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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsHotHardware’s page 3 verdict is favorable to AMD, but only within its test scope: the Radeon RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT generally beat the GeForce RTX 5070 in the displayed 3DMark and VR comparisons. They trail the RTX 5070 Ti in Speed Way and the VR tests, while overtaking it in the non-ray-traced Steel Nomad benchmark.
That makes the RX 9070-series a credible gaming alternative, not a proven universal winner. This page is a synthetic benchmark analysis—not a complete game-performance review—and current prices, drivers, game support and NVIDIA’s feature ecosystem still matter.
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Short answer: In HotHardware’s specific 3DMark and VR testing, the Radeon RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT generally outperform the GeForce RTX 5070. They do not beat the RTX 5070 Ti consistently, however. The clearest Radeon win comes in the non-ray-traced Steel Nomad test, while ray-tracing and VR results place the RX 9070-series cards between the RTX 5070 and RTX 5070 Ti.
That makes this page useful evidence that AMD’s RDNA 4 cards are serious competition in their price class—but it is not proof that either Radeon wins every game, ray-tracing workload, creator application, or feature comparison. This is page 3 of HotHardware’s five-page review and focuses specifically on synthetic graphics and VR benchmarks. See the complete HotHardware 3DMark and VR benchmark page for the original charts and test methodology.
#1 Best Overall
- All-aluminum metal material - Provides strong and long-lasting support. This is made of all-aluminum metal instead of plastic, can avoid the aging of plastic materials and can be used as a long-term replacement.
- Screw adjustment design - The graphics card bracket design can be compatible with various chassis configurations of traditional and long power supply bays to meet various user hosts.
- Bottom hidden mag.net design - The mag.net hidden in the base is designed for easy installation and more stable standing in the chassis.
- The workmanship of the detail process - The small graphics card support frame is made of three complex processes: polished anode, sandblasted anode and CNC high-speed edge-washing high-gloss process. The full anode process can maintain the durability.
- Tool-free fixing module - The support module is equipped with a cushioning anti-scratch pad and a base high-gloss process.
The benchmark results at a glance
| Test | Workload emphasis | HotHardware’s result | How to interpret it |
|---|---|---|---|
| UL 3DMark Speed Way | DirectX 12 Ultimate, ray tracing, ray-traced global illumination, reflections, mesh shaders and high-resolution assets | RX 9070-series ahead of RTX 5070, behind RTX 5070 Ti | AMD is competitive in this demanding ray-traced synthetic test, but the RTX 5070 Ti remains faster in the displayed comparison. |
| UL 3DMark Steel Nomad | Modern DirectX 12 rendering without ray tracing; designed as a cross-platform graphics test | RX 9070-series ahead of RTX 5070 Ti and around the RTX 4080 class in the comparison shown | This is the strongest Radeon result on the page, but it is still one synthetic workload rather than a universal performance ranking. |
| Unigine Superposition VR Future | VR-oriented Unigine 2 test using the vendor’s SSRTGI lighting technology | Both Radeon cards sit between RTX 5070 and RTX 5070 Ti | The Radeons are competitive, though NVIDIA’s faster card retains a lead in this test. |
| UL VRMark Blue Room | The most demanding VRMark test used by HotHardware | RX 9070-series ahead of RTX 5070 and just behind RTX 5070 Ti | The result points to strong synthetic VR capability, not guaranteed headset frame rates in every VR title. |
What Speed Way says about the RX 9070’s ray tracing
Speed Way is the page’s most obviously ray-tracing-focused test. It uses DirectX 12 Ultimate features including ray-traced global illumination and reflections, as well as mesh shaders and detailed assets. In HotHardware’s comparison, both Radeon RX 9070-series cards finish above the GeForce RTX 5070 but below the RTX 5070 Ti.
That ordering matters because it avoids two equally misleading conclusions. The results do not support the idea that the RX 9070-series is weak at ray tracing: both cards beat the RTX 5070 in this workload. They also do not support the claim that the RX 9070 XT defeats NVIDIA’s faster competitor in every ray-traced scenario. Speed Way shows a middle position between the two GeForce cards.
AMD positions RDNA 4 as a generation with improved ray-tracing hardware and additional AI acceleration. The company also lists FSR 4, HYPR-RX and a newer media engine among the platform features on its Radeon 9000-series product page. Those features can affect a real game’s experience, but only when the game, driver and chosen settings support them. A synthetic Speed Way result should therefore be read as one piece of evidence about the GPU, not as a substitute for testing individual games.
Steel Nomad is the standout Radeon result
Steel Nomad produces the most favorable result for AMD on this page. It is a newer, cross-platform 3DMark test intended to represent modern rendering without ray tracing. HotHardware reports that the RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT overtake the RTX 5070 Ti in the displayed comparison and land around the GeForce RTX 4080 class.
