AMD and NVIDIA have been in a constant battle for GPU supremacy for decades now. The RTX 4090 is NVIDIA’s latest flagship GPU and is a massive generational leap compared to the RTX 3090. How does their flagship Ada GPU stack against the latest from AMD, the RX 7900 XTX?
Both of these GPUs represent the nadir of their respective manufacturers’ efforts and occupy a similar niche. Which of these massively powerful GPUs comes out on top? Let’s take a look at how these GPUs perform, their specs, and their prices to determine which one is the right choice for your next build.
RTX 4090 vs. RX 7900 XTX: Side-By-Side Comparison
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| Feature | RTX 4090 | RX 7900 XTX |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Ada | RDNA 3 |
| Cores | 16,384 CUDA Cores | 6,144 stream processors |
| TDP | 450 watts | 355 watts |
| Maximum Clock | 2.5 GHz | 2.3 GHz |
| Memory Type | GDDR6X | GDDR6 |
| Memory Bus | 384-bit | 384-bit |
| Maximum VRAM | 24 GB | 24 GB |
| Memory Bandwidth | 1,008 GB/s | 960 GB/s |
- Has 16,384 NVIDIA CUDA Cores
- Supports 4K 120Hz HDR, 8K 60Hz HDR
- Up to 2x performance and power efficiency
- Fourth-Gen Tensor Cores that offer 2x AI performance
- Third-Gen RT Cores
- AI-Accelerated Performance: NVIDIA DLSS 3
- NVIDIA Reflex low-latency platform
RTX 4090 vs. RX 7900 XTX: What’s the Difference?
On paper, there is no denying the sheer superiority of the RTX 4090. It is a bit of a misgiving, however, given that these are two GPUs from different companies utilizing different architectures. Instead where things become clear is in the actual performance and real-world testing. It is a fool’s errand to assign a winner based solely on numbers, especially with something playing with as many variables as a GPU. So many factors come into play with how specs translate to performance. It is better to let the GPUs speak for themselves and show their mettle.
Performance
Synthetic Benchmarks
Synthetic benchmarks are a great way to test hardware under fully realized settings. Games might not always fully utilize a GPU, but a benchmark certainly will. 3DMark’s Port Royal benchmark is meant to test how GPU performs when utilizing ray tracing. During testing, the Port Royal scores were heavily in favor of the RTX 4090. The RX 7900 XTX scored a respectable 14,375 points, but contrast that against the RTX 4090’s 25,779 points and NVIDIA is the clear winner. This is further extended when considering other synthetic benchmarks. The RTX 4090 has a clear advantage over the RX 7900 XTX.
Passmark benchmarks likewise saw the RTX 4090 take the lead. NVIDIA’s flagship scored a massive 39.415 points over AMD‘s 31,307 points. This is extended across a multitude of benchmarks. One thing remains clear from all these tests, however, and it is just how much power NVIDIA has packed into its latest GPU.
Game Performance
Games reveal a little more, especially when utilizing the same PC running both GPUs. Cyberpunk 2077 is one notoriously difficult game to run, and both of these do struggle at 4K with it. Running Cyberpunk 2077 at 4K Ultra with raytracing enabled saw the RTX 4090 put forward 42 frames per second on average. AMD’s RX 7900 XTX struggled with the game, reaching 21 frames per second on average.
Raytracing is quite demanding, but even without it the RX 7900 XTX trails behind the 4090. Games like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Metro Exodus, Red Dead Redemption 2, and Forza Horizon 4 all saw the 4090 as the clear winner. Differences in frame rates were quite significant with 10% or so higher frames in Red Dead Redemption 2 being the absolute lowest deviation.
Games can vary depending on GPUs, and some games are tuned for GPUs from a certain manufacturer. With all this in mind, the RTX 4090 absolutely barrels through everything through sheer brute force. The RX 7900 XTX performs admirably in most of these games, but it just can’t seem to keep up with NVIDIA.
Pricing
One area where AMD is a clear winner is in the pricing of its flagship GPU. Online retailers have the RX 7900 XTX in stock for under $1000, staying fairly close to AMD’s MSRP of $999. The NVIDIA RTX 4090 is quite expensive, with an MSRP of $1,599 and an average price of between $1800 to $2000 with retailers at the time of this writing.
AMD’s GPU has a better price-to-performance ratio, and for the cost of a single RTX 4090, you could likely purchase a pair of RX 7900 XTX GPUs. For those looking for a more cost-effective GPU with performance in mind, AMD is the clear winner.
It does make one consider the niche of these GPUs however. Mid-range and high-end cards usually occupy similar price points, but these flagships have a massive gulf between them in terms of price. NVIDIA’s pricing is more akin to a processor meant for a workstation rather than something intended for the high-end desktop PC market.
- 24GB GDDR6
- RDNA 3 architecture
- Great price-to-performance ratio
- 1 x HDMI 2.1 , 3 x DisplayPort 2.1
- Handles 4K and VR
RTX 4090 vs. RX 7900 XTX: 5 Must-Know Facts
Facts about RTX 4090
- The RTX 4090 is NVIDIA’s most powerful GPU to date
- RX 7900 XTX does 4K and VR but lags at ray tracing
- RTX 4090 ably handles 4K gaming and AI processing
- The RTX 4090 lacks DisplayPort 2.1 outputs, but the RX 7900 XTX supports DisplayPort 2.1
- The RX 7900 XTX has great price-to-performance ratio
RTX 4090 vs. RX 7900 XTX: Which One is Better? Which One Should You Use?
It is hard to make any solid recommendation for either of these GPUs. On one hand, the RTX 4090 is the top performer in every single conceivable category barring price. On the other hand, the RX 7900 XTX has brought a fair bit to the table compared to other NVIDIA offerings like the RTX 4080. What does remain clear is that you do have to weigh whether the price of the RTX 4090 is worth it for your build.
If ray tracing and the ability to work with AI are important to you, then the RTX 4090 is the only clear choice. It is a pricy GPU, but it more than handles any conceivable task you can throw at it.
If ray tracing isn’t your biggest concern and you’re looking to indulge in 4K gaming at 60 frames per second, then the RX 7900 XTX is a solid buy. What it lacks in grunt for ray tracing, it more than makes up for in terms of raw power. AMD still has some further work to do before they’re on the same level as NVIDIA, however, as the tech packed into the RTX series does a lot more behind the scenes than efforts like FreeSync and FSR.
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090
- Has 16,384 NVIDIA CUDA Cores
- Supports 4K 120Hz HDR, 8K 60Hz HDR
- Up to 2x performance and power efficiency
- Fourth-Gen Tensor Cores that offer 2x AI performance
- Third-Gen RT Cores
- AI-Accelerated Performance: NVIDIA DLSS 3
- NVIDIA Reflex low-latency platform
- PowerColor Red Devil AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX Graphics Card
- 24GB GDDR6
- RDNA 3 architecture
- Great price-to-performance ratio
- 1 x HDMI 2.1 , 3 x DisplayPort 2.1
- Handles 4K and VR
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