ASRock Radeon RX 9070 XT Taichi OC

[Chaitanya]

That's insane!!
Isn't the average wage in India about $300/month or am I not understanding the currency conversion?

You are right about average salary, people buying gaming PCs tend to be from upper middle class. I see a lot more gamers going for older gen cards(which are also available and actually quite a bit cheaper) or even getting used cards(seeing sub $400 4070Ti on used market). Except for the Graphics cards every other PC component is either on par or sometimes cheaper than US prices(thanks to trump tariffs).

 

[Baba]

Yes you should.

First most ppl that buy a high end model want to OC and/or reduce noise. How do you measure if it's a good deal? Compare the price increase to performance increase (%) and then add what you are willing to pay for extra features.

Plus one would assume that the 1000 bucks card would need better cooling to achieve the same performance boost, so it would be more expensive to manufacture (normally more W/mm^2, and that tends to not scale linearly).

On a side note watching der8auer overclocking the red devil a model of overclocking fame, it doesn't look good for high end models, only undervolting produced results and at that point the only thing you are getting is a potentially quieter card and some features.

For me it's reduced noise and I can't put a % on it. I'm willing to pay extra $100-$150 for it. I run silent BIOS and don't care to lose a few frames.

I was looking at the XTX Taichi before they went out of stock. They were around the same $120-130 over MSRP as this one. It's $130 for the Taichi cooler on either card. The $600 card makes it seem like a 22% markup meanwhile the $1,000 card is only a 13% markup. The materials will cost Asrock the same regardless of what card they put this cooler on. The cost of premium features doesn't change. In my opinion, it's not fair to use % in this case but to each his own.

For someone only looking at OC v price, it's best to stick to cheapest models.

 

[W1zzard]

I really wonder where the DP 2.1b standard was introduced.

It's available NVIDIA Blackwell. Fixed now in all the AMD RDNA 4 reviews, thanks for letting me know

 

[LittleBro]

God help us. Roughly 18% more power draw for 2% performance increase ...

 

[springs113]

The worrying news is that pricing for these factory-OC "premium" cards probably won't come down - at least not for several months.

Various sources (retailers) have confirmed that AMD are only providing rebates to retailers to hit the $599 MSRP on the three base/MSRP models: The Sapphire Pulse, the PowerColor Reaper, and the XFX Swift. All of the other "premium" models are not getting rebates, so they'll continue to be sold by retailers at the price the retailers paid for them, and retailer margins are pretty slim.

AMD (Frank Azor) promised that retailer rebates for the three MSRP models are not a launch-only stunt, so the pricing should come down in time once the botters and scalpers have had their fill. If it's not one of those models, there are no promises that have been made by AMD. They cost more, and they're likely to continue to cost more because AMD have never provided rebates to retailers to these models and are very unlikely to do so at this point.

Hmm, tell me you know nothing without saying. The hear say in this post is wild but i digress.

 

[Chrispy_]

No smart person would spend $130 more for 3% faster performance, but instead for a much quieter card in any load scenarios. Many will value that, people very sensitive to noise, like me.
long way of saying that, if I could go back in time, I'd gladly spend an extra $100 on my 7900xt if it were massively overbuilt / always quiet

For me it's reduced noise and I can't put a % on it. I'm willing to pay extra $100-$150 for it. I run silent BIOS and don't care to lose a few frames.
For someone only looking at OC v price, it's best to stick to cheapest models.

That's definitely true for some GPU comparisons, but as far as I can tell, two of the 9070XT "base"/MSRP cards are ridiculously cool and quiet, while the PowerColor Reaper is a little louder because it's an extremely compact card - yet it's still only 41.5 dB(A), according to THG with different testing methods - so it's acceptably quiet even if you couldn't call it silent running like the other two.

The Sapphire Pulse and XFX Swift are both ridiculously oversized coolers for 304W GPUs, and their whisper-quiet operation is unsurprising (TPU tested the Pulse at 25.5 dB(A) which is lower than the noise floor in all but exceptionally quiet rooms. In this case with the Asrock Taichi, there's a $130 markup for that 3% overclock and yet the card is actually louder.

