Conclusion
The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT video card is launching and will be available on December 13th, 2022. This $899 MSRP video card is AMD’s next-generation RDNA 3 architecture-based Chiplet-designed GPU and video card in its new Radeon RX 7900 Series of GPUs. This new video card is positioned right under the Radeon RX 7900 XTX. It has many new innovations, including a Chiplet design architecture, improved Compute Units, improved AMD Infinity Cache, DisplayPort 2.1, and many other new features.
In today’s review, we put the video card to the test at 4K, 1440p, Ray Tracing, and FSR gaming performance. We put it up against NVIDIA’s latest generation GeForce RTX 4080 as well as NVIDIA’s last generation top-tier cards and the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT last-generation video card. Don’t miss our AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX review as well.
4K Raster Performance
Let’s start by looking at 4K raster performance on the Radeon RX 7900 XT. In Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2.0, the Radeon RX 7900 XT allowed a playable gameplay experience at 4K and maximum settings at 100FPS. No compromises had to be made, gameplay was smooth and enjoyable. In this game, the Radeon RX 7900 XT was 6% faster than the GeForce RTX 4080. It was 31% faster compared to the previous generation Radeon RX 6900 XT.
In F1 2022 the Radeon RX 7900 XT continued to offer a playable gameplay experience well above 100FPS at 4K and maximum settings, up to 153FPS. This time, the performance matched that of the GeForce RTX 4080. Compared to the Radeon RX 6900 XT the Radeon RX 7900 XT was 20% faster than the previous generation. FSR helped both of these games, and in both games, FSR propelled the Radeon RX 7900 XT above the RTX 4080 by a good deal.
Dying Light 2 and Cyberpunk 2077 are where we really saw the Radeon RX 7900 XT fall below the GeForce RTX 4080 in performance. However, even though it was below the RTX 4080 it still brought playable performance at 4K and “Ultra” settings. In Dying Light 2 the Radeon RX 7900 XT was playable at 60FPS at 4K and “Ultra” settings. In Cyberpunk 2077 the Radeon RX 7900 XT was playable at 60FPS as well at 4K and “Ultra” settings. In Dying Light 2 the Radeon RX 7900 XT was just above GeForce RTX 3090 performance but under GeForce RTX 3090 Ti performance. The RTX 4080 was much faster.
In Cyberpunk 2077 the Radeon RX 7900 XT was faster than the GeForce RTX 3090 Ti this time, but the RTX 4080 was just a bit faster still. In Dying Light 2 the Radeon RX 7900 XT was 23% faster than the Radeon RX 6900 XT. In Cyberpunk 2077 the Radeon RX 7900 XT was 38% faster than the Radeon RX 6900 XT. FSR also helped performance in both games, bringing performance to 100FPS in Dying Light 2.
Far Cry 6 was as expected, it was very playable at 4K at 105FPS with maximum settings. This was just on par with RTX 4080 performance. In Watch Dogs Legion the Radeon RX 7900 XT was playable at 4K and “Ultra” settings at 82FPS. It was faster than the GeForce RTX 3090 Ti and just under the RTX 4080 in performance. Compared to the Radeon RX 6900 XT the 7900 XT was 30% faster.
1440p Raster Performance
1440p raster performance is easy to summarize, every game we threw at the Radeon RX 7900 XT was playable at the highest settings at 1440p. Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2.0 was playable at 169FPS and beat the RTX 4080 by 14%. In F1 2022 the Radeon RX 7900 XT was playable at 1440p and the highest settings at a mind-blowing 250FPS and was on par with RTX 4080 performance.
Dying Light 2 was playable at 124FPS at 1440p and the highest settings and came in between the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti/3090 and GeForce RTX 4080 for performance. Far Cry 6 was playable at 168FPS at 1440p with the highest settings. Cyberpunk 2077 was playable at 121FPS at 1440p at “Ultra” and was slightly under GeForce RTX 4080 performance. Watch Dogs Legion was playable at 139FPS at 1440p and matched RTX 4080 performance.
