Jacob Roach / Digital Trends
AMD just released the best RDNA 3 artwork board we ’ve seen yet in the course of the RX 7900 GRE . The GPU , originally free in China several months ago , set its sights straightforwardly on Nvidia ’s RTX 4070 — and AMD comes out on top most of the time .
I ’ve tested both GPUs extensively — read myRTX 4070 reviewandRX 7900 GRE reviewfor a full dislocation — and I ’m here to compare them degree - for - point . AMD come out on top for raw performance , but there are a couple of central details to keep in mind before making your terminal buying decisiveness .
Jacob Roach / Digital Trends
Pricing and availability
The RX 7900 GRE and RTX 4070 have the same list price of $ 550 , but the actual price you ’ll pay is a bit dissimilar . The RX 7900 GRE is promptly useable at $ 550 . Mary Leontyne Price will likely drop at some stage , but for the clock time being , AMD ’s later GPU is hold steady at its inclination price . There are some overclocked exemplar available that increase the Leontyne Price by around $ 50 .
Nvidia ’s RTX 4070 is a bit catchy . The menu is officially $ 550 , but retail merchant commonly mark down the price on the calling card . At the of writing , for example , theis available for $ 530 .
That ’s a typical price , too . In the past , especially during a large sale , I ’ve catch the RTX 4070 for as little as $ 500 . The RTX 4070 and RX 7900 GRE convey the same tilt price , but the floor of pricing for the RTX 4070 is much lower . You have a lot more opportunities to rack up a deal .
That ’s even more true when you look at the used marketplace . I ’ve seen the RTX 4070 go for around $ 430 on eBay , which is conference meretricious than what you ’ll find the RX 7900 GRE for . Eventually , we ’ll see more RX 7900 GRE models on the secondhand market , but the RTX 4070 is much older , so you have a much better hazard to notice one used — and at a good price .
Specs
As usual , it is n’t deserving equate the high - degree specs of an AMD and an Nvidia GPU . The core counting and clock speed are vastly different , with each interact with their respective architectures in a different way of life . The two authoritative area to pay off care to are power haul and the memory port .
Starting with power , the RX 7900 GRE consumes much more than the RTX 4070 . The maximum wattage of the RTX 4070 is 200 Isaac Watts , while the RX 7900 GRE climbs up to 260W. In practice , there ’s an even broad disruption . The RTX 4070 , like all of Nvidia ’s current - gen GPUs , is highly efficient , so it ’ll often run below 200W in gaming scenarios . The RX 7900 GRE climbs to the top of its power scope more often .
The RX 7900 GRE ’s high power attracter might have something to do with its more rich memory interface . The poster come with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory across a 256 - snatch jalopy . The RTX 4070 use a smaller 192 - bit busbar , along with 12 GB of GDDR6X memory .
VRAM should n’t be an event with either of these GPUs , at least in most game . The only exception are VRAM - hungry title of respect at 4K. There are a few games , such asThe Last of Us Part One , where the extra memory on the RX 7900 GRE provide an advantage . Still , both of these GPUs direct 1440p , and at that resolution , you should n’t go into retentiveness issues with either .
Performance
Looking across a stove of game , the RX 7900 GRE is faster than the RTX 4070 . On average , it ’s around 12 % quicker at 4 potassium and around 16 % quicker at 1440p , take into account both games with and withoutray follow . If you ’re after pure frames , the RX 7900 GRE is the way to go .
It ’s not just that the GRE is quicker overall . you may see how it manages to earn the bar for playable 4 K performance much more cleanly than the RTX 4070 does above . In statute title likeReturnal , the RTX 4070 ca n’t clear 60 frames per second ( Federal Protective Service ) , while the RX 7900 GRE passes the production line with ease . And inForza Horizon 5,the GRE is well above 120 Federal Protective Service , while the RTX 4070 just passes the 100 fps mark .
There are titles where the GPUs are much closer , namelyHorizon Zero Dawn , Cyberpunk 2077,andResident Evil 4.Even in these game , the lead of the RX 7900 GRE is n’t undistinguished , however .
thing change down at 1440p , but the RX 7900 GRE still comes out on top . Although the overall lead is more signficant by the telephone number , the difference in experience is n’t as noticeable at 1440p . Forza Horizon 5andHorizon Zero Dawnare good proof of that . The RX 7900 GRE has a signficant vantage , but both GPUs are provide enough carrying out to saturate a 144Hz monitor with easiness .
We can also see the RX 7900 GRE polish more in titles likeCyberpunk 2077,as the C.P.U. is convey into the mix more in the concluding performance you see . On the other hand , game likeResident Evil 4show that some less demanding title wo n’t show a big advantage in either guidance .
How about ray tracing ? The RX 7900 GRE , amazingly , holds up better than the RTX 4070 does . you could see that in both the 4 K and 1440p benchmark above , where AMD ’s GPU posts a lead inReturnalandResident malevolent 4.It fall curt inCyberpunk 2077,however .
This is where the RTX 4070 really shines . The RX 7900 GRE stick competitive with the RTX 4070 in ray tracing , but Nvidia has a large lead in heavy ray tracing titles likeCyberpunk 2077 , Alan Wake 2,andPortal RTX.In less demanding ray tracing games , such asGuardians of the GalaxyandResident Evil 4,the GRE hold a lead .
Even so , the RX 7900 GRE is much flying , and it comes in at the same price . For performance , the only way to justify the RTX 4070 is if you ’re really after those prestige gambling experiences likeAlan viewing 2andCyberpunk 2077 — and you ’re unforced to give quite a bit of functioning in other titles in the process .
DLSS and FSR
When it comes to feature , the RTX 4070 morsel back . Although it loses in public presentation to the RX 7900 GRE , the RTX 4070 supportsNvidia ’s DLSS 3.5 . That gives you entree to not only high - calibre upscaling and frame generation , but also Nvidia Reflex and Ray Reconstruction , with the whole package come together for very require championship likeAlan Wake 2 .
AMD , for its part , has FSR . The upscaling in FSR 2 is substantial , but it ’s behind DLSS in overall quality . And the chassis generation inFSR 3is impressive , but it ’s only available in a little inclination of games . AMD has a counter for each of Nvidia ’s features , but the utility of them , at least right now , does n’t halt up . Nvidia has a reasonably signficant lead with DLSS 3 in game support .
There ’s one expanse where AMD stands out , however . you may apply AMD Fluid Motion Frames ( AFMF ) through the AMD driver with the RX 7900 GRE , applying frame multiplication to thousands of DirectX 11 and DirectX 12 games that otherwise would n’t support the lineament . AFMF hasa just ploughshare of problems , but it ’s still a nice feature film to have if you require to boost performance in games .
Even with FSR 3 out and AFMF available as a backup , Nvidia has an undeniable lead when it comes to feature . The DLSS 3.5 package is fantastic in supported games , so much so that it ’s even deserving trade some performance to unlock that boast software system — just not as much performance as the RTX 4070 barter .
A raw performance advantage
Nvidia ’s RTX 4070 was an impressive GPU throughout last year , but it ’s starting to fade in 2024 . The RX 7900 GRE is stiff competitor from AMD , and even with Nvidia ’s impressive listing of feature , the RTX 4070 ca n’t keep up with the in the buff operation advantage the RX 7900 GRE offers . At this price , the RX 7900 GRE is the graphics card to buy .
Although the RTX 4070 is down and out , it does n’t intend Nvidia is overall . TheRTX 4070 Superis available at $ 600 , and it wield to equalize the functioning of the RX 7900 GRE while offer up Nvidia ’s list of feature article .
