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RX 9070 XT Was 3.6x Faster Than the RX 6800 XT in an Early Black Myth: Wukong Leak—but There’s a Catch

The RX 9070 XT reportedly reached 69 FPS versus 19 FPS for the RX 6800 XT in a heavily ray-traced, upscaled, frame-generated Black Myth: Wukong test. Here’s what the result really means for owners considering an upgrade.
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Yes—but only in one unusually demanding leaked test. An early Black Myth: Wukong comparison reportedly recorded 69 FPS on the Radeon RX 9070 XT versus 19 FPS on the RX 6800 XT at 4K with cinematic ray tracing, 50% FSR, and frame generation enabled. That works out to 3.63 times the frame rate, or approximately 263% more FPS.

It does not mean the RX 9070 XT is almost four times faster in ordinary gaming. The result was an attributed leak with incomplete test details, and its ray-tracing, upscaling, frame-generation, and very low baseline conditions strongly favor the newer RDNA 4 card.

The leaked benchmark: 19 FPS versus 69 FPS

The claim originated with an early report published by PC Guide on March 4, 2025. The figures were attributed to a Chinese forum leak that was reposted on X, rather than to a controlled, independently reproducible review.

GPU Reported result Relative result
Radeon RX 6800 XT 19 FPS Baseline
Radeon RX 9070 XT 69 FPS 3.63x the RX 6800 XT

The reported test used:

  • Game: Black Myth: Wukong
  • Resolution: 4K output
  • Preset: Cinematic ray tracing
  • Upscaling: FSR at 50%
  • Frame generation: Enabled

The available report does not establish whether the figures were averages from a repeatable benchmark run, a screenshot result, or another type of measurement. It also does not provide enough information to confirm that both cards used the same CPU, memory, driver branch, game patch, and complete settings configuration. Treat the numbers as a promising leak—not verified laboratory data.

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Is “almost 4x faster” mathematically correct?

For this specific comparison, yes:

69 FPS ÷ 19 FPS = 3.63x

The absolute gain was 50 FPS. Relative to the 19-FPS baseline:

(69 − 19) ÷ 19 × 100 = 263.2%

So the accurate descriptions are:

  • “The RX 9070 XT delivered 3.63 times the frame rate.”
  • “It produced approximately 263% more FPS.”
  • “It was 50 FPS higher in that reported test.”

Those figures should not be converted into claims that the RX 9070 XT is four times faster overall, or that every game will run four times faster.

Why is the gap so large?

1. Ray tracing heavily favors the newer architecture

The test used cinematic ray tracing, one of the most demanding workloads in Black Myth: Wukong. The RX 9070 XT is based on AMD’s RDNA 4 architecture, while the RX 6800 XT uses RDNA 2.

Nominal accelerator counts are misleading here. The RX 6800 XT has 72 ray accelerators, compared with 64 on the RX 9070 XT, but the newer units are substantially more capable. AMD lists improved ray-tracing hardware for the RX 9070 XT, and Tom’s Hardware reports that RDNA 4 doubled ray/triangle and ray/box intersection rates compared with RDNA 3. The RX 9070 XT therefore does not win because it has more ray accelerators; it wins because its newer accelerators and architecture process ray-tracing workloads more effectively.

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2. 50% FSR is not native 4K rendering

Although the output resolution was reported as 4K, FSR at 50% means the GPU rendered the scene internally at a lower resolution and reconstructed the final image. That can increase performance considerably compared with native 4K, but the exact internal resolution and visual-quality mode matter.

A 4K label alone is therefore incomplete. A proper comparison should state both the output resolution and the internal rendering or upscaling configuration.

3. Frame generation increases displayed FPS

Frame generation creates additional frames between traditionally rendered frames. That can make motion appear smoother, but the resulting displayed FPS should not be treated as identical to the number of fully rendered frames produced by the GPU.

For example, 69 FPS with frame generation enabled is useful as a measure of the experience the player may see, but it is not equivalent to 69 natively rendered frames per second. A fair report should disclose base rendered FPS, generated-frame settings, latency behavior, and 1% lows where available.

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4. Black Myth: Wukong is an unusually favorable workload

The game is graphically demanding and can place a heavy load on ray-tracing hardware. A title that stresses RT will expose the architectural difference between RDNA 4 and RDNA 2 much more strongly than a conventional rasterized game.

