800X3D + RX 7800 XT1440p · GPU-limited 56% · ≈88 FPS Ryzen 7 7800X3D + RX 7800 XT1440p · GPU-limited 50% · ≈88 FPS Ryzen 5 7600 + RX 7800 XT1440p · GPU-limited 35% · ≈88 FPS Ryzen 5 7600 + RTX 40701440p · GPU-limited 39% · ≈83 FPS Core i5-14600K + RTX 40701440p · GPU-limited 44% · ≈83 FPS Ryzen 7 5700X3D + RTX 40701440p · GPU-limited 37% · ≈83 FPS

RX 7800 XT vs RTX 4070: quick answers

Is the RX 7800 XT faster than the RTX 4070?

Yes. The RX 7800 XT is about 6% faster at 4K and 6% faster at 1440p in AAA games at High settings. With ray tracing on at 1440p the RX 7800 XT gets about 36 FPS and the RTX 4070 48 FPS.

How many FPS do the RX 7800 XT and RTX 4070 get?

With a Ryzen 7 9800X3D at High settings in AAA games, the RX 7800 XT averages about 126 FPS at 1080p, 88 at 1440p and 54 at 4K. The RTX 4070 averages 119, 84 and 51 FPS. DLSS, FSR or XeSS upscaling adds roughly 40% where the graphics card is the limit.

What CPU do I need for the RX 7800 XT or RTX 4070?

To keep the CPU bottleneck under 10% at 1440p, the RX 7800 XT needs a Ryzen 5 3600 or faster and the RTX 4070 needs a Ryzen 5 3600 or faster. At 1080p you need a faster CPU for the same result, and at 4K a slower one is fine. A slower CPU narrows the gap between the RX 7800 XT and the RTX 4070.