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The RX 7900 XTX is the faster, higher-capacity flagship; the RX 7900 XT is a less expensive launch-era alternative with lower power specifications. Both delivered strong rasterization in Tom’s Hardware’s December 2022 review, but the tested cards trailed Nvidia’s RTX 4080 in ray tracing. Which one makes sense depends on the games and features you care about—and on current prices, which these launch results do not establish.

RX 7900 XTX vs. RX 7900 XT: the main differences

AMD positioned both cards as RDNA 3 desktop GPUs. The XTX has more compute units, memory and memory-interface width, along with higher total board power (TBP) and a higher suggested launch price. These are AMD’s published specifications and suggested prices at launch in 2022, not current retail prices.

Specification Radeon RX 7900 XTX Radeon RX 7900 XT
Compute units 96 (AMD, 2022) 84 (AMD, 2022)
Memory 24 GB GDDR6 (AMD, 2022) 20 GB GDDR6 (AMD, 2022)
Memory interface 384-bit (AMD, 2022) 320-bit (AMD, 2022)
TBP 355 W (AMD, 2022) 300 W (AMD, 2022)
Suggested launch price $999 USD SEP (AMD, 2022) $899 USD SEP (AMD, 2022)

The XT’s launch SEP was $100 below the XTX’s, while the XTX offered the stronger specification set. Those launch prices are historical reference points, not a guide to what either card costs or is worth today.

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How the cards performed in the December 2022 review

Rasterization

Tom’s Hardware described rasterization performance as impressive for both cards. That supports a positive launch-era assessment for conventional rendering, but the available review findings here do not give a broader frame-rate average or a game-by-game rasterization table. Results will also depend on the game, resolution, settings and test system, so the qualitative verdict should not be read as a guarantee of performance in every title.

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Ray tracing

Ray tracing was the clearest weakness in the review’s comparison with Nvidia. In Tom’s Hardware’s 1440p ray-tracing suite, the XTX averaged 60 frames per second and the XT averaged just over 50. The RTX 4080 was 33% faster overall in that suite, with advantages of 50–60% in some games. These are December 2022 review results for that test suite, not a current ranking across all games or GPUs.

Tom’s Hardware’s verdict was that AMD had improved ray tracing over its previous generation but remained behind Nvidia in DirectX Raytracing (DXR) games. It also noted Nvidia’s DLSS support as part of the competitive picture. For a buyer who prioritizes ray-traced performance, the XTX’s stronger result over the XT does not erase the gap reported in that comparison.

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Power draw and noise in the review tests

Tom’s Hardware measured power with Powenetics hardware and software while looping Metro Exodus and running FurMark. In FurMark, the XTX reached approximately 366 W. The XT drew slightly more than the 315 W rating cited in the review for that card; this test observation is distinct from AMD’s published 300 W TBP specification. A stress-test reading should not be treated as a measurement of typical gaming power.

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After 30 minutes of Metro Exodus, the review measured noise at 49.9 dB(A) for the XTX and 48.7 dB(A) for the XT. Those figures describe the tested cards and test conditions, not every partner-board model or a quiet-room guarantee. Cooler design and fan behavior can vary between individual board versions.

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RDNA 3 features beyond frame rates

AMD presented RDNA 3 as a chiplet-based architecture with hardware ray tracing, FidelityFX technologies and Radeon Super Resolution. The RX 7900 series also introduced DisplayPort 2.1 and dual media engines with AV1 encoding and decoding. Those media and display capabilities can matter for high-resolution displays, video playback, streaming or creator workflows, but the cited launch material does not establish a performance advantage for a particular application.

Which card should you choose?

  • Consider the XTX if you want the higher-capacity 24 GB configuration and the better of these two cards’ reported ray-tracing results, and your current price comparison supports paying more for it.
  • Consider the XT if its current price is meaningfully lower and its 20 GB memory capacity and launch-review performance fit your games and workload.
  • Compare alternatives before buying if ray tracing is a priority: in the cited 1440p suite, the RTX 4080 held a substantial lead over both Radeon cards.

AMD announced availability for both cards on December 13, 2022 through AMD.com, with named board partners following in mid-December. That announcement does not establish present-day stock, seller reliability, pricing, driver behavior or performance against newer GPUs. A current buying decision requires checking those details for the specific card and retailer.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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