AMD Radeon RX 9070 GPUs: Official Release Window Announced, Price Still Unknown
AMD unveiled its next-generation graphics cards, the RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT, at CES 2025, yet intriguingly, these RDNA 4 graphics cards were absent from AMD's keynote. Although vendors displayed their new cards on the show floor with obscured specifications, AMD itself kept the cards under wraps during the event.
David McAfee, VP & GM of Radeon Graphics and Ryzen CPUs, took to Twitter/X to shed light on the release timeline. He announced that both the RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT are slated for a March 2025 launch. "Radeon 9000 series hardware and software are looking great and we are planning to have a wide assortment of cards available globally," McAfee stated. "Can’t wait for gamers to get their hands on the cards when they go on sale in March!"
While the exact specifications and pricing remain undisclosed, it's widely speculated that the RX 9070 series will compete directly with Nvidia's forthcoming RTX 5070 and RTX 5070 Ti, which are set to debut in February. Despite the lack of official details from AMD, reports suggest that stock of the RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT has already reached retailers and is currently with reviewers and critics. eTeknix has confirmed receiving review samples of these upcoming graphics cards.
The situation has stirred speculation that AMD's delayed official launch could be a strategic move to directly counter Nvidia's RTX 5070 and 5070 Ti, allowing AMD to make head-to-head comparisons with Nvidia's new offerings. There is also speculation that pricing pressures from Nvidia might have influenced AMD's decision to delay the RX 9070 lineup's official release.
The launch messaging for the RX 9070 series has been somewhat chaotic and unclear due to the scarcity of detailed information. A report from June 2024 highlights Nvidia's dominant position, holding 88% of the discrete GPU market, while AMD captures just 12%. With no other significant players challenging Nvidia in the mid-range or high-end consumer graphics card market, AMD faces the challenge of strategically positioning its RX 9070 lineup to erode Nvidia's market stronghold.