This is the page’s clearest demonstration of AMD’s raw performance potential in a contemporary non-ray-traced workload. It also explains why the RX 9070-series can look particularly attractive to gamers who prioritize conventional rendering performance and high-resolution gaming over the strongest possible ray-tracing or AI feature stack.
There is an important limit to the “RTX 4080 class” description: it applies to the Steel Nomad comparison shown, not to every game or every workload. Benchmark engines have different rendering paths, driver optimizations and bottlenecks. A card that surpasses an RTX 5070 Ti in one test can still trail it in another, exactly as the Speed Way and VR results demonstrate.
Rank #2
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- Masterfully Crafted Cooling - Advanced vapor chamber and ultra-dense heatsink rapidly pull heat from the GPU, while an open aluminum backplate boosts airflow and ventilation, resulting in lower temperatures for stronger performance and stability in demanding workloads.
- VelocityX Software - Gain full control over your PNY graphics card to maximize its performance. Fine-tune core and memory clocks, dial in custom fan curves, and monitor real-time temperatures and speeds, all from one intuitive interface. Save up to five profiles for instant recall.
- Your Creative AI-dvantage - Experience RTX accelerations in top creative apps, world-class NVIDIA Studio drivers engineered and continually updated to provide maximum stability, and a suite of exclusive tools that harness the power of RTX for AI-assisted creative workflows.
- NVIDIA Blackwell Architecture - The Ultimate Platform for Gamers and Creators. Do it all with 5th-Gen Tensor cores for Max AI performance, new streaming multiprocessors that are optimized for neural shaders, and 4th-Gen Ray Tracing cores built for Mega Geometry.
The two VR tests tell a consistent middle-ground story
HotHardware uses both Unigine Superposition VR Future and UL VRMark Blue Room. Superposition VR Future is an older but recognizable VR-oriented benchmark built on the Unigine 2 engine and using the vendor’s SSRTGI lighting technology. The Radeon cards fall between the RTX 5070 and RTX 5070 Ti.
Blue Room is the more demanding VRMark test in this group. Its result is similar to Speed Way: the RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT beat the RTX 5070 but finish just behind the RTX 5070 Ti. Seeing the same broad ordering in two VR-oriented tests is more useful than relying on a single chart, but it still does not establish how a particular headset or game will perform.
VR performance depends on more than an average benchmark score. Headset resolution, refresh rate, reprojection behavior, frame-time consistency, game engine, motion-smoothing settings and the specific rendering API all matter. These charts support the conclusion that the Radeon cards are credible VR performers in synthetic testing; they do not guarantee that every demanding VR title will remain above a chosen headset’s refresh-rate target.
RX 9070 XT and RX 9070: hardware context
The two cards share 16GB of memory, but the XT has more compute resources and a substantially higher power target. AMD’s official specifications list the following key figures:
| Specification | Radeon RX 9070 XT | Radeon RX 9070 |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | RDNA 4 | RDNA 4 |
| Compute units | 64 | 56 |
| Ray accelerators | 64 | 56 |
| AI accelerators | 128 | 112 |
| Game clock/frequency | 2,400 MHz | 2,070 MHz in AMD’s model table |
| Boost frequency | Up to 2,970 MHz | Not specified here |
| Memory | 16GB | 16GB |
| Typical/total board power | 304W | 220W |
| Launch suggested price | $599 | $549 |
These are AMD’s published specifications and launch suggested prices, not guaranteed current retail prices. The official RX 9070 XT specifications also list two 8-pin power connectors and recommend a 750W power supply. AMD’s quick-reference material gives a lower 650W recommendation for the RX 9070. The exact board-partner requirement should always take priority over a general series-level recommendation.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →For comparison, NVIDIA lists the GeForce RTX 5070 at a $549 starting price and the RTX 5070 Ti at $749. The RTX 5070 has 12GB of GDDR7 on a 192-bit interface, while the RTX 5070 Ti has 16GB on a 256-bit interface. Both belong to NVIDIA’s Blackwell generation and support DLSS 4. These differences help explain why the cards can trade places depending on the workload. NVIDIA’s larger software and feature ecosystem is also part of the buying decision, even though it cannot be measured by these four charts. NVIDIA’s official specifications are available on its RTX 5070 family page.
Rank #3
- ✅Package Includes: 1X Large Black GPU Support Bracket, securely packed in an ESD bag for long-term storage.
- ✅Prevents GPU Sag and Damage – Provides strong support to prevent graphics card sagging, protecting your GPU and motherboard from long-term damage due to weight.