Overall, the performance improvements over the Radeon RX 6900 XT were smaller than the performance uplift at 4K. While the Radeon RX 7900 XT did offer more for raster performance than the Radeon RX 6900 XT, the uplift from the previous generation was smaller.
4K Ray Tracing Performance
In F1 2022 at 4K and Ray Tracing the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT did not provide a playable gameplay experience without upscaling. It was 37% faster than the Radeon RX 6900 XT, but still didn’t have enough performance uplift to provide a playable experience. We found that its Ray Tracing performance was similar to the GeForce RTX 3090 FE. The GeForce RTX 4080 was faster and playable. Once we turned on FSR in the game though, that did change, with FSR enabled the Radeon RX 7900 XT was playable at nearly 90FPS and the game was super smooth. Therefore, in this game, upscaling is required, but it does make it playable at 4K and Ray Tracing.
Dying Light 2 and Cyberpunk 2077 were once again the two games that were too much for the Radeon RX 7900 XT at 4K with Ray Tracing. Though really every video card was not playable, including the RTX 4080 without upscaling DLSS. However, even FSR2 couldn’t save the Radeon RX 7900 XT in Dying Light 2 at 4K and Ray Tracing, even with FSR2 we only got around 43FPS average. The Radeon RX 7900 XT was 40% faster than the Radeon RX 6900 XT, but that just wasn’t enough even with FSR2. The Ray Tracing performance was just under the GeForce RTX 3080 FE in this game on the Radeon RX 7900 XT.
In Cyberpunk 2077 the Radeon RX 7900 XT was also not playable at 4K and Ray Tracing, giving us only 17FPS average. This was 43% faster than the Radeon RX 6900 XT, but that only put us just under the GeForce RTX 3080 FE on Ray Tracing performance. Once again FSR could not save us either at 4K and Ray Tracing. The only video card that was playable here in this game at 4K and Ray Tracing was the GeForce RTX 4080 with upscaling DLSS.
Far Cry 6 though, ran very well at 4K and Ray Tracing at 87FPS, and FSR brought it up to 119FPS. Watch Dogs Legion though, was not playable on the Radeon RX 7900 XT at 4K and Ray Tracing at just 33FPS. This was 38% faster than the Radeon RX 6900 XT, but that only put us just under the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti in Ray Tracing performance. The GeForce RTX 4080 was also not playable until we used DLSS, but the Radeon RX 7900 XT does not have FSR in this game. Metro Exodus Enhanced was also not playable at 36FPS at 4K and Ultra Ray Tracing. This was 33% faster than the Radeon RX 6900 XT, but there was no way to make this resolution and Ray Tracing playable. The Radeon RX 7900 XT was about on the level of the GeForce RTX 3090 in Ray Tracing performance. The RTX 4080 was playable with DLSS.
1440p Ray Tracing Performance
We have found out that Ray Tracing at 4K can be very demanding for the Radeon RX 7900 XT, but what about 1440p, surely this is the resolution it can handle Ray Tracing well at right? Well, that is a mixed bag also. Starting off in F1 2022 things looked great, the Radeon RX 7900 XT at 1440p can run “Ultra High” Ray Tracing and pull it off at nearly 80FPS without upscaling. This is 27% faster than the Radeon RX 6900 XT and in between GeForce RTX 3080 and GeForce RTX 3090 Ray Tracing performance. Far Cry 6 was also playable at 140FPS at 1440p with DXR, and did not need upscaling.
