Expert’s Rating
Pros
- Much quicker than the RTX 4080
- Sometimes quicker than the RTX 4090, particularly at 1440p
- $200 lower than 4080 and $600 lower than 4090
- Acceptable ray tracing efficiency, lastly
- Easy PC compatibility resulting from cheap measurement and 2x 8-pin connectors
Cons
- Ray tracing matches 3090 however lags behind RTX 40-series
- Audible (however not overly loud) fan noise resulting from small design and excessive energy draw
- High energy draw
- Some sporadic bugs
Our Verdict
For lots of of {dollars} much less, AMD’s Radeon RX 7900 XTX each sprints previous the RTX 4080 and challenges the RTX 4090 too—it might probably typically beat Nvidia’s greatest GPU. Its compact reference design and use of conventional 8-pin energy connectors lets it match into most PCs simply as properly. AMD’s newest additionally affords acceptable ray tracing efficiency, although Nvidia holds its lead. The XTX isn’t excellent—some sporadic bugs did seem throughout our checks—however general it’s an excellent card with out a worth premium over final gen.
The struggle for the next-generation of graphics supremacy is lastly on. AMD’s new RDNA 3-powered $999 Radeon RX 7900 XTX and $899 Radeon 7900 XT lastly hit streets on Tuesday, December 13, primed for battle with Nvidia’s monstrous GeForce RTX 4090. To lower proper to the chase: In some ways, this launch could be very paying homage to the battle between last-gen’s Radeon RX 6900 XT and RTX 3090.
Despite costing lots of much less, AMD’s Radeon RX 7900 XTX comes inside spitting distance of the $1,600 RTX 4090 in lots of video games, assembly and even beating it in some titles—similar to final technology. Ray tracing can also be not a weak point, with the 7900 XTX on par with the 3090’s previously best-in-class efficiency however trailing behind Nvidia’s newest ferocious capabilities—similar to final technology. New capabilities unlock specialised experiences whenever you pair AMD’s newest Radeon GPUs with its newest Ryzen processors—similar to final technology.
But this time round, there’s a giant distinction. The Radeon RX 7900 XTX isn’t in competitors with the RX 4090, regardless of its means to go toe-to-toe with Nvidia’s juggernaut. The ludicrously priced $1,200 GeForce RTX 4080 is. Nvidia slapped the cardboard with a mammoth $500 greenback worth improve gen-over-gen, whereas AMD caught to the identical $999 for its flagship card. And each members of the 7900 duo meet or beat the RTX 4080’s efficiency at these cheaper MSRPs.
Let’s dig in.
Further studying: XFX Speedster Merc 310 7900 XTX review: Worth every penny
Radeon RX 7900 XTX and XT specs, worth, and options
AMD radically reconfigured its underlying GPU structure with RDNA 3. The most hanging change? This is the primary Ryzen-like chiplet-based GPU ever created.

Adam Patrick Murray / IDG
Previously, GPUs have been constructed utilizing large “monolithic” dies that cram all essential bits inside. But with RDNA 3 the primary 5nm core graphics die is flanked by as much as six complementary reminiscence dies. Built utilizing the extra mature and cost-efficient 6nm course of, these home the GPU’s on-chip Infinity Cache and reminiscence controllers. The design helps AMD hold prices down on each nodes, and little question helps the Radeon RX 7900 XTX and XT obtain their extra palatable costs. The central RDNA 3 GPU die measures simply 300mm squared, whereas Nvidia’s RTX 4090 die is over twice as giant. All of the 4090 die is made utilizing TSMC’s costly cutting-edge node, too.
AMD additionally overhauled RDNA 3’s ray tracing capabilities to supply as much as 50 % extra efficiency in these cutting-edge lighting results; added a pair of AI accelerators in every compute unit (which can possible come into play when FSR 3.0 lands in 2023); tuned the Infinity Cache for enhanced efficiency; launched a brand new “Radiance Display Engine” that helps HDMI 2.1a, USB-C, and DisplayPort 2.1 (in contrast to the RTX 40-series); amped up the “dual” media engine with AV1 encoding (yay!) and simultaneous AVC/HEVC encode/decode; and extra—together with switching to a newly “unified” compute unit.