 

[springs113]

The main reason these cards will sell 5070ti n the 9070xt is it is still cheaper than the actual performance tiered cards they're replacing(4080s,7900xtx). These cards maybe a bit slower but essentially they're equal and at best case scenario they are about $250-400 cheaper than those cards.

Even that egregiously priced xfx 9070xt at $900. The fact of the matter is (from what I've witnessed), these cards will sell. Ppl are desperate and the more some say don't buy, is the more those desperate ppl think that's their opportunity to buy.
With the amount of ppl I see willing to spend $3.5 on an astral 5090 from retailers, I've come to the conclusion that money is of no object to a lot of ppl.

Ppl will spend money if it's worth their time. I for instance, don't like cutting my grass, so I pay someone to do it for me. There are ppl who don't want to stand in line or deal with bots online so they'll pay for the convenience by purchasing from a scalper. I'm not condoning scalping but I definitely see why it exist.

 

[Chrispy_]

Hmm, tell me you know nothing without saying. The hear say in this post is wild but i digress.

Not really hearsay, I've been an OCUK customer and forum member for well over two decades and they're very upfront about how stuff works behind the scenes over the years. I'm even in this thread:

Resistance is Futile - AMD RX 9070 Borg Armada - OcUK Kings of Stock (1000's in stock)

Hi there As Sapphire jumped the gun with our content (TUT TUT), I might as well share with you guys the Borg Cube Overclockers UK marketing department spent hours building out of Sapphire 9070 XT Pulse Cards and yes the cube is solid, the centre is even more 9070 XT Pulse cards and we have over...

forums.overclockers.co.uk

The point is that people on sites, forums, channels worldwide are reporting the same exact thing from multiple international sources. It's not just Gibbo at OCUK over here, there's a lot of validated evidence and correlation about this from reputable or even validated sources all over the world.

 

[Daven]

I'm curious how AMD has improved power numbers under certain scenarios at the time of launch for RDNA2, RDNA3 and RDNA4. Going left to right from the launch of each generation:

Idle
6900XT (7 nm): 7W -> 7W -> 9W
7900XTX (5/6 nm): 13W -> 12W
9070XT (4 nm): 9W
Not much change. Good idle numbers across three generations.

Multi-Monitor
6900XT: 7W -> 40W -> 39W
7900XTX: 103W -> 14W
9070XT: 17W
Either something bad happened with RDNA2, the testing methodology changed or W1zzard's original numbers at launch were wrong. RDNA3 was massively fixed and RDNA4 continues the fix.

Video Playback
6900XT: 48W -> 44W -> 43W
7900XTX: 88W -> 48W
9070XT: 30W
RDNA2 shows decent numbers. RDNA3 was fixed sometime after launch. RDNA4 shows more improvement.

Gaming
6900XT: 299W -> 305W -> 302W (75%)
7900XTX: 356W -> 354W (110%)
9070XT: 314W (100%)
As expected power stays the same for RDNA2 and RDNA3 even though the games change from launch. Using the TPU database, there was a massive 1.47x performance gain going from RDNA2 to RDNA3 for 17% higher power. But RDNA4 is less impressive showing a 9% performance regression for 12% less power. Of course this scenario is hard to compare since the 6900XT has 80 CUs, the 7900XTX has 96 CUs and the 9070Xt has 64 CUs. All generations have different clocks as well.

 

[_roman_]

#34 you are partly wrong

the idle consumption and multi monitor consumption is a software issue on amd side for the MSI radeon 6800 z trio - they ignored for a very long time those bug reports - even from myself.
Many people documented it. AMD did readout wrong EDID in gnu userspace and linux kernel and in windows 11 pro 23h2. I found the solution myself and applied it. Nothing hard to write modelines.