Then we come to Dying Light 2 and Cyberpunk 2077 where the Radeon RX 7900 XT just didn’t quite have enough oomph to give us a playable gameplay experience at 1440p and the highest Ray Tracing without upscaling. In Dying Light 2 the Radeon RX 7900 XT was around 48FPS at 1440p and Ray Tracing, which just wasn’t quite enough. The Radeon RX 7900 XT was 42% faster than the Radeon RX 6900 XT, but that wasn’t enough and seemed to match performance with just the GeForce RTX 3080 FE. The GeForce RTX 4080 is up there around 80FPS and playable. In order to make this game playable we had to use FSR2, and then that brought us up to 60FPS at 1440p with Ray Tracing. The same is also true for Cyberpunk 2077, without upscaling performance was around 36FPS. This was 37% faster than the Radeon RX 6900 XT, but still a ways under GeForce RTX 3080 FE Ray Tracing performance. We also had to use FSR upscaling, which brought the game up to a playable 60FPS.
In Watch Dogs Legion though, we were surprised to see that it was playable at 1440p and “Ultra” Ray Tracing on the Radeon RX 7900 XT, at 65FPS. We don’t have FSR in this game, but we didn’t need it, the game was smooth and playable. The Radeon RX 7900 XT actually handled the game well and seemed to perform around GeForce RTX 3090 Ray Tracing level. It was 35% faster than the Radeon RX 6900 XT. We were also surprised to see Metro Exodus Enhanced perform well at 1440p and Ray Tracing, at 65FPS. This again put it over the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti/3090 Ray Tracing performance. It was 31% faster than the Radeon RX 6900 XT.
Overall Gameplay Summation
Overall, at 4K raster performance, the Radeon RX 7900 XT offered a playable gameplay experience in every game tested at the highest settings, without Ray Tracing. In games that were more demanding, like Dying Light 2 and Cyberpunk 2077, FSR can be used to further improve the experience.
We started off knowing that for the most part, 4K Ray Tracing was going to be difficult for the Radeon RX 7900 XT. We were right, it was, but there are some games where it might not be impossible with FSR upscaling. We have tested the Radeon RX 7900 XTX in 4K with Ray Tracing, and that video card is better suited for 4K with Ray Tracing.
1440p raster performance is phenomenal on the Radeon RX 7900 XT. It offers extremely fast framerates in every game at maximum settings (without Ray Tracing) that should make any gamer happy. It can handle the most demanding games at high framerates. The only downside was that the performance uplift from the previous generation Radeon RX 6900 XT GPU wasn’t as wide as we had hoped. We had hoped the Radeon RX 7900 XT would have offered a bigger uplift over the Radeon RX 6900 XT.
1440p resolution with Ray Tracing is the preferred resolution if you are going to mess with Ray Tracing on the Radeon RX 7900 XT. This is not a good card for 4K Ray Tracing, you will want to aim for a native 1440p resolution for the Ray Tracing experience on this video card. Even then the result will be mixed, and vary by the game. Some games will work just fine at maximum Ray Tracing at 1440p without the need for upscaling. However, there will be some demanding games where you still must use FSR upscaling in order to achieve a playable gameplay experience even at 1440p, with Ray Tracing.
Price and Positioning
Let’s talk about the price and positioning (this is going to be long) of the Radeon RX 7900 XT. The Radeon RX 7900 XT at $899 MSRP is closer in price to the last generation GeForce RTX 3080 at $699 MSRP launch price and the last generation Radeon RX 6900 XT at $999 MSRP launch price. It is farther away in price compared to the last generation GeForce RTX 3080 Ti at $1,119 MSRP launch price and the current generation GeForce RTX 4080 at $1,199 MSRP launch price. At launch MSRP, the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti and GeForce RTX 4080 are the outliers, in terms of pricing compared to the Radeon RX 7900 XT’s price position right now.
If you look at it strictly from a “which is closer in price” perspective, which in our opinion matters most, the new Radeon RX 7900 XT is price competitive with what you would have paid for a GeForce RTX 3080 or Radeon RX 6900 XT last generation. That is why we put a heavy focus on the performance uplift the Radeon RX 7900 XT brings over the GeForce RTX 3080 and Radeon RX 6900 XT in this review. If you bought a video card in this price range previously, you are probably looking at this price range again to see what is better now and what the performance uplift is from the previous generation.
