Radeon RX 9070 vs RTX 5070/Ti: price, performance, and the best mid-range buy

The mid-range graphics card segment is back in the spotlight thanks to a head-to-head comparison of AMD’s Radeon RX 9070, RX 9070 XT, and Nvidia’s RTX 5070 and RTX 5070 Ti. According to Hardware Unboxed, the RX 9070 currently delivers the best balance of price and performance among the models available.

RX 9070 XT was initially pitched as AMD’s answer to the RTX 5070 Ti, yet early testing showed it lagging by about 8%. In the latest Hardware Unboxed runs, conducted with updated drivers and modern image-scaling tools, that gap has narrowed. At 1440p, the RTX 5070 Ti proved only 5% faster than the RX 9070 XT in native rendering, and with DLSS 4 and FSR 4 enabled, the GeForce lead dropped to roughly 2–3%, leaving real-world performance effectively on par.

In a direct match-up between the RTX 5070 Ti and the RX 9070, the outcome expectedly favors Nvidia: a 15% advantage in native mode and around 9% with DLSS 4 Quality. But once pricing enters the equation—$749 versus $549—the Radeon RX 9070 turns into the clearly better value. A 36% lower price for a relatively modest performance shortfall makes it the smarter buy for most gamers.

That said, the RX 9070 XT remains difficult to find at its $599 recommended price, which limits its appeal for now. When the card becomes widely available at MSRP, it should be able to compete with the RTX 5070 Ti on far more equal terms.

Overall, Hardware Unboxed points to the Radeon RX 9070 as today’s standout mid-range pick, combining strong frame rates with sharp pricing and signaling that AMD is steadily firming up its position in the market for affordable gaming hardware.