5. A low starting point creates a huge multiplier

Going from 19 FPS to 69 FPS looks enormous in percentage terms because the RX 6800 XT begins at an extremely low frame rate. A 50-FPS absolute gain is meaningful, but the multiplier would be much smaller if the baseline were 60 or 80 FPS.

A second leak shows how much the settings matter

The same coverage described a separate Black Myth: Wukong comparison showing approximately 70 FPS on the RX 6800 XT and 142 FPS on the RX 9070 XT. That is:

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142 ÷ 70 = 2.03x

This second result reportedly used 4K output with frame generation enabled but ray tracing disabled. The difference between roughly 2x and 3.63x is the central lesson: the performance relationship changes dramatically with the workload and settings.

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Neither leak provides enough documentation to calculate a reliable game-wide average. Together, however, they show why the headline figure cannot be generalized.

RX 9070 XT versus RX 6800 XT: specification comparison

Specification RX 9070 XT RX 6800 XT
Architecture RDNA 4 RDNA 2
Compute units 64 72
Stream processors 4,096 4,608
Ray accelerators 64 72
Game clock 2.4 GHz 2.015 GHz
Boost clock Up to 2.97 GHz Up to 2.25 GHz
VRAM 16 GB GDDR6 16 GB GDDR6
Memory interface 256-bit 256-bit
Infinity Cache 64 MB 128 MB
Typical board power 304 W 300 W
Recommended PSU 750 W 750 W

The specifications are listed on AMD’s RX 9070 XT product page and RX 6800 XT product page.

The RX 9070 XT has fewer compute units, stream processors, and nominal ray accelerators, plus less Infinity Cache. Its advantage comes from architectural improvements, much higher clock speeds, improved ray tracing, newer AI hardware, and newer software support—not from simply having more traditional shader resources.

Both cards have 16 GB of GDDR6 memory and a 256-bit interface. That does not make their real-world behavior identical: memory bandwidth, cache design, compression, architecture, drivers, and game-engine support also matter.

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What AMD officially claimed

AMD announced the RX 9070 XT at a $599 suggested price and the RX 9070 at $549, with availability beginning March 6, 2025. AMD’s official launch comparisons primarily positioned the RX 9070 XT against the RX 7900 GRE and other newer cards, not the RX 6800 XT. See AMD’s launch announcement.

That distinction matters. AMD’s figures were presented using a specified test system and driver configuration, while the early RX 6800 XT comparison lacks equivalent documentation. Manufacturer claims, leaked screenshots, and independent reviews should be evaluated separately.

What independent retail testing establishes

Tom’s Hardware’s retail review used a 16-game rasterization suite covering 1080p medium and ultra, 1440p ultra, and 4K ultra, with separate ray-tracing, FSR 4, and full-ray-tracing testing in additional sections.

In its rasterization results, the RX 9070 XT was approximately 5% behind the RX 7900 XTX at 4K, 5–10% faster than the RX 7900 XT, and 29% ahead of the RTX 5070 at 4K. It also performed much closer to the RTX 5070 Ti than its price difference might suggest.

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Those results confirm that the RX 9070 XT is a strong modern GPU. They do not provide a direct RX 6800 XT average, and they do not support treating the isolated 3.63x leak as a normal cross-generation uplift. Tom’s Hardware’s separate ray-tracing testing and FSR 4 and full-ray-tracing testing are more relevant for readers interested in the specific technologies used in the leak.

Should RX 6800 XT owners upgrade?

The answer depends more on your games, resolution, and settings than on the leaked multiplier.

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Upgrade is easier to justify if you:

  • Play at 4K and want higher minimums or smoother frame times.
  • Use heavy ray tracing in games such as Black Myth: Wukong.
  • Want newer frame-generation, upscaling, AI, or display features.
  • Are moving to a high-refresh 1440p or 4K display.
  • Have a sufficiently fast CPU that will not bottleneck the new GPU.

Keeping the RX 6800 XT may be smarter if you:

  • Mostly play rasterized games at 1080p or 1440p.
  • Already get acceptable performance without lowering settings.
  • Have a CPU-limited system.
  • Would pay substantially above the RX 9070 XT’s $599 launch SEP for a relatively small improvement in your games.
  • Already use upscaling and frame generation successfully and do not need newer features.