AMD
We’re not going to lavatory down this evaluate with the total particulars, although. Our initial Radeon RX 7900 XTX reveal coverage has all of the technical data you want if you wish to wade in deeper. This evaluate focuses on extra sensible issues.
That begins with the technical configuration particulars of the Radeon RX 7900 XTX and 7900 XT, and the way they evaluate towards last-generation’s Radeon RX 6900 XT flagship. As you’ll be able to see, AMD crammed lots, lot extra of these extra superior CUs into these RDNA 3 chips:

AMD
A pair different sensible technical tidbits are value calling out right here. First, AMD discovered its classes from RDNA 2. While Infinity Cache works wonders for reinforcing efficiency in lots of video games, at increased resolutions, you want ample VRAM and extensive reminiscence busses to sort out high-performance textures with grace. The Radeon RX 7900 XTX packs 24GB of GDDR6, whereas the 7900 XT affords 20GB, properly above the 16GB discovered within the RTX 4080 and last-gen’s 6900 XT. It’s overkill however content material creators will find it irresistible, and so they’re paired with a lot wider 384-bit and 320-bit (respectively) buses than earlier than. Between that and Infinity Cache, reminiscence isn’t a difficulty with the 7900 sequence, full cease.
Also take note of the ability draw of the flagship XTX mannequin. While the $899 Radeon RX 7900 XT consumes a bit much less energy than its predecessor, the $999 7900 XTX cranks up the juice to compete with Nvidia’s newest and best. AMD recommends utilizing an 800-watt energy provide at minimal, and in our energy testing benchmarks, we found that the XTX solely attracts a hair much less energy than the ferocious RTX 4090. Yes, this card is extra environment friendly than prior GPU generations, nevertheless it’s nonetheless power-hungry.

Adam Patrick Murray / IDG
….Which makes the comparatively tiny measurement of AMD’s in-house GPUs all of the extra noteworthy. Nvidia and its companions slapped gargantuan 3- or 4-slot coolers on their 4080 and 4090 playing cards, powered by the melty new 12VHPWR connectors. Though customized RX 7900 boards additionally go huge, AMD’s choices stick with a modest 2.5-slot design that “fits in everything,” per small type issue PC guru Optimum Tech. That’s nice for compatibility with current PCs.
Also nice: AMD’s Radeon RX 7900 sequence reference playing cards use simply two conventional 8-pin energy connectors. The playing cards sport twin DisplayPort 2.1 connections, a singular HDMI 2.1a port, and a USB-C connection suitable with DP 2.1 as properly. Nvidia’s RTX 40-series lack USB-C, and most customized RX 7900 sequence playing cards we’ve seen to this point swap it out for the standard DP 2.1 connection. So if that’s a key characteristic for you, AMD’s reference playing cards are those to focus on.

Adam Patrick Murray / IDG

Adam Patrick Murray / IDG
For a deeper glimpse at these beautiful GPUs, take a look at our separate close-up look at the Radeon RX 7900 XTX and XT.
Of course, these playing cards additionally help AMD’s considerable software program options, a few of that are solely accessible when paired with an AMD Ryzen CPU. Those embody FidelityFX Super Resolution 1.0 and 2.0 upscaling tech and its universal Radeon Super Resolution cousin, the performance-boosting Smart Access Memory, a brand new Smart Access Video characteristic for accelerating encoding duties (which we hope to check quickly), Radeon Anti-Lag for lowered latency, AMD Noise Suppression to eradicate background noise throughout video calls and streams, AMD Link to beam gameplay to different units, Radeon Boost, power-saving Radeon Chill, Radeon Image Sharpening, AMD Privacy View, and extra. They’re all nice choices to have at hand.
But sufficient discuss. Let’s get to the benchmarks. Giddy-up.
Our take a look at system
We consider graphics playing cards on an AMD Ryzen 5900X PC used solely for benchmarking GPUs. We now take a look at with PCIe Resizable BAR (often known as Smart Access Memory on Ryzen methods) energetic, as most trendy gaming PCs launched within the final 4 years help the performance-boosting characteristic, both natively or through a motherboard firmware replace. Nvidia additionally recommends turning on the non-compulsory “Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling” choice in Windows to let the RTX 40-series stretch its legs to the fullest, so we’ve made that tweak as properly. Most of the {hardware} was supplied by the producers, however we bought the storage ourselves.
We’re evaluating AMD’s Radeon RX 7900 sequence towards the $1,200 Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 and $1,600 RTX 4090, their pure next-gen rivals. We’ve additionally included benchmarks from the last-gen Radeon RX 6900 XT, in addition to Nvidia’s RTX 3080, 3080 Ti, and 3090, to point out generational enhancements. All of those playing cards stay stable 4K choices, even the last-gen fashions.

