GeForce RTX 5090 vs Radeon RX 7900 XTX

Speed and memory

In our performance index the GeForce RTX 5090 scores 130 and the Radeon RX 7900 XTX scores 73, which makes the GeForce RTX 5090 about 78% faster. That is a gap you will notice: roughly one step up in quality setting, or the difference between 60 and 80 fps.

The GeForce RTX 5090 has 32 GB of video memory and the Radeon RX 7900 XTX has 24 GB. That is a small difference and unlikely to decide anything.

In our estimates for popular games at 1080p on High, the biggest gap is in Call of Duty (274 against 163 fps), and the smallest is in ELDEN RING (60 against 60 fps). Games that are light enough to run above 200 fps on both cards show little difference at all.

Power and value

The GeForce RTX 5090 is rated at 575 W and the Radeon RX 7900 XTX at 355 W. With a mid-range processor that means a power supply of about 1200 W for the first and 750 W for the second. A gap of 220 W shows up in heat and fan noise, and in your electricity use over a few years.

At launch the GeForce RTX 5090 cost $1,999 and the Radeon RX 7900 XTX $999. Per dollar, the Radeon RX 7900 XTX gave more performance (7.3 points per $100 against 6.5). Current prices differ, so run the same sum on what you can actually buy today.

Which one to buy

Choose the GeForce RTX 5090 if you want the faster card, and it also has at least as much memory. It makes the most sense at 1440p and above, or on a monitor with a high refresh rate.

Choose the Radeon RX 7900 XTX if the price gap matters more than the 78% speed difference, or if you want lower power draw and a quieter PC. Whichever you pick, check reviews for the games you play, because two cards with similar scores can differ in individual titles.