AMD Radeon RX 9070 / 9070 XT Owner's Thread

Roboyto · Mar 7, 2025

Come one, come all who have purchased a 9070/XT!

Feel free to mention any info you'd like pinned here.

Before you post below asking questions about: troubleshooting, drivers, temperatures, tuning/Undervolt/OC, BIOS Flash/Editing, etc/etc please read this post. It has gotten long, but odds are it will answer most of your questions.

Let's chat about AMD really being back in the game; pun intended.

_

If it's your first time visiting and posting, or not, please share some info that we're compiling!

GPU / AIB / Model
Stock TBP Power Limit
GPU Memory Temperature
GPU Core to Hot Spot Delta
Radeon Tuning Auto-OC Freq Offset
ASIC % from HWInfo
SMU FW version from HWInfo

How to find ASIC / SMU FW Version in HWInfo

Either Choose "Full Mode"
Or, Un-check both"Sensors-Only" and "Summary-Only"

ASIC %, if listed for your GPU, will be above SMU FW Version

Owners List w/ VRAM ° & Hot Spot Δ Delta°

Will figure out what other info to track as things progress.

User	AIB	9070 / XT	Model	ASIC	Auto Tune	VRAM Temp	Hot Spot Delta
5mall5nail5	XFX	XT	Merc Mag OC
75Vette	XFX	XT	Quicksilver Mag
AussieJuggalo	PowerColor	9070	Red Devil
barium56	Sapphire	XT	Pulse	N/A
Belkov	PowerColor	XT	Hellhound	N/A		76	15
Blaub33r3	ASRock	9070	Steel Legend
b0uncyfr0	ASRock	XT	Steel Legend
Budreesha	XFX	XT	Merc G. OC			82-84	21-25
digitalfrost	ASUS	XT	Prime OC	N/A	103	92	25
dimkatsv	Sapphire	XT	Nitro+	N?A	103	92-96	27-33
DonDizzurp	ASUS	XT	TUF OC
fractured	Sapphire	XT	Nitro+	N/A	103	76	31
Gamerman	Gigabyte	XT	?
grifers	Sapphire	XT	Nitro+				30
inedenimadam	Gigabyte	XT	Gaming OC
iowcatalyst2	PowerColor	9070	Red Devil
jasonisop	PowerColor	9070	Red Devil		102		21
JM Popaleetus	PowerColor	XT	Hell Hound		103	92	25
Jonny K	Gigabyte	XT	Aorus Elite	N/A		94	27-30
Junneh	ASrock	XT	Steel Legend
Junneh	Gigabyte	XT	Gaming OC
kairi_zeroblade	Sapphire	XT	Nitro+
kiwivda	PowerColor	XT	Red Devil				26
Lare111	Sapphire	XT	Pulse			86	25
LtMatt	Gigabyte	XT	Aorus Elite			80	30+
lurifaks	Sapphire	XT	Nitro+	N/A	103	90	25
majestynl	PowerColor	XT	Red Devil
Makki	Sapphire	XT	Nitro+	N/A	103	90	30
M3TAI	ASRock	XT	Steel Legend
mtbiker033	PowerColor	XT	Red Devil LE	N/A		74	25-27
nepnep_	ASRock	XT	Taichi
nilssohn	Gigabyte	XT	Gaming OC
ns0130	Sapphire	9070	Nitro+	N/A	102	80	20
PROBYN4LYFE	PowerColor	9070	Hell Hound
PROBYN4LYFE	PowerColor	XT	Red Devil
Quad Damage	Sapphire	XT	Pulse
RedF	XFX	XT	Merc OC		103		23
Robiati	Gigabyte	XT	OC Gaming
Roboyto	PowerColor	9070	Reaper	N/A	102	88-95	15-20
russell664	PowerColor	XT	Hell Hound	N/A	103	82	30-35
scloutkst2889	PowerColor	XT	Reaper	N/A	102		16-20
supergt99	Gigabyte	9070	OC Gaming
SuperMumrik	ASUS	XT
tdimarzio	ASUS	XT	Prime OC				30-35
thigobr	ASRock	XT	Taichi	N/A		90	26
ToguroSR	Sapphire	XT	Pulse				23
ToguroSR	Sapphire	XT	Nitro+
Velome	Sapphire	XT	Pure			90	26
westcoastjos	ASUS	XT	TUF			82-84	36
yt93900	Sapphire	XT	Nitro+			92-95	25-30
ZealotKi11er	Gigabyte	XT	Aorus Elite

9070 XT Specs per AIB/Model

AIB	Model	Boost	Connectors	Dual BIOS	Pwr Limits	Slot Width	Length	Width
Acer	Predator BiFrost	3100	3 x 8-pin	???	340 / 374	???	???	???
ASRock	Taichi OC	3100	12V-2X6	YES	340 / 374	3	330	140
ASRock	Steel Legend	2970	2 x 8-pin	NO	310 / 341	2.9	298	131
ASUS	TUF OC	3060 / 3080	3 x 8-pin	YES	330 / 363	3.13	330	140
ASUS	PRIME OC	3010 / 3030	3 x 8-pin	YES	317 / 349	2.5	312	130
GIGABYTE	AORUS ELITE	3100	3 x 8-pin	YES	340 / 374	2.95	339	136
GIGABYTE	GAMING OC	3060	3 x 8-pin	YES	330 / 363	2.8	288	132
PowerColor	Red Devil	3010 / 3060	3 x 8-pin	YES	317 / 349 330 / 363	3.45	340	132
PowerColor	Hellhound	2970 / 3010	2 x 8-pin	YES	304 / 334 317 / 349	2.45	327	128
PowerColor	Reaper	2970	2 x 8-pin	NO	317 / 349	2.1	289	111
Sapphire	NITRO+	3060	12V-2X6	NO	330 / 363	3.3	331	128.5
Sapphire	PURE	3010	2 x 8-pin	NO	317 / 349	3.1	320	120.25
Sapphire	PULSE	2970	2 x 8-pin	NO	304 / 334	3.1	320	120.25
XFX	Mercury OC Mag.Air	3100	3 x 8-pin	YES	340 / 374	3.5	360	155
XFX	Mercury OC	3100	3 x 8-pin	YES	340 / 374	3.5	360	155
XFX	Mercury Gaming	2970	2 x 8-pin	NO	304 / 334	3.5	360	155
XFX	Quicksilver Mag.Air	2970	2 x 8-pin	YES	304 / 334	3.5	350	140
XFX	Quicksilver OC	2970	2 x 8-pin	NO	304 / 334	3.5	350	140
XFX	Quick Silver Gaming	2970	2 x 8-pin	YES	304 / 334	3.5	350	140
XFX	Swift OC	2970	2 x 8-pin	NO	304 / 334	3.5	325	150
Acer	Nitro OC	3100	?	?	340 / 374	3.3?	331	129
Acer	Nitro	2970	?	?	304 / 334	3.3?	331	129