Mutlit monitor also depends on the resolution and FPS per screen. 7800xt has according to techpowerup in multi monitor around 10 watts. single monitor i saw around 6-12 watts. that changes always.

in my point of view the 7000 series are a power saving generation. 9000 series is monolithic again and improves raytracing

 

[mb194dc]

7900xt is nearly under 600 now in the UK. Not worth paying extra for 9070xt. The 10% gap can easily be bridged with tweaking.

 

[Mr. Perfect]

@W1zzard I see there's a Sapphire RX 9070 XT Pulse in the cooler comparison chart, will there be a review published on that card at some point? As an MSRP card (supposedly), it's one I'd actually want to see!

 

[W1zzard]

@W1zzard I see there's a Sapphire RX 9070 XT Pulse in the cooler comparison chart, will there be a review published on that card at some point?

Yes, it'll be one of the new 3 GPU reviews or so

 

[Daven]

7900xt is nearly under 600 now in the UK. Not worth paying extra for 9070xt. The 10% gap can easily be bridged with tweaking.

RDNA3 and Ada Lovelace production has been mostly stopped. Your solution only works while supplies last. Those buying a video card in say the second half of 2025 will not be able to find any older generation GPUs except previously owned cards sold in places like Ebay.

#34 you are partly wrong

the idle consumption and multi monitor consumption is a software issue on amd side for the MSI radeon 6800 z trio - they ignored for a very long time those bug reports - even from myself.
Many people documented it. AMD did readout wrong EDID in gnu userspace and linux kernel and in windows 11 pro 23h2. I found the solution myself and applied it. Nothing hard to write modelines.

Mutlit monitor also depends on the resolution and FPS per screen. 7800xt has according to techpowerup in multi monitor around 10 watts. single monitor i saw around 6-12 watts. that changes always.

in my point of view the 7000 series are a power saving generation. 9000 series is monolithic again and improves raytracing

I think the main takeaway is that AMD has solved all of its power consumption issues under different scenarios as compared to the competition. One less thing in their battle against Nvidia.

 

[Dragokar]

Nice card, but still skipping every card with that connector. Just saw a post about “user error” melting 12vhpwr on a Tesla L40S AI HPC card.

Thank you for all the reviews, makes it easier to pick a model and brand.

 

[Hereticbar]

7900xt is nearly under 600 now in the UK. Not worth paying extra for 9070xt. The 10% gap can easily be bridged with tweaking.

The same applies to the RX 9070 XT, with a little tuning and a good undervolt the 10% gap between it and the 7900 XT would be a 15-20% gap.

For a lot of people, it is the vastly improved ray tracing performance and the significantly better FSR 4 upscaling that sealed the deal for them. I know I would not even consider getting a RX 9070 XT if not for these improvements.

 

[Baba]

That's definitely true for some GPU comparisons, but as far as I can tell, two of the 9070XT "base"/MSRP cards are ridiculously cool and quiet, while the PowerColor Reaper is a little louder because it's an extremely compact card - yet it's still only 41.5 dB(A), according to THG with different testing methods - so it's acceptably quiet even if you couldn't call it silent running like the other two.

The Sapphire Pulse and XFX Swift are both ridiculously oversized coolers for 304W GPUs, and their whisper-quiet operation is unsurprising (TPU tested the Pulse at 25.5 dB(A) which is lower than the noise floor in all but exceptionally quiet rooms. In this case with the Asrock Taichi, there's a $130 markup for that 3% overclock and yet the card is actually louder.

Which two MSRP cards?

 

[Chrispy_]

Which two MSRP cards?

Sapphire Pulse and XFX Swift are both large, triple-fan, triple-slot, extra-tall coolers that would handle a 450W GPU just fine, so they're basically complete overkill for the 304W 9070XT

The Reaper is basically minimum size in two of the three dimensions, being strict dual slot and no taller than the expansion bracket so it's audible, but still not loud.

 

[springs113]

Sapphire Pulse and XFX Swift are both large, triple-fan, triple-slot, extra-tall coolers that would handle a 450W GPU just fine, so they're basically complete overkill for the 304W 9070XT

The Reaper is basically minimum size in two of the three dimensions, being strict dual slot and no taller than the expansion bracket so it's audible, but still not loud.

