In a fascinating turn of events for graphics enthusiasts, the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT has been turning heads with its impressive performance and superior thermal management when compared to NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 4080. Recent testing, particularly a rigorous 10-minute stress evaluation using FurMark, has unveiled these intriguing details.
A post by a user on the AnandTech Forums details the testing results, showcasing the Radeon RX 9070 XT culled from a GIGABYTE Gaming OC 16G edition—a factory-enhanced version demonstrating impressive results. During the OpenGL test conducted at 1080p with MSAA turned off, the GPU delivered a score of 20,732 points with an average frame rate of 345 FPS, putting it neck and neck with the GeForce RTX 4080. It’s worth noting that this score comes with the GPU operating on the recently released Linux Mesa 25.0 drivers, which officially support the RDNA 4 architecture, bolstering score credibility.
While FurMark isn’t always the prime test for comparing GPUs, it does provide a more discerning benchmark than others like Geekbench. In a previous evaluation, the RX 9070 XT displayed commendable performance at a 4K resolution, delivering results remarkably close to the RTX 4080.
One of the standout features of the RX 9070 XT is its thermal prowess. The recent benchmark tests revealed that the GPU maintained a temperature below 55°C, even at full usage under FurMark’s demanding conditions. This is a significant achievement as FurMark is infamous for pushing GPUs to thermal extremes, often exceeding 80°C with ease.
Adding to its impressive record, the RX 9070 XT participated in the Superposition benchmark under 1080p Extreme settings. Achieving a score of 14,534 points, it outclasses AMD’s previous-gen RX 6900 XT, which scored 9408 points, albeit on Windows drivers—posing a slight challenge in direct score comparison due to platform differences.
Overall, the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT is making a compelling case as a strong contender in the high-performance GPU sector, offering both performance and efficient cooling—capturing the attention of tech enthusiasts and gamers alike. With these promising results, it piques curiosity about its future potential against competitors in the market.