9070 Specs per AIB/Model

	AIB	Model	Boost	Connectors	Dual BIOS	Pwr Limits	Slot Width	Length	Height
	Acer	Predator BiFrost	2700	2 x 8-pin	???	245 / 269	???	???	???
1	ASRock	Steel Legend	2700	2 x 8-pin	NO	245 / 269	2.9	298	131
2	ASrock	Challenger	2520	2 x 8-pin	NO	220 / 242	2?	290	123
3	ASUS	TUF OC	2650 / 2670	2 x 8-pin	YES	240 / 265??	3.13	330	140
4	ASUS	PRIME OC	2590 / 2610	2 x 8-pin	YES	220?	2.5	312	130
5	GIGABYTE	GAMING OC	2700	2 x 8-pin	YES	245	2.8	288	132
6	PowerColor	Red Devil	2650 / 2700	2 x 8-pin	YES	245	3.45	340	132
7	PowerColor	Hellhound	2520 / 2590	2 x 8-pin	YES	233 / 257??	2.45	327	128
8	PowerColor	Reaper	2590	2 x 8-pin	NO	220 / 242	2.1	289	111
9	Sapphire	NITRO+	2700	12V-2x6	NO	245 / 269	3.2	331	128.5
10	Sapphire	PURE	2700	2 x 8-pin	NO	245 / 269	3.1	320	120.25
11	Sapphire	PULSE	2520	2 x 8-pin	NO	220 / 242	3.1	320	120.25
12	XFX	Quicksilver Mag.Air	2700	2 x 8-pin	?	245??	3.5	350	140
13	XFX	Quicksilver OC	2700	2 x 8-pin	?	245??	3.5	350	140
14	XFX	Quicksilver Gaming	2700	2 x 8-pin	?	247 / 272??	3.5	350	140
15	XFX	Swift OC	2700	2 x 8-pin	YES	245??	3.5	325	150
16	Acer	Nitro OC	2700	?	?	245 / 269	3.3?	331	129
17	Acer	Nitro	2520	2 x 8-pin	?	220 / 242	3.3?	331	129

Common Troubleshooting

1) Check Driver Version. Win Update is forcing a pre-release version. More info below.
2) DDU in safe mode (again). DDU can disable all driver updates / or disable LAN/Wi-Fi before rebooting. More info below.
3) Are you using a PCIe riser? Is it 5.0 compatible? If not alter PCIe slot setting in BIOS to 4.0/3.0/etc. There is minimal performance loss with lower setting.
4) While in the BIOS you can try disabling "Fast Boot".
4a) Disable Fast Boot in Windows.
5) Remove & Re-seat GPU in the slot / check all cables/connections.
6) Are you using daisy-chain PCIe power cables? Could be a problem.

7) Is your PSU old? Sufficient? We are noticing relatively high "GPU Power Maximum" readings via HWInfo; 400-600+ watts. Higher than what TPU reviews suggest for transient spikes. TPU - 9070 XT Power TPU - 9070 Power

Potentially a reason to move to an ATX 3.0/3.1 PSU if you don't have one. ATX 3.0/3.1 spec calls for ability to provide 200% of PSU peak power in an excursion/burst that lasts 100μs.

There is a caveat here however. It would be wisest to target a unit with a 12VHPWR/12V-2x6 connector even if you're not going to use it. This is because if does not have the new connector, the excursion rating must only be 150%.

Explanation via HWBusters article. HWBusters 2025 PSU Best Picks List.

Tuning / UV / OC / ETC

You can do so via Radeon Tuning/Software Package or MoreClockTool from Igor's Lab. Links are further down in the post for either. (I don't personally have experience w/ other apps for this purpose.)

First thing to mention that is counterintuitive: + Freq Offset (currently), for the vast majority, doesn't help. See here, here.

ZealotKi11er said:
No need to adjust the freq offset. Basically you need to be hitting over 3450MHz for it to matter. If anything it might cause crash if u load up gpu with some weird workload that gets the clks high.

junneh said:
In my experience the frequency slider does batshit on 9070xt.
It will clock when it has room on power/voltage, regardless of setting.

I did some testing here showing how +/- freq offset does little for scores in Speed Way for my 9070.

I have experienced the same. Any value for + Freq Offset for my 9070 Reaper gives ~+30 MHz in clocks at best, but regression in bench scores. Der8auer also experienced the same in his UV/OC Video.

It was also causing my 3DMark results to take REALLY long to load.

With that out of the way, we can get to what will improve performance...

VRAM OC w/ Fast Timings

Most cards here, and in reviews, settle between 2700-2800. This can vary pending game/bench/app. It's ultimately up to silicon lottery tho 🎲🎲.

Pushing too high likely won't cause crashes/instability, but performance will regress! Pay attention to scores/FPS/etc. This is due to error correction when data is being sent multiple times due to errors. If VRAM temps get particularly high, near ~108C TJMax, you could experience VRAM clock throttling.

VRAM power budget is part of total power limit. I did some testing to show increased VRAM clocks can lower boost clocks. Games/Benches/Apps that load VRAM Controller hard(er) typically tolerate a smaller -neg voltage offset & may exhibit lower GPU clock speeds.

Using VulkanMemTest - Max VRAM Stability - From @barium56

Link for VulkanMemTest download further down in the post.

From my experience with 9070 Reaper & 9070 Nitro+ you can find a relatively stable VRAM OC using VulkanMemTest; thanks @barium56 . A very short load with MemTest can tell you almost immediately if you have a good/bad setting. 10-20 MHz can make a 10% difference in bandwidth! (see photos below)

You may have to test longer, but with the 5-minute test you can you can get yourself in the ballpark of what stable settings will be. As always, with tuning/OC, YMMV with silicon lotto.