- ✅Durable All-Aluminum Build – Made from high-quality aluminum alloy, ensuring superior strength, durability, and resistance to wear compared to plastic alternatives.
- ✅Height Adjustable for Universal Fit – Easily adjustable to accommodate different GPU sizes and case configurations, making it compatible with most ATX, M-ATX, and ITX cases.
- ✅Rectangular Bubble Level for Perfect Alignment – Built-in bubble level ensures your GPU stand is installed straight and stable, preventing tilt and keeping your graphics card perfectly balanced.
What the results mean for gamers
Choose the RX 9070 XT when conventional performance is the priority
The XT is the more ambitious Radeon option. In the page’s Steel Nomad result, the RX 9070-series is ahead of the RTX 5070 Ti, while in Speed Way and Blue Room it remains ahead of the RTX 5070. That pattern makes an AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT graphics card a logical candidate for a high-refresh-rate or high-resolution gaming build when its current street price is competitive and the system can accommodate its power and size.
The XT’s 16GB memory capacity is also higher than the RTX 5070’s 12GB, although it matches the RTX 5070 Ti’s capacity. Memory capacity alone does not determine performance, but it can provide more room for demanding texture settings and future games than a 12GB card in situations where the workload is memory-limited.
Consider the RX 9070 when power and price matter more
The non-XT RX 9070 has fewer compute units and a lower 220W board-power figure, compared with 304W for the XT. Its $549 launch suggestion was also $50 below the XT’s launch price. Those figures make the AMD Radeon RX 9070 the more sensible alternative for a quieter, lower-power build or a buyer who finds a meaningful real-world price gap.
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Buy the GeForce alternative for its broader feature stack
The HotHardware charts are favorable to AMD, but buyers choosing between these families should also weigh NVIDIA’s DLSS 4 support, software compatibility, ray-tracing behavior in their preferred games and creator-application support. An independent review from Tom’s Hardware described the RX 9070 XT as a strong mainstream-value product with major generational improvements in ray tracing and AI, while still identifying NVIDIA advantages in ray tracing, AI, software support and features.
That broader context is why “the RX 9070 XT beats the RTX 5070 Ti” is not a safe general conclusion. The accurate claim is narrower: it beats the RTX 5070 Ti in the Steel Nomad comparison shown by HotHardware, while the RTX 5070 Ti leads in the displayed Speed Way and VR comparisons.
Rank #4
- 01.Simple and Convenient adjustment method,has a slide type support structure.
- 02.Use sturdy iron as the main structure to provide strong support.Prevents GPUs from bending and sagging after long period of use.
- 03.Adaptable to a wide range of motherboards and cases,provides 2-way adjustment,which can be adjusted for different lengths of Graphic cards and support positions.
- 04.Synchronizable ARGB lighting via motherboard: Built with the advanced ARGB lighting system,support 5V 3PIN ARGB motherboard synchronization, multiple rgb modes can be switched,makes your computer case colorful.* *Please never connect it to 4pin 12V RGB_HEADER.Otherwise you will destroy the entire led strip.
- 05.What You Get: G276WTARGB GPU Holder,our worry-free 12-month warranty and friendly customer service.
Partner cards, case clearance and power requirements
HotHardware did not test identical reference boards. Its samples included an XFX Quicksilver Magnetic Air Edition RX 9070 XT, a white XFX Quicksilver Gaming Edition RX 9070, a PowerColor Reaper RX 9070 XT and a Gigabyte RX 9070. Cooler design, factory tuning, noise, dimensions and included accessories can differ significantly between these models.
The size range is substantial. One XFX card measured 360mm long, 150.5mm high and 70.2mm thick, while the PowerColor Reaper measured 304mm by 127mm by 42mm. A 70.2mm card may occupy roughly three-and-a-half expansion slots depending on the manufacturer’s slot convention. Before buying RX 9070 XT partner cards, check the exact product page—not just the GPU family name—for length, height, thickness, radiator clearance and power connectors.
- Measure the case: compare the card’s length and height with the case’s maximum GPU clearance, accounting for front fans, radiators and drive cages.
- Check slot occupancy: a thick cooler can block adjacent PCIe slots and may interfere with capture cards, sound cards or motherboard connectors.
- Verify the PSU: AMD recommends 750W for the XT. A 750W power supply for RX 9070 XT is a compatibility consideration, not an automatic requirement to replace every existing PSU; check the CPU, transient loads, connector arrangement and the specific board model.
- Connect power correctly: the AMD-listed XT specification calls for two 8-pin connectors. Use dedicated PSU cables where recommended by the PSU and card documentation rather than relying on an unsuitable adapter.
