In context: The Radeon RX 9070 XT stands out as one of the best gaming graphics cards on the market, particularly for those seeking top performance at a great value. While the standard version generally matches the RTX 5070 in most games, DIY modders have discovered that overclocked variants can achieve real-world performance comparable to the RTX 5080 with some fine-tuning.
Testing by renowned overclockers Der8auer and Alva Jonathan shows that undervolting the RX 9070 XT while increasing its power limit can significantly boost clock speeds, leading to a notable performance gain. Undervolting reduces power consumption at a given clock speed. This keeps thermals in check and can enable higher core frequencies without excessive heat buildup.
Both YouTubers had similar results with the undervolted RX 9070 XT. Der8auer used an overclocked PowerColor RX 9070 XT Red Devil for his tests, initially increasing the power limit to 360W and boosting the clock frequency to 3.1GHz.
After undervolting the card by 200mV, he was able to push the clock speed to 3.4GHz, but this configuration proved unstable. Der8auer then reduced the undervolting to 170mV, which resulted in a stable setup. Under these conditions, the card achieved an average of 66fps in Cyberpunk 2077 at 4K Ultra with ray tracing disabled. In comparison, the RTX 5080 achieved 65fps using the same settings, while the RTX 4080 managed only 56fps.
Alva Jonathan used the factory-overclocked ASRock RX 9070 Steel Legend for his tests. After similar undervolting and power adjustments, the card reached a stable overclock frequency comparable to Der8auer's PowerColor setup, resulting in a 10 percent fps improvement.
Despite the significant performance boost from undervolting, it's not all positive news for enthusiasts. Overclocking the core clock, memory clock, and voltage of the RX 9070 XT remains a frustrating endeavor. Der8auer's testing suggests that overclocking the memory clock actually results in slower performance compared to stock settings, leading him to conclude that "overclocking is completely broken on the RX 9070 XT."
This limited overclocking headroom implies that the OC models are likely already operating near their architectural limits. However, it is still impressive that the $600-$800 RX 9070 XT OC units can compete on even terms with the $1,000 RTX 5080 with just a few tweaks. Now, if AMD can only ensure steady supply and curb the excessive markups by retailers.
Undervolted Radeon RX 9070 XT beats the RTX 5080 in real-world gaming benchmarks