LtMatt said:
I use 2732Mhz as on my sample any higher on memory frequency starts to result in bandwidth speeds slowly dropping as I have Memtest Vulkan running. YMMV.

Negative Voltage Offset

Card will automagically 🧙‍♂️ clock higher.

How low is highly dependent on your GPU & then game/bench/app. Driver will hang/stall/crash/etc if it is too low.

My 9070 Reaper at -100mV gains ~170MHz on average.

50-70mV seems safe for most people under most loads. Beyond that is dependent per GPU and then game/bench/app. My 9070 Reaper appears universally stable at -100mV, and does -150mV in Fire Strike Ultra / Port Royal. It's ultimately up to silicon lottery tho 🎲🎲.

Some XT users have encountered particularly sensitive games where even very small offsets end up unstable. Unsure of the specific cause at this point. Game patches and/or driver updates may sort this out. Just remember that stability in one, or a few, benchmark(s) rarely equates to universal stability for all other games/loads.

Negative voltage offset doesn't seem to reduce power draw. The GPU boosts higher soaking up the extra watts. Lower power draw can definitively be obtained by reducing power limit. A combination of negative voltage offset & reduced power limit can reduce draw and maintain stock performance. You'll have to tinker to find out how your card acts in this regard.

Negative Freq Offset can also lower power draw, but going too low may cause driver hang/stall/crash/etc.

Power Limit

Increasing power limit will also automagically 🧙‍♂️ clock higher.

My 9070 Reaper at +10%, w/ no other changes, gains ~110MHz on average.

All RX 9070/XT power limit in Radeon/MoreClockTool goes from -30% to +10% of TBP (total board power). This value is dependent on which specific model. You can see TBP values in the ^ charts above ^.

RX 9070 reference is 220W. Range is 154W-242W.

RX 9070 XT reference is 304W. Range is 213W-334W.

Higher tier cards increase these values.

VRAM power budget is part of total power limit. I did some testing to show increased VRAM clocks can lower boost clocks. Whether higher VRAM or Core clocks are better for you in a particular game/bench/app, you must find out.

Negative Max Frequency Offset

Once again, counterintuitive, but people are hitting slightly higher frequencies.

Check your bench scores/FPS and see what works best.

You'll know you've pushed to far when you get driver hang/stall/crash/etc.

_

Happy tuning folks! May the silicon gods smile upon thee!

Feel free to share any info/bench results.

More information will be added as things unfold.

BIOS Flash/Editing & Increasing Power Limit

User	GPU	Flashed To	Post Link
n/a	9070 Hell Hound	XT Merc Gaming (304W)	here
n/a	9070 Hell Hound	XT Reaper	here
barium56	XT Pulse	XT Aorus Elite	here
newbie2009	9070 Sapphire Pure	XT Aorus Elite	here
otakunorth	XT Steel Legend	XT Taichi	here
Roboyto	9070 Reaper	XT Reaper	here
supergt99	9070 Gigabyte OC	XT Gigabyte OC	here

TechPowerUp 9070 XT BIOS List For Download

BIOS flash is possible in Windows utilizing a CH341A Programmer (hardware) and software such as ASProgrammer or NeoProgrammer. BIOS editing still does not function.

Important note for successful flash: Choose an XT BIOS from a GPU that has same display output. I.E. if your card has 3X HDMI and 1X DP, only select an XT BIOS with the same config.

BIOS flash via CH341A, EVC2 & Shunt Mod info via HardwareLuxx.

Some specifics on CH341A flashing from @barium56 here here.

More specifics on NeoProgammer & CH341A flashing from yours truly here flashing 9070 Reaper to XT Reaper. Also specifc info on new(er) CH341A w/ voltage toggle switch.

9070 ASUS Prime successfully flashed to Prime XT for 317W TBP. More info in DE 🇩🇪 PCGH forum around here.

TechTuber Prime 9070 -> Prime XT Some good lessons in this one. I'd suggest checking out the Luxx & TPU links so you can likely avoid some of the headaches this dude ran into.

Feeling brave? CH341A Flashing For Dummies ® via TechPowerUp forums here.

barium56 said:
I recommend using AsProgrammer, as it has the the option to do the 4 needed options to write successfully in one step. The file ending shouldn't matter at all (.bin / .rom). You downloaded a BIOS from techpowerup, right?

Interesting nugget of info from the TPU article on the 9070 -> XT flash:

Update 13:23 UTC: Our resident hardware guru W1zzard has the following explanation for why the card's name does not change. On AMD cards, the revision ID field is used to distinguish between variants of the same GPU. On the RX 9070 Series, the XT models uses "C0" and the non-XT uses "C3." In the past, the AMD BIOS stored the revision ID of the card, and flashing the BIOS would change the value that Windows sees, and thus the model name will change accordingly. With Navi 4x, AMD made a change to their BIOS format, so that the revision ID can no longer be changed, which protects against fake cards, but in this case it means that some properties like power limits, clocks, etc. can swap to values from the BIOS, but all the IDs and unit counts remain fixed.

Linux still has the ability for SPPT Editing

If you are willing to dabble in Linux, then editing Soft Power Play tables is an option to boost power limit. LevelOneTechs Forum w/ link to GitHub.

See Here, Here.

More Technical Info

hellm said:
TDC seems to be the same for all, max 330A GFX and 88A SOC for every 9070(XT).
The max voltage for the 9070 is 1100mV, the XT version allows max 1200mV.

gupsterg said:
J4003 on PCBs that have marking, RedF posted here. Gigabyte XT Aorus/Gaming no markings on PCB, so no idea on location, XT Nitro+ / XT Taichi have markings on PCB

Buildzoid / AHCOC - YT - XFX 9070 Swift OC Teardown & PCB

ASRock Steel Legend 9070 XT PCB Shots - Courtesy of @M3TAl

Buildzoid/Actually Hardcore OC - YT Sapphire Nitro+ 12V-2x6

Sapphire Pulse & Pure 9070 XT use same PCB. Here

HardwareLuxx.de 🇩🇪 - Forum compiling PCB/VRM Info

V/F Curve - As logged/calculated by @RedF w/ his XT Merc OC.