Adam Patrick Murray / IDG
We’ve additionally up to date the video games in our testing suite for this new technology. Our lineup of video games spans numerous engines, genres, vendor sponsorships (Nvidia, AMD, and Intel), and graphics APIs (DirectX 9, 11, DX12, and Vulkan), in an effort to symbolize a full vary of efficiency potential. Each title is run utilizing its in-game benchmark, sanity checked by Nvidia’s FrameView tool, on the highest doable graphics presets until in any other case famous, with VSync, body price caps, real-time ray tracing or DLSS results, and FreeSync/G-Sync disabled, together with some other vendor-specific applied sciences like FidelityFX instruments or Nvidia Reflex. We’ve additionally enabled temporal anti-aliasing (TAA) to push these playing cards to their limits.
Each benchmark will get run not less than thrice, with the typical consequence for every take a look at listed as the ultimate consequence. Outside of esports, we’ve restricted our benchmarks to 4K and 1440p resolutions, as these are the pure suits for these bruising GPUs. Most value 4 figures or extra at launch. Pay shut consideration to how the 7900 XTX and RTX 4090 commerce blows at each resolutions—usually, AMD’s card is quicker at 1440p decision than the Nvidia card that prices $600 extra (thanks Infinity Cache!), whereas 4K efficiency varies wildly. Sometimes the 7900 duo struggles to surpass the RTX 4080, whereas different instances it might probably meet (and, hardly ever, beat) even the 4090.
Gaming efficiency benchmarks
Esports and older APIs
Let’s kick issues off with a pair of ultra-popular esports video games, and a tactical technique recreation operating on DX11.

Brad Chacos/IDG

Brad Chacos/IDG

Brad Chacos/IDG
It’s a killer begin for RDNA 3. In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, the Radeon RX 7900 sequence mops the ground with the 4080 in any respect resolutions, with the XTX tying or surpassing the 4090. Things get a bit extra sophisticated within the ever-popular CSGO, the place Nvidia’s Ada Lovelace structure flexes a bit extra, delivering unequalled 1080p efficiency. The $899 7900 XT manages to barely trump the $1,200 RTX 4080 in any respect different resolutions, nonetheless, whereas the XTX beats the 4090 at 1440p, however will get edged at 1080p and whomped at 4K. These are all fantastically quick playing cards for CSGO although—even the last-gen fashions.
AMD’s new GPUs are clearly favored within the DX11-powered Total War Troy alternatively, with the XT breezing forward of the 4080 and the XTX taking the vaunted 4090 down fully.
DX12 and Vulkan
With that out of the way in which, let’s flip to the extra trendy DX12 and Vulkan graphics APIs being utilized in many (most?) triple-A video games lately. Once once more, pay shut consideration to how the assorted Radeon RX 7900 sequence and RTX 40-series GPUs stack up towards one another, at each resolutions. We gained’t dive right into a play-by-play for all of those video games, however efficiency can differ significantly relying on the sport and determination. Peep these Gears Tactics outcomes for an excessive instance.

Brad Chacos/IDG

Brad Chacos/IDG

Brad Chacos/IDG

Brad Chacos/IDG

Brad Chacos/IDG

Brad Chacos/IDG

Brad Chacos/IDG
Taking probably the most wild game-to-game fluctuations out of the image, typically, AMD’s GPUs are inclined to have a bonus at 1440p, whereas Nvidia’s nonetheless personal 4K—however that’s not a common fact.
Skittering bugs
Now for a light awkward word: We encountered a number of bugs throughout our testing. None proved extreme or pervasive, except for Red Dead Redemption 2 continually crashing at 1440p decision with FSR 2 enabled, however we don’t often stumble upon oddities fairly so often throughout evaluations. That mentioned, they are typically extra frequent on the introduction of a brand new GPU structure (like RDNA 3) and often get mopped up rapidly, and we’ve already made AMD conscious of those points. The bugs we encountered are:
- Red Dead Redemption 2 benchmark persistently crashes with FSR 2 Balanced at 1440p decision. This impacts prior-gen Radeon GPUs as properly. AMD says a repair is being investigated, however to make use of the FSR Quality preset as a workaround within the meantime.
- Hitman 3 benchmark crashes sporadically on the identical 1440p, FSR 2 Balanced settings, however solely typically, and solely on the Radeon RX 7900 XTX.
- In one Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 benchmark run out of 15 with the $899 7900 XT, one thing glitched and all of the buildings rendered in neon rainbow for some cause—fairly trippy and funky, however not excellent. Fortunately, it didn’t resurface once more in some other runs, or in a number of hours of enjoying COD multiplayer with the extra highly effective XTX.

