AMD RX 9070 XT Build Guide
AMD is officially launching its brand-new generation of graphics cards on March 6, kicking things off with both the RX 9070 and its souped up sibling, the RX 9070 XT. This generation promises to be big for AMD, with AV1 encoding, a boost to gaming performance, and improvements to AI processes.
Earlier this week, we put together a more budget-conscious build to make the most of the new cards. Today, we’re kicking it up a notch and going all out with the AMD RX 9070 XT. We’ll be breaking down why we chose our parts before wrapping things up with a video putting the whole thing together coming a little later today.
Let’s get into it.
The Build:
Video Card: AMD RX 9070 XT
The RX 9070 XT is AMD’s brand-new flagship card. With 16GB of GDDR6 RAM, a gaming clock frequency of 2400MHz, and up to 1557 TOPs, the 9070 XT is a card to absolutely look out for. And, while it will work great for more budget-minded builds, we’re here to push it to its limits with a build chock full of high-powered components.
Processor: AMD Ryzen 9 9950X Granite Ridge AM5 4.30GHz 16-Core Boxed Processor
The Ryzen 9 9950X is AMD’s top-of-the-line processor, with a massive 16 cores and 32 threads. The 9950X comes stock with a base clock speed of 4.3GHz but can be boosted to a killer 5.7GHz. That is way more than enough power for gaming, but if you’re working in more intense programs like CAD or Adobe, it can help dramatically speed up your workflow.
CPU Cooler: Corsair iCUE LINK RGB TITAN 360 RX 360mm All in One Liquid CPU Cooling Kit - Black
With a processor as powerful as the Ryzen 9 9950X, you need a powerful cooler. The Corsair iCUE RGB TITAN 360 is that cooler. With three RGB fans on the radiator and an IPS LCD display on the pump, you don’t have to just assume your cooler is doing its job; it’ll show you just how cool your processor with a single glance.
Motherboard: Gigabyte X870E AORUS Master AMD AM5 ATX Motherboard
Gigabyte’s X870E is an absolutely stunning motherboard that packs a lot of power under the hood. With a sleek cover protecting most of the motherboard's most vital parts, the Aorus is about as aesthetic as you can get with a motherboard, up to and including the subtle RGB logo on the IO. Under the hood, it supports up to 256GB of RAM, PCIe 5.0, and WiFi 7, the latest and greatest in wireless technology.
RAM: Corsair VENGEANCE RGB 64GB (2 x 32GB) DDR5-6000 PC5-48000 CL30 Dual Channel Desktop Memory Kit CMH64GX5M2B6000Z30 - Black
While 32GB may be the recommended starting capacity for RAM these days, we’re not building for the starting capacity. We’re building to push this rig to its limits. 64GB of DDR5-6000 will do just that, with plenty of overhead for gaming and enough speed to keep productivity processes moving at a brisk pace. As a bonus, the customizable RGB adds a pop of color that compliments the rest of the build quite nicely.
Storage: SK Hynix Platinum P41 2TB 176L 3D TLC NAND Flash PCIe Gen 4 x4 NVMe M.2 Internal SSD
If you put together a build this good and opt for anything other than an M.2 SSD, you’re leaving speed and power on the table. SSDs are lightning fast and crucial for both gaming and productivity. This 2TB M.2 from SK Hynix offers more than enough storage to start gaming and working. Plus, with a read and write speed of 7,000MBps and 6,500MBps respectively, it’s going to be absolutely blazing fast for whatever your needs may be.
PSU: Corsair RM1000x 1000 Watt Cybenetics Gold ATX Fully Modular Power Supply
A power supply just may be the most important part of any build. A bad one can fry your components and an underpowered one may not even turn your PC on. That’s why a build this powerful deserves nothing less than the Corsair RM1000X. The RM1000X is a gold-rated, fully modular, 1000-watt power supply that’ll keep this build running smoothly and efficiently without a bunch of unnecessary cables dangling off the PSU.
A small note: if you’re not building from scratch but upgrading your current PC, be sure to check your power supply before building.
Case: be quiet! Light Base 600 LX
The be quiet! Light Base 600 LX is a case we’re very excited to start carrying shortly. Featuring wrap-around tempered glass and gorgeous RGB, the Light Base 600 LX is a fantastic way to show off your brand-new, ultra-powerful PC build, just like this one. It can even be switched to an inverted layout for even more customizability
Watch Us Build It:
The Full Build:
Read more: PC laptop and desktop resources
- AMD RX 9070 and 9070 XT are Coming Soon: Here's What You Need to Know
- See top new laptops at Micro Center
- See top new desktops at Micro Center
- See top new GPUs at Micro Center
- See top new CPUs at Micro Center
Sean Mekinda is Micro Center's Community and Content Specialist, with three years of experience on The Micro Center Community and writing credits across the internet, including Polygon, 25YL, and 614 Magazine. He's been writing about and reviewing tech for over five years.
Sean has a specialty in gaming, peripherals, and creative projects designed to make your life easier, especially when it comes to tabletop gaming.
Contact Sean at SMekinda@microcenter.com