The reaper is loud, I don't know who told you that. Maybe using a headset you won't notice but I beg to differ.

 

[Chrispy_]

The reaper is loud, I don't know who told you that. Maybe using a headset you won't notice but I beg to differ.

My numbers are from THG's review using the Reaper. It's the best I can do because I don't have a 9070XT of my own to verify.



Realistically, their results paint the reaper's 41.5dBA as 1dBA louder than a 4070FE which is a pretty quiet card. I'll agree there are definitely quieter 4070s than the FE, but it's hardly what I'd call loud - but this is all subjective stuff because no two people have identical hearing. If you think it's loud then I'm not going to argue with you.

What I will argue with you about is your defense of the $130 premium for the quieter card, when @W1zzard's review of the Pulse already proves that the cheapest Pulse is not only priced $130 lower than the Taichi, but is also quieter. You can pick on the Reaper all you want, but that's the smallest 9070XT on the market and not really eligible for the comparison against the rest of the oversized cards we're talking about here, specifically the two of the three mentioned MSRP models getting post-distibution retailer rebates from AMD.

 

[springs113]

My numbers are from THG's review using the Reaper. It's the best I can do because I don't have a 9070XT of my own to verify.

View attachment 390592

Realistically, their results paint the reaper's 41.5dBA as 1dBA louder than a 4070FE which is a pretty quiet card. I'll agree there are definitely quieter 4070s than the FE, but it's hardly what I'd call loud - but this is all subjective stuff because no two people have identical hearing. If you think it's loud then I'm not going to argue with you.

What I will argue with you about is your defense of the $130 premium for the quieter card, when @W1zzard's review of the Pulse already proves that the cheapest Pulse is not only priced $130 lower than the Taichi, but is also quieter. You can pick on the Reaper all you want, but that's the smallest 9070XT on the market and not really eligible for the comparison against the rest of the oversized cards we're talking about here, specifically the two of the three mentioned MSRP models getting post-distibution retailer rebates from AMD.

No offense, but I don't care about those numbers. I actually have card. I had to adjust the fan curve and now it's much better.

 

[Chrispy_]

No offense, but I don't care about those numbers. I actually have card. I had to adjust the fan curve and now it's much better.

Like I said, subjective.

I didn't ever think the reaper was going to be quiet enough for me. I don't want to hear my PC at all - but I build dozens of custom machines a year and have minions assemble hundreds more - so I've played with plenty of GPUs and form factors and what I personally consider "too noisy" isn't even something other people will notice until you mention it to them and they turn around and say something like "oh my fridge in the next room is louder than my PC" on a system I built for them that was too noisy for my own tastes.

 

[springs113]

Like I said, subjective.

I didn't ever think the reaper was going to be quiet enough for me. I don't want to hear my PC at all - but I build dozens of custom machines a year and have minions assemble hundreds more - so I've played with plenty of GPUs and form factors and what I personally consider "too noisy" isn't even something other people will notice until you mention it to them and they turn around and say something like "oh my fridge in the next room is louder than my PC" on a system I built for them that was too noisy for my own tastes.

Fair point, I forgot to add to the prior response...I don't condone the prices but I totally understand economics and a long as there's a buyer for whatever market that ppl have goods/services for, the prices will never decrease. The scalpers are now the aib partners. I don't think it's the retailers/etailers, however ppl are still buying.
What are we telling the companies when we're still consuming their overpriced goods?

Honestly though I think $800 is/should be the cutoff point for the 9070xts and $950 for the 70tis. That's actually the higher end cutoff point but a point nonetheless. Only in this market. People will still spend though. I'm in a group and most of the members are looking for a 5090 so there's that. Nothings going to change, we all will just have to adapt to the conditions.

 

[Shtb]

I've seen clocks up to 3.45GHz with average game clocks of 3.3GHz.

Any proof?

 

[springs113]

Any proof?

My reaper boost upto 3.2 so I don't doubt the higher models actually boost to 3.45hz. My friends tuf 9070xt boost to that but he has yet to get it stable.