AMD recently unveiled a tech demo showcasing the path-tracing capabilities of its new RX 9070 series GPUs. While the advancements are evident, the demo has left some gamers unimpressed. Viewers noted increased ghosting and visual artifacts, particularly when compared to Nvidia’s RTX 50-series GPUs.
Following AMD’s RDNA 4 announcement last week, the Radeon RX 9070 XT launched at an expected price of $599, offering specifications comparable to Nvidia’s RTX 5070 Ti. However, concerns have emerged after the ToyShop path-tracing demo revealed performance issues such as blurry textures and unwanted artifacts.
AMD’s Path-Tracing Demo: Impressive but Flawed
The ToyShop demo follows a charming robot as it constructs a companion and ventures into a futuristic city bustling with traffic. While AMD’s latest path-tracing technology aims to enhance lighting realism, some visual inconsistencies have sparked concerns.
One of the major issues occurs during fast-moving scenes. Neural super sampling denoising is intended to upscale images without adding noise, yet artifacts become noticeable when vehicles speed by. Additionally, static buildings in the background lose sharpness, and foliage near a park entrance appears as a blurred mess of textures.
Can AMD Close the Gap in Ray Tracing?
Before the RX 9070 series, Nvidia held a clear advantage in ray-tracing performance. While this demo focuses on path tracing, a more advanced technique, some gamers worry that Nvidia still leads in rendering high-quality lighting effects.
The discussion has extended to Reddit, where users are debating whether the RX 9070 XT is truly a great value. At $599, the RX 9070 XT delivers solid raw power, but the RX 9070—priced just $50 lower—may struggle to justify its cost, especially if ray tracing remains a weak point.
FSR 4 vs. DLSS 4: The Upscaling Battle Continues
The demo has also reignited the ongoing debate between AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution 4 (FSR 4) and Nvidia’s Deep Learning Super Sampling 4 (DLSS 4). Many gamers still believe Nvidia’s AI-driven upscaling technology has the upper hand.
With the RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT set to launch on March 6, buyers won’t have to wait long for detailed performance benchmarks. The real test will be how AMD’s latest GPUs hold up in real-world gaming scenarios compared to Nvidia’s RTX 50-series.
