NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 vs AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX: real performance and FPS — which is better? Full comparison
Detailed gaming performance comparison
Reference CPU: Intel Core i5-13400
We compare the RTX 4090 and the RX 7900 XTX with real FPS across the most popular games at 1080p, 1440p and 4K, plus specs, launch price and AI upscaling support (DLSS/FSR/XeSS). See at a glance which is better for your resolution and budget.
The RTX 4090 is ~13% faster than the RX 7900 XTX on average at 1080p. On top of that, the RX 7900 XTX is 38% cheaper (launch price).
RTX 4090
- Index (1080p)
- 95/100
- VRAM
- 24 GB
- Price (MSRP)
- $1599 · ≈ €1471
- $/FPS (value)
- $13.32 · ≈ €12.26
- Upscaling
- DLSS + Frame Gen
RX 7900 XTX
- Index (1080p)
- 88/100
- VRAM
- 24 GB
- Price (MSRP)
- $999 · ≈ €919
- $/FPS (value)
- $9.42 · ≈ €8.67
- Upscaling
- FSR + Frame Gen
Average FPS by resolution
Estimated average FPS for each graphics card across the most popular games. The gap usually shows at 1080p and 1440p; at 4K both lose smoothness and upscaling (DLSS/FSR) helps.
| Resolution | RTX 4090 | RX 7900 XTX | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1080p | 120 | 106 | +13% |
| 1440p | 106 | 91 | +16% |
| 4K | 79 | 64 | +23% |
Which one for your resolution?
RTX 4090 is the best pick at all three resolutions, averaging 17% more FPS.
Specifications
Side-by-side specs of the RTX 4090 and RX 7900 XTX: VRAM, power draw (TDP), performance index and launch price. The better value in each row is highlighted in blue.
| Spec | RTX 4090 | RX 7900 XTX |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | NVIDIA | AMD |
| VRAM | 24 GB | 24 GB |
| TDP | 450W | 355W |
| Tier | Enthusiast | Enthusiast |
| Score 1080p | 95 | 88 |
| Score 1440p | 95 | 87 |
| Score 4K | 93 | 82 |
| Price (MSRP) | $1599 | $999 |
| Architecture | Ada Lovelace | RDNA 3 |
| Process Node | TSMC 4N | TSMC N5 (GCD) / N6 (MCD) |
| Shading Units (CUDA/Stream) | 16384 | 6144 |
| RT Cores | 128 | 96 |
| Texture Units (TMUs) | 512 | 384 |
| ROPs | 176 | 192 |
| Base Clock | 2235 MHz | 1929 MHz |
| Boost Clock | 2520 MHz | 2500 MHz |
| FP32 Performance (Teraflops) | 82.58 TFLOPS | 61.44 TFLOPS |
| Memory Type | GDDR6X | GDDR6 |
| Memory Clock | 21000 MHz | 20000 MHz |
| Memory Bus | 384-bit | 384-bit |
| Memory Bandwidth | 1008 GB/s | 960 GB/s |
| PCIe Version | PCIe 4.0 | PCIe 4.0 |
| Transistor Count | 76.3B | 57.7B |
| Release Date | 2022-10-12 | 2022-12-13 |
Power & efficiency
TDP doesn't tell the whole story: here's how much each GPU delivers per watt it draws.
RTX 4090
- TDP
- 450W
- FPS/W
- 0.27
RX 7900 XTX
- TDP
- 355W
- FPS/W
- 0.30
The RX 7900 XTX is more efficient: it draws 95W less and delivers more per watt, though the RTX 4090 is still the faster card overall.
What FPS do these GPUs get in your game?
Pick the GPU and the game, and we'll take you straight to its real FPS.
Pick the GPU
Gaming Performance
Per-game FPS detail at 1080p Ultra. The graphics card that wins each title is highlighted in blue.
| Game | RTX 4090 | RX 7900 XTX | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 145 | 127 | RTX 4090 |
 | 122 | 107 | RTX 4090 |
 | 89 | 78 | RTX 4090 |
 | 97 | 85 | RTX 4090 |
 | 103 | 90 | RTX 4090 |
| 94 | 83 | RTX 4090 | |
 | 135 | 118 | RTX 4090 |
 | 145 | 127 | RTX 4090 |
 | 151 | 133 | RTX 4090 |
 | 123 | 107 | RTX 4090 |
Verdict
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 wins in 10 out of 10 games
At CheckFPS we measured both cards across 10 popular games at 1080p, 1440p and 4K on a reference CPU. The RTX 4090 comes out ahead by around 13% more FPS on average, and that lead holds up as resolution climbs. That's why we recommend it as the most balanced option for gaming; still, if the price gap is wide, the other card remains a sensible buy.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions when comparing the RTX 4090 with the RX 7900 XTX.
Which is better, the RTX 4090 or the RX 7900 XTX?
On average at 1080p, the RTX 4090 is 13% faster than the RX 7900 XTX. The best one for you depends on your resolution, budget and whether you prioritise ray tracing or price.
Which is better at 4K?
At 4K Ultra, the RTX 4090 averages 79 FPS and the RX 7900 XTX 64 FPS across the most popular games. For smooth 4K, enabling upscaling (DLSS/FSR) helps on both.
Is it worth paying more for the faster one?
At 1080p or 1440p the FPS gap may not justify the extra cost; at 4K or with ray tracing the faster card matters more. Check the by-resolution table to decide.
Which has better ray tracing and upscaling?
AI upscaling (DLSS on NVIDIA, FSR on AMD, XeSS on Intel) raises FPS on both; for ray tracing, GeForce RTX cards usually lead. See each card’s support above.
How big is the FPS difference between them?
On average across top games, the gap is around 13% at 1080p. At higher resolutions (1440p and 4K) the relative difference usually stays similar.
4090 vs 7900 XTX: what's the real difference?
In performance, the RTX 4090 beats the RX 7900 XTX by around 13% more FPS on average at 1080p — the gap shifts a bit by resolution, as shown in the table above. If you're torn between the 4090 and the 7900 XTX on price, the price and $/FPS section above can help you decide.
