RTX 5090 vs Radeon RX 9070 XT: Which Is Better?

The RTX 5090 is the fastest GPU in the world, but how much better is it compared to the Radeon RX 9070 XT, which is AMD’s top graphics card?

Picture of Nvidia RTX 5090 vs Radeon RX 9070 XT — Nvidia RTX 5090 vs Radeon RX 9070 XT (Image via MSI | ASUS)

Nvidia’s RTX 5090 is the most powerful GPU, equipped with a whopping 32GB of super-fast GDDR7 memory. AMD’s fastest graphics card this generation is the Radeon RX 9070 XT, which has only 16GB of GDDR6 memory. Apart from memory, there are other differences in the specifications of the two GPUs.

In this article, we will compare the two cards in real-world game benchmarks and find out which is the better GPU.

Note: Parts of this article are subjective and reflect the writer’s opinions.

RTX 5090 vs Radeon RX 9070 XT: Detailed Comparison

Picture of ASUS Prime Radeon RX 9070 XT OC Edition — ASUS Prime Radeon RX 9070 XT OC Edition (Image via Asus)

The Nvidia RTX 5090 was launched in January 2025 at the CES 2025 event as the fastest GPU in the world. On the other hand, the Radeon RX 9070 XT was released in March 2025 as a high-end graphics card. Before we start comparing the two cards, let’s take a look at their specs:

Specs Comparison

Here are the specs of the Nvidia RTX 5090 and AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT:

Specifications	Nvidia RTX 5090	AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT
Architecture	Ada Lovelace	RDNA 4
Shader cores	21760	4096
RT cores	170	64
TMUs	680	256
ROPs	176	128
Base core clock speeds	2017 MHz	1660 MHz
Boost core clock speeds	2407 MHz	2970 MHz
Memory capacity	32GB GDDR7	16GB GDDR6
Memory bus width	512-bit	256-bit
Memory bandwidth	1.79 TB/s	644.6 GB/s
Manufacturing node	5nm	4nm
Thermal design power (TDPs)	575W	304W

According to the specs table, the RTX 5090 is the better GPU. It has a much higher number of shader cores, TMUs, ROPs, RT cores, memory capacity, bandwidth, and more. Let’s look at how the two GPUs perform in real-world gaming benchmarks.

Performance Comparison

Here’s how the Nvidia RTX 5090 and AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT perform:

Games	Nvidia RTX 5090	AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT
Forza Horizon 5	138 FPS	104 FPS
The Last of Us: Part 2	154 FPS	76 FPS
The Last of Us: Part 1	122 FPS	69 FPS
Stalker 2	106 FPS	75 FPS
Atomfall	227 FPS	86 FPS
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2	116 FPS	73 FPS
Silent Hill 2	77 FPS	37 FPS
God of War Ragnarok	168 FPS	97 FPS
Cyberpunk 2077	65 FPS	37 FPS
Red Dead Redemption 2	124 FPS	68 FPS

Note: The two GPUs here were tested at 4K resolution with High/Ultra Settings unless mentioned otherwise. All the FPS numbers were sourced from the TheBenchmarkNerd channel on YouTube. For the tests, the two graphics cards were paired with a Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU.

The Nvidia RTX 5090 is not just better; it is almost 80% better on average than the Radeon RX 9070 XT across the 10 tested games. However, in certain games, such as The Last of Us: Part 2 and Silent Hill 2, the RTX 5090 delivered double or more than double the performance of the Radeon card.

Price Comparison

The RTX 5090 was originally launched at $1,999 but is currently available for $2,800 and above. On the other hand, the Radeon RX 9070 XT was released at $599 but is selling for $720 and above. Therefore, the former is around four times more expensive than the latter.

Final Verdict on RTX 5090 vs Radeon RX 9070 XT

Picture of MSI Gaming RTX 5090 32G Vanguard OC Graphics Card — MSI Gaming RTX 5090 32G Vanguard OC Graphics Card (Image via MSI)

The Nvidia RTX 5090 has around 80% more performance in modern games than the Radeon RX 9070 XT. The former also has double the memory, which can be utilized for AI training, video editing, simulations, and more. The RTX 5090 is a better GPU compared to the Radeon RX 9070 XT.

However, the RTX card also costs almost four times more than the Radeon GPU while delivering only 80% more performance. Therefore, in terms of value, the Radeon RX 9070 XT is the better option.

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RTX 5090 vs Radeon RX 9070 XT: Which Is Better?