As a dated price reference, PC Gamer listed RX 9070 XT examples around $719.99, including a Best Buy listing around $739.99, with prices stated as correct on July 10, 2026. That is not a guaranteed September 2026 price, so use the actual price available in your market before deciding.

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RX 9070 XT or RX 9070?

The standard RX 9070 launched at a $549 SEP and may be a sensible 1440p alternative. Tom’s Hardware measured the XT ahead of the RX 9070 by about 15% at 4K and 13% at 1440p, while the launch-price difference was only $50.

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If the current gap remains small, the XT is the stronger longevity and 4K choice. If the RX 9070 is meaningfully cheaper, or your target is 1440p rather than 4K, the non-XT model may offer better value.

Check the rest of the system before buying

Power supply and case

Both GPUs carry a 750 W recommended PSU rating, so an RX 6800 XT upgrade does not automatically require a new power supply. Check the PSU’s actual wattage, age, quality, available PCIe power connectors, case clearance, airflow, and the specific board-partner card’s requirements. Listed board power is also slightly higher for the RX 9070 XT: 304 W versus 300 W.

CPU limitations

At 1080p, and sometimes at high-refresh 1440p, the CPU can limit performance before the GPU is fully utilized. Check GPU utilization and CPU utilization in the games you play. A new graphics card will not solve a CPU bottleneck.

Board-partner differences

AMD identified partners including Acer, ASRock, ASUS, Gigabyte, PowerColor, Sapphire, Vastarmor, XFX, and Yeston. Models can differ in cooler quality, noise, factory clocks, dimensions, thickness, power limits, warranty, and return policy. Do not assume every RX 9070 XT performs or fits identically.

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A reliable way to test whether the upgrade is worthwhile

  1. Record average FPS and 1% lows on the RX 6800 XT in your most-played games.
  2. Separate rasterized games from ray-traced games.
  3. Write down resolution, preset, upscaler, render scale, and frame-generation settings.
  4. Monitor GPU utilization and CPU utilization to identify bottlenecks.
  5. Compare like for like: same game patch, driver branch, resolution, quality settings, upscaler, and frame-generation mode.
  6. Calculate the total replacement cost, including possible cooling, case, PSU, monitor, or resale changes.
  7. Use the current retail price—not the historical $599 SEP—as the value baseline.
  8. Upgrade only if the improvement in your target games and resolution justifies that total cost.

How to spot a misleading comparison

  • One card is tested at native 4K while the other uses upscaled 4K.
  • Generated frames are presented as raw rendered FPS.
  • A percentage increase is incorrectly described as a multiplier.
  • One ray-tracing-heavy game is used as the average for all titles.
  • The CPU, memory, driver, or game patch is not disclosed.
  • An overclocked partner card is compared with a reference-clock model.
  • Shader compilation stutter, 1% lows, and frame-time consistency are ignored.
  • Matching 16 GB VRAM capacities are treated as proof of identical future-proofing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Was the RX 9070 XT really almost four times faster than the RX 6800 XT?

It reportedly delivered 69 FPS versus 19 FPS in one 4K Black Myth: Wukong leak, equal to 3.63 times the frame rate. That was an extreme ray-traced, upscaled, frame-generated scenario—not a general gaming average.

Was the leaked test native 4K?

No. The report said FSR was set to 50%, so the game rendered internally below 4K and reconstructed the output.

Does the RX 9070 XT have more ray-tracing cores?

No. AMD lists 64 ray accelerators for the RX 9070 XT and 72 for the RX 6800 XT. The 9070 XT’s newer RDNA 4 ray-tracing hardware is more capable per accelerator.

Should I upgrade from an RX 6800 XT?

The upgrade is most compelling for 4K, heavy ray tracing, and newer upscaling or frame-generation features. It is less compelling if your RX 6800 XT already handles your rasterized 1440p games well or your system is CPU-limited.

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The Bottom Line

The RX 9070 XT can be dramatically faster than the RX 6800 XT in a ray-tracing-heavy, upscaled, frame-generated Black Myth: Wukong scenario. The reported 69 FPS versus 19 FPS result is mathematically a 3.63x frame-rate ratio, but it is not evidence that the RX 9070 XT is almost four times faster in ordinary gaming. Judge the upgrade using your own games, settings, resolution, CPU, and current retail price.

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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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