M$ Update Forcing Pre-Release Drivers

AMD has stated they have fixed this with 25.3.2 BETA Drivers.

So far while using 25.3.2 on a couple fresh OS installs, I have not experienced the driver being overwritten by WinUpdates.

Several people, including myself, have reported strange issues, performance loss, invalid 3DMark runs, etc.

Check your driver version. M$, in their infinite wisdom, is forcing pre-release drivers via Win Update; Ver. # 24.30.31.02 from 2/12/25. This is happening even if you have windows update disabled through group policy.

Run DDU and reinstall 25.3.1.

Thanks to @gupsterg for pointing out that DDU has an option to prevent Win Update from doing auto driver installs.

What's up with high VRAM Temps?

I reached out to PowerColor Tech Support. They stated that VRAM temperature of ~90-95C is normal / safe. See their response here. This aligns with what @Dogzilla07 said previously:

Dogzilla07 said:
I can't find the datasheets again, the website I looked up before is down, but someone who did check the datasheets, and tests a lot/has access to testing mentioned ~90c is fine indefinitely

Igor's Lab dug into this as well. His findings align with what we had already been discussing in terms of temperature limits and what can be considered normal operating temps.

With his Nitro+ XT, he ended up replacing VRAM pads with (an undisclosed) putty. Combining that with a marginally higher fan speed target, +150 RPM, saw a reduction of ~6C from the looks of the graph provided in the article. Thus keeping VRAM at ~86C rather than closer to the 95C target (originally) set by Sapphire.

Igor notes that he reached out to Sapphire regarding the card's behavior in stock form. Future Nitro+ models will be released with an updated BIOS w/ slightly higher fans speeds to hit a slightly lower VRAM temp target. They are potentially considering an udpated BIOS for existing cards.

TLDR: Most reviews, and our experience so far, show VRAM temps from low 80's into the mid-90's. This seems to be par for the course ⛳. I'm also not aware of any reviews that pointed this out as a problem...

See here (translate from Spanish) for article on SK Hynix GDDR6 VRAM spec. Thanks to @barium56 for originally sharing data sheet and @Dogzilla07 for the link to El Chapuzas with further info.

An old SK Hynix data sheet lists 85C max. There was another stating 105C max, but that's oddly no longer available. Additionally, HWInfo's "GPU Memory Thermal Limit" reading would dictate ~108C as the max. ~108C aligns with data pulled from VBIOS of AMD Reference RX 7900 XTX which uses exact same model VRAM. See conversations we've had here, here & here.

Since RX 7000 used the same chips, and there haven't been issues, to my knowledge, this may end up being a moot topic.

Improving High Hot Spot Temperature/Delta

Some users have reported relatively high Core -> Hot Spot temperature differences; 25C-30C+.

@LtMatt improved Hot Spot delta for his AORUS Elite 9070 XT. From 30C+ down to ~20C w/ liquid metal.

Upgrade to LM w/ AORUS Elite 9070 XT

A word of caution to those unaware, and/or faint of heart, liquid metal is electrically conductive. Improper application, or oopsies, can cause shorting/irreparable damage to your hardware.

It is best to use w/ nickel plated heatsinks. You can apply to bare copper, but this usually requires more frequent servicing as it gets absorbed into, and permanently stains, the copper; not removable without sanding. It should never be used with aluminum heatsinks!

Gamers Nexus - Liquid Metal

AMD Official Info/Links:

AMD Official RDNA4 Reveal Video YT
AMD Official Page Radeon RX 9000
Official Page RX 9070 XT
Official Page RX 9070

Drivers / Software:

DDU Page
Radeon Drivers Page
HWInfo Page
GPU-Z Page
MemTest_Vulkan - GitHub Page
RadeonSoftwareSlimmer - GitHub Page
Igor's Lab - MoreClockTool Tutorial
Igor's Lab - MoreClockTool Download

Driver Version	WHQL	Release Date	SMU FW	TPU Link
25.3.1	YES	3/6/25	0.104.63	25.3.1
25.3.2	BETA	3/20/25	0.104.63	25.3.2 BETA
25.4.1	BETA	4/23/25		25.4.1 BETA

Helpful Links:

TPU - RDNA4 / 9070(XT) Technical Deep Dive

TPU - RX 9070 XT Page & List
TPU - RX 9070 Page & List

Reddit Link - RX 9070 XT Google Docs List

3DMark Results Search Page

FSR4:

AMD Official FSR Supported Games List/Page

Hardware Unboxed - YT - @ CES FSR 4 Demo Ratchet & Clank
Hardware Unboxed YT - FSR4 @ 1440P

Computerbase.De - FSR3.1 ~vs~ FSR4 ~vs~ DLSS3/4

Digital Foundry YT - FSR4 ~VS~ DLSS 3/4

Sony Assisted w/ FSR4 Development

OptiScaler& FSR4:

OptiScaler is a tool that lets you replace upscalers in games that already support DLSS2+ / FSR2+ / XeSS, now also supports enabling frame generation (through OptiFG or Nukem's dlssg-to-fsr3).

I have no experience with this application, but just came across it on Reddit. Will appreciate feedback from anyone who tries it!

OptiScaler GitHub Link

OptiScaler VideoCardz Article - Thanks @scloutkst2889 for sharing this info. @scloutkst2889 has reported great results using in CP2077 as video link below suggests.