Brad Chacos/IDG

Brad Chacos/IDG
- Twice, video games refused to acknowledge the 7900 XT, reverting to a “Windows DirectX Render Device” as an alternative and drastically lowering efficiency. Running DDU and reinstalling the drivers mounted the problems each instances, however I’ve by no means seen that earlier than.
Bottom line? You may run into rare bugs in the course of the early days of the brand new Radeon RX 7900 sequence, particularly for those who’re utilizing FSR 2.1 Balanced to extend 1440p gaming efficiency. None have been true showstoppers, nonetheless. While bugs are at all times irritating, I don’t really feel these minor, sporadic ones diminish the 7900 XTX and XT’s general enchantment, particularly with AMD already working to squash them.
Radeon RX 7900 XTX and XT ray tracing benchmarks
We additionally must dig into the Radeon RX 7900-series’ uncooked ray tracing efficiency. AMD considerably overhauled how RDNA 3 handles ray tracing, enhancing not solely the uncooked efficiency of its RT accelerators, but additionally including a pair of devoted AI accelerators per CU for the primary time. Those AI accelerators aren’t doing a lot now, however it’s important to assume they’ll be a giant a part of the next-gen FSR 3.0 already teased to launch in 2023. Read our initial Radeon RX 7900 series coverage for a deeper dive into the architectural modifications AMD made with RDNA 3.

AMD
Want a pre-benchmark TL;DR? AMD made large strides right here, with the Radeon RX 7900 XTX assembly the last-gen RTX 3090’s ray tracing efficiency ranges—a.okay.a. one of the best ever till a pair months in the past. Ray tracing is not a weak point for AMD, although it stays a transparent Nvidia energy. That is sensible, as Nvidia is a technology forward, having launched RT and AI {hardware} within the RTX 20-series years in the past. It’s value noting that AMD’s FSR upscaling know-how is seeing a speedy uptick in adoption now that it’s established. At the RTX 4090’s launch, many of the ray-traced video games in our testing suite supported Nvidia’s DLSS, however not any iteration of FSR. Now, solely Watch Dogs Legion lacks it (which is why AMD’s playing cards present a 0 rating there). Huzzah to extra choices that cowl extra players!
The charts beneath present the uncooked efficiency of the examined GPUs within the chosen video games with ray tracing off, to get a baseline. Next, we present efficiency with all accessible ray tracing results energetic and set to Ultra. The essential factor to notice right here is how these ray-traced body charges evaluate proportionally to the sport operating with RT off, which reveals how environment friendly every GPU’s uncooked ray tracing capabilities are. (If a recreation runs at 100fps with ray tracing off, and two completely different GPUs run the sport with ray tracing on at 50fps and 25fps, for instance, the previous GPU affords higher uncooked ray tracing chops.)
Finally, since these cutting-edge lighting results ship body charges plummeting, pairing ray tracing with some kind of picture upscaling know-how (like Nvidia’s DLSS, AMD’s FSR 2, and Intel’s XeSS) is usually a necessity. We’ve additionally included efficiency metrics with DLSS or FSR operating in balanced mode to point out the kind of full-stack ray tracing efficiency you’ll see in the actual world. Running FSR/DLSS in Performance or Ultra Performance mode would end in even increased body charges, however with doubtlessly extra picture oddities. We just like the stability of pace and constancy that DLSS Balanced supplies.

Brad Chacos/IDG

Brad Chacos/IDG

Brad Chacos/IDG

Brad Chacos/IDG
We’ve additionally included a chart beneath exhibiting Red Dead Redemption 2 4K efficiency with FSR 2/DLSS Balanced on the assorted GPUs. That recreation lacks ray tracing, nevertheless it’s graphically intense, and these outcomes can present us the kind of pace boosts we are able to count on utilizing the upscaling applied sciences on newer playing cards versus older ones. (One caveat: As talked about within the Bugs part, RDR2 at the moment crashes on all AMD GPUs when attempting to run at 1440p with FSR Balanced mode enabled. Use Quality mode as an alternative for now at that decision.)

