Full Review: Sapphire Pure AMD Radeon RX 9070 – The Underrated Champion

AMD has just launched two new graphics cards: the AMD Radeon RX 9070 and the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT. Today, we’re taking a deep dive into the Sapphire AMD Radeon RX 9070 Pure, the all-white variant from Sapphire that’s as stunning in design as it is in performance.

Before we get into the nitty-gritty, I want to clarify that we won’t be discussing the architecture or underlying technologies of the card in this review. I’ve already covered that in a previous article, which I highly recommend reading to understand the new features AMD is bringing to the table, such as FSR (Fidelity FX Super Resolution), FMF (Fluid Motion Frames), and AMD HYPR-RX. You can find the link to that article here.

Now, with the market flooded with cards from various AIB partners and AMD promising a steady supply, the competition is fierce. Nvidia’s RTX 5070 also dropped around the same time, making the decision even tougher. But after spending some quality time with the Sapphire RX 9070 Pure, I might just help you make up your mind.

First Impressions: Aesthetic Brilliance

Let’s start with the design. The Sapphire RX 9070 Pure is a beauty. Its all-white aesthetic is sleek and modern, making it a perfect fit for any build, especially those with a clean, minimalist theme. The build quality is solid, and the card feels premium in hand. But looks aside, let’s get into what really matters: performance.

Productivity Benchmarks: A Creator’s Dream

For content creators, the AMD Radeon RX 9070 is a game-changer. We ran a series of benchmarks to test its capabilities in productivity-focused applications, and the results are nothing short of impressive.

In the Adobe Photoshop benchmarking test, the RX 9070 outperformed cards like the RTX 5070 Ti, RTX 4070 Ti Super, RX 7800 XT, and even the RX 7900 GRE. Considering its price point, this is a remarkable achievement. The card handles complex tasks with ease, making it an excellent choice for graphic designers and photo editors.

Moving on to Adobe Premiere Pro, the RX 9070 secured a comfortable 4th place, trailing only behind the RTX 5090, RTX 5080, and RTX 4070 Ti Super. It even managed to keep up with the RX 7900 XTX, with only a marginal difference in performance. For video editors, this card offers incredible value for money.

In the GPU-intensive DaVinci Resolve benchmark, the RX 9070 claimed 3rd place, outperforming the RTX 5070 Ti, RTX 4070 Ti Super, RX 7900 XTX, RX 7800 XT, and RX 7900 GRE. Only the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 managed to edge it out. This makes the RX 9070 a strong contender for anyone working in video production or color grading.

As a content creator myself, I’m blown away by the RX 9070’s performance. It’s rare to see a $550 card outperform $750 or even $900 cards. AMD has truly outdone themselves with this release, and it’s safe to say that the RX 9070 is one of their best offerings since the X3D chips.

Gaming Benchmarks: A Casual Gamer’s Delight

Now, let’s shift our focus to gaming performance. The AMD Radeon RX 9070 shines here as well, delivering exceptional results across a variety of titles. We tested the card in 4K resolution paired with an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and 48GB of Kingston RAM.

• World War Z

  In World War Z, we ran the game on native settings without any upscaling or additional technologies. The RX 9070 delivered an average of 151 FPS, with a max of 211 FPS and a min of 84 FPS. When we enabled AMD HYPR-RX, the FPS nearly doubled, showcasing the card’s ability to scale performance dramatically.

  
  

• Marvel Rivals

  Next, we tested Marvel Rivals with Lumen Graphics Quality enabled. On native settings, the card managed an average of 52 FPS and a min of 46 FPS. However, with FSR and HYPR-RX enabled, the average FPS jumped to 118, with a min of 82 FPS. This is a significant improvement, making the game much more playable at 4K.

  
  

• Monster Hunter Wild

  In Monster Hunter Wild, we tested the card under Ultra Graphics Quality with Ray Tracing and FSR enabled but without Frame Generation. The RX 9070 scored an average of 57.23 FPS with 19,504 points. When we enabled HYPR-RX, the average FPS increased to 89.14, though the overall quality dropped from “Excellent” to “Good.”

Finally, we tested Black Myth: Wukong, one of the most GPU-intensive games available. We ran two separate tests: one on Very High Graphics Quality and another on Cinematic Graphics Quality.

• Very High Quality: With Ray Tracing and FSR enabled, the card delivered an average of 42 FPS, a max of 58 FPS, and a min of 30 FPS, utilizing 8.2GB of VRAM. Enabling Frame Generation bumped the average FPS to 64, with a max of 74 FPS and a min of 23 FPS, utilizing 9.3GB of VRAM. However, the real game-changer was HYPR-RX, which pushed the average FPS to 74, with a max of 103 FPS and a min of 59 FPS, utilizing 10.6GB of VRAM.

• Cinematic Quality: On this setting, the card struggled without additional technologies, delivering an average of 20 FPS, a max of 29 FPS, and a min of 15 FPS, utilizing 11.5GB of VRAM. Enabling Frame Generation improved the average FPS to 36, with a max of 50 FPS and a min of 29 FPS, utilizing 11.8GB of VRAM. But with HYPR-RX enabled, the average FPS skyrocketed to 69, with a max of 100 FPS and a min of 54 FPS, utilizing 13.1GB of VRAM.

Synthetic Benchmarks: Pushing the Limits

We also ran synthetic benchmarks using 3DMark, including Port Royal, Speed Way, Steel Nomad (DX 12), and Steel Nomad (Vulkan). These tests provide a comprehensive overview of the card’s performance under synthetic workloads. While the scores are in a numerical format, they don’t directly translate to FPS. However, they do give you a clear idea of how the RX 9070 stacks up against other cards in its class.

Final Thoughts: A Hybrid Workstation and Gaming Powerhouse

The Sapphire AMD Radeon RX 9070 Pure is a versatile card that excels in both productivity and gaming. For creators, it’s a budget-friendly powerhouse that outperforms more expensive cards in applications like Photoshop, Premiere Pro, and DaVinci Resolve. For gamers, it delivers smooth 4K gameplay, especially when paired with AMD’s HYPR-RX technology.

At $550, the RX 9070 offers incredible value for money. While it may not be the best choice for professional gamers seeking the absolute highest FPS and lowest latency, it’s more than sufficient for casual gamers and creators. If you’re looking for a card that delivers flagship-level performance without the flagship price tag, the RX 9070 is a fantastic option.

Pricing and Availability

As of now, there’s no reference card available, so pricing will vary depending on the AIB partner. Sapphire’s pricing for the RX 9070 and RTX9070 XT is listed below in MYR. Be sure to check it out and let us know what you think about this underrated champion.

Thank you to AMD for providing the card for this review. If you have any questions or thoughts, drop them in the comments below!