Why is everyone suddenly recommending the RX 9070 XT

Question

I'm looking to step up from my Arc B580 and I've got roughly six hundred to spend. Every single recommendation thread I read lands on the RX 9070 XT, no matter who's asking. I've always just defaulted to Nvidia without really thinking about it, so this pattern stands out to me. Is the hype actually backed by something measurable, or is it just people being contrarian for the sake of it?

jamesm · Accepted Answer

It's real, I run the Taichi. In the ~$600 tier it's the price-to-performance pick, and the Steam survey backs it, 1.35% in June against the 4070 Ti's 0.95%. FSR 4 closed most of the upscaler gap. Nvidia still leads, so it's a tier thing more than a brand war. Mine's been quiet in my case since spring

sarahj · Answer

Ah, I'd nudge back on that just a touch! I went with the plain 9070 PULSE for my editing-and-gaming mix and it's been lovely. The tier a notch below the XT is really worth a look before you commit

rgbwhenever · Answer

honestly the bigger variance is between partner cards. my 9070 TUF runs cool and quiet, but the cooler and build quality swing more than the chip you pick