Between the Radeon RX 7900 XT and GeForce RTX 5090, the Radeon RX 7900 XT comes out ahead in tdp, while the GeForce RTX 5090 wins on cuda / stream cores and ray tracing cores. Overall, the Radeon RX 7900 XT scores 66.7 and the GeForce RTX 5090 scores 88.5 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
The GeForce RTX 5090 is the clear pick on raw spec strength, leading by 21.8 points on the Mars Score. The margin is wide enough that the underdog only makes sense if its individual strengths line up with what you specifically need.
Pick the Radeon RX 7900 XT if you care most about tdp. The biggest gaps in its favor are tdp.
Pick the GeForce RTX 5090 if you push the hardware — gaming, on-device AI, heavy multitasking — and the extra compute headroom is worth the trade-offs. Its strongest claims are cuda / stream cores, ray tracing cores, 3dmark time spy, among others.
There are no meaningful ties on the headline specs — every popular-comparison metric has a winner.
Bottom line: the GeForce RTX 5090 is the safer default. The other model is the right choice only when its specific advantages line up with your priorities.
Why AMD - Radeon RX 7900 XT wins
- ▲TDP — 260.00 W less. 315 vs 575.
Why NVIDIA - GeForce RTX 5090 wins
- ▲CUDA / Stream cores — 304.76% more. 21760 vs 5376.
- ▲Ray tracing cores — 102.38% more. 170 vs 84.
- ▲3DMark Time Spy — 72.87% more. 32500 vs 18800.
- ▲VRAM — 60.00% more. 32 GB vs 20 GB.
- ▲Memory bus — 60.00% more. 512 bit vs 320 bit.
- ▲Has DLSS.
- ▲Boost clock — 0.29% more. 2407 MHz vs 2400 MHz.
Spec comparison
Core
| Spec | AMD - Radeon RX 7900 XT | NVIDIA - GeForce RTX 5090 |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset | Navi 31 | GB202 |
| Base clockⓘ | 1500 MHz | 2017 MHzlead |
| Boost clockⓘ | 2400 MHz | 2407 MHzlead |
| CUDA / Stream coresⓘ | 5376 | 21760lead |
| Ray tracing coresⓘ | 84 | 170lead |
Memory
| Spec | AMD - Radeon RX 7900 XT | NVIDIA - GeForce RTX 5090 |
|---|---|---|
| VRAMⓘ | 20 GB | 32 GBlead |
| VRAM typeⓘ | GDDR6 | GDDR7lead |
| Memory busⓘ | 320 bit | 512 bitlead |
Power & Form
| Spec | AMD - Radeon RX 7900 XT | NVIDIA - GeForce RTX 5090 |
|---|---|---|
| TDPⓘ | 315 Wlead | 575 W |
| Recommended PSUⓘ | 750 Wlead | 1000 W |
| Length | 276 mmlead | 304 mm |
| Slot size | 2.5-slot | 2-slot |
Benchmarks
| Spec | AMD - Radeon RX 7900 XT | NVIDIA - GeForce RTX 5090 |
|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Time Spyⓘ | 18800 | 32500lead |
| DLSSⓘ | false | truelead |
| FSRⓘ | truelead | false |
Frequently asked
Which has more VRAM, Radeon RX 7900 XT or GeForce RTX 5090?+
GeForce RTX 5090 ships with 32GB GDDR7 vs 20GB.
Which scores higher in 3DMark Time Spy, Radeon RX 7900 XT or GeForce RTX 5090?+
GeForce RTX 5090 scores 32500 vs 18800.
Which draws less power, Radeon RX 7900 XT or GeForce RTX 5090?+
Radeon RX 7900 XT draws 315W TDP vs 575W.
Spec-level deep dives
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