YT - FSR4 ~vs~ 3.1 Cyber Punk 2077

Reviews:

Adrenaline (Brazil) - 9070 XT AORUS Elite
Clubic (French) - 9070 XT Prime // 9070 Pure
ComputerBase.de (German) 9070 Round-Up (5 cards) - TUF, Pure, Pulse, Hellhound & Quicksilver
CowCotland (French) - 9070 XT Gaming OC
Gamers Nexus - 9070 XT Pulse
GinjFo (French) - 9070 XT Merc RGB
Gizmodo - 9070 Acer Nitro
Guru3D - 9070 Pulse
Guru3D - 9070 QuickSilver OC
Hardware & Co (French) - 9070 XT Red Devil // 9070 Hellhound
HardwareLuxx (German) - 9070 XT: TUF, Red Devil & Nitro+ // 9070: TUF & Hellhound
Hot Hardware - 9070 XT: QuickSilver Mag Air & Reaper // 9070 Gaming OC
PauseHardware (French) - 9070 XT Red Devil
TechPowerUp - 9070 XT Merc OC Mag Air
TechPowerUp - 9070 XT Nitro+
TechPowerUp - 9070 XT Pulse
TechPowerUp - 9070 XT Taichi
TechPowerUp - 9070 Hellhound
TechPowerUp - 9070 TUF OC
TechSpot - (3) RX 9070's - Pure, Hellhound, Quicksilver
TomsHardware - PowerColor 9070 & XT Reaper

Reddit - 9070 (XT) ~vs~ RTX 4000/5000 & RX 7000 - Meta - 14 Review Averages

Linux - Phoronix Linux - 9070 XT Reaper & 9070 Gaming OC

YouTube Video Reviews:

BPS Customs YT - 9070 & XT Steel Legend
Der8auer YT - 9070 XT TUF // 9070 Swift
Eteknix YT - 9070 XT AORUS Elite // 9070 Pulse
Gamers Nexus YT - 9070 Pulse
Gamers Nexus YT - 9070 XT Pulse
Hardware Canucks YT - 9070 & XT Reaper - STEM/AI
Hardware Unboxed YT - 55 Games - 9070 XT ~vs~ 5070 Ti
Hardware Unboxed YT - (3) RX 9070's - Pure, Quicksilver, Hellhound
Hardware Unboxed YT - (5) RX 9070 XT's - Pure, Merc, Taichi, TUF & Nitro+
KitGuru YT - 9070 XT Taichi // 9070 Pulse
Level1Techs - 9070 & XT Prime
Paul's Hardware YT - 9070 & XT Reaper
TPU YT - (5) 9070 XT's & 4 9070's - 9070 XT: Pulse, TUF, Nitro+, Merc & Taichi. // 9070: Steel Legend, Quicksilver, Hellhound & TUF

UV/OC - OCUK YT - RX 9070 XT UV/OC - Pure
UV/OC - Der8auer - RX 9070 XT Red Devil

Frame Times ~VS~ 5070 Ti - JayzTwoCents YT - XFX RX 9070 XT Merc Mag Air / XFX RX 9070 QuickSilver

12VHPWR/12V-2x6 - Buildzoid/Actually Hardcore Overclocking
- Buildzoid/Actually Hardcore OC YT - Sapphire's 12V-2x6

Roboyto · Mar 7, 2025

Was fortunate enough to be able to snag a 9070 Reaper at EU/Dutch MSRP of €639 from Megekko.

Their site was immediately overloaded when sale went live at 3PM and was down by 3:01. Took it 54 minutes to come back up. Glad I was patient and didn't give up.

In true PowerColor reference fashion, the card is all business. Fit/Finish are really nice though despite the plain appearance. Shroud is textured plastic. Backplate ist textured metal.

Looking forward to hooking this guy up later today.

_

My bro is off work due to recovering from surgery, so he was able to grab a 9070 XT Reaper from Micro Center yesterday. With it stuffed into a NZXT H1 V1, the GPU core maxes at 62C.

Will be very interesting to see what an UV does for this card. I expect temperatures to be exquisite and for it to be absolutely silent.

Milkdromida · Mar 9, 2025

Hey, is that using the original 650w PSU that came with the H1? I'm looking at getting the 9070xt but I want to be sure the 650w is enough.

tdimarzio · Mar 7, 2025

Picked up an Asus Prime OC 9070 XT for $599 at Micro Center. Generally, I am very happy with the Navi 48 performance and it is not far off in raster from my 7900 XTX, much faster in RT, all at 100w less, but, something has me concerned. I am seeing over 30c delta from GPU temp to hotspot temp which is putting my hotspot under full load into the upper 90s. Now, this is with quiet fans and max power, but is anyone else seeing this? I even repasted it with fresh PTM7950 but still seeing 30 to 33c delta which I was definitely not expecting.

ToguroSR · Mar 7, 2025

Hey guys! From Romania here and managed to grab a Saphire pulse "close to MSRP"(vat and greed here are rampant even with the largest shops). Really impressed with the card, did not think I would end up here and impressed after downgrading once from RTX 4090 to 7900 XTX and now here. Actually this feels like a sidegrade compared to the 7900xtx with the initial tests I did, but with benefits (much better RT, temps and way less power draw).

Temps are sitting in general at 52 core and max 75 hotspot.

Running fast timings, 2700 on memory, -10 on core voltage, +200 on core clock and max power limit of course.

This one will go in my wife's PC after my NiTRO+ version gets here on monday. Nitro+ was not MSRP but from looking at the price I payed, it was like +100 euro VAT, +100 euro Sapphire implementation and +100 euro profit margin for importer + reseller .....fun, not.

Pulse was: 750 EURO
Nitro was: 900 EURO

Gotta love living in Europe sometimes.....not

Prices have went up for the models still available in modest numbers. I have even seen some going for aprox 1200 Euro, now

nepnep_ · Mar 7, 2025

Got a Taichi from newegg at $730

digitalfrost · Mar 7, 2025

First time AMD for me for a long time. Got both 9070 and 9070 XT for MSRP. It's not that much of an upgrade for me from RTX 3090 and I loose some VRAM, but given how well I can sell the 3090, I figured why not. Especially for MSRP. Also it's just fun to move to an all-AMD system.

e: Paid 630€ for the 9070 and 690€ for the 9070 XT.

e2: In the past, I had good experience with using the Nvidia Auto-OC function. I would then take the curve and apply undervolting on top with MSI Afterburner. Is there something similar for AMD?

Roboyto · Mar 8, 2025

Which AIB & models did you get so I can add to owners sheet?

Blameless · Mar 7, 2025

Anyone have a list of the power limits for each AIB's SKUs?

tdimarzio · Mar 7, 2025

Edit: sorry that has power connectors and recommended PSU but not max power limit.

mtbiker033 · Mar 7, 2025

I was hoping there would be a thread for these cards. I almost decided to wait this out but ended up going to mircocenter at noon, still a line but it was moving quickly. They sold out of MSRP cards while I was in line but I wanted one of the more custom cards (taichi or red devil). I ended up with the limited edition red devil and it was really well packaged. It runs really nice so far.