To that end, we can see that the Radeon RX 7900 XT offers a bigger advantage at 4K, versus the Radeon RX 6900 XT, but a much lesser degree at 1440p. We do see an advantage in Ray Tracing performance, but the Radeon RX 7900 XT seems to only be landing between GeForce RTX 3080 to maybe GeForce RTX 3090 Ray Tracing performance. In our overall performance comparisons, we presented our opinion that the Radeon RX 7900 XT doesn’t quite seem to have the performance uplift we’d expect over the Radeon RX 6900 XT either way. It’s there, and there are clear advantages, but it’s certainly a lot smaller in scope than we experienced with the competition. For a “7900 XT” branded card, the uplift from the previous “6900 XT” card doesn’t seem to be as big as it should be.
The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT is in an interesting position versus the Radeon RX 7900 XTX. Let’s be honest, if you are already spending $900 on a video card, why not spend an extra $100 and get the Radeon RX 7900 XTX with better performance all around and a bigger upgrade versus the previous generation?
Here is the answer to that that we think a lot of gamers may agree with. It is our opinion that the Radeon RX 7900 XTX should have been called the Radeon RX 7900 XT, and the Radeon RX 7900 XT should have been called the Radeon RX 7800 XT and lowered in price to $799. That price and performance position would make more sense considering price, and position versus the previous generation as we’ve explained. AMD would then still have room for a Radeon RX 7950 XT in the future if it wanted a new flagship, more expensive halo video card. To us, this positioning and naming would make more sense than what we have now. To be frank, the $100 difference between the Radeon RX 7900 XT and XTX seems silly.
Unless AMD drops the price on the Radeon RX 7900 XT (and it should) then you might as well just spend the extra $100 and go for the Radeon RX 7900 XTX. The only reason to not get the Radeon RX 7900 XTX is if you are focusing on the 1440p gameplay experience (in which the Radeon RX 7900 XT is perfect for) or you don’t care about Ray Tracing in games and $100 is a deal breaker for you. Keep this in mind, however, AIB factory overclocked custom cards are going to cost more than the reference pricing, so what is a $100 difference will close up fast.
Final Points
Now for the big question on every gamer’s mind, do we think the $899 Radeon RX 7900 XT is a better value than the $1,199 GeForce RTX 4080? After all, we concluded that the Radeon RX 7900 XTX certainly was, so can AMD strike twice? Absolutely, yes, the Radeon RX 7900 XT is a better value than the GeForce RTX 4080, generally speaking. You get close to, if not similar raster performance (depending on the game) to the GeForce RTX 4080 for $300 less. Even when the performance came in under the GeForce RTX 4080, it was at most 15% slower (generally under that) in raster performance, without Ray Tracing. That isn’t much of a difference, considering the large $300 price difference.
Granted, the GeForce RTX 4080 is going to offer hands down the best and most usable Ray Tracing performance at any resolution, plus DLSS 3. If you need or want the best Ray Tracing performance in games, and DLSS 3, the extra cost of the GeForce RTX 4080 could be justified. Just remember, if you take FSR into consideration as well, the Radeon RX 7900 XT can achieve playable performance with Ray Tracing in the right scenarios and resolutions and FSR 2.2 is coming as well.
The way we see it, it comes down to this: The GeForce RTX 4080 offers better Ray Tracing performance and DLSS 3 support. Both video cards offer AV1 decoding and encoding, and both video cards can benefit from FSR, but only the GeForce RTX 4080 has DLSS. The Radeon RX 7900 XT offers a better price point, competitive raster performance, DisplayPort 2.1, standard power connectors, a more compatible form factor, and more VRAM with 20GB. Considering these facts the Radeon RX 7900 XT seems like an all arounder video card that provides real value over the competition. AMD’s GPU chiplet design philosophy is off to a good start.
(but seriously, lower the price on the 7900 XT a bit to make it more distinct, k thx)