Key Takeaways
1. The RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT were expected to improve GPU prices and supply, but initial stock is very limited due to high demand.
2. Official prices for the RX 9070 ($549) and RX 9070 XT ($599) offer the best value, but real-world prices are significantly higher, making older models more appealing.
3. The RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT have a competitive cost-per-frame of around $8.46 and $8.11 at 4K, outperforming Nvidia’s RTX 5070 and RTX 5070 Ti.
4. With inflated street prices, the RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 are no longer the top value options, now compared to the RX 7700 XT and RX 7800 XT.
5. High-end GPUs like the RTX 5090 have poor value, with a cost-per-frame of $20.93, indicating a challenging market for gamers looking to upgrade.
Hopes were really high that the release of the RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT would help reduce the price issues and supply problems that have been troubling the GPU market. While the RX 9070 GPUs definitely added some competition for Nvidia, the massive demand from gamers who have been left waiting made the initial stock of these cards seem very small.
Lack of Availability
Currently, it’s nearly impossible to find any RX 9070 cards at their official prices. Data from Hardware Unboxed (HU) shows that the RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT are considered the best value GPUs available, providing the lowest cost-per-frame across 18 games tested. However, this only holds true if we consider their official prices of $549 for the RX 9070 and $599 for the RX 9070 XT.
Real-World Pricing
When we take a look at the actual street prices for the RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT, the value starts to fade and older RX 7000 cards begin to look more appealing. HU indicates that if we use the MSRP of $549 and $599 for the RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT, respectively, they rank as the best value in the market, followed closely by the RTX 5070 and RX 7800 XT. The cost-per-frame for the RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT is around $8.46 and $8.11 at 4K. In contrast, Nvidia’s competitors, the RTX 5070 and RTX 5070 Ti, have cost-per-frame ratings of $9.17 and $10, making it clear why AMD has been selling a lot of GPUs and increasing its market presence.
Bottom Performers
Not surprisingly, the RTX 5090, which has a cost-per-frame of $15.50, the RTX 4080 at $15.19, and the RTX 4090 at $14.68, rank as the least favorable options in this analysis.
However, as we all know, it’s very hard to find any next-gen GPUs at their listed prices. Therefore, any value comparison needs to consider street prices. Hardware Unboxed has also gathered data based on actual Newegg pricing for these cards.
Changing Value Proposition
Given the inflated prices of $750 for the RX 9070 XT and $670 for the RX 9070, RDNA 4 boards are no longer the top value cards, as they have been surpassed by the RX 7700 XT and the RX 7800 XT. In this situation, the RX 9070 XT costs $10.14 per frame and the RX 9070 costs $10.31 per frame. The RX 9070 XT gives a 15% better value compared to the RTX 5070 Ti, while the RX 9070 shows a modest 6% advantage over the RTX 5070.
The Worst Offenders
Looking at the least valuable GPUs, the RTX 5090 priced at $2,700 delivers a staggering cost of $20.93 per frame. Although the RTX 5080 offers better value at $15.70, it’s still not a great choice overall, especially since it loses to the RTX 4080 Super, which the RTX 5080 is supposed to replace.
In addition to analyzing cost-per-frame at 4K in the US, Hardware Unboxed also reviews data for 1440p, premium AIB options, and markets outside of the US like the EU and Australia. Therefore, the entire video linked below is definitely worth watching if you are in the market for a new graphics card.
Conclusion
Ultimately, it’s pretty disheartening to see the current state of PC gaming. With so many exciting games like Doom: The Dark Ages on the horizon, gamers looking to upgrade have no choice but to be patient. We really don’t know how much longer it will take for prices and supply to return to normal.
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