I scored 25 277 in Time Spy

AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D, AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT x 1, 32768 MB, 64-bit Windows 11}

www.3dmark.com

Roboyto · Mar 7, 2025

Had a 6900 XT Red Devil. Very well packaged and crafted piece of hardware.

How's that fancy key cap that came with the limited edition?

RedF · Mar 7, 2025

I ordered an XFX Merc OC.

Roboyto · Mar 7, 2025

You get the fancy magnetic fans? Those things are super cool...they carry a hefty premium however.

Roboyto · Mar 7, 2025

tdimarzio said:
all at 100w less, but, something has me concerned. I am seeing over 30c delta from GPU temp to hotspot temp which is putting my hotspot under full load into the upper 90s.

From what I saw in numerous reviews, this seems somewhat normal for these cards. I'll ask my bro what kind of temps he is seeing with his Reaper XT.

From HUB review: 23, 21, 29, 26 & 24 over GPU core temp.

If the card is performing well I don't think I would give it that much thought.

I would try messing around with an undervolt and the power limits. The XT is clearly pushed outside of optimal efficiency compared to the 9070.

I'd target around 1.000V and ~3100 MHz and see what happens.

From TPU Review:

ToguroSR said:
After downgrading once from RTX 4090 to 7900 XTX and now here. Actually this feels like a sidegrade compared to the 7900xtx with the initial tests I did, but with benefits (much better RT, temps and way less power draw).

Temps are sitting in general at 52 core and max 75 hotspot.

Running fast timings, 2700 on memory, -10 on core voltage, +200 on core clock and max power limit of course.

This one will go in my wife's PC after my NiTRO+ version gets here on monday. Nitro+ was not MSRP but from looking at the price I payed, it was like +100 euro VAT, +100 euro Sapphire implementation and +100 euro profit margin for importer + reseller .....fun, not.

Pulse was: 750 EURO
Nitro was: 900 EURO

Gotta love living in Europe sometimes.....not

Prices have went up for the models still available in modest numbers. I have even seen some going for aprox 1200 Euro, now

That's quite the journey with GPU's recently

.

Sapphire always delivers with their cards. They have been an outstanding AIB of AMD's for 15-20 years. My first "high-end" GPU was an HD 4890 Vapor-X OC. Vapor chamber back then was a big deal lol.

The Nitro+ cards have always carried a relatively hefty premium over reference cards...so really you only got hosed by the reseller.

The cheapest card now available in The Netherlands is a 9070 Pulse for €759...I feel extremely fortunate to have refreshed Megekko's webpage at the right time to be able to get a card for retail price.

nepnep_ said:
Got a Taichi from newegg at $730

Solid.

digitalfrost said:
First time AMD for me for a long time. Got both 9070 and 9070 XT for MSRP. It's not that much of an upgrade for me from RTX 3090 and I loose some VRAM, but given how well I can sell the 3090, I figured why not. Especially for MSRP. Also it's just fun to move to an all-AMD system.

e: Paid 630€ for the 9070 and 690€ for the 9070 XT.

e2: In the past, I had good experience with using the Nvidia Auto-OC function. I would then take the curve and apply undervolting on top with MSI Afterburner. Is there something similar for AMD?

Welcome back to the AMD camp. I was an AMD guy for quite a while. Randomly ended up with an EVGA 2080 Ti Hydro Copper during Covid, ~$700, because someone returned it at the local PC shop.

I attempted to jump on AM5 right after the platform launched; after 5 glorious years with AM4. It was a complete nightmare. RMA'd (2) faulty CPUs and exchanged several motherboards. I threw in the towel in MAR 2023 and switched back to Intel. My 13700K has been rock solid thanks to undervolting and capping the power limit shortly after setting up the system.

Switching to the Intel system led me to ditch my custom water loop. After ~5 months of taking **** apart and putting it back together, I didn't want to deal with it anymore...back to AMD with a 6900 XT Red Devil. Beast of a card...but it was too loud for me after coming from custom water. Sold that when I found an open-box RTX 4070 for a reasonable price.

About 5 weeks ago I found an open-box RTX 4070 Ti Super for €733; great deal given the market. I scooped that up for my HTPC that the 6700 XT came out of.

I'm having video drop out problems though in that system now. I moved my 4070 over to that system, and the 4070 TiS into my desktop...the problem persists with the HTPC using the 4070. I've been on 4 different driver versions. Next move is reinstalling Windows. And after that trying the card without the PCIe riser cable...which is a pain, but likely necessary.

_

In terms of UV/OC for AMD you can take a look at W1zzard's instructions from TPU.

I haven't messed around with my 9070 yet, so I can't comment...but I will have feed back in this regard sooner than later.

I use the TPU V/F charts as a guide. I linked those in the reply to @tdimarzio above. I typically use Radeon for tuning the GPU, so can't comment on AfterBurner w/ AMD. With the 6700 XT I would use HWInfo to monitor actual core voltage under load at stock, and then monitor as you reduce the voltage.

tdimarzio · Mar 7, 2025

Roboyto said:
From what I saw in numerous reviews, this seems somewhat normal for these cards. I'll ask my bro what kind of temps he is seeing with his Reaper XT.

From HUB review: 23, 21, 29, 26 & 24 over GPU core temp.
View attachment 2700293

If the card is performing well I don't think I would give it that much thought.

I would try messing around with an undervolt and the power limits. The XT is clearly pushed outside of optimal efficiency compared to the 9070.

I'd target around 1.000V and ~3100 MHz and see what happens.

Yep, this is while undervolted. Actually, whether it's stock, undervolted, OC'd or not, I'm seeing 30c to 35c delta. Otherwise, the card runs great and I'm generally happy with it. Getting 32k in timespy, almost 16k is timespy extreme, about 20k in port royal (this it power boosted, undervolted, RAM OC in place) but I really don't like how my hotspot approaches 100c under heavy sustained load while GPU temp is only 65c. It's kind of hard for me to ignore it.

Edit: So, I just tried reducing PL to stock and now core to hotspot delta is more like 27 or 28c, which I guess is close to the Taichi above. I think I'm maybe just expecting too much out of the cooler on this card compared to my XFX Merc 310 which was much more capable.

fractured · Mar 7, 2025

Nitro on pre-order from OCUK.
Cards are due next week so hopefully have it next weekend and I can have a read here first of whats what. Are they uber-locked down etc.