Brad Chacos/IDG
Across the board, RTX 40-series GPUs get about 30 extra frames per second with DLSS Balanced, on, whereas older RTX 30-series GPUs get 20fps—clearly exhibiting improved effectivity in Nvidia’s newest technology of devoted AI tensor cores, which energy DLSS. AMD’s FSR 2 runs on normal GPU shaders somewhat than requiring specialised {hardware} and boosts body charges by about 30fps on the 7900 duo and the older Radeon RX 6900 XT alike.
All of those upscaling applied sciences look nice in follow, although F1 22’s use of the a lot easier FSR 1.0 upscaling ends in a extra shimmering image at 1440p decision. It’ll be including FSR 2.0 quickly nonetheless. One factor Radeon GPUs gained’t be getting? DLSS 3 Frame Generation, a surprising technical achievement that’s already an actual weapon in Nvidia’s arsenal regardless of being in its early days. AMD has no reply for it and it may be an enormous boon for those who’re attempting to gas a high-refresh price 4K monitor.
Power and thermals
We take a look at energy draw by looping the F1 22 benchmark at 4K for about 20 minutes after we’ve benchmarked every little thing else (to heat up the GPU) and noting the best studying on our Watts Up Pro meter, which measures the ability consumption of our whole take a look at system. The preliminary a part of the race, the place all competing automobiles are onscreen concurrently, tends to be probably the most demanding portion.
This isn’t a worst-case take a look at; this can be a GPU-bound recreation operating at a GPU-bound decision to gauge efficiency when the graphics card is sweating arduous. If you’re enjoying a recreation that additionally hammers the CPU, you would see increased general system energy attracts. Consider your self warned.

Brad Chacos/IDG
Well properly properly, isn’t this a shock. AMD has been touting the effectivity good points in RDNA 3 and smack-talking Nvidia’s transfer to 12VHPWR energy connectors, however as you’ll be able to see right here, each 7900 XT fashions draw extra energy than the RTX 4080, although the XT is neck-and-neck. The 7900 XTX sucks down roughly as a lot juice because the power-hungry RTX 3090 and whereas it’s decently behind the the brand new RTX 4090, the entire system nonetheless attracts properly over 500W below load.
That’s not essentially dangerous—keep in mind, AMD’s 7900 GPUs are at all times quicker in recreation efficiency than the RTX 4080, and fairly often rivals (typically even beating) the RTX 4090, so the elevated energy draw is sensible. The XT attracts roughly the identical energy because the 4080 (and fewer than the 6900 XT) whereas providing considerably increased efficiency, highlighting RDNA 3’s improved effectivity.
We take a look at thermals by leaving GPU-Z open in the course of the F1 22 energy draw take a look at, noting the best most temperature on the finish.

Brad Chacos/IDG
Here’s the place AMD’s determination to stay to a historically sized card impacts the Radeon RX 7900-series. Yes, they’ll match into most any PC, however although AMD’s reference GPUs are extremely dense and heavy in-hand, the a lot bigger Nvidia (and XFX) GPUs do a greater job at dissipating warmth. You can’t see it a lot within the uncooked numbers, as sub-70-degree maximums are fantastic regardless, however you’ll be able to undoubtedly hear AMD’s reference playing cards below load. (It’s a pleasing sufficient sound, although—not too shrill, or too loud.) Our Radeon RX 7900 XTX evaluate unit additionally exhibited coil whine in a number of circumstances.
The Nvidia RTX 40-series GPUs and XFX’s customized 7900 XTX depend on far bulkier cooling designs that run each cool and very quiet—damned close to silent. AMD undoubtedly made a trade-off choosing a smaller development, however because the 7900’s sound profile isn’t obnoxious, it feels worthwhile to make sure smaller RNDA 3 playing cards can be found. That mentioned, in order for you actually silent operating, you’ll must pony up for a bigger customized 7900.
Should you purchase the Radeon RX 7900 XTX and XT?
Most individuals ought to undoubtedly go for the $899 Radeon RX 7900 XT and $999 Radeon RX 7900 XTX over Nvidia’s $1,200 GeForce RTX 4080. Heck, many individuals could be completely satisfied selecting up the XTX over Nvidia’s juggernaut RTX 3090 for $600 much less.

Adam Patrick Murray / IDG
AMD’s duo affords extra efficiency in conventional video games and way more reminiscence for lots of of {dollars} lower than the 4080. Plus, the XTX affords ray tracing efficiency on par with Nvidia’s best-in-class final technology GPU, the RTX 3090. FSR 2.0 can also be rapidly being embraced by video games that deploy the cutting-edge lighting results, supplying you with much more efficiency. You may also flip on AMD’s common Radeon Super Resolution upscaling characteristic in any recreation that doesn’t help FSR for even increased efficiency, and it seems nice on the 4K resolutions the 7900 sequence targets. These playing cards as expensive as hell however ship excellent worth versus the Team Green competitors.
These reference Radeon RX 7900 XTX and XT playing cards additionally win by way of compatibility, due to their slim but engaging 2.5-slot design and twin 8-pin connectors. These match into nearly any PC, in contrast to the large 3- and 4-slot RTX choices, which additionally require the usage of finicky new 12VHPWR power cable adapters—although their small measurement additionally makes them extra audible below load than bigger GPUs.
Enough mentioned, proper? Not fairly.