- Prevent sag when necessary: an unusually long or heavy card may benefit from a GPU support bracket or the support hardware supplied with the board. It is a conditional accessory, not something every RX 9070 owner needs.
What this benchmark page does—and does not—prove
This page provides a useful workload spread: a demanding ray-tracing test, a modern non-ray-traced test and two VR-oriented tests. The pattern is coherent enough to support a measured conclusion: the RX 9070-series is generally faster than the RTX 5070 in these displayed comparisons, with its best showing in Steel Nomad and a narrower position between the two NVIDIA cards in ray tracing and VR.
It does not provide a complete game-performance verdict. The results do not tell you average FPS, one-percent lows, frame-time consistency, upscaling quality, power efficiency in a particular game, or performance in your chosen creator application. They also do not settle questions about driver maturity, game-specific FSR 4 support or NVIDIA’s software advantages.
AMD’s current product material may include later company-run performance tables using driver 26.5.2 and games such as Forza Horizon 5 with ray tracing, Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced with ray tracing, Ghost of Tsushima, Horizon Forbidden West, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and others. Those are AMD performance-lab results, not additional independent HotHardware measurements, and should be labeled as vendor-supplied if cited. The March 5, 2025 benchmark page remains a historical test of the cards, drivers and comparison products available at that time.
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Verdict
HotHardware’s page 3 gives AMD a strong, carefully qualified result. The RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT are not merely competitive with the RTX 5070 in these tests; they generally finish ahead of it. Steel Nomad is especially impressive, with the Radeon cards overtaking the RTX 5070 Ti in the displayed comparison. But Speed Way, Superposition VR Future and VRMark Blue Room show why the conclusion must remain workload-specific: the RTX 5070 Ti still leads or nearly leads in the ray-tracing and VR tests.
Best Value
- OS Certification : Windows 7 (64 bit), Windows 10 (64 bit) (April 2018 Update or later), Linux 64 bit
- 4609 NVIDIA CUDA cores running at 1770 MegaHertZ boost clock; NVIDIA Turing architecture
- New 72 RT cores for acceleration of ray tracing
- 577 Tensor Cores for AI acceleration; Recommended power supply 650 watts
For gamers, the RX 9070-series looks most compelling when current pricing favors AMD, conventional rendering performance is important, 16GB of VRAM is desirable and the buyer is comfortable evaluating game support for AMD’s features. NVIDIA remains the more attractive choice for some users who prioritize DLSS 4, software support or particular ray-traced and creator workloads. The benchmark page makes AMD a credible alternative—not an automatic winner.
Sources and scope
- HotHardware: UL 3DMark Graphics and VR Benchmarks, published March 5, 2025.
- HotHardware: complete RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 review, including partner-board and physical-dimension context.
- AMD: Radeon RX 9070 XT specifications.
- AMD: Radeon desktop graphics lineup and platform features.
- NVIDIA: GeForce RTX 5070 family specifications.
- Tom’s Hardware: independent RX 9070 XT review and broader competitive context.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the RX 9070 XT beat the RTX 5070 Ti?
No. HotHardware’s comparison shows the RX 9070-series ahead of the RTX 5070 Ti in Steel Nomad, but behind it in Speed Way and close to or behind it in the VR tests. That supports a workload-specific advantage, not universal superiority.
Do these benchmarks guarantee better VR performance?
Not by itself. VRMark Blue Room and Superposition VR Future indicate strong synthetic VR performance, but real results also depend on the headset resolution, refresh rate, game engine, frame-time consistency and reprojection settings.
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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallWhat power supply does the RX 9070 series need?
AMD lists 750W for the RX 9070 XT and a lower 650W recommendation for the RX 9070 in its quick-reference material. Check the exact partner card, CPU, PSU connectors and system load before deciding whether an upgrade is necessary.
Should I buy the RX 9070 or RX 9070 XT?
The RX 9070 has a 220W board-power figure compared with 304W for the XT, and its launch suggested price was $50 lower. The better choice depends on current retail pricing and the performance level you need; the supplied benchmark summary does not establish a precise gap between the two cards.
Do all RX 9070 XT cards have the same size?
No. The comparison used multiple partner cards with different coolers and dimensions. One XFX sample measured 360mm long and 70.2mm thick, while a PowerColor Reaper sample measured 304mm by 127mm by 42mm. Verify the exact model’s clearance and slot occupancy.
The Bottom Line
Bottom line: HotHardware’s synthetic testing places the RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT ahead of the RTX 5070 overall, with a standout Steel Nomad win over the RTX 5070 Ti. The RTX 5070 Ti remains ahead in the displayed ray-tracing and VR results, so treat this as evidence of strong AMD competition—not a universal gaming victory.
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