Expect slow spinning fan and memory temp being worrying at stock like the XTX.

Roboyto · Mar 7, 2025

Memory temps do seem to be relatively high comparatively, although 90C is still under spec. Most GDDR6 is 105C right?

An opportunity for thermal putty upgrade presumably?

tdimarzio · Mar 7, 2025

+20c is much more like it. I would be completely happy with that

I haven't had good experiences with PowerColor. Had 3 rdna2 navi21 red devils and all had problems.

Had a gigabyte aorus 1080 Ti which was awesome.

The best 5090 you can get is the gigabyte aorus master.

I think this is gigabyte's first foray into AMD cards though.

I like Sapphire but unfortunately I'm limited to max 3 slot width.

Roboyto · Mar 7, 2025

Luck of the draw I suppose. PowerColor has typically been solid for me.

The pulse is 3 slots isn't it? I think the XFX Swift is as well.

Gigabyte has been with AMD for some time, they just never seem to be that popular from my perspective.

fractured · Mar 7, 2025

Nah, Giga has been doing AMD for at least the last few gens, they had a bunch of 6900xt/xtxh, auorus master etc and 7900 xtx had gaming OC models. I have a Giga RX460 i use when setting systems up.

tdimarzio · Mar 7, 2025

I stand corrected! Looking forward to providing some feedback and comparison info on the aorus elite vs. the Asus prime.

Struzzin · Mar 7, 2025

Appreciate all the info the cards are looking great.
I missed out yesterday at my local MC I'm sick couldn't make it.
Due to a color theme would like a Pulse or Red Devil 9070 XT.

RedF · Mar 7, 2025

9070XT Merc OC.

Two BIOS modules on the back.

And a neatly labelled EVC2 access.

75Vette · Mar 8, 2025

I guess I'm technically an owner - have paid for a XFX Quicksilver Mag 9070 XT

No idea when it will ship?!

I'm wagering the XFX cards all have similar PCBs, so looking forward to sticking the Mercury OC 340W bios on it as soon as possible

RedF said:
9070XT Merc OC.

Two BIOS modules on the back.
View attachment 2700399

And a neatly labelled EVC2 access.
View attachment 2700400

Brilliant, I might have to wade into the EVC2 world this generation. I feel like there is probably more on the table with this GPU. Just need AlphaCool to make a block for the XFX now!!

ZealotKi11er · Mar 7, 2025

Got this : Radeon RX 9070 XT AORUS ELITE 16GB
Still waiting for the store to get stock.

LtMatt · Mar 7, 2025

ZealotKi11er said:
Got this : Radeon RX 9070 XT AORUS ELITE 16GB
Still waiting for the store to get stock.

That's the one I went for. I believe it is likely the best 9700 XT. Perhaps the XFX Mercury with magnetic fans is slightly better, but certainly less attractive.

junneh · Mar 8, 2025

I managed to get 2 9070xts

1 Asrock steel legend that runs kinda hot. But still within spec (92 hotspot when pushed 90 vrams)

1 GB gaming oc which seems to be a really good sample. Nice hotspot on 79c too. Rams 82c. Will go above 3400mhz

Both undervolt great, much better then RX7k series. Stock performance ( ~3000mhz) for ~ 250 watts.
U dont need a high pl card to hit nice mhz either (32-33s). Hotspot is also moot with undervolt.

I am consistently beating XTX with tuned 9070XT. Great card!

RedF · Mar 8, 2025

junneh said:
I managed to get 2 9070xts

1 Asrock steel legend that runs kinda hot. But still within spec (92 hotspot when pushed 90 vrams)

1 GB gaming oc which seems to be a really good sample. Nice hotspot on 79c too. Rams 82c. Will go above 3400mhz

Both undervolt great, much better then RX7k series. Stock performance ( ~3000mhz) for ~ 250 watts.
U dont need a high pl card to hit nice mhz either (32-33s). Hotspot is also moot with undervolt.

I am consistently beating XTX with tuned 9070XT. Great card!

Could you look at the ASIC quality and post? Yes, the influence of this is debatable, but it would be interesting.
You can find it in the HWInfo summary:

gupsterg · Mar 8, 2025

Roboyto said:
Don't seem to be (m)any reviews for Gigabyte Cards. I don't know if I've ever owned a Gigabyte GPU now that I think about it...

Sapphire and PowerColor are always my go to for AMD.

Edit:

My brother's RX 9070 XT Reaper is +20C for hot spot.

Gigabyte are decent also, my RX Vega 64 was a Gigabyte card

.

From having looked at TPU reviews, the 2 XT cards reviewed so far have same VRM, I reckon most will be that config/VRM components. So differentiating them is cooling solution, power connectors, VBIOS power limit, dual VBIOS, stock boost clock, warranty.

ZealotKi11er said:
Got this : Radeon RX 9070 XT AORUS ELITE 16GB
Still waiting for the store to get stock.

LtMatt said:

That's the one I went for. I believe it is likely the best 9700 XT. Perhaps the XFX Mercury with magnetic fans is slightly better, but certainly less attractive.

Click to expand...

I don't know if I'm keeping it, as it was Amazon, easy to cancel/return...

Roboyto said:
Interested to try XT BIOS on the 9070.

This all feels very reminiscent of the 290/X days. I had a beast of a reference R9 290 with flashed/modded BIOS.

I recognize @ZealotKi11er and @gupsterg from back in those days.

I'd be very surprise if anything like that works on these cards....

Roboyto · Mar 8, 2025

gupsterg said:
I'd be very surprise if anything like that works on these cards....

I'd prefer to be a glass half-full kind of guy in this situation.

gupsterg · Mar 8, 2025

Even though I don't need PCI-E slot release as Crosshair X670E Hero has button, this is a new thing I've seen on support brackets.

Roboyto · Mar 8, 2025

If you don't care for any bling, then you can hardly go wrong with Sapphire Pulse. They're all business for a reasonable price.

That bracket is nifty.