Adam Patrick Murray / IDG
Ray tracing isn’t a weak point for Radeon anymore, nevertheless it stays a energy for GeForce. AMD’s second-gen RT implementation within the 7900 sequence caught as much as the RTX 3090’s second-gen prowess, however the RTX 4080 and 4090 pushed the benefit even additional, to the purpose that you simply don’t even have to make use of DLSS to hit 60fps in most 4K/Ultra ray-traced video games (although you need to to push body charges even increased). That’s wonderful, and AMD can’t evaluate.
AMD can also’t compete towards Nvidia’s superior new DLSS 3 Frame Generation characteristic, which inserts AI-created frames between each different picture for unparalleled visible smoothness and the power to shatter CPU bottlenecks. Team Red does plan to launch FSR 3 with AI-created “Fluid Motion Frames” someday in 2023, nonetheless.

Adam Patrick Murray / IDG
If you care about peak ray tracing efficiency and wish to get in on the AI body hype practice sooner somewhat than later, it’s possible you’ll wish to go for a 4080 as an alternative (although I’d strongly recommend towards it after Nvidia jacked its worth up by a staggering $500 over the 3080). Or even the GeForce RTX 4090, which boasts these options and ferocious general efficiency—it’s the final word no-compromises GPU of this technology. That’s very true for prosumers who can put its twin AV1 encoders and 24GB of ultra-fast GDDR6X VRAM to correct work. You’ll pay dearly for it although: $600 greater than the 7900 XTX.
That mentioned, whereas ray tracing is selecting up steam, it’s solely a must-use characteristic in a handful of video games, like Cyberpunk 2077, Metro Exodus, Minecraft RTX, and Control. Portal RTX additionally seems dope as heck (and requires DLSS 3 Frame Gen to run successfully). If it’s extra of a nice-to-have characteristic on your gameplay wants, AMD’s Radeon RX 7900 XTX and XT are significantly better values.
That that mentioned, we’re at the moment in a bizarre time for GPUs, with a glut of last-gen fashions flooding the market after the pandemic-fueled crypto bubble burst. Most individuals don’t want a $1,000 graphics card. If you aren’t trying to push body charges on a high-refresh 4K monitor, last-gen GPUs just like the 6900 XT and Nvidia’s RTX 3080 are nonetheless stable sensible choices for 4K/60 and high-refresh 1440p shows, and so they can often be discovered for round $600 to $750 on-line. They’re nice for those who don’t want the most recent and best. You can save a couple of hundred extra bucks now that the GPU crunch has subsided, and even attempt to threat holding out for even deeper reductions.
Our information to the best graphics cards for gaming can assist you make one of the best determination for you.

Adam Patrick Murray / IDG
Bottom line? AMD’s Radeon RX 7900 XT and XTX ship staggering efficiency, ample reminiscence, simple compatibility, and software program options galore for much lower than Nvidia’s newest. They might not unseat the RTX 4090 because the towering uncooked efficiency champion, particularly for those who’re fascinated by ray tracing, however in contrast to Nvidia’s price-jacked but performance-lacking RTX 4080, the Radeon RX 7900 XTX affords beautiful worth over its predecessor for a similar worth as earlier than. The 7900 XT, alternatively, delivers worse worth than the flagship and little question would’ve been known as the 7800 XT (and offered for considerably much less) if Nvidia hadn’t already pushed pricing to insane ranges with the RTX 4080. Neither the 4080 nor the 7900 XT are significantly interesting at these costs. If you’re already contemplating spending $899 for the XT, we’d advise saving up some further pennies and grabbing the $999 XTX as an alternative for those who can. It affords much more efficiency in some conditions, like Cyberpunk 2077 with ray tracing enabled.
After Nvidia’s next-gen reveal, my colleague Michael Crider mentioned that “Nvidia’s tone-deaf RTX 40-series pricing is a golden opportunity for AMD and Intel.” With the Radeon RX 7900 XTX, not less than, AMD is urgent the purpose. Here’s to a brand new period of GPU competitors after years of stagnation!