The release of a new GPU generation always tends to leave us with more questions than answers; releasing generations from both NVIDIA and AMD doubles the uncertainty, and often takes weeks or months to fully shake out. Strained stock levels and unrealistic MSRPs leading to inflated pricing, as well as externalities such as US tariffs, have all served to jumble a picture that was very stable just a few months ago. Adding AMD's Radeon RX 9070-series to the mix hasn't made much clearer, at least not yet.
RDNA4, particularly in this incarnation as the RX 9070, is undeniably a significant technological improvement over RDNA3. The GPU does much more with less while adding sorely needed new features, and if anything leaves us disappointed that this generations of AMD cards will apparently skip the premium end of the market. It is, to some extent, a repeat of 2019's RX 5000-series; this time however the hardware looks set to be much more competitive.
One slightly concerning aspect is power draw. AMD GPUs have a reputation for being power hungry compared to competition in the same performance class and the RX 9070 is no different, to the extent that our experience with the card underscores the need for a relatively robust PSU. Core temperatures meanwhile aren't so much of an issue, at least not with this specific example, but VRAM sensor temperatures are much higher than expected.
Where the RX 9070 might struggle is on price. It performs roughly on par with RTX 4070 Super, and is generally better than the RX 7900 GRE, but the former was itself only $599 at launch. Generationally, price/performance wise, the RX 9070 doesn't really represent a huge step up in value.
Adding the RX 9070 XT to the mix doesn't help. The flagship RDNA4 GPU is on-paper and according to AMD's own pre-release briefing significantly superior to the non-XT variant. Why therefore is the cut-down card only $50 cheaper? Why are some OC models encroaching on the reference XT's base price? This only makes sense if your priority is to sell 9070 XT's.
The RX 9070 would ideally be ~$100 less than the 9070 XT, opening the gap between the two and making it a solid proposition in its own right. AMD's strategy of using it as a price anchor for the 9070 XT means that some consumers overdue for an upgrade will miss out on an exceptional up-to-date 1080p GPU for the time being.
In terms of the Powercolor Hellhound RX 9070 OC, we could barely be more happy with this partner model. Its aesthetics are restrained, core temperatures are excellent, noise is not a problem and dual-BIOS capability with OC and Silent modes is very nice to have (and will probably be even more appreciated on the XT variant). It sets a very high benchmark for competing models from other partners to overcome. The only reservation is memory temperature, and that's something Powercolor need to get to the bottom of.
AMD's Radeon RX 9070 series is available worldwide on March 6th.
AMD's Radeon RX 9070-series is a compelling new release from the red team, featuring long-awaited updates that start to rival the capabilities of their main competitor at the $500-700 MSRP segment. However, price anchoring the RX 9070 to make the XT model more appealing may prove to be a mistake, as even Powercolor's great Hellhound RX 9070 needs some space to compete with AMD's new flagship. Subject to confirmation on retail pricing, Powercolor's implementation receives the Vortez Approved Award.
Pros
+ Significant technological update for AMD
+ Cool and quiet gaming GPU
+ New features strongly shake up the market in AMDs favour
Cons
- Price is too close to the RX 9070 XT
- High VRAM temps.
+ Significant technological update for AMD
+ Cool and quiet gaming GPU
+ New features strongly shake up the market in AMDs favour
Cons
- Price is too close to the RX 9070 XT
- High VRAM temps.
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