RTX 5070 vs RX 9070: which should you buy in the UK?

The RX 9070 is the better buy for most people playing at 1440p. Reviewers measure it about 7 to 13% faster than the RTX 5070 in raster games, it has 16GB of VRAM instead of 12GB, and at the moment it is also the cheaper card in the UK.

The RTX 5070 still has one real argument: DLSS 4 and Multi Frame Generation, which more games support than AMD's FSR 4. Below, you will see how big the speed gap is, what the VRAM difference means, and when the Nvidia card is the right pick.

Which is better, the RTX 5070 or the RX 9070?

On pure speed, the RX 9070. The size of the lead depends on who tests it and when. The figures below are second-hand: we have not re-checked the original reviews, so read them as rough ranges.

• Hardware Unboxed's native 1440p testing, as relayed by Notebookcheck, reportedly puts the RX 9070 roughly 13% ahead. At launch the gap was said to be much smaller, so driver updates seem to have helped AMD.
• Notebookcheck's own tests reportedly show a lead of around 7%.
• 3DTested reportedly found a lead of around 8% across a set of raster games, and almost no difference in ray tracing.
• Club386 sums it up this way: the RX 9070 outperforms the RTX 5070 at best, or sits a handful of frames behind at worst.

So the honest answer is "faster, by a small to medium margin". It is not a different class of card.

How much faster is the RX 9070 in games?

In our data, the RX 9070 sits about 10% above the RTX 5070. These are estimates, not benchmarks we ran ourselves, and your result will change with your CPU, settings and drivers.

The lead is not the same in every game. Reviewers reported some big swings, though we have not verified these numbers:

• In The Last of Us Part II, the RX 9070 was said to lead by a wide margin at native resolution.
• In Spider-Man 2, the RX 9070 was said to lead natively, but that lead reportedly disappeared once DLSS 4 Quality was switched on for the RTX 5070.
• In Space Marine 2, one review had the RTX 5070 clearly ahead, when AMD's drivers were still young.

Both cards are comfortable at 1440p. If you play fast shooters such as Fortnite or CS2, either one will give you far more frames than most monitors can show.

Is 12GB of VRAM enough for the RTX 5070?

For most games at 1440p, yes. The problem shows up at maximum settings with the heaviest textures.

Reviewers have pointed out that 12GB can run short in a few games at top settings, with Indiana Jones as the usual example. Club386 lists the 12GB as the RTX 5070's main flaw, and other reviews say the 16GB card is the better choice if you want it to last.

VRAM is the memory that holds textures. When a game needs more than the card has, you get stutters or forced lower settings, even if the GPU itself is fast enough. You can often fix it by dropping the texture setting one notch. But if you do not want to think about that, the RX 9070 gives you more room.

Is DLSS 4 worth paying for over FSR 4?

It depends on which games you play.

Nvidia's side. DLSS 4 and Multi Frame Generation are the RTX 5070's main selling point. Reviewers point to the longer list of games that support Nvidia's tools. Club386 mentions DLSS 4.5 as well. Frame generation creates extra frames between the real ones, which raises the number on screen.

AMD's side. FSR 4 only runs on RDNA 4 cards such as the RX 9070, and it looks much better than FSR 3. In Hardware Unboxed's Quality-mode tests, as relayed by Notebookcheck, the RX 9070 reportedly even came out ahead of the RTX 5070. The catch is support: fewer games offer FSR 4.

Ray tracing. This used to be the reason to buy Nvidia. Reviews describe AMD's ray tracing as much improved, and the numbers we have seen show the two cards almost level. Treat it as a small edge for Nvidia in some games, not a gap.

Before you pay extra for DLSS, check the list of games you actually play. If most of them support DLSS 4 and you like frame generation, the Nvidia card makes sense. If not, you are paying for a feature you will not use.

Which is cheaper in the UK?

Right now, the RX 9070. On 14 October 2026, Amazon.co.uk listed the ASUS Dual RTX 5070 OC and the MSI Ventus 2X OC at roughly £745 to £760, and the ASUS Prime RX 9070 OC at roughly £660 to £680. That is a gap of about £70 to £90 in favour of AMD.

Prices on these cards have moved a lot this year. Club386 reported an MSI RTX 5070 at around £500 on Amazon UK in June 2026, as a limited promotion, and an RX 9070 under £500 in March. Both are well below today's prices. Memory shortages have pushed GPU prices up through 2026, so treat any older deal as a sign of what can happen, not as today's price.

What power supply and case do you need?

The two cards are close on power. Our data puts the RX 9070 at about 220W of board power and the RTX 5070 at about 250W. That is a small difference, and it should not decide your purchase.

What matters more is buying a good quality power supply with the right connectors for your card. We explain how to size one in What power supply do I need?. For the case, check the length and thickness of the exact card against your case before ordering.

If you are building around one of these cards, these budget guides show full PC configurations:

• Best gaming PC under £1,000
• Gaming PC under £1,500

If your budget is tighter, look at RTX 5060 vs RX 9060 XT instead.

Which one should you buy?

Use this rule.

• Choose the RX 9070 if it is still clearly cheaper, if you want 16GB of VRAM so the card lasts, or if the games you play do not lean on DLSS.
• Choose the RTX 5070 if the price gap closes to nearly nothing, or if your favourite games support DLSS 4 and you plan to use frame generation.

At today's UK prices, the RX 9070 is the safer pick: faster, with more memory, for less money. If you are not sure how it fits into a full PC, the assistant can build around either card for your budget.

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