RTX 5070 vs RX 9070 — 12GB or 16GB for your next build?

RTX 5070 vs RX 9070: 12GB or 16GB for your next build?

Hardware advice reviewed 2026-10-20 · asking-price samples checked for freshness · Methodology

A current-generation NVIDIA/AMD shortlist where the main specification difference is 12GB versus 16GB. Similar shopping intent does not mean equal performance.

Verdict: The RX 9070 offers 16GB versus 12GB on the RTX 5070. Favor the extra capacity if your supported workload exceeds 12GB; favor the RTX 5070 if your required software needs CUDA and fits its memory. Compare gaming results separately from AI inference.

	RTX 5070	RX 9070
Historical editorial estimate	$625 ($525–$750)	$550 ($475–$650)
eBay median (filtered)	—	—
Memory	12GB VRAM	16GB VRAM
$ / GB (sample median)	Unavailable	Unavailable
Power	250W TDP	220W TDP
Launch MSRP	$549	$549

Fair values are historical editorial estimates, not current offers; eBay medians are filtered Buy-It-Now samples, not checkout prices. See how we compute these.

Affiliate disclosure: Affiliate (paid) links: we may earn a commission from eBay Partner Network and Amazon Associates at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Full disclosure.

Verify model fit before buying

Memory capacity alone cannot tell you which models run. Check the artifact, runtime, context and concurrency, including cache and working buffers. Mac memory is shared with the operating system. See our memory sizing guide.

We have not benchmarked these configurations. Hardware advice reviewed 2026-10-20. Check the sources below for supported hardware and software requirements.

When does the extra 4GB change the decision?

If model weights, cache and working buffers exceed 12GB but fit within 16GB, the Radeon may avoid CPU offload in a compatible runtime. If everything already fits in 12GB, capacity alone does not establish a speed advantage.

Check the operating system before buying for AI

The reviewed Ollama documentation lists this Radeon family for ROCm on Linux, but not in its Windows ROCm table. Check the current backend and driver requirements for your operating system before buying.

How to compare gaming results

Use results for the same game, resolution, settings and test system. Separate native rendering from upscaling and frame generation, and look at frame-time consistency as well as average FPS. We have not run matched gaming benchmarks for these cards.

Sources and review

Ollama hardware and operating-system support

FAQ

Is the RX 9070 just an AMD version of the RTX 5070?

No. They use different architectures and software backends, and the Radeon has 4GB more memory. Treat them as alternatives to evaluate, not interchangeable implementations.

Which price should I use for this comparison?

Use the dated eBay sample medians as a starting point, then compare shipping, tax, condition and returns. A missing sample means insufficient fresh data, not that the card is unavailable. Historical editorial estimates are not checkout offers.