AMD unveiled its next-generation graphics cards, the RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT, at CES 2025, yet surprisingly, these RDNA 4 graphics cards were absent from AMD’s keynote. Despite their absence, vendors showcased their new cards on the show floor, albeit with redacted specifications.
David McAfee, VP & GM of Radeon Graphics and Ryzen CPUs, took to Twitter/X to announce that both the RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT will hit the market in March 2025. "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!"
Scheduled for a March 2025 release, AMD has yet to disclose specific details such as specifications or pricing for the RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT. It's widely speculated that these GPUs will compete directly with Nvidia’s forthcoming RTX 5070 and RTX 5070 Ti, which are set to launch in February, in terms of price and performance.
Interestingly, reports suggest that stock of the RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT has already reached retailers and been distributed to reviewers and critics. eTeknix has confirmed receiving review samples of these upcoming graphics cards.
The situation has raised eyebrows, fueling speculation that AMD may have delayed the official launch to strategically counter Nvidia’s RTX 5070 and 5070 Ti, enabling direct performance comparisons. It's also speculated that pricing pressure from Nvidia might have influenced AMD's decision to delay the RX 9070 lineup's official release.
The sparse information surrounding the new AMD graphics cards has led to a confusing launch narrative. A June 2024 report highlighted Nvidia's commanding 88% share of the discrete GPU market, with AMD trailing at just 12%.
Without any other significant competitors in the mid-range or high-end consumer graphics card market, AMD faces a critical challenge in eroding Nvidia's overwhelming market dominance.
