47 people are comparing AMD Radeon RX 8900 XTX · NVIDIA RTX 5090 right now
ISSUE № 219 · MAY 13, 2026
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Updated April 2026 PIXLRUN · COMPARE LAB v3

Compare
anything.

A laboratory-grade side-by-side that scores phones, laptops and headphones on the things buyers actually feel — not the spec-sheet poetry manufacturers print on the box.

1,284
Devices benchmarked
38
Lab metrics per unit
94%
Reader trust score
0
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Side-by-side index Live catalogue Catalogue live
VS

The duel.
Two phones, one verdict.

Lab-tested over 14 days each. Identical conditions, identical workloads, scored on a calibrated 100-point rubric.

AMD · 2026 Worth a look
AMD Radeon RX 8900 XTX

AMD Radeon RX 8900 XTX

Unleash Next-Gen Power with RDNA 4 Architecture

9.3/10
From
$1,099
NVIDIA · 2026 PixlRun pick
NVIDIA RTX 5090

NVIDIA RTX 5090

The Ultimate GPU That Redefines What's Possible

9.6/10
From
$1,999

Where each one wins.

Six pillars tailored to GPU reviews — scored independently in our Victoria, BC lab. Bars animate to live values when in view.

Raster perf

NVIDIA +0.4
AMD9.4
NVIDIA9.8

Ray tracing

NVIDIA +1.1
AMD8.8
NVIDIA9.9

AI / upscaling

NVIDIA +1.4
AMD8.5
NVIDIA9.9

Power efficiency

AMD +0.4
AMD8.8
NVIDIA8.4

Thermals

NVIDIA +0.1
AMD8.9
NVIDIA9.0

Value

AMD +1.1
AMD9.5
NVIDIA8.4

Six dimensions, overlaid.

Radar of normalized scores across our full rubric.

RASTER PERF RAY TRACING AI / UPSCALING POWER EFFICIENCY THERMALS VALUE
AMD Radeon RX 8900 XTX NVIDIA RTX 5090
Score gap
+3.2%
NVIDIA RTX 5090 vs AMD Radeon RX 8900 XTX — composite lab score difference.
TDP
375W vs 600W
AMD Radeon RX 8900 XTX / NVIDIA RTX 5090
VRAM
384-bit vs 1,820 GB/s
AMD Radeon RX 8900 XTX / NVIDIA RTX 5090
Boost clock
4.2 GHz vs 2,900 MHz
AMD Radeon RX 8900 XTX / NVIDIA RTX 5090

The full spec sheet.

Grouped by what matters to use, not by alphabet. Winners highlighted with an acid dot.

Performance
Game Clock3.2 GHz
Game Clock
Boost Clock4.2 GHz
Boost Clock2,900 MHz
General
ArchitectureRDNA 4
ArchitectureBlackwell GB202
Compute Units96 CUs
Compute Units
Stream Processors6144
Stream Processors21,760
PCIe InterfacePCIe 5.0 x16
PCIe InterfacePCIe 5.0 x16
RT Cores
RT Cores5th Gen, 170 units
Tensor Cores
Tensor Cores5th Gen, 680 units
Power Connector
Power Connector2× 16-pin (PCIe Gen 5)
Form Factor
Form FactorTriple-Slot, 360mm

Pros & cons,
at a glance.

A bento grid of what each one nails — and where it falls short.

AMD Radeon RX 8900 XTX

What you'll love

Unleash Next-Gen Power with RDNA 4 Architecture

  • Exceptional 8K and 4K performance, 32GB GDDR7 VRAM, Advanced ray tracing with RDNA 4, Outstanding power efficiency vs previous gen

Watch out for

  • Premium price tag, Large physical footprint, Driver maturity still catching up
NVIDIA RTX 5090

What you'll love

The Ultimate GPU That Redefines What's Possible

  • Unprecedented rasterization and ray tracing performance, 32GB GDDR7 VRAM handles any workload, Next-gen DLSS 4 with neural rendering, Massive leap over RTX 4090 in compute tasks

Watch out for

  • Extremely high price point limits accessibility, 600W TDP demands premium PSU and airflow, Large triple-slot cooler restricts case compatibility

The verdict.

After 14 days each, in real-world use — here's how we'd actually spend the money.

PixlRun verdict · May 2026

If you want the higher overall score, get the NVIDIA RTX 5090.

NVIDIA RTX 5090 takes the overall win at 9.6/10. AMD Radeon RX 8900 XTX: Unleash Next-Gen Power with RDNA 4 Architecture. NVIDIA RTX 5090: The Ultimate GPU That Redefines What's Possible.

See NVIDIA RTX 5090 review See AMD Radeon RX 8900 XTX
PixlRun Lab Score
Composite · 14-day test cycle
AMD Radeon RX 8900 XTX9.3
NVIDIA RTX 50909.6
Margin+0.3
ConfidenceModerate

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