AMD rolled out the Radeon RX 9070 XT with RDNA 4 hype, but three months on, it barely registers in Steam’s latest hardware survey. From price blowouts to production snags and software growing pains, here’s the lowdown on Team Red’s stumble.
When June’s Steam Hardware Survey data went live, expectations were sky-high for the RX 9070 XT. AMD pitched this GPU as the next big RDNA 4 hero—complete with a beefy 16 GB frame buffer and updated ray-tracing units. But instead of cracking that elusive 0.1 percent share, the card barely registered. By contrast, NVIDIA’s midrange RTX 5060 Ti climbed to ~0.21 percent in the same window, even with a later arrival. And the RTX 5070 jumped from 0.38 percent to 0.71 percent in just a month. That disconnect between pre-launch buzz and real-world adoption is screaming warning—especially for AMD’s top-tier offers.
On paper, the RX 9070 XT looked poised to challenge NVIDIA’s Ada Lovelace alternatives:
| Specification | RX 9070 XT | RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | RDNA 4 (6 nm, TSMC) | Ada Lovelace (5 nm, TSMC) |
| Compute Units / CUDA Cores | 64 CUs (~4,096 SPs) | 4,864 CUDA cores |
| Memory | 16 GB GDDR6 @ 18 Gbps | 16 GB GDDR6 @ 18 Gbps |
| Cache | 128 MB Infinity Cache | ~6 MB L2 |
| Ray-Tracing | 1st-gen RT Accelerators | 2nd-gen RT Cores |
| Board Power | 285 W | 215 W |
| MSRP | $599 | $429 |
| Average Street Price | $859+ | $489+ |
That sticker shock—roughly 44 percent above list—drove many enthusiasts to think twice. Meanwhile, NVIDIA’s green camp hovered ~14 percent above MSRP, which felt almost reasonable by comparison.
We pitted the RX 9070 XT against NVIDIA’s RTX 5060 Ti in a range of AAA titles at 1440p and 4K to see how it stood up under fire.
Rasterization is a close race—AMD’s 16 GB Infinity Cache and robust CU count deliver solid raw frame rates. But once ray tracing enters the equation, NVIDIA’s 2nd-gen cores and mature DLSS upscaling pull well ahead. AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution 3.0 has shown promise in closed demos, yet real-world game support remains spotty.
Several intertwined factors pushed the RX 9070 XT’s street price into overdrive:
The upshot? What should have been a $599 proposition ballooned to $859 or more at many retailers. Gamers eager for high-end performance instead gravitated toward NVIDIA’s more consistently priced offerings.
Behind the scenes, AMD’s rush to ramp RDNA 4 introduced headaches:
Compared to NVIDIA’s reserved foundry slots and tighter supplier contracts, Team Red’s RDNA 4 rollout hit more potholes than planned.
Hardware alone doesn’t win hearts; software polish matters.
AMD’s Radeon Software Adrenalin delivers:
NVIDIA’s GeForce Experience counters with:
While Adrenalin has matured—smoothing out crashes and adding new features—it still lags behind on initial title support. Gamers expecting zero-hassle install and rock-solid day-one performance often gravitate to NVIDIA’s polished experience.
NVIDIA’s dominance isn’t luck; it’s engineered:
AMD has ramped up its own promotions—FSR code giveaways, university partnerships, and indie dev support—but its wallet simply isn’t as deep. In leagues like VR developer conferences or premier esports tournaments, Team Green’s presence still dwarfs Team Red’s outreach.
Sales figures remain opaque, but a mosaic of community chatter and distributor data reveals weak uptake:
Even content creators, who prize the 16 GB frame buffer for video projects, often pick the RTX 5070 or 5080 for smoother ray-traced workflows and DLSS rendering.
AMD’s next gambit is the rumored RX 9060 XT, pitched at the $300–$350 sweet spot. Historically, this segment has been fertile Red territory, but a few lessons must be learned:
If AMD nails these, the 9060 XT could shore up market share where gamers are most price-sensitive. If not, it risks another “paper launch” scenario.
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
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If you stumble on an RX 9070 XT close to its $599 list price and pure raster FPS on Linux or open-source toolchains matters most, it still has upside. But for mainstream gamers facing $800+ tags, NVIDIA’s RTX 5000-series offers smoother ray tracing, robust DLSS upscaling, and steadier pricing. Until AMD tightens MSRP compliance, ramps RDNA 4 yields, and cements FSR in big titles, Steam’s hardware survey will continue to paint a clear picture: Team Green leading, Team Red scrambling to catch up.