RX 9070 XT vs RX 7900 XTX: Gaming Performance & Bottleneck (2026)

The RX 7900 XTX edges out the RX 9070 XT by 8% at 4K and 8% at 1440p, where it averages 131 FPS to 122 in AAA games at High settings with a Ryzen 7 9800X3D. Newer isn't faster here: the RX 7900 XTX came out 3 years before the RX 9070 XT and still leads in raster performance. The order holds at 1080p (5% apart), so the RX 7900 XTX is the quicker card at every resolution. Turn on ray tracing and the order flips: the RX 9070 XT leads 60 to 54 FPS at 1440p, because the RX 7900 XTX's RT hardware is less efficient. At 4K High the RX 9070 XT averages 74 FPS and the RX 7900 XTX 80, both playable without upscaling. The RX 7900 XTX also has more memory (24 GB vs 16 GB), though both have enough for 4K High today. To stay under a 10% CPU bottleneck at 1440p, both need a Core i5-12400F or faster.

Relative performance

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

1440p, AAA games

RX 9070 XT93%

RX 7900 XTX100%

122 vs 131 FPS · RX 7900 XTX +8%

4K, AAA games

RX 9070 XT93%

RX 7900 XTX100%

74 vs 80 FPS · RX 7900 XTX +8%

1440p, ray tracing

RX 9070 XT100%

RX 7900 XTX89%

60 vs 54 FPS · RX 9070 XT +13%

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 9070 XT	RX 7900 XTX	Lead
1080p High	169	177	7900 XTX +5%
1440p High	122	131	7900 XTX +8%
4K High	74	80	7900 XTX +8%
1440p ray tracing	60	54	9070 XT +13%

Specifications

Raster index: RTX 4090 = 100.

Spec	RX 9070 XT	RX 7900 XTX
VRAM	16 GB	24 GB
Ray tracing	Yes, 85% efficiency	Yes, 70% efficiency
Released	2025	2022
Raster index	76	82

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 9070 XT	Core i5-12400F	111
RX 7900 XTX	Core i5-12400F	114

Which should you buy?

Buy the RX 7900 XTX if you want the faster card: it's 8% ahead at 4K. The RX 9070 XT is the better buy only if it costs at least 8% less, the gap at 1440p, because then it delivers more frames per dollar. Ray tracing is the exception: there the RX 9070 XT leads by 13%. Already own the RX 9070 XT? The RX 7900 XTX is only 8% faster at 1440p and is older hardware, so switching is rarely worth it.

Buy the RX 9070 XT if…

you play with ray tracing: 60 vs 54 FPS at 1440p.
you want the newer card (2025) with the longer driver and feature support ahead of it.
it costs at least 8% less than the RX 7900 XTX, which makes it the better value per frame.

Buy the RX 7900 XTX if…

you want the most FPS: it's 8% faster at 4K and 8% at 1440p.
you play at 4K or use high-resolution texture packs: 24 GB of VRAM vs 16 GB.

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 Core i5-12400F + RX 9070 XT Check Core i5-12400F + RX 7900 XTX

Popular builds with these cards

Ryzen 7 9800X3D + RX 9070 XT1440p · GPU-limited 39% · ≈122 FPS Ryzen 7 7800X3D + RX 9070 XT1440p · GPU-limited 31% · ≈121 FPS Ryzen 5 7600 + RX 9070 XT1440p · GPU-limited 10% · ≈117 FPS Ryzen 7 9800X3D + RX 7900 XTX1440p · GPU-limited 34% · ≈131 FPS Ryzen 7 7800X3D + RX 7900 XTX1440p · GPU-limited 25% · ≈130 FPS Core i5-14600K + RX 7900 XTX1440p · GPU-limited 12% · ≈127 FPS

RX 9070 XT vs RX 7900 XTX: quick answers

Is the RX 9070 XT faster than the RX 7900 XTX?

No. The RX 7900 XTX is about 8% faster at 4K and 8% faster at 1440p in AAA games at High settings. With ray tracing on at 1440p the RX 9070 XT gets about 60 FPS and the RX 7900 XTX 54 FPS.

How many FPS do the RX 9070 XT and RX 7900 XTX get?

With a Ryzen 7 9800X3D at High settings in AAA games, the RX 9070 XT averages about 169 FPS at 1080p, 122 at 1440p and 74 at 4K. The RX 7900 XTX averages 177, 131 and 80 FPS. DLSS, FSR or XeSS upscaling adds roughly 40% where the graphics card is the limit.

What CPU do I need for the RX 9070 XT or RX 7900 XTX?

To keep the CPU bottleneck under 10% at 1440p, the RX 9070 XT needs at least a Core i5-12400F and the RX 7900 XTX needs at least a Core i5-12400F. 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 7900 XTX and the RX 9070 XT.