7900 xtx vs 9070 xt Comparison at Maximum OC potential - a FOMO analysis
Hi, I had FOMO on getting a 7900 XTX used for $750 versus getting a 9070 XT. I know we can compare the stock performance shown by reviewers, but I wanted to see what is the maximum performance possible if we OC both of them. I had the 7900 XTX on hand to OC, representing a regular consumer who can OC without exotic hardware modding. We can also look at the top 3DMark scores for the 9070XT right now, representing how far a regular consumer can push the 9070XT (because the card is so new, the real overclockers likely haven't gotten their hands on anything crazy yet).
So, here is a table comparing the "typical max OC" of 7900 XTX, versus the "typical max OC" of 9070 XT for regular consumers that they can expect to be able to daily drive.
Link to post with screenshots: https://www.reddit.com/r/overclocking/comments/1j6zgpu/14900hx_modt7900_xtx_oc_results_9070xt_comparison/
| All Benchmarks, GPU only | All Benchmarks, Overall | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benchmark Name | 7900xtx Typical OC | #1 9070xt | % diff, 7900 xtx | Benchmark Name | 7900xtx Typical OC | #1 9070xt | % diff, 7900 xtx |
| time spy | 36915 | 34926 | 5.69% | time spy | 34457 | 31457 | 9.54% |
| time spy extreme | 17847 | 15665 | 13.93% | time spy extreme | 16860 | 16691 | 1.01% |
| port royal | 20382 | 20889 | -2.43% | port royal | 20382 | 20889 | -2.43% |
| speed way | 7374 | 7253 | 1.67% | speed way | 7374 | 7253 | 1.67% |
| steel nomad | 7808 | 8005 | -2.46% | steel nomad | 7808 | 8005 | -2.46% |
| steel nomad light | 35218 | 28277 | 24.55% | steel nomad light | 35218 | 28277 | 24.55% |
| solar bay | 151829 | 126874 | 19.67% | solar bay | 151829 | 126874 | 19.67% |
| fire strike ultra | 23534 | 20219 | 16.40% | fire strike ultra | 23527 | 20153 | 16.74% |
| fire strike extreme | 45548 | 39548 | 15.17% | fire strike extreme | 38918 | 36725 | 5.97% |
| fire strike | 75821 | 76565 | -0.97% | fire strike | 51215 | 57478 | -10.90% |
| wild life extreme | 71032 | 55178 | 28.73% | wild life extreme | 71032 | 55178 | 28.73% |
| wild life | 175591 | 128165 | 37.00% | wild life | 175591 | 128165 | 37.00% |
| night raid | 262698 | 233475 | 12.52% | night raid | 104687 | 98528 | 6.25% |
| Average | 66596 | 56831 | 13.91% | Average | 52832 | 45448 | 11.47% |
An important benefit of 9070 XT is Ray tracing. Looking at just those benchmarks:
| Ray Tracing Benchmarks only | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Benchmark Name | 7900xtx Typical OC | #1 9070xt | % diff, 7900 xtx |
| port royal | 20382 | 20889 | -2.43% |
| speed way | 7374 | 7253 | 1.67% |
| solar bay | 151829 | 126874 | 19.67% |
| Average | 59861 | 51672 | 6.30% |
Based on used prices and actual availability, a 7900XTX can be had for around $150 more than 9070 XT. Therefore, the cost/benefits are as follows:
7900 xtx
- (+) 12.5% more performance overall
- (+) 6% better ray tracing on average
- (+) 8GB VRAM
- (-) $150 more expensive
- (-) No FSR4 support
- (-) slower AI compute
9070 XT
- (+) $150 cheaper
- (+) FSR4 support
- (+) Faster AI Compute
- (-) 12.5% lower performance overall
- (-) 6% slower ray tracing on average
- (-) 8GB VRAM
Ultimately, if $150 isn't worth the 12.5% performance bump, or FSR4 is important, then 9070XT is the right way. If you want the extra performance and VRAM, and are willing to pay an extra $150 for that, then go for the 7900 XTX.