The PCIe release button is the one creature comfort I wouldn't mind having since things are crowded with an NH-D15S. I've got to use an automotive trim pry tool to hit the latch on my board

gupsterg · Mar 8, 2025

@Roboyto

I quite like the short PCB on these RX 9070 XT, with WB should be smaller cards vs 7900 XTX. Yeah only snag with Pulse is power limit is low

, no dual VBIOS also. Surprised even Nitro+ has no dual VBIOS.

Roboyto · Mar 8, 2025

Admittedly, I've been out of the XOC game for some time...is BIOS flashing and editing not a prevalent practice any longer?

Is the power delivery the same on the Pulse? Sapphire doesn't have it listed on their site. TPU says Nitro+ is 10+3.

gupsterg · Mar 8, 2025

Roboyto said:
Admittedly, I've been out of the XOC game for some time...is BIOS flashing and editing not a prevalent practice any longer?

From VEGA HW on GPU checks VBIOS signature, so VBIOS mod was out. Prior gens had VBIOS signature, but driver would check, then AMD would drop the check and VBIOS mod was open.

On Navi2x software power play was still open, but closed off on Navi3x, software power play is very old loop hole. In MSI AB Extend Overclocking Limits used that for many years.

On Navi3x VBIOS mod is dead, putting aside HW checking VBIOS signature, driver could also be checking.

On Navi4x is full UEFI VBIOS as well, no legacy.

Roboyto said:
Is the power delivery the same on the Pulse? Sapphire doesn't have it listed on their site. TPU says Nitro+ is 10+3.

Checking web, not found PCB yet

, but @W1zzard has one

.

Just found a HWINFO screen shot on RX 9070 XT Pulse, link. Reading from here is sticking to 304W, link.

* edit *

I think Pulse and Pure have same PCB, Pure has 317W power limit, seen on product page, plus review here.

* edit 2 *

Pulse/cards with 2970MHz boost and 304W is basically reference card, see Computerbase link on Pure and also W1zzards reply here.

Roboyto · Mar 8, 2025

gupsterg said:
From VEGA HW on GPU checks VBIOS signature, so VBIOS mod was out. Prior gens had VBIOS signature, but driver would check, then AMD would drop the check and VBIOS mod was open.

On Navi2x software power play was still open, but closed off on Navi3x, software power play is very old loop hole. In MSI AB Extend Overclocking Limits used that for many years.

On Navi3x VBIOS mod is dead, putting aside HW checking VBIOS signature, driver could also be checking.

On Navi4x is full UEFI VBIOS as well, no legacy.

Checking web, not found PCB yet , but @W1zzard has one .

Just found a HWINFO screen shot on RX 9070 XT Pulse, link. Reading from here is sticking to 304W, link.

* edit *

I think Pulse and Pure have same PCB, Pure has 317W power limit, seen on product page, plus review here.

* edit 2 *

Pulse/cards with 2970MHz boost and 304W is basically reference card, see Computerbase link on Pure and also W1zzards reply here.

View attachment 2700503

Oh dang...So things are very different from the last time I was seriously into messing around.

Thanks for the synopsis.

Guess I'll just have to be happy with tuning the card as is. It's still a meaningful improvement over my vanilla 4070.

Roboyto · Mar 8, 2025

13700K @ 2-core 5.8 | 4-core 5.7 | 6-core 5.6 | 8-core 5.5
9070 Reaper

First few runs in 3DMark at stock/auto everything.

Time Spy Extreme keep failing at the CPU test, so I guess I have to examine my UV/OC settings. Considering I entered values once and never touched them again, that's not too bad. System has been rock solid for just shy of 2 years now.

Port Royal - 15,091 @ 69.87 FPS
Steel Nomad - 5,696 @ 56.96 FPS
Speed Way - 5,528 @ 55.29 FPS
Fire Strike Ultra - 14,933 | Graphics 14,952 @ GT1 81.05 / GT2 54.27 | Physics 36,633 @ 116.3 | Combined 7,868 @ 36.60

Benchmark	Peak Core	Avg Core Clock	Peak Hot Spot	Delta	Peak VRAM	Peak Power
Port Royal	57	2345	74	17	92	180
Steel Nomad	56	2324	73	17	90	178
Speed Way	54	2269	68	14	92	182
Fire Strike Ultra	56	2401	72	16	88	182

VRAM temps are definitely up there, but still within spec. System is totally silent as expected.

gupsterg · Mar 8, 2025

WIP

* edit *

Seen 3x XT PCB, all use same phase count. Taichi seems to use MP87661 mosfet, where as others seen (Mercury/Nitro+) MP87993. Taichi also has 12V-2x6 connector like Nitro+.

junneh · Mar 8, 2025

Steel legend stock pl (tbp) is 310w

ilpalazzo · Mar 8, 2025

I bougt four Sapphires 7800XT Nitro+ for other people last year and the best one had 24C delta. Even moderate OC raised the delta pretty quickly so I guess this is normal. I would want to disassemble one and try my luck with doing the PTM job myself but couldn't.

tdimarzio · Mar 8, 2025

That's interesting. I was spoiled by my XFX Merc 310 which had 20c delta at 460w and 1500rpm.

mtbiker033 · Mar 8, 2025

I haven't had a radeon card in so long, is it better to use the adrenalin software for overclocking/undervolting? I always used MSI for my nvidia cards

Roboyto · Mar 8, 2025

Radeon has generally worked pretty well for me. In the past the core voltage adjustment didn't seem to translate directly; which was odd. This was my experience with 6900 XT and 6700 XT. Admittedly I have not had my hands on any RX 7000 products.

This appears to have been changed with RX 9000 however. Since they have changed the tuning to say "Voltage Offset (mV)" and, at least for my 9070, it only goes down to -200.

I'm in the process of benching in 3DMark. I've honed in on +450 MHz for core clock and just started testing "Fast Timings" before I move to pushing VRAM clocks. Then it will be on to undervolting.

dfps · Mar 8, 2025

There is a print with 9070xt nearly at 4ghz. Was before any launch so could be fake...but hope never dies

Roboyto · Mar 8, 2025

Without exotic cooling and physical modification to the card I don't think that is possible.

Best done by TechPowerUp so far with an air cooler is the XFX Merc OC Mag Air averaging 3,244 MHz.

Will be interesting to see what water can do for these though.

AMD Radeon RX 9070 / 9070 XT Owner's Thread

I scored 25 277 in Time Spy

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